Taanach(sandy),
an ancient Canaanitish city whose king is enumerated among the
thirty-one kings conquered by Joshua. (Joshua 12:21) It came into the
half tribe of Manasseh, (Joshua 17:11; 21:25; 1 Chronicles 7:29) and
was bestowed on the Kohathite Levites. (Joshua 21:25) Taanach is almost
always named in company with Megiddo, and they were evidently the chief
towns of that fine rich district which forms the western portion of the
great plain of Esdraelon. (1 Kings 4:12) It is still called Ta'annuk,
and) stands about four miles southeast of Lejjun and 13 miles southwest
of Nazareth.
Taanathshiloh(approach
to Shiloh), a place named once only-- (Joshua 16:6)--as one of the
landmarks of the boundary of Ephraim. Perhaps Taanath was the ancient
Canaanite name of the place, and Shiloh the Hebrew name.
Tabbaoth(rings).
The children of Tabbaoth were a family of Nethinim who returned with
Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:43; Nehemiah 7:46) (B.C. before 536.)
Tabbath(celebrated),
a place mentioned only in (Judges 7:25) in describing the flight of the
Midianite host after Gideon's night attack; (probably the present
Tubukhat-Fahil, a very striking natural bank 600 feet high, with a long
horizontal top, embanked against the western face of the mountains east
of the Jordan, and descending with a steep front to the
river.--Robinson, Bib. Res.)
Tabeal(God
is good). The son of Tabeal was apparently an Ephraimite in the army of
Pekah the son of Remaliah, or a Syrian in the army of Rezin, when they
went up to besiege Jerusalem in the reign of Ahaz. (Isaiah 7:6) The
Aramaic form of the name favors the latter supposition. (B.C. before
738.)
Tabelel(God
is good), an officer of the Persian government in Samaria in the reign
of Artaxerxes. (Ezra 4:7) His name appears to indicate that he was a
Syrian. (B.C.519.)
Taberahthe
name of a place in the wilderness of Paran. (Numbers 11:3; 9:22) It has
not been identified.
Taberingan
obsolete English word used in the Authorized Version of (Nahum 2:7) The
Hebrew word connects itself with toph, "a timbrel." The Authorized
Version reproduces the original idea. The "tabour" or "tabor" was a
musical instrument of the drum type which with the pipe formed the band
of a country village. To "tabour," accordingly, is to beat with loud
strokes, as men beat upon such an instrument.
TabernacleThe
tabernacle was the tent of Jehovah, called by the same name as the
tents of the people in the midst of which it stood. It was also called
the sanctuary and the tabernacle of the congregation. The first
ordinance given to Moses, after the proclamation of the outline of the
law from Sinai, related to the ordering of the tabernacle, its
furniture and its service as the type which was to be followed when the
people came to their own home and "found a place" for the abode of God.
During the forty days of Moses' first retirement with God in Sinai, an
exact pattern of the whole was shown him, and all was made according to
it. (Exodus 25:9,40; 26:30; 39:32,42,43; Numbers 8:4; Acts 7:44;
Hebrews 8:5) The description of this plan is preceded by an account of
the freewill offerings which the children of Israel were to be asked to
make for its execution. I. THE TABERNACLE ITSELF.--
+Its name .--It was first called a tent or dwelling, (Exodus 25:8)
because Jehovah as it were, abode there. It was often called tent or
tabernacle from its external appearance.
+Its materials .--The materials were-- (a) Metals: gold, silver and
brass. (b) Textile fabrics: blue, purple, scarlet and fine (white)
linen, for the production of which Egypt was celebrated; also a fabric
of goat's hair, the produce of their own flocks. (c) Skins: of the ram,
dyed red, and of the badger. (d) Wood the shittim wood, the timber of
the wild acacia of the desert itself, the tree of the "burning bush."
(e) Oil, spices and incense for anointing the priests and burning in
the tabernacle. (f) Gems: onyx stones and the precious stones for the
breastplate of the high priest. The people gave jewels, and plates of
gold and silver and brass; wood, skins, hair and linen; the women wove;
the rulers offered precious stones, oil, spices and incense; and the
artists soon had more than they needed. (Exodus 25:1-8; 35:4-29;
36:5-7) The superintendence of the work was intrusted to Bezaleel, of
the tribe of Judah, and to Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan, who were
skilled in "all manner of workmanship." (Exodus 31:2,6; 35:30,34)
+Its structure.--The tabernacle was to comprise three main parts,--the
tabernacle more strictly so called, its tent and its covering. (Exodus
35:11; 39:33,34; 40:19,34; Numbers 3:25) etc. These parts are very
clearly distinguished in the Hebrew, but they are confounded in many
places of the English version. The tabernacle itself was to consist of
curtains of fine linen woven with colored figures of cherubim, and a
structure of boards which was to contain the holy place and the most
holy place; the tent was to be a true tent of goat's hair cloth, to
contain and shelter the tabernacle; the covering was to be of red
ram-skins and seal-skins, (Exodus 25:5) and was spread over the goat's
hair tent as an additional protection against the weather. It was an
oblong rectangular structure, 30 cubits in length by 10 in width (45
feet by 15), and 10 in height; the interior being divided into two
chambers, the first or outer, of 20 cubits in length, the inner, of 10
cubits, and consequently and exact cube. The former was the holy place,
or first tabernacle, (Hebrews 9:2) containing the golden candlestick on
one side, the table of shew-bread opposite, and between them in the
centre the altar of incense. The latter was the most holy place, or the
holy of holies, containing the ark, surmounted by the cherubim, with
the two tables inside. The two sides and the farther or west end were
enclosed by boards of shittim wood overlaid with gold, twenty on the
north and twenty on the south side, six on the west side, and the
corner-boards doubled. They stood upright, edge to edge, their lower
ends being made with tenons, which dropped into sockets of silver, and
the corner-boards being coupled at the tope with rings. They were
furnished with golden rings, through which passed bars of shittim wood,
overlaid with gold, five to each side, and the middle bar passing from
end to end, so as to brace the whole together. Four successive
coverings of curtains looped together were placed over the open top and
fell down over the sides. The first or inmost was a splendid fabric of
linen, embroidered with figures of cherubim in blue, purple and
scarlet, and looped together by golden fastenings. It seems probable
that the ends of this set of curtains hung down within the tabernacle,
forming a sumptuous tapestry. The second was a covering of goats' hair;
the third, of ram-skins dyed red and the outermost, of badger-skins (so
called in our version; but the Hebrew word probably signifies
seal-skins). It has been commonly supposed that these coverings were
thrown over the wall, as a pall is thrown over a coffin; but this would
have allowed every drop of rain that fell on the tabernacle to fall
through; for, however tightly the curtains might be stretched, the
water could never run over the edge, and the sheep-skins would only
make the matter worse as when wetted their weight would depress the
centre and probably tear any curtain that could be made. There can be
no reasonable doubt that the tent had a ridge, as all tents have had
from the days of Moses down to the present time. The front of the
sanctuary was closed by a hanging of fine linen, embroidered in blue,
purple and scarlet, and supported by golden hooks on five pillars of
shittim wood overlaid with gold and standing in brass sockets; and the
covering of goat's hair was so made as to fall down over this when
required. A more sumptuous curtain of the same kind, embroidered with
cherubim hung on four such pillars, with silver sockets, divided the
holy from the most holy place. It was called the veil, (Sometimes the
second veil, either is reference to the first, at the entrance of the
holy place, or as below the vail of the second sanctuary;) (Hebrews
9:3) as it hid from the eyes of all but the high priest the inmost
sanctuary, where Jehovah dwells on his mercy-seat, between the cherubim
above the ark. Hence "to enter within the veil" is to have the closest
access to God. It was only passed by the high priest once a year, on
the Day of Atonement in token of the mediation of Christ, who with his
own blood hath entered for us within the veil which separates God's own
abode from earth. (Hebrews 6:19) In the temple, the solemn barrier was
at length profaned by a Roman conqueror, to warn the Jews that the
privileges they had forfeited were "ready to vanish away;" and the veil
was at last rent by the hand of God himself, at the same moment that
the body of Christ was rent upon the cross, to indicate that the
entrance into the holiest of all is now laid open to all believers by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated
for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh." (Hebrews
10:19,20) The holy place was only entered by the priests daily, to
offer incense at the time of morning and evening prayer, and to renew
the lights on the golden candlesticks; and on the sabbath, to remove
the old shew-bread, and to place the new upon the table. II. THE SACRED
FURNITURE AND INSTRUMENTS OF THE TABERNACLE.--These are described in
separate articles, and therefore it is only necessary to give a list of
them here.
+In the outer court. The altar of burnt offering and the brazen laver .
[[1183]Altar; [1184]Laver]
+In the holy place. The furniture of the court was connected with
sacrifice; that of the sanctuary itself with the deeper mysteries of
mediation and access to God. The first sanctuary contained three
objects: the altar of incense in the centre, so as to be directly in
front of the ark of the covenant (1 Kings 6:22) the table of shew-bread
on its right or north side, and the golden candlestick on the left or
south side. These objects were all considered as being placed before
the presence of Jehovah, who dwelt in the holiest of all, though with
the veil between. [[1185]Altar; SHEW-BREAD; [1186]Candlestick,
[1187]Candlestick]
+In the holy of holies, within the veil, and shrouded in darkness,
there was but one object, the ark of the covenant, containing the two
tables of stone, inscribed with the Ten Commandments. [[1188]Ark Of The
Covenant] III. THE [1189]Court OF THE TABERNACLE, in which the
tabernacle itself stood, was an oblong space, 100 cubits by 50 (i.e.
150 feet by 75), having its longer axis east and west, with its front
to the east. It was surrounded by canvas screens--in the East called
kannauts-- 5 cubits in height, and supported by pillars of brass 5
cubits apart, to which the curtains were attached by hooks and filets
of silver. (Exodus 27:9) etc. This enclosure was broken only on the
east side by the entrance, which was 20 cubits wide, and closed by
curtains of fine twined linen wrought with needlework and of the most
gorgeous colors. In the outer or east half of the court was placed the
altar of burnt offering, and between it and the tabernacle itself; the
laver at which the priests washed their hands and feet on entering the
temple. The tabernacle itself was placed toward the west end of this
enclosure. IV. HISTORY.--"The tabernacle, as the place in which Jehovah
dwelt, was pitched in the centre of the camp, (Numbers 2:2) as the tent
of a leader always is in the East; for Jehovah was the Captain of
Israel. (Joshua 5:14,15) During the marches of Israel, the tabernacle
was still in the centre. (Numbers 2:1) ... The tribes camped and
marched around it in the order of a hollow square. In certain great
emergencies led the march. (Joshua 3:11-16) Upon the tabernacle, abode
always the cloud, dark by day and fiery red by night, (Exodus 10:38)
giving the signal for the march, (Exodus 40:36,37; Numbers 9:17) and
the halt. (Numbers 9:15-23) It was always the special meeting-place of
Jehovah and his people. (Numbers 11:24,25; 12:4; 14:10; 16:19,42; 20:6;
27:2; 31:14) "During the conquest of Canaan the tabernacle at first
moved from place to place, (Joshua 4:19; 8:30-35; 9:6; 10:15) was
finally located at Shiloh. (Joshua 9:27; 18:1) Here it remained during
the time of the judges, till it was captured by the Philistines, who
carried off the sacred ark of the covenant. (1 Samuel 4:22) From this
time forward the glory of the tabernacle was gone. When the ark was
recovered, it was removed to Jerusalem, and placed in a new tabernacle
(2 Samuel 6:17; 1 Chronicles 15:1) but the old structure still had its
hold on the veneration of the community and the old altar still
received their offerings. (1 Chronicles 16:39; 21:29) It was not till
the temple was built, and a fitting house thus prepared for the Lord,
that the ancient tabernacle was allowed to perish and be forgotten. V.
SIGNIFICANCE.--(The great underlying principles of true religion are
the same in all ages and for all men; because man's nature and needs
are the same, and the same God ever rules over all. But different ages
require different methods of teaching these truths, and can understand
them in different degrees. As we are taught in the Epistle to the
Hebrews, the tabernacle was part of a great system of teaching by
object-lessons, and of training the world to understand and receive the
great truths which were to be revealed in Jesus Christ and thus really
to save the Jews from sin By Jesus dimly seen in the future, as we
clearly see him in the past. (1) The tabernacle and its services
enabled the Jews, who had no visible representation of God, to feel the
reality of God and of religion. (2) The tabernacle as the most
beautiful and costly object in the nation and ever in the centre of the
camp, set forth the truth that religion was the central fact and the
most important, in a persons life. (3) The pillar of cloud and of fire
was the best possible symbol of the living God,--a cloud, bright,
glowing like the sunset clouds, glorious, beautiful, mysterious,
self-poised, heavenly; fire, immaterial, the source of life and light
and comfort and cheer, but yet unapproachable, terrible, a consuming
fire to the wicked. (4) The altar of burnt offering, standing before
the tabernacle was a perpetual symbol of the atonement,--the greatness
of sin, deserving death, hard to be removed and yet forgiveness
possible, and offered freely, but only through blood. The offerings, as
brought by the people were a type of consecration to God, of conversion
and new life, through the atonement. (6) This altar stood outside of
the tabernacle, and must be passed before we come to the tabernacle
itself; a type of the true religious life. Before the tabernacle was
also the laver, signifying the same thing that baptism does with us,
the cleansing of the heart and life. (8) Having entered the holy place,
we find the three great means and helps to true living,--the
candlestick, the light of God's truth; the shew-bread, teaching that
the soul must have its spiritual food and live in communion with God;
and the altar of incense, the symbol of prayer. The holy of holies,
beyond, taught that there was progress in the religious life, and that
progress was toward God, and toward the perfect keeping of the law till
it was as natural to obey the law as it is to breathe; and thus the
holy of holies was the type of heaven.--ED.)
Tabernacles,
The Feast Of(Exodus
23:16) ("the feast of ingathering"), the third of the three great
festivals: of the Hebrews, which lasted from the 15th till the 22d of
Tisri.
+The following are the principal passages in the Pentateuch which refer
to it: (Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:34-36; 39-43; Numbers 29:12-38;
16:13-15; 31:10-13) In Nehe 8, there is an account of the observance of
the feast by Ezra.
+The time of the festival fell in the autumn, when the whole of the
chief fruits of the ground, the corn, the wine and the oil, were
gathered in. (Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:39; 15:13-15) Its duration was
strictly only seven days, (16:13; Ezekiel 45:25) but it was followed by
a day of holy convocation, distinguished by sacrifices of its own,
which was sometimes spoken of as an eighth day. (Leviticus 23:36;
Nehemiah 8:18) During the seven days the Israelites were commanded to
dwell in booths or huts formed of the boughs of trees. The boughs were
of the olive palm, pine, myrtle and other trees with thick foliage.
