The Biblical Geography of Central Asia / 4

3S^-"^ THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY,! Princeton, N. J.' ^ -- . ^n^ ^ _ ^> . BS 413 .B58 V. 11 Rosenmeuller , Ernst Friedrich Karl, 1768-1835 The Biblical geography of Central Asia / 4 THE BIBLICAL CABINET; OR HERMENEUTICAL, EXEGETICAL, AND PHILOLOGICAL LIBRARY. VOL. XL BIBLICAL GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL ASIA. EDINBURGH: THOMAS CLARK, 38. GEORGE STREET; J. G. Jc F. RIVINGTON, LOXDOK ; AKD W. CURRY, JTJK. & CO. DUBLIK. MDCCCXXXVI. THE BIBLICAL GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL ASIA: wiTa A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF SACRED GEOGRAPHY, INCLUDING THE ANTEDILUVIAN PERIOD. ynY THE LATE E. F. C. ROSENMULLER, DJ). CHDIXARY PROFESSOa OF ORIENTAL LANGUAGES TX Tilt: UNIV'EIISITY OF LEIPSIC. TaAXSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, RV Tli K REV. N. MORREN, A. M. WITH NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. L EDIN'BURGH : THOMAS CLARK, 33. GEORGE STREET. MDCCCXXXVI. J. THOilFOXj PRlXTERj IITLNjE SQUARE. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 1 CANNOT better introduce this work to the notice of English readers, than in the words of Dr. Edward Wells, in the preface to his His- torical Geography of the Old and Neic Testa- ment : " In the Sacred Scriptures there are distin- guishable these two General Parts, a Doctrinal and an Historical. Of these, the Doctrinal being of infinitely the highest concern, requires therefore our far greater study and application. However, this hinders not but that we may, and that very commendably too, spend some time and thoughts on the other ; it being but reasonable to think, that what the wisdom of God has judged fit to make part of his word, we may judge fit to make part of our study." A well-grounded and thorough acquaintance T^'ith Scripture Geography will be found a more — TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. needful help to the Bible scholar, than might at first be supposed. It is, moreover, a study, which, from the variety of interesting topics with which it is conversant, possesses peculiar attractions to an inquisitive mind ; —and it is therefore to be regretted, that, like most other branches of exegetical inquiry, it has not hither- to received in this country that attention which its importance demands. While the profane geography of the ancients has been illustrated by the labours of such men as Rennell and Vin- cent, —" the geography of the Hebrews," as a field of critical investigation, has been allow- ed to lie comparatively neglected. Of this there can be no evidence more conclusive than the fact, that with no lack of meagre outlines, and popular, but superficial sketches the only standard treatise in our language on what may be called the General Geography of the Bible, is the above mentioned work of Wells. Near- ly a hundred and thirty years have now elaps- ed since its first appearance ; and, though often reprinted, it has commonly been without emen- dation or addition.^ During that period much * The only exception with whidi I am acquainted, is the- 4to Edition, by Mr^ Charles Taylor, the author of the TRANSLATOR S TREFACE. Vil cidditional light has been thrown on many points in Archaeology, by the opening up of new Oriental sources—by the observations of travellers, the criticism of philologists, and the miscellaneous researches of the learned. Hence it has long been my conviction, that there is no greater desideratum in our theological litera- ture, than a full and scientific system of sacred geography, adapted to the present advanced state of hermeneutical studies —such a work as the il- lustrious Bochart would have given to the world, had he lived in the nineteenth instead of the seventeenth century.* Among our indefatigable and erudite neigh- *' Fragments to Calmet,"—whose additions, however, are chiefly in illustration of his favourite but fanciful hypothesis, that Eden, Ararat, &c. lay towards India. * A great part of the Old Testament Geography of Wells, is but an abstract of the " Phaleg" and " Canaan," of Bochart, —" the most learned man of the most learned age that has yet appeared." It is no small proof of the esteem in which his writings are still held by competent judges, that the subject for the prize essay, proposed last year (1835) by Gesenius to the students at Halle, was De Vita et Meritis BocharlL He Avas the first who profoundly investigated what it has been cus- tomary to call, since the days of Michaelis, the Exterior or Fo- reign Geography of the Jews—having done for itAvhat Reland afterwards did for the Domestic Geography of Palestine. Viii TRANSLATOR S PREFACK. bours, the Germans, the most recent, as well as most approved work on this subject, is the " Biblical Geography" of Rosenmliller.