xiv INTRODUCTION.
Latins had already firmly established themselves; Cana of Galilee, and Acre. After resting four days at the last place, he journeyed southwards by Haifa and Kaisaríyeh to Náblus; and so on by Bethel to Jerusalem.
After witnessing the ceremony of the descent of the 'Holy Light,' in the Church of the Resurrection, on Easter Saturday, 1107 A.D., the Russian pilgrim commenced his homeward journey. He travelled by the Convent of the Cross; ‘Ain Kárim, the home of Zacharias and the birthplace of John the Baptist; and 'Amwás, which had been laid waste by the infidels, to Jaffa; and thence by Arsúf, Kaisaríyeh, Haifa, Tyre, and Sidon, to Beirút. Whether he embarked at Beirút or at Suédiah, the port of Antioch, is uncertain; but in either case he followed the coast pretty closely, and after having been robbed by pirates, off the Lycian coast, near Patara, eventually reached Constantinople in safety.
The most recent editions of Daniel's narrative are:
1. A French translation, by M. de Norov, from a Russian text established by the same M. de Norov, and published in 1864.1
2. A Greek translation, by the Monk Epiphanius, published at St. Petersburg in 1867.
3. A German translation, by Herr Leskien, published in 1884.2
4. A new edition of the Russian text, published by the Russian Palestine Society, and edited by M. A. Venevitinov from a MS. of 1496,3 with which twelve of the most complete MSS. have been compared.
5. A French translation of the text established by M. A. Venevitinov, made by Madame Sophie de Khitrowo for the Société de l'Orient latin.
¹ Pélerinage en Terre Sainte de l'Igouméne Russe Daniel au commencement du xiime. siécle. Traduit par A. de Noroff, St. Pétersbourg, 1884. The Russian text with the French translation.
2
Die Pilgerfahrt des russischen Abtes Daniel ins heilige Land 1113-15. Aus dem Russischen übersetzt von A. Leskien, in Leipzig. In Z. D. P. V. vii. 17-64.3
In the Imperial Library at St. Petersburg, xvii. Q. No. 88.The English edition, the first published in this country, is a translation from the French of Madame de Khitrowo, which Comte Riant has very kindly placed at the disposal of the Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society. In editing the English edition I have not considered it necessary, in every case, to notice the variations from the French of Madame de Khitrowo which are to be found in the French translation of M. de Norov and the German translation of Herr Leskien.
In conclusion I have to express my grateful thanks to M. de Khitrowo for his kindness in furnishing me with many of the details respecting Daniel which I have embodied above, and in forwarding explanations of some doubtful passages in the narrative.
C. W. WILSON.
P. F. Mem. = The Memoirs to accompany the Survey of Western Palestine published by the Palestine Exploration Fund.
P. F. Q. S. = Quarterly statements of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
Z. D. P. V. = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palæstina Vereins.
S. O. L. = Société de l'Orient latin.
Ant. Mart. (Eng. Ed.) and Bord. Pil. (Eng. Ed.) = The translation of Antoninus Martyr, etc., published by the Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society.
MANUSCRIPTS GIVING VARIANTS TO THE
ESTABLISHED TEXT.
Ac. = St. Pétersbourg, Bibl. de l'Académie des Sciences, no 5 (XVe-XVIe s., pap.).
Ar. = St. Pétersbourg, Bibl. de la Commission archéographique, Fonds Reschetkine, no 148 (fin du XVIe s., pap.).
D. = St. Pétersbourg, Bibl. Impériale, Fonds Doubrovsky, IV F, no 238 (fin du XVIe s., pap.).
F. = Floristchevsk (Monastére de), gouvernement de Vladimir, no 149 (XVe-XVIe s., pap.).
K = St. Pétersbourg, Bibl. de l'Académie ecclesiastique, no {xxxx} (1475 a., pap.).
Mac = Moscou, Bible du St. Synode, no 995 (XVIe s., pap.).
Mo = Moscou, Bibl. de la Société d'Histoire and d'Antiquités ruffes, no 189 (fin du XVe s., pap.).
O = Moscou, Musée Roumiantzev, Fonds Oundolsky, no 709 (XVIe s., pap.).
