Bethulia

BETHULIA, a city celebrated for the siege Holofernes laid to it, at which he was Judith vi. 7.killed by Judith. We have said in our Comment upon Judith¹, that this city was no other than that of Bethel or Bethuel, whereof we have been speaking. Judith and her Husband, and the principal men of Bethulia, were of the Tribe of Simeon. Judith vi. 11. & viii. 1, 2, 3. & ix. 2.Holofernes’s design was to go into Egypt. He had subdued all Galilee, all beyond the brook Kison, and even the mountains which separated the kingdom of Judah from the territories of Samaria. He had nothing more therefore to conquer besides the lands of Judah and Simeon, and so open a passage into Egypt.

But, it will be objected, how can this be Judith iv. 3. vii. 3.reconciled with Scripture? which Judith vii. 1, 2. Judith iv. 5.says, that Bethulia was near Dothaim and Esdraelon, cities in the great plain and country round about, very remote from Bethulia. I answer, that in this place, the Author of the book of Judith describes the march of Holofernes’s Army, and the camp which he left when he broke up to go and undertake the siege of Bethulia, not the camp which he took possession of when he set down before this place. Holofernes commanded all his people, that they should remove their camp against Bethulia. They prepared therefore to make war against the children of Israel. And they camped in the valley near unto Bethulia, and they spread themselves in breadth over Dothaim. Their camp extended from Belmaim unto Cyamon which is overagainst Esdraelon. The High- Priest Joacim wrote to all those who were overagainst Esdraelon, toward the open country near to Dothaim. Hitherto there is nothing contrary to our account of Bethulia, situated towards Gaza in the Tribe of Simeon.

It is true, travellers tell us of a city of this name situated in the Tribe of Zebulun, a league from Tiberias at the same distance from Abilene, three leagues from Dothaim, and to the north of Scythopolis: but this city was not known to any of the antients. Neither Joshua, nor Josephus, nor Eusebius, nor S. Jerom, had any knowledge of a Bethulia in this place; which persuades me, that the city of this name, which has been shewn there, since the Croisades, was fixed there only by conjecture. Travellers having often given old names at random to places, which they imagined to be upon the spot, where old cities stood, that were known to them in history. We shall relate the history of the siege of Bethulia in the article of Judith.

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