* The author was a son of the well-known scholiast on the New Testament, and has himself written voluminous but incomplete scholia upon the Old. After a long- and laborious life, devoted to the pursuit of Oriental and Biblical learning, he died at Leipsic on the 17th September 1835. Among other literary projects, he had contem- plated the embodying of the results of his study of the sacred volume into one comprehensive scheme of " Biblical Antiquities ;" but he only lived to complete the portions which relate to geography and natural history—the former in five, the latter in two divisions. It is proposed to present, in this and a sub- sequent volume of the Biblical Cabinet, the first * The only systematic production of much authority, previ- ous to the appearance of this of Rosenmuller, was the Handbuch (i. e. Manual) of Bellermann. Professor Stuart, in his Trans- lation of Ernesti's Institutes, characterizes it as " a classical and excellent work, which, it is hoped, will soon be translated into English." M^'hatever is valuable in Bellermann, has either been retained by Rosenmuller, or is now given by me in the additional Notes. — TRAN'SLATOR S PREFACE. two parts ^of his " Geography"— omitting only the introductory matter, with which it has no immediate connection. I have selected the de- signation of " Central Asia" as a general title for these volumes, because all the countries described belong to that quarter of the world, taking the term in its most extensive latitude. To the same region also belongs the " antediluvian geography" contained in the second chap- ter ; while chapters I. and III. may be considered as forming a useful introduction to the whole. A translator's testimony in favour of his author, is commonly received with suspicion. Yet may I in truth affirm, that had I not been persuaded that this work is fitted to be eminently useful in the most important of all studies, —the study of the word of God,— I would have spared myself a translator's inglorious task. I am much de- ceived in my estimate of these volumes, if the reader shall find any thing pertaining to the Biblical Geography, Topography and History of Central Asia—the cradle of the human race either dismissed with a cursory notice, or assert- * They make up his first Volume, which consists of these two Tomes or divisions, but with a common Index^ &c. X TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. ed without sufficient proof.^ If the writer errs, it is in the fashion of his conscientious, thorough- going countrymen,—more in the way of excess than of defect. And this redundancy may well he forgiven, when it is found to have enriched his work with so much curious and interesting matter—a great portion of which, it is believed, will be altogether new to English readers. If the author has been thus copious in his il- lustrations, there may seem the less occasion for any additions by the translator. But when it is considered, that upwards of twelve years have passed since the publication of the original, it will be seen, that many books must have appeared, both in this country and on the Con- tinent,^ from which old opinions may be recti- fied or new^ elucidations drawn ; and it is to such " That Rosenmuller's Biblical Geograpliy is now the classical and standard work among the Germans, may be seen from Fuhr- manri's Handbuch der Neuesten Theologischen Literatur (a Bibliographical Guide, brought down to the end of 1835), Part I. p. 120. A review of the present volume, by Gesenius, appeared inthe AUgem, Lit. Zeitung of Halle, for the year 1825. ^ One of the most curious of these is that part of the Geo- graphical work of Abulfeda, which relates to Irak, Khuzistan, Adherbijan, &:c. edited for the first time in Arabic and Latin, by WUstenfeld, Gottingen 1835. The Irak in question is TlIANSLATOnS PREFACE. XI points that the translator's annotations are chief- I3' confined. The quantity of supplemental matter thus furnished by him, will be found to be very considerable. He is accountable for the whole of what is headed " Appendix"—for the foot-notes signed M.—and for the occasional ex- planatory clauses inclosed in brackets [ ]. Yet, with all these extensive additions, the entire work will be made accessible to students, at not mucli more than half the cost of the original German. Notwithstanding the great number of Hebrew, Arabic, and other Eastern characters which occur throughout the present volume, I trust little or nothing will be detected in the printing to offend greatly the eye of the most fastidious Orientalist. For valuable assistance in carrying it through the press, as well as for several important contributions to the notes, I have been indebted to my learned Arabian Irak, otherwise ,_, jj\ 0^>£ called \j\^ oir^ i. e. Babylonia; for his description of <:^^ 'i\,^s. Irak Adjerai, or Persian Irak (the Great Media of the ancients) had been previously published by Uylenbroek, at Leyden, in 1822. Gibbon, in his account of the expedition of the Empe- ror Julian into Babjdonia, after giving a description of the country from the best authorities, adds in a note : " I regret much that the Irak AraU of Abulfeda has not been translated.

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