(Nehemiah 8:15,16) According to rabbinical tradition each Israelite
used to tie the branches into a bunch, to be carried in his hand to
which the name lulab was given. The burnt offerings of the Feast of
Tabernacles were by far more numerous than those of any other festival.
There were offered on each day two rams, fourteen lambs and a kid for a
sin offering. But what was most peculiar was the arrangement of the
sacrifices of bullocks, in amounting to seventy. (Numbers 29:12-38) The
eighth day was a day of holy convocation of peculiar solemnity. On the
morning of this day the Hebrews left their huts and dismantled them,
and took up their abode again in their houses. The special offerings of
the day were a bullock a ram, seven lambs and a goat for a sin
offering. (Numbers 29:36,38) When the Feast of Tabernacles fell on a
sabbatical year, portions of the law were read each day in public, to
men, women, children and strangers. (31:10-13) We find Ezra reading the
law during the festival "day by day, from the first day to the last
day." (Nehemiah 8:18)
+There are two particulars in the observance of the Feast of
Tabernacles which appear to be referred to in the New Testament, but
are not noticed in the Old. These were the ceremony of pouring out some
water of the pool of Siloam and the display of some great lights in the
court of the women. We are told that each Israelite, in holiday attire,
having made up his lulab, before he broke his fast repaired to the
temple with the lulab in one hand and the citron in the other, at the
time of the ordinary morning sacrifice. The parts of the victim were
laid upon the altar. One of the priests fetched some water in a golden
ewer from the pool of Siloam, which he brought into the court through
the water-gate. As he entered the trumpets sounded, and he ascended the
slope of the altar. At the top of this were fixed two silver basins
with small openings at the bottom. Wine was poured into that on the
eastern side, and the water into that on the western side, whence it
was conducted by pipes into the Cedron. In the evening, both men and
women assembled in the court of the women, expressly to hold a
rejoicing for the drawing of the water of Siloam. At the same time
there were set up in the court two lofty stands, each supporting four
great lamps. These were lighted on each night of the festival. It
appears to be generally admitted that the words of our Saviour, (John
7:37,38)--"If a man thirst, let him come unto me drink. He that
believeth on me as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water"--were suggested by the pouring out of the water
of Siloam. But it is very doubtful what is meant by "the last day, that
great day of the feast." It would seem that either the last day of the
feast itself, that is, the seventh, or the last day of the religious
observances of the series of annual festivals, the eighth, must be
intended. The eighth day may be meant and then the reference of our
Lord would be to an ordinary and well-known observance of the feast,
though it was not, at the very time, going on. We must resort to some
such explanation if we adopt the notion that our Lord's words (John
8:12)--"I am the light of the world "-- refer to the great lamps of the
festival.
+Though all the Hebrew annual festivals were seasons of rejoicing, the
Feast of Tabernacles was, in this respect, distinguished above them
all. The huts and the lulabs must have made a gay end striking
spectacle over the city by day, and the lamps, the flambeaux, the music
and the joyous gatherings in the court of the temple must have given a
still more festive character to the night. The main purposes of the
Feast of Tabernacles are plainly set forth in (Exodus 23:16) and Levi
23:43 It was to be at once a thanksgiving for the harvest and a
commemoration of the time when the Israelites dwelt in tents during
their passage through the wilderness. In one of its meanings it stands
in connection with the Passover. as the Feast of Abib, and with
Pentecost, as the feast of harvest; in its other meaning, it is related
to the Passover as the great yearly memorial of the deliverance from
the destroyer and from the tyranny of Egypt. But naturally connected
with this exultation in their regained freedom was the rejoicing in the
more perfect fulfillment of God's promise in the settlement of his
people in the holy blessing. But the culminating point of was the
establishment of the central spot of the national worship in the temple
at Jerusalem. Hence it was evidently fitting that the Feast of
Tabernacles should be kept with an unwonted degree of observance at the
dedication of Solomon's temple, (1 Kings 8:2,65) Joseph. Ant. viii.
4,5; again, after the rebuilding of the temple by Ezra, (Nehemiah
8:13-18) and a third time by Judas Maccabaeus when he had driven out
the Syrians and restored the temple to the worship of Jehovah. 2 Macc.
10:5-8.
Tabitha(gazelle),
also called Dorcas by St. Luke, a female disciple of Joppa, "full of
good works" among which that of making clothes for the poor is
specifically mentioned. While St. Peter was at the neighboring town of
Lydda, Tabitha, died; upon which the disciples at Joppa sent an urgent
message to the apostle begging him to come to them without delay. Upon
his arrival Peter found the deceased already prepared for burial, and
laid out in an upper chamber, where she was surrounded by the
recipients and the tokens of her charity after the example of our
Saviour in the house of Jairus, (Matthew 9:25; Mark 5:40) "Peter put
them all forth," prayed for the divine assistance, and then commanded
Tabitha to arise. Comp. (Mark 5:41; Luke 8:51) She opened-her eyes and
sat up, and then, assisted by the apostle, rose from her couch. This
great miracle, as we are further told produced an extraordinary effect
in Joppa, and was the occasion of many conversions there. (Acts
9:38-42) The name "Tabitha" is an Aramaic word signifying a "female
gazelle." St. Luke gives "Dorcas" as the Greek equivalent of the name.
Taboris
mentioned in the lists of 1Chr 6 as a city of the Merarite Levites, in
the tribe of Zebulun. ver. (1 Chronicles 6:77) The list of the towns of
Zebulun. Josh 19 contains the name of Chisloth-tabor. ver. (Joshua
19:12) It is, therefore, possible, either that Chisloth-tabor is
abbreviated into Tabor by the chronicler, or that by the time these
later lists were compiled the Merarites had established themselves on
the sacred mountain, and that Tabor is Mount Tabor. (a mound), or Mount
Tabor, one of the most interesting and remarkable of the single
mountains in Palestine. It rises abruptly from the northeastern arm of
the plain of Esdraelon, and stands entirely insulated, except on the
west where a narrow ridge connects it with the hills of Nazareth. It
presents to the eye, as seen from a distance, a beautiful appearance,
being symmetrical in its proportions and rounded off like a hemisphere
or the segment of a circle, yet varying somewhat as viewed from
different directions. The body of the mountain consists of the peculiar
limestone of the country. It is now called Jebel-et-Tur . It lies about
six or eight miles almost due east from Nazareth. The ascent is usually
made on the west side, near the little village of Deburieh--probably
the ancient Daberath, (Joshua 19:12)--though it can be made with entire
ease in other places. It requires three quarters of an hour or an hour
to reach the to the top. The top of Tabor consists of an irregular
platform, embracing a circuit of half an hour's walk, and commanding
wide views of the subjacent plain from end to end. Tabor does not occur
in the New Testament, but makes a prominent figure in the Old. The book
of Joshua (Joshua 19:22) mentions it as the boundary between Issachar
and Zebulun, See ver. 12. Barak, at the command of Deborah, assembled
his forces on Tabor, and descended thence, with "ten thousand men after
him," into the plain, and conquered Sisera on the banks of the Kishon.
(Judges 4:6-15) The brothers of Gideon each of whom "resembled the
children of a king," were murdered here by Zebah and Zalmunna. (Judges
8:18,19) There are at present the ruins of a fortress round all the
summit of Tabor. The Latin Christians have now an altar here at which
their priests from Nazareth perform an annual mass. The Greeks also
have a chapel, where, on certain festivals they assemble for the
celebration of religious rites. The idea that our Saviour was
transfigured on Tabor prevailed extensively among the early Christians,
and still reappears often in popular religious works. It is impossible,
however, to acquiesce in the correctness of this opinion. It can be
proved from the Old Testament and from later history that a fortress or
town existed on Tabor from very early times down to B.C. 53 or 50; and
as Josephus says that he strengthened the fortifications there about
A.D. 60, it is morally certain that Tabor must have been inhabited
during the intervening Period that is in the days of Christ. Tabor,
therefore, could not have been the Mount of Transfiguration [see
[1190]Hermon]; for when it is said that Jesus took his disciples "up
into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them (Matthew
17:1,2) we must understand that he brought them to the summit of the
mountain, where they were alone by themselves.
Tabor,
The Plain OfThis
is an incorrect translation, and should be THE [1191]Oak OF
[1192]Tabor, [1193]Tabor. It is mentioned in (1 Samuel 10:3) only, as
one of the points in the homeward journey of Saul after his anointing
by Samuel.
Tabret[[1194]Timbrel,
Tabret]
Tabrimon(properly
Tabrimmon, i.e. good is Rimmon, the Syrian god) the father of Ben-hadad
I., king of Syria in the reign of Asa. (1 Kings 15:18) (B.C. before
928.)
TacheThe
word thus rendered occurs only in the description of the structure of
the tabernacle and its fittings, (Exodus 26:6,11,33; 35:11; 36:13;
39:33) and appears to indicate the small hooks by which a curtain is
suspended to the rings from which it hangs, or connected vertically, as
in the case of the veil of the holy of holies, with the loops of
another curtain.
Tachmonite,
The"The
Tachmonite that sat in the seat," chief among David's captains, (2
Samuel 23:8) Isa in 1Chr 11:11 Called "Jashobeam an Hachmonite," or, as
the margin gives it, "son of Hachmoni." Kennicott has shown that the
words translated "he that sat in the seat" are a corruption of
Jashobeam, and that "the Tachmonite" is a corruption of the "son of
Hachmoni," which was the family or local name of Jashobeam. Therefore
he concludes "Jashobeam the Hachmonite" to have been the true reading.
Tadmor(city
of palms), called "Tadmor in the wilderness," is the same as the city
known to the Greeks and Romans under the name of Palmyra. It lay
between the Euphrates and Hamath, to the southeast of that city, in a
fertile tract or oasis of the desert. Being situated at a convenient
distance from both the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf, it had
great advantages for caravan traffic. It was built by Solomon after his
conquest of Hamath-zobah. (1 Kings 9:18; 2 Chronicles 8:4) As the city
is-nowhere else mentioned in the Bible, it would be out of place to
enter into a detailed history of it. In the second century A.D. it
seems to have been beautified by the emperor Hadrian. In the beginning
of the third century--211-217 A.D.-- it became a Roman colony under
Caracalla. Subsequently, in the reign of Gallienus, the Roman senate
invested Odenathus, a senator of Palmyra, with the regal dignity, on
account of his services in defeating Sapor, king of Persia. On the
assassination of Odenathus, his wife, Zenobia, seems to have conceived
the design of erecting Palmyra into an independent monarchy; and in
prosecution of this object, she for a while successfully resisted the
Roman arms. She was at length defeated and taken captive by the emperor
Aurelian, A.D. 273, who left a Roman garrison in Palmyra. This garrison
was massacred in a revolt; and Aurelian punished the city by the
execution not only of those who were taken in arms, but likewise of
common peasants, of old men, women and children. From this blow Palmyra
never recovered, though there are proofs of its having continued to be
inhabited until the downfall of the Roman empire. The grandeur and
magnificence of the ruins of Palmyra cannot be exceeded, and attest its
former greatness. Among the most remarkable are the Tombs, the Temple
of the Sun and the Street of Columns.
Tahan(camp),
a descendant of Ephraim. (Numbers 26:35) In (1 Chronicles 7:25) he
appears as the son of Telah.
Tahanites,
The(Numbers
26:35) [[1195]Tahan]
Tahaththe
name of a desert station of the Israelites between Makheloth and Tarah.
(Numbers 33:26) The site has not been identified. (station).
+A Kohathite Levite, ancestor of Samuel and Heman. (1 Chronicles
6:22,37; 9:22) (B.C. about 1415.)
+According to the present text, son of Bered, and great-grandson of
Ephraim. (1 Chronicles 7:20) Burrington, however, identifies Tahath
with Tahan, the son of Ephraim.
+Grandson of the preceding, as the text now stands. (1 Chronicles 7:20)
But Burrington considers him as a son of Ephraim.
Tahpanhes,
Tehaphnehes, Tahapanesa
city of Egypt, mentioned in the time of the prophets Jeremiah and
Ezekiel. The name is evidently Egyptian, and closely resembles that of
the Egyptian queen Tahpenes. It was evidently a town of lower Egypt,
near or on the eastern border. When Johanan and the other captains went
into Egypt "they came to Tahpanhes." (Jeremiah 43:7) The Jews in
Jeremiah's time remained here. (Jeremiah 44:1) It was an important
town, being twice mentioned by the latter prophet with Noph or Memphis.
(Jeremiah 2:16; 46:14) Here stood a house of Pharaoh-hophra before
which Jeremiah hid great stones. (Jeremiah 43:8-10)
Tahpenesan
Egyptian queen, was wife of the Pharaoh who received Hadad the Edomite,
and who gave him her sister in marriage. (1 Kings 11:18-20) (B.C. about
1000.)
Tahrea(cunning),
son of Micah and grandson of Mephibosheth. (1 Chronicles 9:41) (B.C.
after 1057.)
Tahtimhodshi(lowlands
of Hodshi?), The land of, one of the places visited by Joab during his
census of the land of Israel. It occurs between Gilead and Dan-jaan. (2
Samuel 24:6) The name has puzzled all the interpreters, (Kitto says it
was probably a section of the upper valley of the Jordan, now called
Ard el-Huleh, lying deep down at the western base of Hermon.--ED.)
Talent[[1196]Weights
And Measures AND [1197]Measures]
Talitha
Cumitwo
Syriac words, (Mark 5:41) signifying damsel, arise .
Talmai(bold).
+One of the three sons of "the Anak" who were slain by the men of
Judah. (Numbers 13:22; Joshua 15:14; Judges 1:10) (B.C. 1450.)
+Son of Ammihud king of Geshur. (2 Samuel 3:3; 13:37; 1 Chronicles 3:2)
He was probably a petty chieftain, dependent on David. (B.C. 1040.)
Talmon(oppressor),
the head of a family of door-keepers in the temple, "the porters for
the camps of the sons: of Levi." (1 Chronicles 9:17; Nehemiah 11:19)
(B.C. 1013.) Some of his descendants returned with Zerubbabel, (Ezra
2:43; Nehemiah 7:45) and were employed in their hereditary office in
the days of Nehemiah and Ezra. (Nehemiah 12:25)
Talmud(i.e.
doctrine, from the Hebrew word "to learn") is a large collection of
writings, containing a full account of the civil and religious laws of
the Jews. It was a fundamental principle of the Pharisees, common to
them with all orthodox modern Jews, that by the side of the written
law, regarded as a summary of the principles and general laws of the
Hebrew people, there was an oral law, to complete and to explain the
written law. It was an article of faith that in the Pentateuch there
was no precept, and no regulation, ceremonial, doctrinal or legal, of
which God had not given to Moses all explanations necessary for their
application, with the order to transmit them by word of mouth. The
classical subject is the following in the Mishna on this wing: "Moses
received the (oral) law from Sinai, and delivered it to Joshua, and
Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets and the prophets
to the men of the Great Synagogue." This oral law, with the numerous
commentaries upon it, forms the Talmud. It consists of two parts, the
Mishna and Gemara.