R = Moscou, Musée Roumiantzev, no 335 (XVe-XVIe s., pap.).
S = Moscou, Bibl. du St. Synode, no 951 (XVIe s., pap.).
Sf = St. Pétersbourg, Bibl. de l'Académie ecclésiastique no 1409 (commencement du XVIe s., pap.).
T = St. Pétersbourg, Bibl. Impériale, Fonds Tolstoy XVII., Q. no 76 (XVIe s., pap.).
PILGRIMAGE OF THE RUSSIAN ABBOT
DANIEL IN THE HOLY LAND.
Circa 1106-1107.
I, DANIEL, an unworthy Abbot of Russia, the least among the monks, ill at ease by reason of my many sins and the insufficiency of my good works, was seized first with the idea, and then with an impatient yearning to behold the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Promised Land. By the grace of God I reached the holy city of Jerusalem,1 and saw the holy places: I visited the whole of Galilee and all the sacred places around the holy city of Jerusalem, which Christ our God pressed with His feet, and where He manifested Himself by marvellous miracles.
I have seen all these places with my sinful eyes; and God in His mercy has deigned to show me all that I have for so many years ardently longed to see. My Brethren, my Fathers, my Lords! forgive me, a sinner, and pardon my ignorance and the simplicity of the description (which I am about to make) of the holy city of Jerusalem, of that blessed land, and of the road that leads to the holy places. He who accomplishes this journey in humility, and in the fear of God, will never offend against the Divine mercy; whereas I followed that hallowed road unworthily, in all feebleness
1
'Promised Land,' F.;'district of Jordan,' R.and indolence, without abstinence, and giving myself up to every vice. But in the hope that the mercy of God and your prayers on my behalf may gain the pardon of our Lord Jesus Christ for my innumerable sins, I have described that road and the holy places with no pride as in anything meritorious. This thought is indeed far from me, for I have done nothing good during the journey; and it is only out of love for those holy places that I have written down what I saw with my own eyes; so as to remember all that God allowed me to see, notwithstanding my unworthiness. And fearing the example of that idle servant who buried his Master's talent without rendering it profitable, I have written this for the faithful, so that, in hearing the description of the holy places, they might be mentally transported to them, from the depths of their souls, and thus obtain from God the same reward as those who have visited them.
Many virtuous people, by practicing good works and charity to the poor, reach the holy places, without leaving their homes, and so render themselves worthy of a greater recompense from our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Others, of whom I am the chief, after having visited the holy city of Jerusalem and the holy places, pride themselves as if they had done something meritorious, and thus lose the fruit of their labour. And again, others who have made the pilgrimage, return without having seen many valuable things, so eager were they to return home; for this journey cannot be made quickly, nor can all the holy places in Jerusalem and other localities be hurried through.
3 IN THE HOLY LAND
I.– JERUSALEM AND THE LAURA1 OF ST. SABBAS.2
I then, unworthy Abbot Daniel, on arriving at Jerusalem, stayed for sixteen months in the Metochia3 of the Laura of St. Sabbas, and was thus able to visit and explore all the holy places. Now it is impossible to visit and explore all the sacred places without a good guide and an interpreter; I therefore gave all that I could out of my small means as a reward to those who were thoroughly acquainted with, and able to show me, the holy places of the city and other localities, so that I might see every detail; in this, accordingly, I was successful.
And, by God's grace, I found in the Laura of St. Sabbas a very pious man of advanced age, who was well versed in the Scriptures. God inclined the heart of this holy man to love unworthy me; and it was he who, with great care, showed me all the holy places, both in Jerusalem and the whole country; and who took me to the Lake of Tiberias, Tabor, Nazareth, Hebron, and the Jordan.4 And out of affection for me, although suffering great fatigue, he conducted me to the large number of holy places of which I shall speak later.
