Page:Palestine Exploration Fund - Quarterly Statement for 1894.djvu/104

82 of Helena dates about 50 A.D., and there is a tomb with a Hebrew text in the large cemetery round the so-called "Tomb of the Judges." The tombs in the Hinnom Valley are Christian tombs, in some cases as late as the ninth century A.D., as shown by their inscriptions. They were mainly cut for the monks of the Church of St. Sion, as recorded in the texts.

P. 307. Herr Baldensperger's further paper shows that the Questions issued by the Fund are capable of receiving very exact answers. The fellahin differ from the Arabs: (1) In never praying facing the east; (2) In visiting the tombs on Thursday. The Arabs only visit tombs when passing. The idea of the Mahdi lighting Satan at Lydda is inherited from an ancient Jewish belief, noticed in the Talmud, which points to the same site for the contest. The fellahin seem to confuse Ed Dejjâl with Dejjan or Dagon. The old custom of the female Nazerite, noticed in the Mishnah, seems also to survive (p. 317) in a distorted legend. The sprinkling of blood is also observed by the Arabs of the desert; and a story of the Moabite Arabs (see "Heth and Moab") speaks of Antar's mother hung up by her eyelashes.

P. 330. There is only one Stone of Proclamation noticed in the Mishnah ("Taanith," iii, 8); it was a stone on which men stood to proclaim lost property, and had no connection with any trial.



only city noticed in connection with the wars of Aziru against Geba in the Tell Amarna tablets which I could not discover in the vicinity was Sehlala, but on further search I find a village in one of the valleys east of Batrun (the Batruna of the tablets) called Beit Shelalah, which is probably the place in question. The letter in which it is noticed is much broken, but the central part runs as follows (158):—

''û. . . . s'arrabunum ina amati. . . . rinum û caru rabu. . . . zabi Ali Sehlali û anuma invirir. . . . istu alu Irpada û. . . . nacu ina Ali Tsumura û yanu amili sa asbunum ina cari rabi si û anumma amili sa asbumum ina cari rabi si Sabilu Bilimtanu Maya. . . . Arzaya anumma IV amili sa asbunum ina cari rabi si û icbunum sunu ana yasi lizipanna simi istu suti zabi Ali Sehlali û huse izzina istu suti zabi Ali Sehlali. . . . xxv sa iducunum. . . . Sehlali û inuma babi. . . . ici zabi. . . . unuti. . . . istu Ali Tsumuri. . . . anumma la adru uddu. . . . zazibunum. . . . Khazanuti ana panica. . . .''

The translation, though rendered difficult by the breaks in the text, appears to be—

"And . . . . they had rebelled from the orders . . . they had . . . . and the fortress . . . . the soldiers of the City of Sehlala, and now it