+The MISHNA, or "second law," which contains a compendium of the whole
ritual law, was reduced to writing in its present form by Rabbi Jehuda
the Holy, a Jew of great wealth and influence, who flourished in the
second century of the Christian era. Viewed as a whole, the precepts in
the Mishna treated men like children, formalizing and defining the
minutest particulars of ritual observances. The expressions of
"bondage," or "weak and beggarly elements," and of "burdens too heavy
for men to bear," faithfully represent the impression produced by their
multiplicity. The Mishna is very concisely written, and requires notes.
+This circumstance led to the commentaries called GEMARA (i.e.
supplement, completion), which form the second part of the Talmud, and
which are very commonly meant when the word "Talmud" is used by itself.
There are two Gemaras; one of Jerusalem, in which there is said to be
no passage which can be proved to be later than the first half of the
fourth century; and the other of Babylon, completed about 500 A.D. The
latter is the more important and by far the longer.
Tamah(laughter).
The children of Tamah or Thamah, (Ezra 2:53) were among the Nethinim
who returned with Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah 7:55)
Tamar(palm
tree).
+The wife successively of the two sons of Judah, Er and Onan. (Genesis
38:8-30) (B.C. about 1718.) Her importance in the sacred narrative
depends on the great anxiety to keep up the lineage of Judah. It seemed
as if the family were on the point of extinction. Er and Onan had
successively perished suddenly. Judah's wife, Bathshuah, died; and
there only remained a child, Shelah, whom Judah was unwilling to trust
to the dangerous union as it appeared, with Tamar, lest he should meet
with the same fate as his brothers. Accordingly she resorted to the
desperate expedient of entrapping the father himself into the union
which he feared for his son. The fruits of this intercourse were twins,
Pharez and Zarah, and through Pharez the sacred line was continued.
+Daughter of David and Maachah the Geshurite princess, and thus sister
of Absalom. (2 Samuel 13:1-32; 1 Chronicles 3:9) (B.C. 1033.) She and
her brother were alike remarkable for their extraordinary beauty. This
fatal beauty inspired a frantic passion in her half-brother Amnon, the
oldest son of David by Ahinoam. In her touching remonstrance two points
are remarkable: first, the expression of the infamy of such a crime "in
Israel" implying the loftier standard of morals that prevailed, as
compared with other countries at that time; and second, the belief that
even this standard might be overborne lawfully by royal
authority--"Speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from thee."
The intense hatred of Amnon succeeding to his brutal passion, and the
indignation of Tamar at his barbarous insult, even surpassing her
indignation at his shameful outrage, are pathetically and graphically
told.
+Daughter of Absalom, (2 Samuel 14:7) became, by her marriage with
Uriah of Gibeah, the mother of Maachah, the future queen of Judah or
wife of Abijah. (1 Kings 15:2) (B.C. 1023.)
+A spot on the southeastern frontier of Judah, named in (Ezekiel 47:19;
48:28) only, evidently called from a palm tree. If not Hazazon-tamar,
the old name of Engedi, it may he a place called Thamar in the
Onamasticon [HAZAZON-TAMAR), a day's journey south of Hebron.
Tammuz(sprout
of life), properly "the Tammuz," the article indicating that at some
time or other the word had been regarded as an appellative. (Ezekiel
8:14) Jerome identifies Tammuz with Adonis, of Grecian mythology, who
was fabled to have lost his wife while hunting, by a wound from the
tusk of a wild boar. He was greatly beloved by the goddess Venus, who
was inconsolable at his loss. His blood according to Ovid produced the
anemone, but according to others the adonium, while the anemone sprang
from the tears of Venus. A festival in honor of Adonis was celebrated
at Byblus in Phoenicia and in most of the Grecian cities, and even by
the Jews when they degenerated into idolatry. It took place in July,
and was accompanied by obscene rites.
Tanacha
slight variation of the name [1198]Taanach. (Joshua 21:26)
Tanhumeth(consolation),
the father of Seraiah in the time of Gedaliah. (2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah
40:8) (B.C. before 582.)
Taphath(ornament),
the daughter of Solomon, who was married to ben-Abinadab. (1 Kings
4:11) (B.C. about 1000.)
Taphonone
of the cities in Judea fortified by Bacchides. 1 Macc. 9:50. It is
probably the Beth-tappuah of the Old Testament.
Tappush(the
apple-city).
+A city of Judah, of the Shefelah or lowland. (Joshua 15:34)
+A place on the boundary of the "children of Joseph." (Joshua 16:8;
17:8) Its full name was probably En-tappuah. (Joshua 17:7) ("Around the
city was a district called the land of Tappuah; the city belonged to
Ephraim and the land to Manasseh. (Joshua 17:8) "--Schaff.)
+One of the sons of Hebron, of the tribe of Judah. (1 Chronicles 2:43)
It is doubtless the same as Beth-tappuah. (B.C. before 1450.)
Tarah(delay),
a desert-station of the Israelites between Tahath and Mithcah. (Numbers
33:27)
Taralah(reeling),
one of the towns in the allotment of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:27)
Tareathe
same as Tahreah, the son of Micah. (1 Chronicles 8:35)
TaresThere
can be little doubt that the zizania of the parable, (Matthew 13:25)
denotes the weed called "darnel" (Lolium temulentum). The darnel before
it comes into ear is very similar in appearance to wheat; hence the
command that the zizania should be left to the harvest, lest while men
plucked up the tares "they should root up also the wheat with them."
Dr. Stanley, however, speaks of women and children picking up from the
wheat in the cornfields of Samaria the tall green stalks, still called
by the Arabs zuwan . "These stalks," he continues, "if sown designedly
throughout the fields, would be inseparable from the wheat, from which,
even when growing naturally and by chance, they are at first sight
hardly distinguishable." See also Thomson ("The Land and the Book" p.
420): "The grain is in just the proper stage to illustrate the parable.
In those parts where the grain has headed out, the tares have done the
same, and then a child cannot mistake them for wheat or barley; but
where both are less developed, the closest scrutiny will often fail to
detect them. Even the farmers, who in this country generally weed their
fields, do not attempt to separate the one from the other." The grains
of the L. temulentum, if eaten, produce convulsions, and even death.
Targum[See
[1199]Versions, Ancient, Of The Old And New Testaments, [1200]Versions,
Authorized]
Tarpelites,
TheA
race of Assyrian colonists who were planted int he cites of Samaria
after the captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel. (Ezra 4:9) They
have not been identified with any certainty.
Tarshish(established).
+Probably Tartessus, a city and emporium of the Phoenicians in the
south of Spain, represented as one of the sons of Javan. (Genesis 10:4;
1 Kings 10:22; 1 Chronicles 1:7; Psalms 48:7; Isaiah 2:16; Jeremiah
10:9; Ezekiel 27:12,25; Jonah 1:3; 4:2) The identity of the two places
is rendered highly probable by the following circumstances: 1st. There
is a very close similarity of name between them, Tartessus being merely
Tarshish in the Aramaic form. 2nd. There seems to have been a special
relation between Tarshish and Tyre, as there was at one time between
Tartessus and Phoenicians. 3rd. The articles which Tarshish is stated
by the prophet Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 27:12) to have supplied to Tyre are
precisely such as we know, through classical writers, to have been
productions of the Spanish peninsula. In regard to tin, the trade of
Tarshish in this metal is peculiarly significant, and, taken in
conjunction with similarity of name and other circumstances already
mentioned, is reasonably conclusive as to its identity with Tartessus.
For even not when countries in Europe or on the shores of the
Mediterranean Sea where tin is found are very few; and in reference to
ancient times, it would be difficult to name any such countries except
Iberia or Spain, Lusitania, which was somewhat less in extent than
Portugal, and Cornwall in Great Britain. In the absence of positive
proof, we may acquiesce in the statement of Strabo, that the river
Baetis (now the Guadalquivir) was formerly called Tartessus, that the
city Tartessus was situated between the two arms by which the river
flowed into the sea, and that the adjoining country was called
Tartessis.
+From the book of Chronicles there would seem to have been a Tarshish
accessible from the Red Sea, in addition to the Tarshish of the south
of Spain. Thus, with regard to the ships of Tarshish, which Jehoshaphat
caused to be constructed at Ezion-geber on the Elanitic Gulf of the Red
Sea, (1 Kings 22:48) it is said in the Chronicles, (2 Chronicles 20:36)
that they were made to go to Tarshish; and in like manner the navy of
ships, which Solomon had previously made in Ezion-geber, (1 Kings 9:26)
is said in the Chronicles, (2 Chronicles 9:21) to have gone to Tarshish
with the servants of Hiram. It is not to be supposed that the author of
these passages in the Chronicles contemplated a voyage to Tarshish in
the south of Spain by going round what has since been called the Cape
of Good Hope. The expression "ships of Tarshish" originally meant ships
destined to go to Tarshish; and then probably came to signify large
Phoenician ships, of a particular size the description, destined for
long voyages, just as in English "East Indiaman" was a general name
given to vessels, some of which were not intended to go to India at
all. Hence we may infer that the word Tarshish was also used to signify
any distant place, and in this case would be applied to one in the
Indian Ocean. This is shown by the nature of the imports with which the
fleet returned, which are specified as "gold, silver, ivory, apes, and
peacocks ." (1 Kings 10:22) The gold might possibly have been obtained
form Africa, or from Ophir in Arabia, and the ivory and the apes might
likewise have been imported from Africa; but the peacocks point
conclusively, not to Africa, but to India. There are only two species
known: both inhabit the mainland and islands of India; so that the
mention of the peacock seems to exclude the possibility of the voyage
having been to Africa.
Tarsusthe
chief town of Cilicia, "no mean city" in other respects, but
illustrious to all time as the birthplace and early residence of the
apostle Paul. (Acts 9:11; 21:39; 22:3) Even in the flourishing period
of Greek history it was a city of some considerable consequence. In the
civil wars of Rome it took Caesar's aide, sad on the occasion of a
visit from him had its name changed to Juliopolis. Augustus made it a
"free city." It was renowned as a place of education under the early
Roman emperors. Strabo compares it in this respect to Athens unto
Alexandria. Tarsus also was a place of much commerce. It was situated
in a wild and fertile plain on the banks of the Cydnus. No ruins of any
importance remain.
Tartak(prince
of darkness), one of the gods of the Avite or Avvite colonists of
Samaria. (2 Kings 17:31) According to rabbinical tradition, Tartak is
said to have been worshipped under the form of an ass.
Tartanwhich
occurs only in (2 Kings 18:17) and Isai 20:1 Has been generally
regarded as a proper name; like Rabsaris and Rabshakeh, it is more
probably an official designation, and indicates the Assyrian
commander-in-chief.
Tatnai(gift),
satrap of the province west of the Euphrates in the time of Darius
Hystaspes. (Ezra 5:3,6; 6:6,13) (B.C. 520.) The name is thought to be
Persian.
Taverns,
The Three[[1201]Three
Taverns TAVERNS]
TaxesI.
Under the judges, according to the theocratic government contemplated
by the law, the only payments incumbent upon the people as of permanent
obligation were the Tithes, the Firstfruits, the Redemption-money of
the first-born, and other offerings as belonging to special occasions.
The payment by each Israelite of the half-shekel as "atonement-money,"
for the service of the tabernacle, on taking the census of the people,
(Exodus 30:13) does not appear to have had the character of a recurring
tax, but to have been supplementary to the freewill offerings of
(Exodus 25:1-7) levied for the one purpose of the construction of the
sacred tent. In later times, indeed, after the return from Babylon,
there was an annual payment for maintaining the fabric and services of
the temple; but the fact that this begins by of a shekel, (Nehemiah
10:32) shows that till then there was no such payment recognized as
necessary. A little later the third became a half, and under the name
of the didrachma, (Matthew 17:24) was paid by every Jew, in whatever
part of the world he might be living. II. The kingdom, with centralized
government and greater magnificence, involved of course, a larger
expenditure, and therefore a heavier taxation, The chief burdens appear
to have been-- (1) A tithe of the produce both of the soil and of live
stock. (1 Samuel 8:15,17) (2) Forced military service for a month every
year. (1 Samuel 8:12; 1 Kings 9:22; 1 Chronicles 27:1) (3) Gifts to the
king. (1 Samuel 10:27; 16:20; 17:18) (4) Import duties. (1 Kings 10:15)
(5) The monopoly of certain-branches of commerce. (1 Kings 9:28; 22:48;
10:28,29) (6) The appropriation to the king's use of the early crop of
hay. (Amos 7:1) At times, too, in the history of both the kingdoms
there were special burdens. A tribute of fifty shekels a head had to be
paid by Menahem to the Assyrian king, (2 Kings 16:20) and under his
successor Hoshea this assumed the form of an annual tribute. (2 Kings
17:4) III. Under the Persian empire the taxes paid by the Jews were, in
their broad outlines, the same in kind as those of other subject races.
The financial system which gained for Darius Hystaspes the name of the
"shopkeeper king" involved the payment by each satrap of a fixed sum as
the tribute due from his province. In Judea, as in other provinces, the
inhabitants had to provide in kind for the maintenance of the
governor's household, besides a money payment of forty shekels a day.
(Nehemiah 5:14,15) In Ezra 4:13,20; 7:24 We get a formal enumeration of
the three great branches of the revenue. The influence of Ezra secured
for the whole ecclesiastical order, from the priests down to the
Nethinim, an immunity from all three (Ezra 7:24) but the burden pressed
heavily on the great body of the people. IV. Under the Egyptian and
Syrian kings the taxes paid by the Jews became yet heavier. The
"farming" system of finance was adopted in its worst form. The taxes
were put up to auction. The contract sum for those of Phoenicia, Judea
and Samaria had been estimated at about 8000 talents. An unscrupulous
adventurer would bid double that sum, and would then go down to the
province, and by violence and cruelty, like that of Turkish or Hindoo
collectors, squeeze out a large margin of profit for himself. V. The
pressure of Roman taxation, if not absolutely heavier, was probably
more galling, as being more thorough and systematic, more distinctively
a mark of bondage. The capture of Jerusalem by Pompey was followed
immediately by the imposition of a tribute, and within a short time the
sum thus taken from the resources of the country amounted to 10,000
talents. When Judea became formally a Roman province, the whole
financial system of the empire came as a natural consequence. The taxes
were systematically farmed, and the publicans appeared as a new curse
to the country. The portoria were levied at harbors, piers and the
gates of cities. (Matthew 17:24; Romans 13:7) In addition to this there
was the poll-tax paid by every Jew, and looked upon, for that reason,
as the special badge of servitude. United with this, as part of the
same system, there was also, in all probability, a property tax of some
kind. In addition to these general taxes, the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were subject to a special house duty about this period.
