Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Adamnan's De Locis Sanctis (Author: Adamnan of Iona)

Chapter/toc 9/10

CONCERNING THE VALLEY OF MAMBRE AND THE SEPULCHRES OF THE 4 PATRIARCHS

East of Chebron, looking towards Mambre, one finds the field of the double cave, which Abraham bought from Effrom the Hethite for the
5] possession of a double sepulchre. (10) In the valley in this field the holy Arculf visited Arbe, the site of the sepulchres, of the 4 patriarchs that is, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Adam the first man. In burial their feet are not turned towards the east as is customary in other regions of the world, but towards the south, and their heads are turned northwards.
10] The site of the sepulchres is surrounded by a low square wall. Adam, the first man, to whom when he sinned God the creator spoke this word immediately after the sin was committed: ‘Earth thou art and to earth shalt thou go’, is at a small distance from the other three towards the extreme northern end of the square stone enclosure. He does not rest,
15] like the other honoured men of his seed, in a stone sepulchre hollowed out in the rock above the earth's surface; but is buried in the earth, covered by the turf, and dust that he is, to dust returned, he rests awaiting the resurrection with all his seed. And thus is fulfilled the divine sentence about him pronounced to himself concerning the character
20] of his sepulchre. And according to the example of the sepulchre of the first parent, the other three patriarchs, covered too in vile dust, rest sleeping. Their four sepulchres have small memorials placed over them, dressed and shaped from single stones, and constructed rather after the fashion of a basilica according to the measure lengthwise and
25] crosswise of each sepulchre. The three sepulchres of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which adjoin one another, are protected, as was said above, by three white stones placed over them, which are shaped according to the pattern we described. The sepulchre of Adam is likewise protected by a stone, but of darker colour, and the work is cruder. There too
30] Arculf saw the smaller, and cruder, memorials of three women, Sarra that is, and Rebecca and Lia, who are buried in the earth. One finds the burial field of those patriarchs to be at a distance of one stade east of the wall of the most ancient city of Chebron. Chebron indeed, it is said, was founded not only before all the cities of Palestine: it preceded even all
35] the Egyptian cities in its foundation — the city that one now sees in miserable ruin.

Let that amount of writing suffice about the sepulchres of the patriarchs.


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