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ICONIUM. (KONIYEH.)

SCRIPTURE NOTICES.

'(PAUL and Barnabas) came unto Iconium."-Acts

xiii. 51.

"And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks, believed . . . There came certain Jews from... Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city (Lystra) supposing he had been dead.”—Acts xiv. 1, 19; v. 21; xvi. 2.

"Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at . . . Iconium."-2 Tim. iii. 11.

"After visiting many of the great towns of Asia Minor, Koniyeh certainly appears the most fallen and ruinous of all, and yet it stands among the first in its early renown for size, population, and riches.

"The remains of its Mohammedan buildings are very beautiful. There are upwards of twenty colleges within its precincts, many of them still held in high esteem by the Mohammedans, and which are now, as formerly, the apologies for indulgence and sloth.

"The city is situated on a wide and level plain, where we saw the beautiful bird called the Aleppo plover, with a spur to its wing. The soil of the plain is very saline, and favourable to the growth of saline plants, towards which the camels rushed eagerly, reminded by them of their own desert plains. We came to a marsh where the road was covered with (multitudes of) small frogs, on which various birds of prey were feeding."-See AINSWORTH'S Asia Minor.

SCRIPTURE NOTICES.

"WHEN they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and sat down."-Acts xiii. 14. (Read the whole chapter.)

"Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch."-2 Tim. iii. 11.

Towards the close of the year 1832, Mr. Arundell planned a journey which he afterwards actually accomplished, through different parts of Asia Minor. His object was to search for ruins in several directions, of

which he had received information; and "first and chiefest, to determine the site of Antioch of Pisidia, that place so important to the Scripture geographer, as ennobled by the discourses and persecutions of St. Paul." From information repeatedly sought at Smyrna, and a careful research into all the ancient authorities, there was every reason to believe that Antioch would be found at or near a considerable Turkish town, called Gialobatsh, or Yalobatch. This town lay in an eastern direction from Deenare, the ancient Apamea, and the reputed distance was about twenty hours, thus agreeing very well with the tables, which placed Antioch at the distance of seventy miles from Apamea. The road passed through another city called Apollonia, which was twenty-five miles from Apamea, and forty-five from Antioch. "On inquiring the road from Deenare or Apamea to Gialobatsh, we were told there were two, but the usual one led through the town of Oloubourlou. We determined to take this route, encouraged by its agreeing in distance with Apollonia, which we had strong hopes of finding at or near Oloubourlou; and if so, we should be warranted in fixing Antioch at or near Gialobatsh."

For some little time after leaving Apamea, we had seen nothing to assure us that we were in the great ancient road from Apamea to Antioch, but now we ascended the mountain steep by a winding, but so ingeniously constructed a road, that the evidence of many of the rocks cut was hardly necessary to prove that it was long anterior to Turkish dominion;" in reality, the old Roman road. "A heap of squared stones with a pedestal of great dimensions, confirmed this opinion, and we had strong hopes that we were in the right road to Antioch.' After some little time longer, "the road became stony, and led down to the bed of a river, in which, or by the side of it, we rode along in a horrible track, and though favoured with moonlight, not without much apprehension of having lost our road. At length the road, still lying along the river side, became wider and better at the

junction of another road, which descended the mountains on the left, and crossed the river by a bridge. We rode on in a fertile and well wooded country, and a house here and there, amidst gardens or vineyards, deceived us into the belief that we had arrived at Oloubourlou. Such was not our lot; road after road was tried in the hope of its leading to the town, but all abandoned. We were almost in despair, when the barking of a dog, under a high mountain, induced us to take that direction, for it was an evidence that some human habitation was not far distant. Shortly after, two Turks directed us to the town, where we arrived at seven o'clock, after another half hour of horrible stony road.

"I had repeatedly endeavoured, at Smyrna, to get information from persons living in the neighbourhood of Isbarta,' as to the site of any place in that neighbourhood celebrated for a peculiar species of quince; for Apollonia was celebrated for quinces. Before entering the town (Oloubourlou) we fancied many of the trees, as well as the light would allow us to judge, resembled quinces, but we had not arrived ten minutes in the khan before one of our attendants entered our apartment with some of the most magnificent quinces I ever beheld, and which differed essentially from others, in being eatable without dressing. They were a little hard, but the flavour was that of the pine-apple.

"We had no positive proof that we were at Apollonia till the next morning, when ... the first object that met our view was a very lofty acropolis, covering the summit of the steep street just in front of it. We lost little time in going up to it, and found an ancient gateway nearly entire, with remains of massy and high walls on either side. Immediately above the gateway was an inscription The council and people of Apollonia.' 2

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Entering within the gate, we found an extensive

1 This was when Mr. Arundell had imagined that Antioch of Pisidia would be found in the neighbourhood of Isbarta.

2 This city is not the Apollonia mentioned in the Acts.

space enclosed by remains of similar massy walls, except when the nature of the ground made such a defence unnecessary. In fact, the acropolis on most sides was a naked perpendicular rock, of stupendous height, and the head grew dizzy on leaning over the precipices to look down into the yawning depth below..

“We were much interested by a small Greek colony, of about three hundred persons, separated altogether from the rest of the Turkish inhabitants. According to their account of themselves, they have from the earliest time occupied their present position, within the walls of the ancient acropolis; they intermarry only among themselves, and have no connexion with any other Christians from without, though of course included within the diocese, and under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Pisidia. There was something so primitive in their manners and appearance, that we could readily believe their story; and I fancied I saw in them the representatives of the Antioch Christians, who had been driven away... from that city by the earlier persecutions. The church was an ancient structure, though on the foundation of a much earlier one. (There was) a large stone font, evidently long disused. Numerous fragments, and mutilated inscriptions, were fixed in the outer walls of the edifice. These Greek Christians knew nothing of their own language, and they were very thankful when I offered to send them a few Testaments in Turkish, and, if possible, some elementary books for the purpose of establishing a school. Our thoughts were so completely occupied with Antioch of Pisidia, which we were now certain must be now Gialobatsh, that we quitted Oloubourlou with much less regret than we should have otherwise done..

"It was half-past two when we quitted Oloubourlou, (rather, restoring its proper name, Apollonia ;) the road passed under precipitous rocks of great height, with numerous tombs in the sides. Looking back, the enormous rock of the acropolis, with fine trees of every kind,