TaxingThe
English word now conveys to us more distinctly the notion of a tax or
tribute actually levied; but it appears to have been used in the
sixteenth century for the simple assessment of a subsidy upon the
property of a given county, or the registration of the people for the
purpose of a poll-tax. Two distinct registrations, or taxings, are
mentioned in the New Testament, both of them by St. Luke. The first is
said to have been the result of an edict of the emperor Augustus, that
"all the world (i.e. the Roman empire) should be taxed," (Luke 2:1) and
is connected by the evangelist with the name of Cyrenius Quirinus.
[[1202]Cyrenius] The second and more important, (Acts 6:37) is
distinctly associated, in point of time, with the revolt of Judas of
Galilee.
Tebah(slaughter),
eldest of the sons of Nahor by his concubine Reumah. (Genesis 22:24)
(B.C. 1872.)
Tebaliah(purified),
third son of Hosah of the children of Merari. (1 Chronicles 26:11)
(B.C. 1014.)
Tebeth[[1203]Month]
Tehinnah(supplication),
the father or founder of Ir-nahash, the city of Nahash, and son of
Eshton. (1 Chronicles 4:12) (B.C. about 1083.)
Teil
Tree[[1204]Oak]
Tekoa,
Or Tekoah(a
stockade).
+A town in the tribe of Judah. (2 Chronicles 11:6) on the range of
hills which rise near Hebron and stretch eastward toward the Dead Sea.
Jerome says that Tekoa was six Roman miles from Bethlehem, and that as
he wrote he had that village daily before his eyes. The "wise woman"
whom Joab employed to effect a reconciliation between David and Absalom
was obtained from this place. (2 Samuel 14:2) Here also Ira the son of
Ikkesh, one of David's thirty, "the mighty men," was born, and was
called on that account "the Tekoite," (2 Samuel 23:26) It was one of
the places which Rehoboam fortified, at the beginning of his reign, as
a defence against invasion from the south. (2 Chronicles 11:6) Some of
the people from Tekoa took part in building the walls of Jerusalem,
after the return from the captivity. (Nehemiah 3:6,27) In (Jeremiah
6:1) the prophet exclaims, "Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a
sign of fire in Bethhaccerem." But Tekoa is chiefly memorable as the
birthplace (Amos 7:14) of the prophet Amos. Tekoa is still as Teku'a.
It lies on an elevated hill, which spreads itself out into an irregular
plain of moderate extent. Various ruins exist, such as the walls of
houses, cisterns, broken columns and heaps of building-stones.
+A name occurring in the genealogies of Judah, (1 Chronicles 2:24; 4:5)
as the son of Ashur. There is little doubt that the town of Tekoa is
meant.
Tekoite,
TheIra
ben-Ikkesh, one of David's warriors, is thus designated. (2 Samuel
23:26; 1 Chronicles 11:28; 27:8) The common people among the Tekoites
displayed great activity in the repairs of the wall of Jerusalem under
Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 3:6,27)
Telabib(cornhill)
was probably a city of Chaldaea or Babylonia, not of upper Mesopotamia
as generally supposed. (Ezekiel 3:16) The whole scene of Ezekiel's
preaching and visions seems to have been Chaldaea proper; and the river
Chebar, as already observed, was not the Khabour, but a branch of the
Euphrates.
Telah(vigor),
a descendant of Ephraim, and ancestor of Joshua. (1 Chronicles 7:25)
(B.C. before 1491.)
Telaim(lambs),
the place at which Saul collected and numbered his forces before his
attack on Amalek, (1 Samuel 16:4) may be identical with [1205]Telem,
which see.
Telasear(Assyrian
hill) is mentioned in (2 Kings 19:12) and in Isai 37:12 As a city
inhabited by "the children of Eden,"--which had been conquered and was
held in the time of Sennacherib, by the Assyrians. it must have been in
western Mesopotamia, in the neighborhood of Harran and Orfa.
Telem(oppression).
+One of the cities in the extreme south of Judah, (Joshua 15:24)
probably the same as Telaim. The name Dhullam is found in Van
Deuteronomy Velde's map, attached to a district immediately to the
north of the Kubbet el-Baul, south of el Milh and Ar'arah--a position
very suitable.
+A porter or doorkeeper of the temple in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 10:24)
He is probably the same as [1206]Talmon in (Nehemiah 12:25)
Telharsa,
Or Telharesha(hill
of the artificer), one of the Babylonian towns or villages mentioned in
(Ezra 2:59; Nehemiah 7:61) along with Tel-melah and Cherub, probably in
the low country near the sea.
Telmelah[TEL-HARSA]
Tema(a
desert), the ninth son of Ishmael, (Genesis 25:15; 1 Chronicles 1:30)
whence the tribe called after him, mentioned in (Job 6:19; Jeremiah
25:23) and also the land occupied by this tribe. (Isaiah 21:13,14)
(B.C. after 1850.) The name is identified with Teyma, a small town on
the confines of Syria.
Teman(the
south).
+A son of Eliphaz, son of Esau by Adah. (Genesis 36:11,15,41; 1
Chronicles 1:36,53) (B.C. about 1792.)
+A country, and probably a city, named after the Edomite phylarch, or
from which the phylarch took his name. The Hebrew signifies "south,"
etc., see (Job 9:9; Isaiah 43:6) and it is probable that the land of
Teman was a southern portion of the land of Edom, or, in a wider sense,
that of the sons of the east. Teman is mentioned in five places by the
prophets, in four of which it is connected with Edom and in two with
Dedan. (Jeremiah 49:7,8; Ezekiel 25:13) Eusebius and Jerome mention
Teman as a town in their day distant 15 miles from Petra, and a Roman
post.
Temani[[1207]Teman]
Temanitean
inhabitant of Teman.
Temenison
of Ashur the father of Tekoa, by his wife Naarah. (1 Chronicles 4:6)
(B.C. about 1450.)
TempleThere
is perhaps no building of the ancient world which has excited so much
attention since the time of its destruction as the temple which Solomon
built by Herod. Its spoils were considered worthy of forming the
principal illustration of one of the most beautiful of Roman triumphal
arches, and Justinian's highest architectural ambition was that he
might surpass it. Throughout the middle ages it influenced to a
considerable degree the forms of Christian churches, and its
peculiarities were the watchwords and rallying-points of all
associations of builders. When the French expedition to Egypt, int he
first years of this century, had made the world familiar with the
wonderful architectural remains of that country, every one jumped to
the conclusion that Solomon's temple must have been designed after an
Egyptian model. The discoveries in Assyria by Botta and Layard have
within the last twenty years given an entirely new direction to the
researches of the restorers. Unfortunately, however, no Assyrian temple
has yet been exhumed of a nature to throw much light on this subject,
and we are still forced to have recourse to the later buildings at
Persepolis, or to general deductions from the style of the nearly
contemporary secular buildings at Nineveh and elsewhere, for such
illustrations as are available. THE TEMPLE OF [1208]Solomon.--It was
David who first proposed to replace the tabernacle by a more permanent
building, but was forbidden for the reasons assigned by the prophet
Nathan, (2 Samuel 7:5) etc.; and though he collected materials and made
arrangements, the execution of the task was left for his son Solomon.
(The gold and silver alone accumulated by David are at the lowest
reckoned to have amounted to between two and three billion dollars, a
sum which can be paralleled from secular history.--Lange.) Solomon,
with the assistance of Hiram king of Tyre, commenced this great
undertaking int he fourth year of his reign, B.C. 1012, and completed
it in seven years, B.C. 1005. (There were 183,000 Jews and strangers
employed on it--of Jews 30,000, by rotation 10,000 a month; of
Canaanites 153,600, of whom 70,000 were bearers of burdens, 80,000
hewers of wood and stone, and 3600 overseers. The parts were all
prepared at a distance from the site of the building, and when they
were brought together the whole immense structure was erected without
the sound of hammer, axe or any tool of iron. (1 Kings 6:7)--Schaff.)
The building occupied the site prepared for it by David, which had
formerly been the threshing-floor of the Jebusite Ornan or Araunah, on
Mount Moriah. The whole area enclosed by the outer walls formed a
square of about 600 feet; but the sanctuary itself was comparatively
small, inasmuch as it was intended only for the ministrations of the
priests, the congregation of the people assembling in the courts. In
this and all other essential points the temple followed the model of
the tabernacle, from which it differed chiefly by having chambers built
about the sanctuary for the abode of the priests and attendants and the
keeping of treasures and stores. In all its dimensions, length, breadth
and height, the sanctuary itself was exactly double the size of the
tabernacle, the ground plan measuring 80 cubits by 40, while that of
the tabernacle was 40 by 20, and the height of the temple being 30
cubits, while that of the tabernacle was 15. [The readers would compare
the following account with the article [1209]Tabernacle] As in the
tabernacle, the temple consisted of three parts, the porch, the holy
place, and the holy of holies. The front of the porch was supported,
after the manner of some Egyptian temples, by the two great brazen
pillars, Jachin and Boaz, 18 cubits high, with capitals of 5 cubits
more, adorned with lily-work and pomegranates. (1 Kings 7:15-22) The
places of the two "veils" of the tabernacle were occupied by
partitions, in which were folding-doors. The whole interior was lines
with woodwork richly carved and overlaid with gold. Indeed, both within
and without the building was conspicuously chiefly by the lavish use of
the gold of Ophir and Parvaim. It glittered in the morning sun (it has
been well said) like the sanctuary of an El Dorado. Above the sacred
ark, which was placed, as of old, in the most holy place, were made new
cherubim, one pair of whose wings met above the ark, and another pair
reached to the walls behind them. In the holy place, besides the altar
of incense, which was made of cedar overlaid with gold there were seven
golden candlesticks in stead of one, and the table of shew-bread was
replaced by ten golden tables, bearing, besides the shew bread, the
innumerable golden vessels for the service of the sanctuary. The outer
court was no doubt double the size of that of the tabernacle; and we
may therefore safely assume that if was 10 cubits in height, 100 cubits
north and south, and 200 east and west. If contained an inner court,
called the "court of the priests;" but the arrangement of the courts
and of the porticos and gateways of the enclosure, though described by
Josephus, belongs apparently to the temple of Herod. The outer court
there was a new altar of burnt offering, much larger than the old one.
[[1210]Altar] Instead of the brazen laver there was "a molten sea" of
brass, a masterpiece of Hiram's skill for the ablution of the priests.
It was called a "sea" from its great size. [[1211]Sea, Molten, MOLTEN]
The chambers for the priests were arranged in successive stories
against the sides of the sanctuary; not, however, reaching to the top,
so as to leave space for the windows to light the holy and the most
holy place. We are told by Josephus and the Talmud that there was a
superstructure on the temple equal in height to the lower part; and
this is confirmed by the statement in the books of Chronicles that
Solomon "overlaid the upper chambers with gold." (2 Chronicles 3:9)
Moreover, "the altars on the top of the upper chamber," mentioned in
the books of the Kings, (2 Kings 23:12) were apparently upon the
temple. The dedication of the temple was the grandest ceremony ever
performed under the Mosaic dispensation. The temple was destroyed on
the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, B.C. 586. TEMPLE OF
[1212]Zerubbabel.--We have very few particulars regarding the temple
which the Jews erected after their return from the captivity (about
B.C. 520), and no description that would enable us to realize its
appearance. But there are some dimensions given in the Bible and
elsewhere which are extremely interesting, as affording points of
comparison between it and the temple which preceded it and the one
erected after it. The first and most authentic are those given in the
book of Ezra, (Ezra 6:3) when quoting the decree of Cyrus, wherein it
is said, "Let the house be builded, the place where they offered
sacrifices and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height
thereof three-score cubits. and the breadth thereof three-score cubits,
with three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber." Josephus
quotes this passage almost literally, but in doing so enables us to
translate with certainty the word here called row as "story"--as indeed
the sense would lead us to infer. We see by the description in Ezra
that this temple was about one third larger than Solomon's. From these
dimensions we gather that if the priests and Levites and elders of
families were disconsolate at seeing how much more sumptuous the old
temple was than the one which on account of their poverty they had
hardly been able to erect, (Ezra 3:12) it certainly was not because it
was smaller; but it may have been that the carving and the gold and the
other ornaments of Solomon's temple far surpassed this, and the pillars
of the portico and the veils may all have been far more splendid; so
also probably were the vessels and all this is what a Jew would mourn
over far more than mere architectural splendor. In speaking of these
temples we must always bear in mind that their dimensions were
practically very far inferior to those of the heathen. Even that of
Ezra is not larger than an average parish church of the last century;
Solomon's was smaller. It was the lavish display of the precious
metals, the elaboration of carved ornament, and the beauty of the
textile fabrics, which made up their splendor and rendered them so
precious in the eyes of the people. TEMPLE OF [1213]Ezekiel.--The
vision of a temple which the prophet Ezekiel saw while residing on the
banks of the Chebar in Babylonia, in the twenty-fifth year of the
captivity, does not add much to our knowledge of the subject. It is not
a description of a temple that ever was built or ever could be erected
at Jerusalem, and can consequently only be considered as the beau ideal
of what a Shemitic temple ought to be. TEMPLE OF [1214]Herod.--Herod
the Great announced to the people assembled at the Passover, B.C. 20 or
19, his intention of restoring the temple; (probably a stroke of policy
on the part of Herod to gain the favor of the Jews and to make his name
great.) if we may believe Josephus, he pulled down the whole edifice to
its foundations, and laid them anew on an enlarged scale; but the ruins
still exhibit, in some parts, what seem to be the foundations laid by
Zerubbable, and beneath them the more massive substructions of Solomon.
