Conder finds the site of this baptizing-place of John in Aimin, three or four miles north of the springs in Wady Farah, east of Nablus; and the neighboring Salim, or Shalem, in the present Salim, about the same distance south of these springs (Quar. Statement of the " Pal. Explor. Fund," July, 1874, p. 191 sq.); and' Dr. Tristram adopts the identification, confirming the local use of these names (Bible. Places, p. 192). The. latter remarks that "at the head of the valley of Shechem. are copious springs in a broad, open valley called Wady Farah. This valley rises near Salim [so called by the Samaritans, but not by the peasantry], separating Mount Ebal from the chain of Nebi Belan, and forming a great geological feature of the country. It soon becomes a deep and narrow ravine, with steep hill-sides burrowed with caverns, in which a perennial copious stream, shaded by oleanders, runs towards the Jordan. There is a succession of springs after the ruins of Burj Farah, with flat meadows on either side, where great crowds might gather on either bank of the stream. It is one of the most picturesque spots in the country, and is close to one of the old main lines of road from Jerusalem to Galilee."
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More