GILFILLAN

gilfillan, george (1813-1878), scottish author, was born on the 30th of january 1813, at comrie, perthshire, where his father, the rev. samuel gilfillan, the author of some theological works, was for many years minister of a secession congregation. after an education at glasgow university, in march 1836 he was ordained pastor of a secession congregation in dundee. he published a volume of his discourses in 1839, and shortly afterwards another sermon on "hades," which brought him under the scrutiny of his co-presbyters, and was ultimately withdrawn from circulation. gilfillan next contributed a series of sketches of celebrated contemporary authors to the _dumfries herald_, then edited by thomas aird; and these, with several new ones, formed his first _gallery of literary portraits_, which appeared in 1846, and had a wide circulation. it was quickly followed by a _second_ and a _third gallery_. in 1851 his most successful work, the _bards of the bible_, appeared. his aim was that it should be "a poem on the bible"; and it was far more rhapsodical than critical. his _martyrs and heroes of the scottish covenant_ appeared in 1832, and in 1856 he produced a partly autobiographical, partly fabulous, _history of a man_. for thirty years he was engaged upon a long poem, on _night_, which was published in 1867, but its theme was too vast, vague and unmanageable, and the result was a failure. he also edited an edition of the _british poets_. as a lecturer and as a preacher he drew large crowds, but his literary reputation has not proved permanent. he died on the 13th of august 1878. he had just finished a new life of burns designed to accompany a new edition of the works of that poet. gilgal (heb. for "circle" of sacred stones), the name of several places in palestine, mentioned in the old testament. the name is not found east of the jordan. 1. the first and most important was situated "in the east border of jericho" (josh. iv. 19), on the border between judah and benjamin (josh. xv. 7). josephus (ant. v. 1. 4) places it 50 stadia from jordan and 10 from jericho (the new testament site). jerome (_onomasticon_, s.v. "galgal") places gilgal 2 roman miles from jericho, and speaks of it as a deserted place held in wonderful veneration ("miro cultu") by the natives. this site, which in the middle ages appears to have been lost--gilgal being shown farther north--was in 1865 recovered by a german traveller (hermann zschokke), and fixed by the english survey party, though not beyond dispute. it is about 2 m. east of the site of byzantine jericho, and 1 m. from modern er-riha. a fine tamarisk, traces of a church (which is mentioned in the 8th century), and a large reservoir, now filled up with mud, remain. the place is called jiljulieh, and its position north of the valley of achor (wadi kelt) and east of jericho agrees well with the biblical indications above mentioned. a tradition connected with the fall of jericho is attached to the site (see c. r. conder, _tent work_, 203 ff.). this sanctuary and camp of israel held a high place in the national regard, and is often mentioned in judges and samuel. but whether this is the gilgal spoken of by amos and hosea in connexion with bethel is by no means certain [see (3) below]. 2. gilgal, mentioned in josh. xii. 23 in connexion with dor, appears to have been situated in the maritime plain. jerome (_onomasticon_, s.v. "gelgel") speaks of a town of the name 6 roman miles north of antipatris (ras el 'ain). this is apparently the modern kalkilia, but about 4 m. north of antipatris is a large village called jiljulieh, which is more probably the biblical town. 3. the third gilgal (2 kings iv. 38) was in the mountains (compare 1 sam. vii. 16, 2 kings ii. 1-3) near bethel. jerome mentions this place also (_onomasticon_, s.v. "galgala"). it appears to be the present village of jiljilia, about 7 english miles north of beitin (bethel). it may have absorbed the old shrine of shiloh and been the sanctuary famous in the days of amos and hosea. 4. deut. xi. 30 seems to imply a gilgal near gerizim, and there is still a place called juleijil on the plain of makhna, 2-1/2 m. s.e. of shechem. this may have been amos's gilgal and was almost certainly that of 1 macc. ix. 2. 5. the gilgal described in josh. xv. 7 is the same as the beth-gilgal of neh. xii. 29; its site is not known. (r. a. s. m.)