The new edifice was a stately pile of Graeco-Roman architecture, built
in white marble gilded acroteria . It is minutely described by
Josephus, and the New Testament has made us familiar with the pride of
the Jews in its magnificence. A different feeling, however, marked the
commencement of the work, which met with some opposition from the fear
that what Herod had begun he would not be able to finish. he overcame
all jealousy by engaging not to pull down any part of the existing
buildings till all the materials for the new edifice were collected on
its site. Two years appear to have been occupied in preparations--among
which Josephus mentions the teaching of some of the priests and Levites
to work as masons and carpenters--and then the work began. The holy
"house," including the porch, sanctuary and holy of holies, was
finished in a year and a half, B.C. 16. Its completion, on the
anniversary of Herod's inauguration, was celebrated by lavish
sacrifices and a great feast. About B.C. 9--eight years from the
commencement--the court and cloisters of the temple were finished, and
the bridge between the south cloister and the upper city (demolished by
Pompey) was doubtless now rebuilt with that massive masonry of which
some remains still survive. (The work, however, was not entirely ended
till A.D. 64, under Herod Agrippa II. So the statement in (John 2:20)
is correct.--Schaff.) The temple or holy "house" itself was in
dimensions and arrangement very similar to that of Solomon, or rather
that of Zerubbabel--more like the latter; but this was surrounded by an
inner enclosure of great strength and magnificence, measuring as nearly
as can be made out 180 cubits by 240, and adorned by porches and ten
gateways of great magnificence; and beyond this again was an outer
enclosure measuring externally 400 cubits each way, which was adorned
with porticos of greater splendor than any we know of as attached to
any temple of the ancient world. The temple was certainly situated in
the southwest angle of the area now known as the Haram area at
Jerusalem, and its dimensions were what Josephus states them to be--400
cubits, or one stadium, each way. At the time when Herod rebuilt it, he
enclosed a space "twice as large" as that before occupied by the temple
and its courts--an expression that probably must not be taken too
literally at least, if we are to depend on the measurements of
Hecataeus. According to them, the whole area of Herod's temple was
between four and five times greater than that which preceded it. What
Herod did apparently, was to take in the whole space between the temple
and the city wall on its east side, and to add a considerable space on
the north and south to support the porticos which he added there. As
the temple terrace thus became the principal defence of the city on the
east side, there were no gates or openings in that direction, and being
situated on a sort of rocky brow--as evidenced from its appearance in
the vaults that bounded it on this side--if was at all later times
considered unattackable from the eastward. The north side, too, where
not covered by the fortress Antonia, became part of the defenses of the
city, and was likewise without external gates. On the south side, which
was enclosed by the wall of Ophel, there were notable gates nearly in
the centre. These gates still exist at a distance of about 365 feet
from the southwestern angle, and are perhaps the only architectural
features of the temple of Herod which remain in situ . This entrance
consists of a double archway of Cyclopean architecture on the level of
the ground, opening into a square vestibule measuring 40 feet each way.
From this a double funnel nearly 200 feet in length, leads to a flight
of steps which rise to the surface in the court of the temple, exactly
at that gateway of the inner temple which led to the altar, and is one
of the four gateways on this side by which any one arriving from Ophel
would naturally wish to enter the inner enclosure. We learn from the
Talmud that the gate of the inner temple to which this passage led was
called the "water gate;" and it is interesting to be able to identify a
spot so prominent in the description of Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 12:37)
Toward the west there were four gateways to the external enclosure of
the temple. The most magnificent part of the temple, in an
architectural point of view, seems certainly to have been the cloisters
which were added to the outer court when it was enlarged by Herod. The
cloisters in the west, north and east sides were composed of double
rows of Corinthian columns, 25 cubits or 37 feet 6 inches in height,
with flat roof, and resting against the outer wall of the temple.
These, however, were immeasurably surpassed in magnificence by the
royal porch or Stoa Basilica, which overhung the southern wall. It
consisted of a nave and two aisled, that toward the temple being open,
that toward the country closed by a wall. The breadth of the centre
aisle was 95 feet of the side aisles, 30 from centre to centre of the
pillars; their height 50 feet, and that of the centre aisle 100 feet.
Its section was thus something in excess of that of York Cathedral,
while its total length was one stadium or 600 Greek feet, or 100 feet
in excess of York or our largest Gothic cathedrals. This magnificent
structure was supported by 162 Corinthian columns. The porch on the
east was called "Solomon's Porch." The court of the temple was very
nearly a square. It may have been exactly so, for we have not the
details to enable us to feel quite certain about it. To the eastward of
this was the court of the women. The great ornament of these inner
courts seems to have been their gateways, the three especially on the
north end south leading to the temple court. These according to
Josephus, were of great height, strongly fortified and ornamented with
great elaboration. But the wonder of all was the great eastern gate
leading from the court of the women to the upper court. It was in all
probability the one called the "beautiful gate" in the New Testament.
immediately within this gateway stood the altar of burnt offerings.
Both the altar and the temple were enclosed by a low parapet, one cubit
in height, placed so as to keep the people separate from the priests
while the latter were performing their functions. Within this last
enclosure, toward the westward, stood the temple itself. As before
mentioned, its internal dimensions were the same as those of the temple
of Solomon. Although these remained the same, however, there seems no
reason to doubt that. the whole plan was augmented by the pteromata, or
surrounding parts being increased from 10 to 20 cubits, so that the
third temple, like the second, measured 60 cubits across and 100 cubits
east and west. The width of the facade was also augmented by wings or
shoulders projecting 20 cubits each way, making the whole breadth 100
cubits, or equal to the length. There is no reason for doubting that
the sanctuary always stood on identically the same spot in which it had
been placed by Solomon a thousand years before it was rebuilt by Herod.
The temple of Herod was destroyed by the Romans under Titus, Friday,
August 9, A.D. 70. A Mohammedan mosque now stands on its site.
Ten
CommandmentsThe
popular name in this, as in so many instances,is not that of Scripture.
There we have the "TEN WORDS," (Exodus 34:28; 4:13; 10:4) the
"[1215]Covenant," Ex., Deut. 11. cc.; (1 Kings 8:21; 2 Chronicles 6:11)
etc., or, very often as the solemn attestation of the divine will, the
"TESTIMONY." (Exodus 25:16,21; 31:18) etc. The circumstances in which
the Ten great Words were first given to the people surrounded them with
an awe which attached to no other precept. In the midst of the cloud
and the darkness and the flashing lightning and the fiery smoke and the
thunder like the voice of a trumpet, Moses was called to Mount Sinai to
receive the law without which the people would cease to be a holy
nation. (Exodus 19:20) Here, as elsewhere, Scripture unites two facts
which men separate. God, and not man was speaking to the Israelites in
those terrors, and yet, in the language of later inspired teachers,
other instrumentality was not excluded. No other words were proclaimed
in like manner. And the record was as exceptional as the original
revelation. Of no other words could it be said that they were written
as these were written, engraved on the Tables of Stone, not as
originating in man's contrivance or sagacity, but by the power of the
Eternal Spirit, by the "finger of God." (Exodus 31:18; 32:16) The
number Ten was, we can hardly doubt, itself significant to Moses and
the Israelites. The received symbol, then and at all times, of
completeness, it taught the people that the law of Jehovah was perfect.
(Psalms 19:7) The term "Commandments" had come into use in the time of
Christ. (Luke 18:20) Their division into two tables is not only
expressly mentioned but the stress is upon the two leaves no doubt that
the distinction was important, and that answered to that summary of the
law which was made both by Moses and by Christ into two precepts; so
that the first table contained Duties to God, and the second, Duties to
our Neighbor . There are three principal divisions of the two tables:
+That of the Roman Catholic Church, making the first table contain
three commandments and the second the other seven.
+The familiar division, referring the first four to our duty toward God
and the six remaining to our duty toward man.
+The division recognized by the old Jewish writers, Josephus and Philo,
which places five commandments in each table. It has been maintained
that the law of filial duty, being a close consequence of God's
fatherly relation to us, maybe referred to the first table. But this is
to place human parents on a level with God, and, by purity of reasoning
the Sixth Commandment might be added to the first table, as murder is
the destruction of God's image in man. Far more reasonable is the view
which regards the authority of parents as heading the second table, as
the earthly reflex of that authority of the Father of his people and of
all men which heads the first, and as the first principle of the whole
law of love to our neighbor; because we are all brethren and the family
is, for good and ill the model of the state. "The Decalogue differs
from all the other legislation of Moses: (1) It was proclaimed by God
himself in a most public and solemn manner. (2) It was given under
circumstances of most appalling majesty and sublimity. (3) It was
written by the finger of God on two tables of stone. (5:22) (4) It
differed from any and all other laws given to Israel in that it was
comprehensive and general rather than specific and particular. (6) It
was complete, being one finished whole to which nothing was to be
added, from which nothing was ever taken away. (6) The law of the Ten
Commandments was honored by Jesus Christ as embodying the substance of
the law of God enjoined upon man. (7) It can scarcely be doubted that
Jesus had his eye specially if not exclusively on this law, (5:18) as
one never to be repealed from which not one jot or tittle should ever
pass away. (8) It is marked by wonderful simplicity and brevity such a
contrast to our human legislation, our British statute-book for
instance, which it would need an elephant to carry and an OEdipus to
interpret."
TentAmong
the leading characteristics of the nomad races, those two have always
been numbered whose origin has been ascribed to Jabal the son of
Lameth, (Genesis 4:20) viz., to be tent-dwellers and keepers of cattle.
The same may be said of the forefathers of the Hebrew race; nor was it
until the return into Canaan from Egypt that the Hebrews became
inhabitants of cities. An Arab tent is called beit, "house;" its
covering consists of stuff, about three quarters of a yard broad, made
of black goat's-hair, (Song of Solomon 1:5) laid parallel with the
tent's length. This is sufficient to resist the heaviest rain. The
tent-poles or columns are usually nine in number, placed in three
groups; but many tents have only one pole, others two or three. The
ropes which hold the tent in its place are fastened, not to the
tent-cover itself, but to loops consisting of a leathern thong tied to
the ends of a stick, round which is twisted a piece of old cloth, which
is itself sewed to the tent-cover. The ends of the tent-ropes are
fastened to short sticks or pins, which are driven into the ground with
a mallet. (Judges 4:21) Round the back and sides of the tent runs a
piece of stuff removable at pleasure to admit air. The tent is divided
into two apartments, separated by a carpet partition drawn across the
middle of the tent and fastened to the three middle posts. When the
pasture near an encampment is exhausted, the tents are taken down,
packed on camels and removed. (Genesis 26:17,22,25; Isaiah 38:12) In
choosing places for encampment, Arabs prefer the neighborhood of trees,
for the sake of the shade and coolness which they afford. (Genesis
18:4,8)
Terah(station),
the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran, and through them the ancestor of
the great families of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Midianites, Moabites
and Ammonites. (Genesis 11:24-32) The account given of him in the Old
Testament narrative is very brief. We learn from it simply that he was
an idolater, (Joshua 24:2) that he dwelt beyond the Euphrates in Ur of
the Chaldees, (Genesis 11:28) and that in the southwesterly migration,
which from some unexplained cause he undertook in his old age, he went
with his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his grandson Lot,
"to go into the land of Canaan, and they came unto Haran, and dwelt
there." (Genesis 11:31) And finally, "the days of Terah were two
hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran." (Genesis 11:32) (B.C.
1921.)
TeraphimThis
word occurs only in the plural, and denotes images connected with
magical rites. The derivation of the name is obscure. In one case-- (1
Samuel 19:13,16)--a single statue seems to be intended by the plural.
The teraphim, translated "images" in the Authorized Version, carried
away from Laban by Rachel were regarded by Laban as gods, and it would
therefore appear that they were used by those who added corrupt
practices to the patriarchal religion. Teraphim again are included
among Micah's images. (Judges 17:3-5; 18:17,18,20) Teraphim were
consulted for oracular answers by the Israelites, (Zechariah 10:2)
comp. Judg 18:5,6; 1Sam 15:22,23; 19:13,16, LXX., and 2Kin 23:24 And by
the Babylonians in the case of Nebuchadnezzar. (Ezekiel 21:19-22)
Teresh(strictness),
one of the two eunuchs whose plot to assassinate Ahasuerus was
discovered by Mordecai. (Esther 2:21; 6:2) He was hanged. (B.C. 479.)
Tertius(third),
probably a Roman, was the amanuensis of Paul in writing the Epistle to
the Romans. (Romans 16:22) (A.D. 55.)
Tertullus(diminutive
from Tertius), "a certain orator," (Acts 24:1) who was retained by the
high priest and Sanhedrin to accuse the apostle Paul at Caesarea before
the Roman procurator Antonius Felix. He evidently belonged to the class
of professional orators. We may infer that Tertullus was of Roman, or
at all events of Italian, origin. (A.D. 55.)
Testament,
New[NEW
TESTAMENT; BIBLE] NEW TESTAMENT - 3186
Testament,
Old[OLD
TESTAMENT; BIBLE] OLD TESTAMENT - 3249
Tetrarchproperly
the sovereign or governor of the fourth part of a country. (Matthew
14:1; Luke 3:1; 9:7; Acts 13:1) The title was, however, often applied
to any one who governed a Roman province, of whatever size. The title
of king was sometimes assigned to a tetrarch. (Matthew 14:9; Mark
6:14,22)
Thaddeusone
of the twelve apostles. (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18) From a comparison
with the catalogue of St. Luke, (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13) it seems
scarcely possible to doubt that the three names, of Judas, Lebbeus and
Thaddeus were borne by one and the same person. [See [1216]Jude, Or
Judas]
Thamah(daughter).
"The children of Thamah" were a family of Nethinim who returned with
Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:53)
Thamar[1217]Tamar,
1. (Matthew 1:3)
Thank
Offering, Or Peace Offeringthe
properly eucharistic offering among the Jews, in its theory resembling
the meat offering and therefore indicating that the offerer was already
reconciled to and in covenant with God. Its ceremonial is described in
(Leviticus 3:1) ... The peace offerings, unlike other sacrifices, were
not ordained to be offered in fixed and regular course. The only
constantly-recurring peace offering appears to have been that of the
two firstling lambs at Pentecost. (Leviticus 23:19) The general
principle of the peace offering seems to have been that it should be
entirely spontaneous, offered as occasion should arise, from the
feeling of the sacrificer himself. (Leviticus 19:5) On the first
institution, (Leviticus 7:11-17) peace offerings are divided into
"offerings of thanksgiving" and "vows or freewill offerings;" of which
latter class the offering by a Nazarite on the completion of his vow is
the most remarkable. (Numbers 6:14) We find accordingly peace offerings
offered for the people on a great scale at periods of unusual solemnity
or rejoicing. In two cases only-- (Judges 20:26; 2 Samuel 24:26)--peace
offerings are mentioned se offered with burnt offerings at a time of
national sorrow and fasting.
TharaTerah
the father of Abraham. (Luke 3:34)
Tharra(Esther
12:1) a corrupt form of Teresh.
Tharshish
+In this more accurate form the translators of the Authorized Version
have given in two passages-- (1 Kings 10:22; 22:48)--the name elsewhere
presented as Tarshish.
+A Benjamite, one of the family of Bilhan the house of Jediael. (1
Chronicles 7:10) only.
TheatreFor
the explanation of the biblical allusions, two or three points only
require notice. The Greek term, like the corresponding English term,
denotes the place where dramatic performances are exhibited, and also
the scene itself or spectacle which is witnessed there. It occurs in
the first or local sense in (Acts 19:29) The other sense of the term
"theatre" occurs in (1 Corinthians 4:9)
Thebes(Authorized
Version No, the multitude of No. populous No), a chief cite of ancient
Egypt, long the capital of the upper country, and the seat of the
Diospolitan dynasties, that ruled over all Egypt at the era of its
highest splendor. It was situated on both sides of the Nile, 400 or 500
miles from its mouth. The sacred name of Thebes was P-amen "the abode
of Amon," which the Greeks reproduced in their Diospolis, especially
with the addition the Great . No-amon is the name of Thebes in the
Hebrew Scriptures. (Jeremiah 46:25; Nahum 3:8) Ezekiel uses No simply
to designate the Egyptian seat of Amon. (Ezekiel 30:14,16)
[[1218]No-Amon] its origin and early allusions to it.--The origin of
the city is lost in antiquity. Niebuhr is of opinion that Thebes was
much older than Memphis, and that, "after the centre of Egyptian life
was transferred to lower Egypt, Memphis acquired its greatness through
the ruin of Thebes." But both cities date from our earliest authentic
knowledge of Egyptian history. The first allusion to Thebes in
classical literature is the familiar passage of the Iliad (ix.
