Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/639

 JERUSALEM 619 sia, England, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Greece have each a consul resident here. The jurisdiction of the pasha of Jerusalem ex- tends northward to within 15 m. of Nablus, southward to Gaza and the confines of Egypt, and eastward to the Jordan. He is appointed by the Porte, but receives his instructions through the governor general of Syria, except in cases where despatch is necessary. His principal offi- cers and the vice governors of the towns under his jurisdiction are appointed by the governor general, but are subject to his orders, and deci- sions of the courts in criminal cases are sent to the courts at Damascus for confirmation. Most of the Jews now there are of German or Polish origin, and speak a corrupt German dialect. They are called Ashkenazim, to distinguish them from the Sephardim, consisting of Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origin, whose an- cestors were expelled from Spain and Portu- gal toward the close of the 15th century, and who speak a corrupt Spanish dialect, and of Persian and other oriental Jews. Between these two bodies little intercourse exists ; they seldom intermarry, and they pray in different synagogues. The Jewish community inhabit a particular portion of the city; but of late years, in consequence of increasing numbers, they have extended their quarter far into the Mohammedan part, and many live in the sub- urbs. The Jews' quarter proper is badly built and filthy, and the people suffer much from crowded dwellings, scarcity of water, and ex- treme poverty. Their chief rabbi is elected for life, and is recognized by the Sublime Porte in this capacity. He is entitled to send a delegate to act as a member of each local court in suits to which Jews who are Turkish subjects are parties. The Spanish-Portuguese Jews being subjects of the Porte, the right of election was vested in them, and the chief rabbi always was one of the Sephardim. To this the Ashkenazim objected; but being un- able to carry their point, they elected one of their own number as their chief rabbi. Though not recognized by the Porte, he has great in- fluence over the foreign Jews. The Jews, in differences among themselves, are governed by their rabbinical laws, preferring to abide by the decisions of their rabbis rather than carry their cases before gentile courts.. The Greek Christians are Arabs, Greeks, and Syrians, and speak only the Arabic language, except the superior clergy, who are natives of Greece and the archipelago. They have eight con- vents in the city. The Greek patriarch has more power and influence than any of the other spiritual chiefs in the city, and his church is the wealthiest. He is officially recognized by the Turkish government as the chief of the Greek church in Syria, and is entitled to send representatives to act as members in the local courts. Under him are two classes of priests besides the ordinary monks. They are the married clergy, who do not aspire to the higher grades in the church, and the unmarried. The latter live together in the grand convent, or are appointed abbots and assistants to the other monasteries under the surveillance of the patriarch. The Latin Christians, or Roman Catholics, who are principally seceders from the Greek church, also speak Arabic. They have a patriarch, who exercises spiritual over- sight over all the Catholic churches in Syria, but is recognized by the Turkish government only as a distinguished personage, and does not enjoy equal privileges with the Greek, Jewish, and Armenian spiritual heads, partly in consequence of his being a foreign subject. The right of sending representatives of the Roman Catholic community is vested in the abbot of all the Catholic convents in the country, who is always an Italian, his vicar a Frenchman, and the treasurer a Spaniard. He is appointed by the pope every three years. The Catholics at Jerusalem have one large con- vent, that of the Holy Saviour, and two nun- neries, that of the order of St. Joseph or sis- ters of charity, and that of the daughters of Zion. No males are admitted into the latter, except monks and priests. There are 14 other convents in Syria, subject to the abbot of this principal one. The Armenians number about 200 ; they have one large convent, that of St. James, in the most elevated part of the. city, and a patriarch, who is recognized in that ca- pacity by the Turkish government, and who enjoys equal privileges with the Greek patri- arch and Jewish chief rabbi. The Protestant population numbers about 200. An Anglican bishop resides here, with a diocese including Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Abyssinia. This bishopric was established in 1841 by the joint action of the Prussian and British governments, and its incumbent is cho- sen alternately by the sovereigns of England and Prussia. Besides exercising supervision over a few schools, and occasionally officiating in the Protestant church, the duties of the bishop are almost nominal, as the work of preaching and conducting the Protestant insti- tutions is managed by the missionaries. The Copts, Abyssinians, and Syrians have convents in the city, and altogether amount to about 100 persons. The non-Protestant Christians at Jerusalem are in a measure dependent on their convents, which allow them house rent and other gratuities. As nearly every commu- nity carries on a work of proselyting, it fre- quently happens that these Christians embrace each denomination in turn, as the chances favor. In 1867 the pasha commenced build- ing a carriage road between Jerusalem and Jaffa, the money for the purpose being raised by taxation. For want of proper engineers and energy in the commissioners, it was imper- fectly completed in about 18 months, and stage coaches carried passengers between Jerusalem and Jaffa. The work was about to be extended when a new governor was appointed, and it was discontinued. The inhabitants of Jeru- salem get their support mainly from the pil-