The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427Schiltberger, Johannes
History
The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427
Schiltberger, Johannes
Timur, 1336-1405 -- Early works to 1800; Turkey -- History -- Bayezid I, 1389-1403; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
(1A.) Another suggestion! Khodja is a corruption of the Persian word
Khaja, a term that in the East generally denotes a merchant (Garcin
de Tassy, _Les Noms Propres et les Titres Musulm._, 68). Or an
interpretation of “Koldigen” is perhaps to be found in Koul, the
Turkish for a detachment or small body of men, and jy, a termination
significative of office, profession, or trade, as for instance,
arabajy, one who drives; kayikjy, a boatman; ghemijy, a sailor, and
similarly, Kouljy, one who leads a body of men. In European Turkey,
however, Kouljy means also a coast-guard-man, and in other parts of
that empire the term is applied to a keeper or custodian. In his
Russian edition, Professor Bruun submits the word Koljy derived from
Koll, the title of those of the second class of the Monastic Order of
Kalender, the founder of which Order, singularly enough, was one named
Joseph. With the reader must remain the privilege of deciding upon
Joseph’s calling, whether monk, merchant, coast-guard-man, or
custodian!—ED.
(2.) “The Infidels call Jherusalem, Kurtzitalil.”—Jerusalem is called
by the Turks, Kouds Shereef, with the first part of which name might
be associated the first syllable “Kurtz”; but Shereef could scarcely
have been corrupted to “italil”, which reminds me of Halil, a term
pre-eminently applied to Abraham the friend of God, and given to the
gate of the city that leads to Hebron, known as the Bab-el-Halil
(Raumer, _Palæstina_, etc., 201).—BRUUN.
(3.) “the pilgrims can kiss and touch it.”—The Russian pilgrim Daniel
observed three openings in the marble slab, through which the sacred
stone could be seen and kissed; but the indiscreet zeal of pilgrims,
says Noroff, who contrived to chip off fragments, necessitated its
protection from further mutilation.—BRUUN.
(4.) “a brightness above the holy sepulchre, that is like fire.”—Some
people believed that this miracle was performed through the
intervention of a dove, while others attributed it to lightning. The
Russian pilgrim Daniel explains to his readers that it is only those
who have not attended during the celebration in church that could
be sceptic as to the appearance of this light from heaven, and he
trusts that the truly faithful and of good repute will believe in all
the miracles that take place within the sanctuary! He concludes his
observations by quoting Luke xvi, 10.—BRUUN.
(4A.) Of the lamp that burned in front of the Holy Sepulchre, Sir John
Mandevile has also recorded that “it went out of itself, on Good
Friday, and again lit itself at the hour that our Lord rose from the
dead.” This lamp Schiltberger may have seen, but it appears doubtful
whether he witnessed the performance of the miracle of the Holy Fire,
“the brightness above the Holy Sepulchre, that is like fire”, or he
surely would have described the supernatural occurrence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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