1
A Laura was a small monastic community, the members of which lived in separate cells under the not very strongly defined control of a superior. The cells, though separate, were in close proximity to one another, and clustered round the chapel of the community.2
The words 'of St. Sabbas,' given by D. Ar., are wanting in the other MSS. The Laura of St. Sabbas is now the well-known monastery of Mar Sába between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea. It is described in P.F. Mem., iii. 219, and by Tobler, Topog. Umgebungen, 837.3
The Hospice or 'Pilgrim-house' {xxxx}of the Laura of St. Sabbas was a stone's throw from the Tower of David (ch.. xv.). Comp. Sæwulf's 'Near the Tower of David,' Early Travels in Palestine, 44. According to John of Wirzburg (xv.), it was to the south of, and near, the street which led from the Gate of David to the Temple. Phocas, as quoted erroneously by Norov, places it on the left, or north, side of the street.4
'And to Bethlehem', O. Mo. 1–2
4 PILGRIMAGE THE RUSSIAN RUSSIAN ABBOT
II.–THE WAY TO JERUSALEM.
This is the road which leads to Jerusalem.1 It is 300 versts2 from Constantinople to the Great Sea, following the coast windings, and 100 versts to the island of Petala.3 It is the first island in the narrow sea.4 On this road is the large town of Heracleum,5 where there is a good harbour. Opposite this town, the sacred oil rises from the depth of the sea, because it was at this spot that many holy martyrs were drowned by the executioners.
They reckon 100 versts from the isle of Petala to Gallipoli, and 806 from Gallipoli to the town of Abydos, opposite to which city St. Euthymius the younger is buried.
From thence to Crite7 the distance is 20 versts; after which one gets into the Great Sea, turning to the left for Jerusalem, and to the right for the holy mountain,8 Salonica, and Rome.
It is about 30 versts from Crite to the island of Tenedos, which is the first island one reaches in the Great Sea: it is there that the holy martyr Avnudimos9 rests. On the shore opposite this island there was formerly a large
1
That is from Constantinople.2
The Russian verst is equal to 3,500 feet, or about two-thirds of an English mile.3
The distance by water from Constantinople is about 200 versts, and Petala must be the island of Marmora; the name is possibly retained in the small island of Kutala.4
The Sea of Marmora.5
Perinthus, afterwards Heracleia, now Eregli, on the Sea of Marmora. Daniel here appears to confuse the greater Heracleia with the lesser, now Eraclitza, at the foot of Hieron-Oros, a mountain which Strabo (Fragm. 1vi.) says discharged asphaltus (petroleum?) into the sea.6
'108' in Mac. Mo.; '8' in F. K S. Ac. The distance is about 20 miles, or 30 versts.7
Krithia, or Karethia, near the southern extremity of the Gallipoli Peninsula.8
Mount Athos.9
‘Avnudimos,' F. Ac.; ' Navgudimos' in the other MSS.
5 IN THE HOLY LAND.
town named Troas,1 to which the holy Apostle Paul came to teach and baptize all the country.
There are 100 versts between Tenedos and the island of Mitylene, where the holy2 Metropolitan of Mitylene is buried; and from hence to the island of Chios, 100 versts: it is at this place that St. Isidore the martyr reposes. This island produces mastic, excellent wines, and all kinds of vegetables.
III.--THE CITY OF EPHESUS.
It is 60 versts from the isle of Chios to Ephesus; and at this latter place is seen the tomb of St. John the Evangelist. On the anniversary of his death, holy dust rises from this tomb, which believers gather as a remedy against every kind of disease;3 the garment which John wore is also here. Quite near is the cave in which rest the bodies of the Seven Sleepers who slept for 360 years,4 having fallen asleep in the reign of the Emperor Decius, and awakened in the time of the Emperor Theodosius. In this same cavern are the (remains of the) three hundred holy fathers and of St. Alexander; the tomb of Mary Magdalene is also here, as well as her head; and the holy Apostle Timothy, the disciple of St. Paul, reposes in his ancient coffin.5 In the old6 church the picture of the Holy Virgin is preserved; it was with this that the holy (fathers) refuted the heretic Nestorius.
Here, too, one sees the Bath of Dioscorides,7 where St. John the Evangelist laboured with Prochorus in the house of Romana. We saw, also, the harbour, named the 'Marble Port,' where St. John the Evangelist was cast up by the sea. We remained here three days.
