Out-Of-Doors in the Holy Land: Impressions of Travel in Body and Spirit

by Henry Van Dyke

1977 Hardcover. Light foxing on outer edge. No Dust Jacket As Issued By Publisher.

325 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) was an American Presbyterian clergyman, educator, and author. He graduated from Princeton in 1873, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1874. He was pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church, New York City (1883-99), professor of English literature at Princeton (1899-1923), and U.S. minister to the Netherlands (1913-16).

Among his popular inspirational writings is the Christmas story The Other Wise Man (1896). As President Wilson's ambassador to the Netherlands from 1913, Van Dyke was a first-hand witness to the outbreak of World War I and its progress, and was a key player in the President's diplomatic efforts to keep the U.S. out of the conflict.

Not to be confused with his father, Henry J. Van Dyke (1822-1891).

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/van-dyke...

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It is a poor prophet that has but one birthplace and one tomb." (5)

"I will not sleep under a roof in Palestine, but nightly pitch my wandering tent beside some fountain, in some grove or garden, on some vacant threshing-floor, beneath the Syrian stars." (7)

"My heart is like water poured upon the solitary ground: I have come alone to the place of surrender. To thee, to thee only will I give up my sword: The sword which was broken in thy service." (82)

"'Some gifts are too precious to be received in any other way than this.' And in my heart I knew that she was right." (88)

"It seems like the passing away of something beneficent and helpless, something that was able to shield others but not itself." (100)

"With the fading of the sunset glow a deep blue comes upon all the mountains, a blue which strangely seems to grow paler as the sky above them darkens, sinking down upon them through infinite gradations of azure into something mysterious and indescribable, not a color, not a shadow, not a light, but a secret hyaline illumination which transforms them into aerial battlements and ramparts, on whose edge the great stars rest and flame, the watch-fires of the Eternal." (140)

"What sudden storm of discord and disaster shook it all down again, loosened the sinews of beauty and luxury, dissolved the lovely body of living joy, and left this skeleton of dead splendor diffused upon the solitary ground?" (179)

"...the ghost of the dream of a dream..." (180)

"A Psalm Among The Ruins
The lizard rested on the rock while I sat among the ruins; And the pride of man was like a vision of the night.
Lo, the lords of the city have disappeared into darkness; The ancient wilderness hath swallowed up all their work.
There is nothing left of the city but a heap of fragments; The bones of a carcass that a wild beast hath devoured.
Behold the desert waiteth hungrily for man's dwellings; Surely the tide of desolation returneth upon his toil.
All that he hath painfully lifted up is shaken down in a moment; The memory of his glory is buried beneath the billows of sand.
Then a voice said, Look again upon the ruins; These broken arches have taught generations to build
Moreover the name of this city shall be remembered; Here a poor man spoke a word that shall not die.
This is the glory that is stronger than the desert; For God hath given eternity to the thought of man." (189)

"If faith in a God who is the Father and Lord of all mankind means anything it means this: equal care, equal justice, equal mercy for all the world. Gerasa has been forgotten of men, but God never forgot it." (195)

"In a climate like this one expects nothing from man or beast. Life degenerates, shrivels, stifles; and in the glaring open spaces a sullen madness lurks invisible." (197)

[Charity U · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was unexpectedly delighted by this book and had to order my own (original 1908) copy. What I read was the 1977 reprint edition - but I certainly need the original! But truly, as someone who lived in Jerusalem for 3.5 months, traveled the land of Israel (plus a few days in Jordan), and continues to research the archaeology and geography thereof, this book is a joy.
It's not academic, and is written in a personal tone, easy to read. It includes the author's travel to the Holy Land, his approach to and time in Jerusalem, and his travels to other regions, including Jericho, Jerash, Galilee, etc. Primarily he tells what he sees, and how he lives as he travels - with occasional brief detours to romanticize a little about the land and the history of the locations.
Someone familiar with the land of Israel and longing to return will find this book quite enjoyable. Again, it was originally written in 1908, so things have changed - yet enough remain the same to make it interesting. For example, the author gets to enter the Dome of the Rock; and details his journey through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as well. It would be rather enjoyable to retrace his steps in the modern day.

[Karla Renee Goforth Abreu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Van Dyke travels to the Holy Land during the early 1900's. He meets up with friends from various countries and they undertake a unique journey, a tour, camel back. They are on what I compare to my friend's three week safari in Africa, with nice tents, bedding, a chef (and a tent for that). It wasn't just a willy nilly trek here or there in the Middle East. While hotels and other such things are available and described, and visited for a beverage, Van Dyke and his friends, and the rest of those on this exotic tour,. wanted to be more hands-on, experiencing, breathing, feeling, touching where our Lord once walked and where biblical events took place.
The geogrphic descriptions are magnificent and the vivid descriptions relating to a musing of a biblical story or Scripture is sometimes almost breathtaking.
The author writes a poem here or there to add to his descriptions and impressions. The various cultures and etnicities encountered are depicted favorably.
One wonders what such an adventure cost during this era. Today, comparing to my friend's above mentioned safari with a chef, guide, and nice fancy tent structures, a comparative small fortune.

[Susan Rothenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found among books of my father's - our copy is from 1908, definitely a first edition. A well written book both about the physical surroundings at the time, as well as some the issues among the different religious groups.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this book, and it was as delightful as the first. I'd forgotten about the "psalms" van Dyke wrote that are interspersed throughout. Most enjoyable.

[Philippa Allatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating travelogue, written in 1908, about the author's horseback "camping" trip through what is now Israel and up to Syria.

[Jean Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a delightful book written in 1908 by a clergyman prolific in writing. He describes the country in poetic terms full of his love of the Holy Land.