New Leaves is a series highlighting acquisitions in Special Collections and Archives.
Pisgah–say what? Translated as a mount or mountain ridge, Pisgah usually refers to Mount Nebo which lies east of the Jordan River and northeast of the Dead Sea and is thought to be the summit from which Moses saw the Promised Land.
The isle of England, however, from where Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) penned his seventeenth century historical and geographical description of the “Land of Milk and Honey,” was not exactly the sight of a peaceful kingdom under God. Civil and religious wars were raging and even moderate Anglican ministers like Fuller were consumed with navigating the shifting sensibilities of the times. Fuller managed to covertly preach a sermon for Charles I on his death and later used his wit to evade an inquisition by Oliver Cromwell’s “Tryers.”
While the events in England may have provided good reason for an extended vacation, Fuller never left his homeland. His history of Jerusalem and the Holy Land is entirely derived from accounts in the Bible, Josephus, early Church fathers, and some accounts by contemporary travelers. Nonetheless, the book contains telltale aspects that correspond to pressing political issues of the day. His historical account of Jewish antiquities is followed by a discussion at the end that supports the restoration of the Jews in England, a situation that came about under Cromwell in 1656. How European authors described what is now known as the Middle East is not just a subject of historical study: it informed their world views and policies as it continues to inform today’s world views.
Exquisitely illustrated, the book features a detailed frontispiece (shown), a folding map on linen, 7 double page plates, and 20 double page maps, all engraved and each bearing the particular financial sponsor’s arms in cartouche. A Pisgah-sight of Palestinehas been added to Special Collections through a generous gift from DePaul’s Department of History.
Fuller, Thomas. A Pisgah-sight of Palestine and the confines thereof,: with the history of the Old and New Testament acted thereon. By Thomas Fuller B.D. London : Printed by J.F. for John Williams …, 1650. Call Number: SpC. 220.91 F965p1650
For more information about this text, other titles by Thomas Fuller, or other resources on historic Travel or the English Civil War, contact Special Collections at: archives@depaul.edu.