381-385): "Egyptian Thebes, were are vast treasures laid up in the
houses; where are a hundred gates, and from each two hundred men to
forth with horses and chariots." In the first century before Christ,
Diodorus visited Thebes, and he devotes several sections of his general
work to its history and appearance. Though he saw the city when it had
sunk to quite secondary importance, he confirms the tradition of its
early grandeur--its circuit of 140 stadia, the size of its public
edifices, the magnificence of its temples, the number of its monuments,
the dimensions of its private houses, some of them four or five stories
high--all giving it an air of grandeur and beauty surpassing not only
all other cities of Egypt, but of the world. Monuments.--The monuments
of Thebes are the most reliable witnesses for the ancient splendor of
the city. These are found in almost equal proportions upon both sides
of the river. The plan of the city, as indicated by the principal
monuments, was nearly quadrangular, measuring two miles from north to
south and four from east to west. Its four great landmarks were, Karnak
and Luxor upon the eastern or Arabian side, and Qoornah and Medeenet
Haboo upon the western or Libyan side. There are indications that each
of these temples may have been connected with those facing it upon two
sides by grand dromoi, lined with sphinxes and other colossal figures.
Upon the western bank there was almost a continuous line of temples and
public edifices for a distance of two miles,from Qoonah to Medeenet
Haboo; and Wilkinson conjectures that from a point near the latter,
perhaps in the line of the colossi, the "Royal street" ran down to the
river, which was crossed by a ferry terminating at Luxor, on the
eastern side. Behind this long range of temples and palaces are the
Libyan hills, which for a distance of five miles are excavated to the
depth of several hundred feet for sepulchral chambers. Some of these,
in the number and variety of their chambers, the finish of their
sculptures, and the beauty and freshness of their frescoes, are among
the most remarkable monuments of Egyptian grandeur and skill. The
eastern side of the river is distinguished by the remains of Lurer and
Karnak, the latter being of itself a city of temples. The approach to
Karnak from the south is marked by a series of majestic gateways and
towers, which were the appendages of later times to the original
structure. The temple properly faces the river, i.e. toward the
northwest. The courts land properly connected with this structure
occupy a space nearly 1800 feet square, and the buildings represent
almost very dynasty of Egypt. Ezekiel proclaims the destruction of
Thebes by the arm of Babylon, (Ezekiel 30:14-16) and Jeremiah predicted
the same overthrow, (Jeremiah 46:25,26) The city lies to-day a nest of
Arab hovels amid crumbling columns and drifting sands. The Persian
invader (Cambyses, B.C. 525) completed the destruction that the
Babylonian had begun.
Thebez(conspicuous),
a place memorable for the death of the brave Abimelech, (Judges 9:50)
was known to Eusebius and Jerome, in whose time it was situated "in the
district of Neapolis," 13 Roman miles therefrom, on the road to
Scythopolis. There it still is, its name--Tubas--hardly changed.
Thelasar[TEL-ASSAR]
Theophilus(friend
of God) the person to whom St. Luke inscribes his Gospel and the Acts
of the Apostles. (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1) From the honorable epithet
applied to him in (Luke 1:3) it has been argued with much probability
that he was a person in high official position. All that can be
conjectured with any degree of safety concerning him comes to this,
that he was a Gentile of rank and consideration who came under the
influence of St. Luke or under that of St. Paul at Rome, and was
converted to the Christian faith.
Thessalonians,
First Epistle To Thewas
written by the apostle Paul at Corinth, a few months after he had
founded the church at Thessalonica, at the close of the year A.D. 62 or
the beginning of 53. The Epistles to the Thessalonians, then (for the
second followed the first after no long interval), are the earliest of
St. Paul's writings--perhaps the earliest written records of
Christianity. It is interesting, therefore, to compare the Thessalonian
epistles with the later letters, and to note the points of These
differences are mainly
+In the general style of these earlier letters there is greater
simplicity and less exuberance of language.
+The antagonism to St. Paul is not the same. Here the opposition comes
from Jews. A period of five years changes the aspect of the
controversy. The opponents of St. Paul are then no longer Jews so much
as Judaizing Christians .
+Many of the distinctive doctrines of Christianity were yet not evolved
and distinctly enunciated till the needs of the Church drew them out
into prominence at a later date. It has often been observed, for
instance, that there is in the Epistles to the Thessalonians no mention
of the characteristic contrast of "faith and works;" that the word
"justification" does not once occur; that the idea of dying with Christ
and living with Christ, so frequent in St. Paul's later writings, is
absent in these. In the Epistles to the Thessalonians, the gospel
preached is that of the coming of Christ, rather than of the cross of
Christ. The occasion of this epistle was as follows: St. Paul had twice
attempted to re-visit Thessalonica, and both times had been
disappointed. Thus prevented from seeing them in person, he had sent
Timothy to inquire and report to him as to their condition. (1
Thessalonians 3:1-6) Timothy returned with more favorable tidings,
reporting not only their progress in Christian faith and practice, but
also their strong attachment to their old teacher. (1 Thessalonians
3:6-10) The First Epistle to the Thessalonians is the outpouring of the
apostle's gratitude on receiving this welcome news. At the same time
there report of Timothy was not unmixed with alloy. There were certain
features in the condition of the Thessalonian church which called for
St. Paul's interference and to which he addresses himself in his letter.
+The very intensity of their Christian faith, dwelling too exclusively
on the day of the Lord's coming, had been attended with evil
consequences. On the other hand, a theoretical difficulty had been
felt. Certain members of the church had died, and there was great
anxiety lest they should be excluded from any share in the glories of
the Lord's advent. ch. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
+The Thessalonians needed consolation and encouragement under
persecution. ch. (1 Thessalonians 2:14; 3:2-4)
+An unhealthy state of feeling with regard to spiritual gifts was
manifesting itself. ch. (1 Thessalonians 6:19,20)
+There was the danger of relapsing into their old heathen profligacy.
ch. (1 Thessalonians 4:4-8) Yet notwithstanding all these drawbacks,
the condition of the Thessalonian church was highly satisfactory, and
the most cordial relations existed between St. Paul and his converts
there. This honorable distinction it shares with the other great church
of Macedonia, that of Philippi. The epistle is rather practical than
doctrinal. The external evidence in favor of the genuineness of the
First Epistle to the Thessalonians is chiefly negative, but this is
important enough. There is no trace that it was ever disputed at any
age or in any section of the Church, or even by any individual till the
present century. Toward the close of the second century from Irenaeus
downward. we find this epistle directly quoted and ascribed to Paul.
The evidence derived from the character of the epistle itself is so
strong that it may fairly be called irresistible.
Thessalonians,
Second Epistle To Theappears
to have been written from Corinth not very long after the first, for
Silvanus and Timotheus were still with St. Paul. (2 Thessalonians 1:1)
In the former letter we saw chiefly the outpouring of strong personal
affection, occasioned by the renewal of the apostle's intercourse with
the Thessalonians, and the doctrinal and hortatory portions are there
subordinate. In the Second Epistle, on the other hand, his leading
motive seems to have been the desire of correcting errors in the church
of Thessalonica. We notice two points especially which call for his
rebuke:-- First, it seems that the anxious expectation of the Lord's
advent. Instead of subsiding, had gained ground since the writing of
the First Epistle. Second, the apostle had also a personal ground of
complaint. His authority was not denied by any, but it was tampered
with, and an unauthorized use was made of his name. It will be seen
that the teaching of the Second Epistle is corrective of or rather
supplemental to that of the first, and therefore presupposes it. This
epistle, in the range of subject as well as in style and general
character closely resembles the first; and the remarks made on that
epistle apply for the most part equally well to this. The structure is
somewhat similar the main body of the epistle being divided into two
parts in the same way, and each part closing with a prayer. ch. (2
Corinthians 2:16,17; 3:16) The epistle ends with a special direction
and benediction. ch. (2 Corinthians 3:17,18) The external evidence in
favor of the Second Epistle is somewhat more definite than that which
can be brought in favor of the first. The internal character of the
epistle too, as in the former case, bears the strongest testimony to
its Pauline origin. Its genuineness, in fact, was never questioned
until the beginning of the present century.
ThessalonicaThe
original name of this city was Therma; and that part of the Macedonian
shore on which it was situated retained through the Roman period the
designation of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander the son of Antipater
rebuilt and enlarged Therma, and named it after his wife Thessalonica,
the sister of Alexander the Great. The name ever since, under various
slight modifications, has been continuous, and the city itself has
never ceased to be eminent. Saloniki is still the most important town
of European Turkey, next after Constantinople. Strabo in the first
century speaks of Thessalonica as the most populous city in Macedonia.
Visit of Paul .--St. Paul visited Thessalonica (with Silas and Timothy)
during his second missionary journey, and introduced Christianity
there. The first scene of the apostle's work at Thessalonica was the
synagogue. (Acts 17:2,3) It is stated that the ministrations among the
Jews continued for three weeks. ver. 2. Not that we are obliged to
limit to this time the whole stay of the apostle at Thessalonica. A
flourishing church was certainly formed there; and the epistles show
that its elements were more Gentile than Jewish. [For persecution and
further history see [1219]Paul] Circumstances which led Paul to
Thessalonica .--Three circumstances must here be mentioned which
illustrate in an important manner this visit and this journey as well
as the two Epistles to the Thessalonians.
+This was the chief station on the great Roman road called the Via
Egnatia, which connected Rome with the whole region to the north of the
AEgean Sea.
+Placed as if was on this great road, and in connection with other
important Roman ways. Thessalonica was an invaluable centre for the
spread of the gospel. In fact it was nearly if not quite on a level
with Corinth and Ephesus in its share of the commerce of the Levant.
+The circumstance noted in (Acts 17:1) that here was the synagogue of
the Jews in this part of Macedonia, had evidently much to do with the
apostle's plans,and also doubtless with his success. Trade would
inevitably bring Jews to Thessalonica; and it is remarkable that they
have ever since had a prominent place in the annals of the city. Later
ecclesiastical history .--During several centuries this city was the
bulwark not simply of the later Greek empire, but of Oriental
Christendom, and was largely instrumental in the conversion of the
Slavonians and Bulgarians. Thus it received the designation of "the
orthodox city;" and its struggles are very prominent in the writings of
the Byzantine historians.
Theudas(God-given),
the name of an insurgent mentioned in Gamaliel's speech before the
Jewish council, (Acts 6:35-39) at the time of the arraignment of the
apostles. He appeared, according to Luke's account, at the head of
about four hundred men. He was probably one of the insurrectionary
chiefs or fanatics by whom the land was overrun in the last year of
Herod's reign. Josephus speaks of a Theudas who played a similar part
in the time of Claudius, about A.D. 44; but the Theudas mentioned by
St. Luke must be a different person from the one spoken of by Josephus.
Thieves,
The TwoThe
men who under this name appear in the history of the crucifixion were
robbers rather than thieves, belonging to the lawless bands by which
Palestine was at that time and afterward infested. Against these
brigands every Roman procurator had to wage continual war. It was
necessary to use an armed police to encounter them. (Luke 22:62) Of the
previous history of the two who suffered on Golgotha we know nothing.
They had been tried and condemned, and were waiting their execution
before our Lord was accused. It is probable enough, as the death of
Barabbas was clearly expected at the same time that they had taken part
in his insurrection had expected to die with Jesus Barabbas. They find
themselves with one who bore the same name, but who was described in
the superscription on his cross as Jesus of Nazareth. They could hardly
have failed to hear something of his fame as a prophet, of his
triumphal entry as a king; They catch at first the prevailing tone of
scorn. But over one of them there came a change. He looked back upon
his past life, and saw an infinite evil. He looked to the man dying on
the cross beside him, and saw an infinite compassion. There indeed was
one unlike all other "kings of the Jews" whom the robber had ever
known. Such a one must be all that he had claimed to be. To be
forgotten by that king seems to him now the most terrible of all
punishments; to take part in the triumph of his return, the most
blessed of all hopes. The yearning prayer was answered, not in the
letter, but in the spirit.
Thimnathaha
town in the allotment of Dan. (Joshua 19:43) only. It is named between
Elon and Ekron. The name is the same as that of the residence of
Samson's wife. [See [1220]Timna, Or Timnah, [1221]Timnah]
Thistle[[1222]Thorns
AND THISTLES]
Thomas(a
twin), one of the apostles. According to Eusebius, his real name was
Judas. This may have been a mere confusion with Thaddeus, who is
mentioned in the extract. But it may also be that; Thomas was a
surname. Out of this name has grown the tradition that he had a
twin-sister, Lydia, or that he was a twin-brother of our Lord; which
last, again, would confirm his identification with Judas. Comp.
(Matthew 13:55) He is said to have been born at Antioch. In the
catalogue of the apostles he is coupled with Matthew in (Matthew 10:3;
Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15) and with Philip in (Acts 1:13) All that we know
of him is derived from the Gospel of St. John; and this amounts to
three traits, which, however, so exactly agree together that, slight as
they are they place his character before us with a precision which
belongs to no other of the twelve apostles except Peter, John and Judas
Iscariot. This character is that of a man slow to believe, seeing all
the difficulties of a case, subject to despondency, viewing things on
the darker side, yet full of ardent love of his Master. The latter
trait was shown in his speech when our Lord determined to face the
dangers that awaited him in Judea on his journey to Bethany. Thomas
said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with
him." (John 11:16) His unbelief appeared in his question during the
Last Supper: "Thomas saith unto him Lord we know not whither thou
goest, and how can we: know the way?" (John 14:5) It was the prosaic,
incredulous doubt as to moving a step in the unseen future, and yet an
eager inquiry as to how this step was to be taken. The first-named
trait was seen after the resurrection. He was absent--possibly by
accident, perhaps characteristically--from the first assembly when
Jesus had appeared. The others told him what they had seen. He broke
forth into an exclamation, the terms of which convey to us at once the
vehemence of his doubt, and at the same time the vivid picture that his
mind retained of his Master's form as he had last seen him lifeless on
the cross. (John 20:25) On the eighth day he was with them st their
gathering, perhaps in expectation of a recurrence of the visit of the
previous week; and Jesus stood among them. He uttered the same
salutation, "Peace be unto you;" and then turning to Thomas, as if this
had been the special object of his appearance, uttered the words which
convey as strongly the sense of condemnation and tender reproof as
those of Thomas had shown the sense of hesitation and doubt. The effect
on him was immediate. The conviction produced by the removal of his
doubt became deeper and stronger than that of any of the other
apostles. The words in which he expressed his belief contain a far
higher assertion of his Master's divine nature than is contained in any
other expression used by apostolic lips--"My Lord and my God." The
answer of our Lord sums up the moral of the whole narrative: "Because
thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not
seen me, and yet have-believed." (John 20:29) In the New Testament we
hear of Thomas only twice again, once on the Sea of Galilee with the
seven disciples, where he is ranked next after Peter, (John 21:2) and
again in the assemblage of the apostles after the ascension. (Acts
1:13) The earlier traditions, as believed in the fourth century,
represent him as preaching in Parthia or Persia, and as finally buried
at Edessa. The later traditions carry him farther east, His martyrdom
whether in Persia or India, is said to have been occasioned by a lance,
and is commemorated by the Latin Church on December 21 the Greek Church
on October 6, and by the Indians on July 1.
