Accordingly these places come within one of the more common volcanic regions. The chief of these are—(i) that which extends from the Cas pian Sea to the Azores; (2) from the Aleutian Isles to the Moluccas ; (3) that of the Andes; (4) the African; (5) the Icelandic. Syria and Palestine arc embraced within the first band; and these countries have not unfrequently been sub ject to earthquakes.
That earthquakes were among the extraordi nary phenomena of Palestine in ancient times is shown in their being an clement in the poetical imagery of the Hebrews, and a source of religious admonition and devout emotion (Ps. xviii :7; Hab. iii:6; Nah. i :5 ; Is. v:25).
3. Historical. (1) The earthquake at Mount Sinai on the giving of the Law : 'the whole mount quaked greatly' (Exod. xix : t8).
(2) The earthquake accompanied by fissures and sinking of the ground, by which Korah and his companions were destroyed (Num. xvi :31) ; also (Jos. :dlg. iv, iii :3).
(3) The earthquake in the days of Saul (t Sam. xiv:15).
(4) The earthquake in the reign of Ahab, when Elijah ( t Kings xix:t t, t2) was directed to go forth and stand upon the mountain before Jehovah: 'and behold Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah ; but Jehovah was not in the wind; and after the wind on earth quake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.' (5) A terrible earthquake look place 'in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah' (B.C. from 790 to 740), which Josephus (Anliq. ix : to, 4) says, 'shook the ground, and a rent was made in the Temple, so that the rays of the sun shone through it, which, falling upon the king's face, struck him with the leprosy,' being a punishment which the historian ascribes to the wrath of God consequent on Uz ziah's usurpation of the priest's office. That this earthquake was of an awful character may be learnt from the fact that Zechariah (xiv:5) thus speaks respecting it—'Ye shall flee as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah and also that it' appears from Amos (i :t ) that the event was so striking, and left such deep impressions on men's minds, that it became a sort of epoch from which to date and reckon ; the prophet's words are, 'two years before the earthquake.'
(6) In the reign of Herod (B. C. 31, Sept. 2) an earthquake occurred in judwa, 'such as had not happened at any other time,' destructive to men and animals ( Jos. Aid. xv. v. 2).
(7) The earthquake which occurred at the cruci fixion of the Saviour of mankind (Matt. xxvii : 50-1; Luke xxiii :44. 45; Mark xv :33), A. D. 29. This darkness has been misunderstood, and then turned to the prejudice of Christianity. (See DARKxEss.) The ob•curation was obviously an attendant on the earthquake. Earthquakes arc frequently attended by accompaniments which obscure the light of day during (as in this case from the sixth to the ninth hour, that is, from t2 o'clock at noon to 3 o'clock P. M.) several hours. If this is the fact, then the record is consistent with natural phenomena, and the darkness which skeptics have pleaded against speaks actually in favor of the credibility of the Gospel. Now it is well known to naturalists that such ohscurations arc by no means uncommon. It may be enough to give the following instances: A very remarkable volcanic eruption took place on the t9th of January. 183.7,, in the volcano of Cosc gum, situated in the Bay of Fonseca (usually called the Coast of Conchagua). in Central Amer ica. The eruption was preceded by a rumhling noise, accompanied by a column of smoke which issued from the mountain, increasing until it as sumed the form and appearance of a large dense cloud, which, when viewed at the distance of thirty miles, appeared like an immense plume of feathers, rising with considerable velocity, and ex panding in every direction.
(8) The earthquake at the resurrection of Christ (Matt. xxviii :2). The word here rendered earth quake does not of necessity mean that the convul sion extended to the earth, but only that there had been such a concussion as to remove the stone. (Albert Barnes, Com.) The Greek word seismos relates to a concussion of the air as well as of the earth. But there was a miraculous shaking of the ground in the particular place where the tomb was situated.