1
Now Eski Stambul.4
'308 years' in R.5
Ac. adds, 'In the large town.'6
'Large,' Ac.7
Dioscorides was the father of Domnus, who perished in the bath of Romana, which is probably the bath alluded to by Daniel.
6 PILGRIMAGE THE RUSSIAN ABBOT DANIEL
The town of Ephesus is situated among the mountains, four versts from the sea, and has abundance of everything. Here we adored the holy grave, and then, protected by the grace of God and the prayers of John the Evangelist, journeyed thence rejoicing.
It is 40 versts from Ephesus to Samos. The sea there abounds with fish, and the island is very fertile.
IV.–THE ISLE OF PATMOS.
They reckon 20 versts from Samos to the island of Icaria,1 and from thence to the island of Patmos 60 versts. The last lies some way out in the sea, and is the island upon which St. John the Evangelist wrote his Gospel when he was banished with Prochorus. Then come the isles of Leros, Calimnos, Nicera, and that of Cos,2 which is very large, very populous, and rich in cattle. Finally comes Telos, noted for the torment of Herod.3 It is composed of burning sulphur,4 which is sold, after having been purified and is used for kindling fire. Farther distant is the island of Kharkia.5 All these islands, populous, and rich in cattle, are distant 10 versts and more from one another. The island of Rhodes is also very large and very fertile; here the Russian Prince Oleg spent two winters and two summers.6 It is 200 versts from Samos to the isle of Rhodes, and 60 from Rhodes to Makri.7
This town of Makri, and all the surrounding country,
1 Now Nicaria.
2 The islands of Lero, Kalymno, Nisyro, and Kos.
3 Mac. and Mo. add, 'Which rises from a depression.'
4
K. reads, 'A stream of boiling water.' The Abbot appears here to describe the sulphur deposits and hot springs of Nisyros, and to place them wrongly in Telos, Tilo.5
The island of Chalce, now Khalki, near Rhodes.6
According to the Russian annals, Prince Oleg was made prisoner and carried to Greece in 1079 A.D.7
The ancient Telmessus, on the south coast of Lycia.
7 IN THE HOLY LAND.
as far as Myra, produces black1 incense2 and gomphytis;3 it exudes from the tree in a viscous state, and is collected with a sharp-edged piece of iron. The tree is called 'zyghia,'4 and resembles the alder. Another shrub, resembling the aspen,5 is called ' raka'6; a huge worm, of the large caterpillar species, bores through the wood beneath the bark, and the worm-dust, which comes away from the shrub like wheat bran, falls to the ground, as a gum similar to that from a cherry-tree. This is gathered and mixed with the produce of the first tree; and the whole is then boiled in a copper. Thus it is that they prepare the gomphytis incense, which is sold to the merchants in leather bottles.
From Makri to the town of Patara, where St. Nicholas was born, they reckon 40 versts–Patara being his native country: and from thence to Myra it is 40 versts. This last place contains the tomb of St. Nicholas. It is 30 versts from 'the town of Myra to Chelidonia,7 and 200 versts8 from this place to the large island of Cyprus.
V.–THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS.
This island is of great extent, very populous, and abounds in all sorts of productions. There are twenty9 bishops,
1 'Red,' F. Ar. Ac.
2 The French translation has thymiame {xxxx} = thus, incense.
3 {xxxx} is storax. Du Cange, gloss. med.
4
Zykia, R.; Izyghia, F.; {xxxx}Pliny (H. N. xvi. 15) calls it carpinus.5
'Pine,' Mac. Mo. F. K. S. Ac.6
Stourika, Mac. Mo. F.; stiouriaka, K. S. This is the styrax officinalis, from which storax is obtained. The shrub is still found in the Lycian mountains, and the storax, which is much used in the preparation of incense, is exported from Smyrna. Strabo (xii. 7, § 3) gives a somewhat similar but much fuller account of the way in which storax is obtained. Appendix IV.7
Now Shelidan Burún, at the S.W. extremity of the Gulf of Adalia.8
'210,' F.; ‘230,’ Ac.; ‘260,’ other MSS.9
‘14,’ Mac. Mo. K S.; '24,' F. Ac.