Thornsand
Thistles. There appear to be eighteen or twenty Hebrew words which
point to different kinds of prickly or thorny shrubs. These words are
variously rendered in the Authorized Version By "thorns," "briers,"
"thistles," etc. Palestine abounded in a great variety of such plants.
("Travellers call the holy land 'a land of thorns.' Giant thistles,
growing to the height of a man on horseback, frequently spread over
regions once rich and fruitful, as they do on the pampas of South
America; and many of the most interesting historic spats and ruins are
rendered almost inaccessible by thickets of fiercely-armed buckthorns.
Entire fields are covered with the troublesome creeping stems of the
spinous ononis, while the bare hillsides are studded with the dangerous
capsules of the puliuris and tribulus . Roses of the most prickly kinds
abound on the lower slopes of Hermon; while the sub-tropical valleys of
Judea are choked up in many places by the thorny lycium ."-- Biblical
Things not generally Known.) Crown of thorns.--The crown which was put
in derision upon our Lord's head before his crucifixion, is by some
supposed to have been the Rhamnus, or Spina Christi ; but although
abundant in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, it cannot be the plant
intended, because its thorns are so strong and large that it could not
have been woven into a wreath. The large-leaved acanthus (bear's-foot)
is totally unsuited for the purpose. Had the acacia been intended, as
some suppose, the phrase would have been ex akanthes . Obviously some
small, flexile, thorny shrub is meant; perhaps Cappares spinosae .
Hasselquist ("Travels," p. 260) says that the thorn used was the
Arabian nabk . "It was very suitable for their purpose, as it has many
sharp thorns, which inflict painful wounds; and its flexible, pliant
and round branches might easily be plaited in the form of a crown." It
also resembles the rich dark crown green of the triumphal ivy-wreath,
which would give additional pungency to its ironical purpose.
Three
TavernsA
station on the Appian Road, along which St. Paul travelled from Puteoli
to Rome. (Acts 28:15) The distances, reckoning southward from Rome are
given as follows in the Antonine Itinerary: "to Aricia, 16 miles; to
Three Taverns, 17 miles; to Appii Forum, 10 miles;" and, comparing this
with what is still observed along the line of road, we have no
difficulty in coming to the conclusion that "Three Taverns" was near
the modern Cisterna . Just at this point a road came in from Antium on
the coast. There is no doubt that "Three Taverns" was a frequent
meeting-place of travellers.
Threshing[[1223]Agriculture]
ThresholdOf
the two words so rendered is the Authorized Version,
one,miphthan,,seems to mean sometimes a projecting beam or corbel.
(Ezekiel 9:3; 10:4,18)
Thresholds,
TheThis
word, Asuppe, appears to be inaccurately rendered in (Nehemiah 12:25)
though its real force has perhaps not yet been discovered. The "house
of Asuppim," or simply "the Asuppim," is mentioned in (1 Chronicles
26:15,17) as a part, probably a gate of the enclosure of the "house of
Jehovah," apparently at its southwest corner. The allusion in (Nehemiah
12:29) is undoubtedly to the same place. [[1224]Gate]
ThroneThe
Hebrew word so translated applies to any elevated seat occupied by a
person in authority, whether a high priest, (1 Samuel 1:9) a judge,
(Psalms 122:5) or a military chief (Jeremiah 1:16) The use of a chair
in a country where the usual postures were squatting and reclining was
at all times regarded as a symbol of dignity. (2 Kings 4:10; Proverbs
9:14) In order to specify a throne in our sense of the term, it was
necessary to add to the word the notion of royalty; hence the frequent
occurrence of such expressions as "throne of the kingdom." (17:18; 1
Kings 1:46; 2 Chronicles 7:18) The characteristic feature in the royal
throne was its elevation: Solomon's throne was approached by six steps,
(1 Kings 10:19; 2 Chronicles 9:18) and Jehovah's throne is described as
"high and lifted up." (Isaiah 6:1) The materials and workmanship of
Solomon's throne were costly. It was made of wood inlaid with ivory and
then covered with gold except where the ivory showed. It was furnished
with arms or "stays." The steps were also lines with pairs of lions. As
to the form of chair, we are only informed in (1 Kings 10:19) that "the
top was round behind." The king sat on his throne on state occasions.
At such times he appeared in his royal robes. The throne was the symbol
of supreme power and dignity. (Genesis 41:40) Similarly, "to sit upon
the throne" implied the exercise of regal power. (17:18; 1 Kings 16:11)
Thuhash(badger),
son of Nahor by his concubine Reumah. (Genesis 22:24) (B.C. 1880.)
Thummim[[1225]Urim
And Thummim AND THUMMIM]
Thunderis
hardly ever heard in Palestine form the middle of April to the middle
of September; hence it was selected by Samuel as a striking expression
of the divine displeasure toward the Israelites. (1 Samuel 12:17) Rain
in harvest was deemed as extraordinary as snow in summer, (Proverbs
26:1) and Jerome states that he had never witnessed it in the latter
part of June or in July. Comm. on (Amos 4:7) In the imaginative
philosophy of the Hebrews, thunder was regarded as the voice of
Jehovah, (Job 37:2,4,5; 40:9; Psalms 18:13; 29:3-9; Isaiah 30:30,31)
who dwelt behind the thunder-cloud. (Psalms 81:7) Thunder was, to the
mind of the Jew, the symbol of divine power (Psalms 29:3) etc., and
vengeance. (1 Samuel 2:10; 2 Samuel 22:14)
Thyatiraa
city on the Lycus, founded by Seleucus Nicator, lay to the left of the
road from Pergamos to Sardis, 27 miles from the latter city, and on the
very confines of Mysia and Ionia, so as to be sometimes reckoned within
the one and sometimes within the other. Dyeing apparently formed an
important part of the industrial activity of Thyatira, as it did of
that of Colossae and Laodicea. It is first mentioned in connection with
Lydia, "a seller of purple." (Acts 16:14) One of the Seven Churches of
Asia was established here. (Revelation 2:18-29) The principal deity of
the city was Apollo; but there was another superstition, of an
extremely curious nature which seems to have been brought thither by
some of the corrupted Jews of the dispersed tribes. A fane stood
outside the walls, dedicated to Sambatha--the name of the sibyl who is
sometimes called Chaldean, sometimes Jewish, sometimes Persian-- in the
midst of an enclosure designated "the Chaldaeans' court." This seems to
lend an illustration to the obscure passage in (Revelation 2:20,21)
which some interpret of the wife of the bishop. Now there is evidence
to show that in Thyatira there was a great amalgamation of races. If
the sibyl Sambatha was in reality a Jewess, lending her aid to the
amalgamation of different religions, and not discountenanced by the
authorities of the Judeo-Christian Church at Thyatira, both the censure
and its qualification become easy of explanation. (The present name of
the city is ak-Hissar ("white castle"). It has a reputation for the
manufacture of scarlet cloth. Its present population is 15,000 to
20,000. There are nine mosques.--ED.)
Thyine
Woodoccurs
in (Revelation 18:12) where the margin has "sweet" (wood). There can be
little doubt that the wood here spoken of is that of the Thuya
articulata, Desfont the Callitris quadrivalvis of present botanists. It
is a cone bearing tree and allied to the pine. This tree was much
prized by Greeks and Romans on account of the beauty of its wood for
various ornamental purposes. By the Romans the tree was called citrus,
the wood citrum . It is a native of Barbary, and grows to the height of
15 to 25 feet.
Tiberiasa
city in the time of Christ, on the Sea of Galilee; first mentioned in
the New Testament, (John 6:1,23; 21:1) and then by Josephus, who states
that it was built by Herod Antipas, and was named by him in honor of
the emperor Tiberius. Tiberias was the capital of Galilee from the time
of its origin until the reign of Herod Agrippa II., who changed the
seat of power back again to Sepphoris, where it had been before the
founding of the new city. Many of the inhabitants were Greeks and
Romans, and foreign customs prevailed there: to such an extent as to
give offence to the stricter Jews. It is remarkable that the Gospels
give us no information that the Saviour who spent so much of his public
life in Galilee, ever visited Tiberias. The place is only mentioned in
the New Testament in (John 6:23) History .--Tiberias has an interesting
history apart from its strictly biblical associations. It bore a
conspicuous part in the wars between the Jews and the Romans. The
Sanhedrin, subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem, after a temporary
sojourn at Jamnia and Sepphoris, became fixed there about the middle of
the second century. Celebrated schools of Jewish learning flourished
there through a succession of several centuries. The Mishna was
compiled at this place by the great Rabbi Judah Hakkodesh, A.D. 190.
The city has been possessed successively by Romans, Persians Arabs and
Turks. It contains now, under the Turkish rule, a mixed population of
Mohammedans, Jews and Christian, variously estimated at from two to
four thousand. Present city .--The ancient name has survived in that of
the modern Tubarieh, which occupies the original site. Near Tubarieh,
about a mile farther south along the shore, are the celebrated warm
baths, which the Roman naturalists reckoned among the greatest known
curiosities of the world. Tiberias is described by Dr. Thomson as "a
filthy place, fearfully hot in summer." It was nearly destroyed in 1837
by an earthquake, by which 800 persons lost their lives.
Tiberias,
The Sea Of(John
21:1) [[1226]Gennesaret, Sea Of, SEA OF]
Tiberius(in
full, Tiberius Claudius Nero), the second Roman emperor, successor of
Augustus, who began to reign A.D. 14 and reigned until A.D. 37. He was
the son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia, and hence a stepson of
Augustus. He was born at Rome on the 18th of November, B.C. 45. He
became emperor in his fifty-fifth year, after having distinguished
himself as a commander in various wars, and having evinced talents of a
high order as an orator and an administrator of civil affairs. He even
gained the reputation of possessing the sterner virtues of the Roman
character, and was regarded as entirely worthy of the imperial honors
to which his birth and supposed personal merits at length opened the
way. Yet, on being raised to the supreme power, he suddenly became, or
showed himself to be a very different man. His subsequent life was one
of inactivity, sloth and self-indulgence. He was despotic in his
government, cruel and vindictive in his disposition. He died A.D. 37,
at the age of 78, after a reign of twenty-three years. Our Saviour was
put to death in the reign of Tiberius.
Tibhath(extension),
a city of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, (1 Chronicles 18:8) which in 2Sam
8:8 Is called Betah. Its exact Position is unknown.
Tibni(intelligent).
After Zimri had burnt himself in his palace, there was a division in
the northern kingdom, half of the people following Tibni the son of
Ginath, and half following Omri. (1 Kings 16:21,22) Omri was the choice
of the army Tibni was probably put forward by the people of Tirzah,
which was then besieged by Omri and his host. The struggle between the
contending factions lasted four years (comp.) (1 Kings 16:16,23) (B.C.
926-922.), when-Tibni died.
Tidal(great
son) is mentioned only in (Genesis 14:1,9) (B.C. about 1900.) He is
called "king of nations," from which we may conclude that he was a
chief over various nomadic tribes who inhabited different portions of
Mesopotamia at different seasons of the year, as do the Arabs at the
present day.
Tiglathpileser(In
(1 Chronicles 5:26) and again in 2Chr 28:20 The name of this king is
given as TIGLATH-PILNESER.) Tiglath-pileser is the second Assyrian king
mentioned in Scripture as having come into contact with the Israelites.
He attacked Samaria in the reign of Pekah, B.C. 756-736. probably
because Pekah withheld his tribute, and having entered his territories,
he "took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah and Janoah and Kedesh, and Hazer,
and Gilead, and Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali, and carried them
captive to Assyria." (2 Kings 15:29) The date of this invasion cannot
be fixed. After his first expedition a close league was formed between
Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, having for its special object the
humiliation of Judah. At first great successes were gained by Pekah and
his confederate, (2 Kings 15:37; 2 Chronicles 28:6-8) but on their
proceeding to attack Jerusalem itself, Ahaz applied to Assyria for
assistance, and Tiglath-pileser, consenting to aid him, again appeared
at the head of an army in these regions. He first marched, naturally,
against Damascus. which he took, (2 Kings 16:9) razing it to the
ground, and killing Rezin, the Damascene monarch. After this, probably,
he proceeded to chastise Pekah, whose country he entered on the
northeast, where it bordered upon "Syria of Damascus." Here he overran
the whole district to the east of Jordan, carrying into captivity "the
Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh," (1 Chronicles
5:26) Before returning into his own land, Tiglath pileser had an
interview with Ahaz at Damascus. (2 Kings 16:10) This is all that
Scripture tells us of Tiglath-pileser. He reigned certainly from B.C.
747 to B.C. 730, and possibly a few years longer, being succeeded by
Shalmaneser at least as early as B.C. 785, Tiglath-pileser's wars do
not generally, appear to have been of much importance. No palace or
great building can be ascribed to this king. His slabs, which are
tolerably numerous show that he must have built or adorned a residence
at Calah (Nimrud), where they were found.
Tigrisis
used by the LXX. as the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Hiddekel, and
occurs also in several of the apocryphal books, as in Tobit, ch. 6:1,
Judith, ch. 1:6, and Ecclesiasticus, ch. 24:25. The Tigris, like the
Euphrates, rises from two principal sources in the Armenian mountains,
and flows into the Euphrates. Its length, exclusive of windings, is
reckoned at 1146 miles. It receives, along its middle and lower course
no fewer than five important tributaries. These are the river of Zakko
or eastern Khabour, the Great Zab (Zab Ala), the Lesser Zab (Zab
Asfal), the Adhem, and the Diyaleh or ancient Gyndes. All these rivers
flow from the high range of Zagros. We find but little mention of the
Tigris in Scripture. It appears, indeed, under the name of Hiddekel,
among the rivers of Eden, (Genesis 2:14) and is there correctly
described as "running eastward to Assyria;" but after this we hear no
more of it, if we accept one doubtful allusion in Nahum (Nahum 2:6)
until the captivity, when it becomes well known to the prophet Daniel.
With him it is "the Great River." The Tigris, in its upper course,
anciently ran through Armenia and Assyria.
Tikvah(hope).
+The father of Shallum the husband of the prophetess Huldah. (2 Kings
22:14) (B.C. before 632.)
