Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/206

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NOTES AND QUERIES.

[2* S. NO 10., MAR. 8. '56.

it appears that, at Ely and Lincoln, where the galilee takes the form of a porch, it was in the one place occupied by those unhappy persons who were looked upon as little better than heathens ; and in the other place was reserved for public penitents, corpses waiting for interment, and women visiting their monkish relatives. At Durham, as we know, the galilee takes the shape of a large chapel (50 by 78 feet, Raine*), and in style is a wonderfully beautiful specimen of the Alhambresque-Norman (if I may be allowed to coin a word) ; and it was reserved for that sex which the patron saint of the cathedral neld in such horror, and whose members were so rigo- rously punished if they presumed to trespass, even in male disguise, over the boundary-cross of blue marble. From this it is clear that the galilee porch or chapel was always considered as "some- what less sacred than the other portions of the sacred edifice." (Bloxara.) Comparatively speak- ing it was " looked down upon ; " it was the despised portion of the sacred building ; it was at the far- thest distance (either literally or figuratively) from the altar or holy place. And this is the reason why, as it seems to me, this porch or chapel was called " the galilee," that is to say, " the despised place."

For what was the geographical Galilee but the despised place ? Not only locally, but figuratively, it was considered to be "far off" from "the holy city." We know how little worthy of honour the Jews esteemed it (John vii. 52.), and how the early Christians were called " Galilseans " as a term of reproach, and how Julian made a law that they should always thus be called. The very fact that Galilee was made the scene of the greatest part of our Saviour's sojourn upon earth, that by men of Galilee was He received (John iv. 45.), and to them displayed His epiphany of miracles; that His word "began from Galilee" (Acts x. 37.), and that He was accounted as a Galilean by Pilate, who transferred Him for trial to the Galilean Herod Antipas ; that His apostles were Galilean fishermen, and that the chief part of His followers lived there ; insomuch that, after His resurrection, He was seen there by " above five hundred brethren at once " (1 Cor. xv. 6.) ; while, a week after this, the disciples at Jerusalem could only number one hundred and twenty

who, among other heathenisms, proposed to pull down the galilee to make room for a carriage- road to the western entrance and to the cathedral! Dean Cornwallis was barely in time to prevent this act of Vandalism from being consummated ; for Mr. Raine tells us that " on his arrival in Durham in the summer of that year (1796), to keep his annual residence, he found the galilee actually stripped of its lead, that the demolition of its walls might be com- menced." But these were " the good old days, when George the Third was king."
 * Mr. Raine is justly severe on Wyatt the architect,

(Acts i. 15.) : all these facts must have still further tended to mark out Galilee as a place to be despised by the inhabitants of " the Holy City." (Is. xlviii. 2.) As " the Galilaean " meant " the despised person," so " the galilee " (as I conjecture) means " the despised place," farthest off, both literally and figuratively, from " the holy place."

With regard to the galilee being partially, or wholly, reserved for females, we may note the following points that seem to bear upon the con- nection between " the Galilee " and women. She who was " blessed among women " was a Galilean, and passed the greater part of her life in Galilee. At the miracle in Cana of Galilee she was there ; and, as it would seem, was either akin to one of the parties, or was on terms of friendly intimacy with them, or she would not, as we may suppose, have spoken to the servants on the want of wine. It was " women from Galilee " who watched and wept by the cross of Christ, and found their way to His tomb. From the first to the last in His life upon earth we find the women of Galilee ; and thus a peculiar relationship might have been suffered to spring up between " women " and "galilee," which, taken in conjunction with " the galilee," meaning " the despised place," might, in those dark ages, and in those exclusive Cuth- bertian churches, where women are regarded as unfit persons to approach the holiest places, have led to " the galilee " being set apart as the peculiar place for the women.

Having had occasion to refer to the miracle at Cana in GalUee, I will here take the opportunity to notice (what appears to be) an error in Mr. Trench's most valuable Notes on the Miracles. At p. 98. (2nd ed.) he says :

" The presence at that feast of Himself and His dis- ciples, who were just arrived from a journey, and wJiose presence might therefore have been in some degree unlocked for, may have increased beyond previous calculation the number of the guests ; and so, the provision made for their entertainment may have proved insufficient."

It seems doubtful whether, in the words that I have italicised, Mr. Trench refers to our Lord and His disciples, or to the disciples only ; but how- ever this may be, we are expressly told by St. John (ii. 2.) that " both Jesus was called (i. e. in- vited) and His disciples to the marriage." The disciples were probably either five in number, or (as Mr. Trench would seem to think from the foot-note at p. 96.) only two, Philip and Nathanael. But, how would the unexpected arrival of even six uninvited persons "have increased beyond previous calculation the number of the guests," and made the provision for their entertainment insufficient, when, according to the custom at Jewish marriages, a supply of wine must have been prepared sufficient to last the ordinary guests through the seven or eight days to which the