WordPlay Wanderings: BETHEL
Though the word bethel was discontinued from the Spelling Bee long ago, solvers continue to look for it whenever it is possible in the Bee, perhaps because of its prominence in one of the masterpieces of Western literature, Moby-Dick.
The word bethel is from the Hebrew בֵּית אֵל (beth el, literally “house of God”) Many modern churches include "bethel" in their names.
The word bethel is from the Hebrew בֵּית אֵל (beth el, literally “house of God”) Many modern churches include "bethel" in their names.
But there was a particular type of church -- the Sailor's Bethel -- that could be found in ports all over the world.
The Sailor's Bethels were typically small chapels located near the wharves and piers where sailors would disembark after many weeks or months at sea. These Bethels were missions of a sort, providing food and shelter, and delaying sailors' forays into the towns where drink and prostitutes tempted sailors into sin. Most importantly, while the sailors were in the Chapel, they were immersed in Christian doctrine.
It was also customary for sailors to visit a Bethel chapel before setting sail.
Perhaps the most famous is the Seaman's Bethel (1832) in New Bedford, Mass., which features prominently in Melville's novel Moby-Dick. Melville called it the "Whaleman's Chapel" and in the novel, added some fanciful nautical features to the interior design, including a bow-shaped pulpit. (The Bethel now contains such a pulpit, fashioned after Melville's description, as shown in the photo above.)
A quick google search on "sailor's bethel" (use quotes) yields a bounty of info on many of these little churches that still exist in the US, UK, and elsewhere.
The Sailor's Bethels were typically small chapels located near the wharves and piers where sailors would disembark after many weeks or months at sea. These Bethels were missions of a sort, providing food and shelter, and delaying sailors' forays into the towns where drink and prostitutes tempted sailors into sin. Most importantly, while the sailors were in the Chapel, they were immersed in Christian doctrine.
It was also customary for sailors to visit a Bethel chapel before setting sail.
Perhaps the most famous is the Seaman's Bethel (1832) in New Bedford, Mass., which features prominently in Melville's novel Moby-Dick. Melville called it the "Whaleman's Chapel" and in the novel, added some fanciful nautical features to the interior design, including a bow-shaped pulpit. (The Bethel now contains such a pulpit, fashioned after Melville's description, as shown in the photo above.)
A quick google search on "sailor's bethel" (use quotes) yields a bounty of info on many of these little churches that still exist in the US, UK, and elsewhere.
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