jectionable, for the following reasons. 1. It is anything but
fixed that that Tower of the flock was situated in the immediate
neighbourhood of Bethlehem. It cannot be inferred from the passage in
Genesis, and as little can it be proved from _Jerome_. In the _Quest.
ad Genes. Opp._ iii. p. 145, Frcf., he first mentions the opinion of
the Jews, according to which, by the "Tower of the flock" is to be
understood the place on which the temple was afterwards built, and then
says: "But if we follow the direction of the road, we find, by
Bethlehem, a 'place of the shepherds,' which was so called, either
because it was there [Pg 455] that, at the birth of the Lord, the
angels sang their hymn of praise; or because Jacob fed his flock there,
and gave this name to the place; or, which is more likely, because even
then the future mystery was, by a revelation, shown to him." According
to this, _Jerome_ does not know anything of a "Tower of the flock" near
Bethlehem. From the direction of the road which Jacob took, he only
_surmises_ that it was situated thereabouts; and since there was, in
the neighbourhood of Bethlehem, a place called "the place of the
shepherds," he, from a mere combination, declares this to be identical
with the Tower of the flock; while, after all, he is so cautious as not
at once to reject the only true derivation of this name from the
shepherds at the birth of Christ. By this, the other passage in the
book _de locis Hebr._ must be judged, where _Jerome_ expressly delivers
his supposition as if it were historical truth: "Bethlehem, the city of
David ... and about a thousand paces (_passus_) distant is the tower
_Ader_, which is called 'the Tower of the flock,' indicating that, by
some vision, the shepherds had, beforehand, been made conscious of the
birth of the Lord." That tradition knew but little of any "Tower of the
flock" in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem, appears also from _Eusebius
Onom._ s. v. _Gader._ p. 79, ed. _Cleric_: "The tower Gader ... While
Jacob dwelt there, Reuben went in to Bilhah." _Eusebius_ evidently knew
nothing more regarding the "Tower of the flock" than what we also may
learn from the passage in Genesis. He does not venture to offer even a
conjecture as to its position. The same ignorance is shown by the Jews,
mentioned by _Jerome_, who certainly would not have thought of a
reference to the temple, if a place called "Tower of the flock" had
existed in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem. 2.