The Holy City Or Historical and Topographical Notices of Jerusalem with Some Account of its Antiquities and of its Present Condition

Published in 1845, this work supports the traditional location of Calvary against the challenges of contemporary scholarship. Since the opening of Palestine to foreign travellers in the 1830s, there had been tremendous interest in locating places described in biblical narrative. The site of the Holy Sepulchre, established by Constantine in the fourth century, allowed no space for a centre of Protestant worship. Some met this challenge by using close study of the Bible and first-century texts alongside topographical evidence to try to dismiss the site's location as inaccurate. In 1841, George Williams (1814–78) had accompanied as chaplain the party of the first Anglican bishopric in Jerusalem, using his time there to gain unrivalled topographic knowledge of the region. In this well-illustrated work, he draws on both physical and literary evidence to conclude that the case for the traditional site is sound, while also surveying the great city's history and character.

Preface; Part I. History: 1 Jerusalem from its foundation to its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar; 2. From the restoration under Cyrus, to its destruction by Titus; 3. From the rebuilding of 'Aelia Capitolina', under Adrian, to its destruction by Chosroes; 4. Jerusalem under the Christian and Mahommedan domination; Part II. Topography, Antiquities, etc.: 1 Church of the holy sepulchre, and Dr Robinson's topography; 2. The Jewish temple, and the fortress Antonia; 3. Antiquities without the city; 4. Modern Jerusalem, and its inhabitants; Appendix; Chronological table; Index.

This detailed and well-illustrated 1845 study of Jerusalem's topography and antiquities formed part of the contemporary debate around the location of Calvary, supporting the traditionalist argument against some Protestant calls for relocation. For this work, George Williams (1814-78) received a medal for literary merit from Prussia's Frederick William IV.