+The father of Jahaziah. (Ezra 10:15)
Tikvath(assemblage)
(properly Tokehath or Tokhath), Tikvah the father of Shallum. (2
Chronicles 34:22)
Tilgathpilnesera
variation, and probably a corruption, of the name Tiglath-pileser. (1
Chronicles 5:6,26; 2 Chronicles 28:20)
Tilon(gift),
one of the four sons of Shimon, whose family is reckoned in the
genealogies of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:20) (B.C. 1451.)
Timaeusthe
father of the blind man, Bartimaus. (Mark 10:46)
Timbrel,
Tabret(Heb.
toph). In old English tabor was used for any drum. Tabouret and
tambourine are diminutives of tabor, and denote the instrument now
known as the tambourine. Tabret is a contraction of tabouret. The
Hebrew toph is undoubtedly the instrument described by travellers as
the duff or diff of the Arabs. It was played principally by women,
(Exodus 15:20; Judges 11:34; 1 Samuel 18:6; Psalms 68:25) as an
accompaniment to the song and dance. The diff of the Arabs is described
by Russell as "a hoop (sometimes with pieces of brass fixed in it to
make a jingling) over which a piece of parchment is stretched. It is
beaten with the fingers, and is the true tympanum of the ancients." In
Barbary it is called tar .
Timna,
Or Timnah(restraint).
+A concubine of Eliphaz son of Esau, and mother of Amalek (Genesis
36:12) it may be presumed that she was the same as Timna sister of
Lotan. Ibid. ver. 22, and (1 Chronicles 1:39) (B.C. after 1800.)
+A duke or phylarch of Edom in the last list in (Genesis 36:40-43; 1
Chronicles 1:51-54) Timnah was probably the name of a place or a
district. [See the following article]
Timnah(portion).
+A place which formed one of the landmarks on the north boundary of the
allotment of Judah. (Joshua 15:10) It is probably identical with the
Thimnathah of (Joshua 19:43) and that again with the Timnath, or, more
accurately, Timnathah, of Samson (Judges 14:1,2,5) and the Thamnatha of
the Maccabees. The modern representative of all these various forms of
the same name is probably Tibneh, a village about two miles west of Ain
Shems (Beth-shemesh). In the later history of the Jews, Timnah must
have been a conspicuous place. It was fortified by Bacchides as one of
the most important military posts of Judea. 1 Macc. 9:50.
+A town in the mountain district of Judah. (Joshua 15:57) A distinct
place from that just examined.
+Inaccurately written Timnath in the Authorized Version, the scene of
the adventure of Judah with his daughter in-law Tamar. (Genesis
38:12,13,14) There is nothing here to indicate its position. It may be
identified either with the Timnah in the mountains of Judah No. 23 or
with the Timnathath of Samson [No. 1].
Timnath[[1227]Timna,
Or Timnah, [1228]Timnah]
Timnathahthe
residence of Samson's wife. (Judges 14:1,2,5)
Timnathheres(portion
of the sun) the name under which the city and burial-place of Joshua,
previously called Timnath-serah is mentioned in (Judges 2:9)
[TIMNATH-GERAH]
Timnathserah(portion
of abundance), the name of the city which was presented to Joshua after
the partition of the country, (Joshua 19:50) and in "the border" of
which he was buried. (Joshua 24:30) It is specified as "in Mount
Ephraim on the north side of Mount Gaash." In (Judges 2:9) the name is
altered to TIMNATH-HERES. The latter form is that adopted by the Jewish
writers. Accordingly, they identify the place with Kefar-cheres, which
is said by Jewish travellers to be about five miles south of Shechem
(Nablus). No place with that name appears on the maps. Another
identification has, however been suggested by Dr. Eli Smith. In his
journey from Jifna to Mejdel-Yaba, about six miles from the former he
discovered the ruins of a considerable town. Opposite the town was a
much higher hill, in the north side of which are several excavated
sepulchres. The whole bears the name of Tibneh .
Timnite,
TheSamson's
father-in-law, a native of Timnathah. (Judges 15:6)
Timonone
of the seven, commonly called "deacons." (Acts 6:1-6) He was probably a
Hellenist. (A.D. 34.)
Timotheus
+A "captain of the Ammonites," 1 Macc. 5:6 who was defeated on several
occasions by Judas Maccabaeus, B.C. 164. 1 Macc. 5:6,11,34-44. He was
probably a Greek adventurer.
+In 2 Macc. a leader named Timetheus is mentioned as having taken part
in the invasion of Nicanor, B.C. 166. 2 Macc. 8:30; 9:3.
+The Greek name of Timothy. (Acts 16:1; 17:14) etc.
TimothyThe
disciple thus named was the son of one of those mixed marriages which,
though condemned by stricter Jewish opinion were yet not uncommon in
the later periods of Jewish history. The father's name is unknown; he
was a Greek, i.e. a Gentile, by descent. (Acts 16:1,3) The absence of
any personal allusion to the father in the Acts or Epistles suggests
the inference that he must have died or disappeared during his son's
infancy. The care of the boy thus devolved upon his mother Eunice and
her mother Lois. (2 Timothy 1:5) Under their training his education was
emphatically Jewish. "From a child" he learned to "know the Holy
Scriptures" daily. The language of the Acts leaves it uncertain whether
Lystra or Derbe was the residence of the devout family. The arrival of
Paul and Barnabas in Lycaonia, A.D. 44, (Acts 14:6) brought the message
of glad tidings to Timothy and his mother, and they received it with
"unfeigned faith." (2 Timothy 1:5) During the interval of seven years
between the apostle's first and second journeys the boy grew up to
manhood. Those who had the deepest insight into character, and spoke
with a prophetic utterance, pointed to him, (1 Timothy 1:18; 4:14) as
others had pointed before to Paul and Barnabas, (Acts 13:2) as
specially fit for the missionary work in which the apostle was engaged.
Personal feeling led St. Paul to the same conclusion, (Acts 16:3) and
he was solemnly set apart to do the work and possibly to bear the title
of evangelist. (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6; 4:5) A great obstacle,
however, presented itself. Timothy, though reckoned as one of the seed
of Abraham, had been allowed to grow up to the age of manhood without
the sign of circumcision. With a special view to the feelings of the
Jews making no sacrifice of principle, the apostle, who had refused to
permit the circumcision of Titus, "took and circumcised" Timothy. (Acts
16:3) Henceforth Timothy was one of his most constant companions. They
and Silvanus, and probably Luke also, journeyed to Philippi, (Acts
16:12) and there the young evangelist was conspicuous at once for his
filial devotion and his zeal. (Philemon 2:22) His name does not appear
in the account of St. Paul's work at Thessalonica, and it is possible
that he remained some time at Philippi. He appears, however, at Berea,
and remains there when Paul and Silas are obliged to leave, (Acts
17:14) going afterward to join his master at Athens. (1 Thessalonians
3:2) From Athens he is sent back to Thessalonica, ibid., as having
special gifts for comforting and teaching. He returns from
Thessalonica, not to Athens, but to Corinth, and his name appears
united with St. Paul's in the opening words of both the letters written
from that city to the Thessalonians, (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2
Thessalonians 1:1) Of the next five years of his life we have no
record. When we next meet with him, it is as being sent on in advance
when the apostle was contemplating the long journey which was to
include Macedonia, Achaia, Jerusalem and Rome. (Acts 19:22) It is
probable that he returned by the same route and met St. Paul according
to a previous arrangement, (1 Corinthians 16:11) and was thus with him
when the Second Epistle was written to the church of Corinth. (2
Corinthians 1:1) He returns with the apostle to that city, and joins in
messages of greeting to the disciples whom he had known personally at
Corinth, and who had since found their way to Rome. (Romans 16:21) He
forms one of the company of friends who go with St. Paul to Philippi,
and then sail by themselves, waiting for his arrival by a different
ship. (Acts 20:3-6) The absence of his name from (Acts 27:1) ... leads
to the conclusion that he did not share in the perilous voyage to
Italy. He must have joined the apostle, however, apparently soon after
his arrival at Rome, and was with him when the Epistles to the
Philippians, to the Colossians and to Philemon were written. (Philemon
1:1; 2:19; Colossians 1:1) Phil. ver. 1. All the indications of this
period point to incessant missionary activity. From the two Epistles
addressed to Timothy we are able to put together a few notices as to
his later from (1 Timothy 1:3) that he and his master after the release
of the latter from his imprisonment, A.D. 63, revisited proconsular
Asia; that the apostle then continued his Journey to Macedonia, while
the disciple remained, half reluctantly, even weeping at the
separation, (2 Timothy 1:4) at Ephesus, to check, if possible, the
outgrowth of heresy and licentiousness which had sprung up there. The
position in which he found himself might well make him anxious. He used
to rule presbyters most of whom were older than himself (1 Timothy
4:12) Leaders of rival sects were there. The name of his beloved
teacher was no longer honored as it had been. We cannot wonder that the
apostle, knowing these trials should be full of anxiety and fear for
his disciple's steadfastness. In the Second Epistle to him, A.D. 67 or
68, this deep personal feeling utters itself yet more fully. The last
recorded words of the apostle express the earnest hope, repented yet
more earnestly, that he might see him once again. (2 Timothy 4:9,21) We
may hazard the conjecture that he reached him in time, and that the
last hours of the teacher were soothed by the presence of the disciple
whom he loved so truly. Some writers have seen in (Hebrews 13:23) an
indication that he even shared St. Paul's imprisonment, and was
released from it by the death of Nero. Beyond this all is apocryphal
and uncertain. He continued, according to the old traditions, to act as
bishop of Ephesus, and died a martyr's death under Domitian or Nerva. A
somewhat startling theory as to the intervening period of his life has
found favor with some. If he continued, according to the received
tradition, to be bishop of Ephesus, then he, and no other, must have
been the "angel" of the church of Ephesus to whom the message of
(Revelation 2:1-7) was addressed.
Timothy,
Epistles Of Paul ToThe
Epistles to Timothy and Titus are called the Pastoral Epistles, because
they are principally devoted to directions about the work of the pastor
of a church. The First Epistle was probably written from Macedonia,
A.D. 65, in the interval between St. Paul's first and second
imprisonments at Rome. The absence of any local reference but that in
(1 Timothy 1:3) suggests Macedonia or some neighboring district. In
some MSS. and versions Laodicea is named in the inscription as the
place from which it was sent. The Second Epistle appears to have been
written A.D. 67 or 68, and in all probability at Rome. The following
are the characteristic features of these epistles:-- (1) The
ever-deepening sense in St. Paul's heart of the divine mercy of which
he was the object, as shown in the insertion of the "mercy" in the
salutations of both epistles, and in the "obtained mercy" of (1 Timothy
1:13) (2) The greater abruptness of the Second Epistle. From first to
last there is no plan, no treatment of subjects carefully thought out.
All speaks of strong overflowing emotion memories of the past,
anxieties about the future. (3) The absence, as compared with St. Paul
other epistles, of Old Testament references. This may connect itself
with the fact just noticed, that these epistles are not argumentative,
possibly also with the request for the "books and parchments" which had
been left behind. (2 Timothy 4:13) (4) The conspicuous position of the
"faithful sayings" as taking the place occupied in other epistles by
the Old Testament Scriptures. The way in which these are cited as
authoritative, the variety of subjects which they cover, suggests the
thought that in them we have specimens of the prophecies of the
apostolic Church which had most impressed themselves on the mind of the
apostle and of the disciples generally. (1 Corinthians 14:1) ... shows
how deep a reverence he was likely to feel for spiritual utterances. In
(1 Timothy 4:1) we have a distinct reference to them. (5) The tendency
of the apostle's mind to dwell more on the universality of the
redemptive work of Christ, (1 Timothy 2:3-6; 4:10) and his strong
desire that all the teaching of his disciples should be "sound." (6)
The importance attached by him to the practical details of
administration. The gathered experience of a long life had taught him
that the life and well being of the Church required these for its
safeguards. (7) The recurrence of doxologies, (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15,16;
2 Timothy 4:18) as from one living perpetually in the presence of God,
to whom the language of adoration was as his natural speech.
TinAmong
the various metals found in the spoils of the Midianites, tin is
enumerated. (Numbers 31:22) It was known to the Hebrew metal-workers as
an alloy of other metals. (Isaiah 1:25; Ezekiel 22:18,20) The markets
of Tyre were supplied with it by the ships of Tarshish. (Ezekiel 27:12)
It was used for plummets, (Zechariah 4:10) and was so plentiful as to
furnish the writer of Ecclesiasticus, Ecclus. 47:18, with a figure by
which to express the wealth of Solomon. Tin is not found in Palestine.
Whence, then. did the ancient Hebrews obtain their supply "Only three
countries are known to contain any considerable quantity of it: Spain
and Portugal, Cornwall and the adjacent parts of Devonshire, and the
islands of Junk, Ceylon and Banca, in the Straits of Malacca."
(Kenrick, "Phoenicia," p. 212.) There call be little doubt that the
mines of Britain were the chief source of supply to the ancient world,
[See [1229]Tarshish] ("Tin ore has lately been found in
Midian."--Schaff.)
Tiphsah(ford)
is mentioned in (1 Kings 4:24) as the limit of Solomon's empire toward
the Euphrates and in (2 Kings 15:16) it is said to have been attacked
by Menahemi. It was known to the Greeks and Romans under the name of
Thapsacus, and was the point where it was usual to cross the Euphrates.
Thapsacus has been generally placed at the modern Deir ; but the
Euphrates expedition proved that there is no ford at Deir, and that the
only ford in this part of the course of the Euphrates is at Suriyeh, 45
miles below Balis, and 165 above Deir . This, then, must have been the
position of Thapsacus.
Tirathites,
Theone
of the three families of scribes residing at Jabez, (1 Chronicles 2:55)
the others being the Shimeathites and Sucathites. The passage is
hopelessly obscure.
Tirean
old English word for headdress. It was an ornamental headdress worn on
festive occasions, (Ezekiel 24:17,23) and perhaps, as some suppose,
also an ornament for the neck worn by both women, (Isaiah 3:18) and
men, and even on the necks of camels. (Judges 8:21,26)
Tirhakah,
Or Tirhakah(exalted?)
king of Ethiopia (Cush), the opponent of Sennacherib. (2 Kings 19:9;
Isaiah 37:9) He may be identified with Tarkos or Tarakos, who was the
third and last king of the twenty-fifth dynasty, which was of
Ethiopians. His accession was probably about B.C. 695. Possibly
Tirhakah ruled over Ethiopia before becoming king of Egypt.
Tirhanah(favor),
son of Caleb ben-Hezron by his concubine Maachah. (1 Chronicles 2:48)
(B.C. about 1451.)
Tiria(fear),
son of Jehaleleel, of the tribe of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:16) (B.C.
about 1451.)
Tirras(desire),
the youngest son of Japheth, (Genesis 10:2) usually identified with the
Thracians, as presenting the closest verbal approximation to the name.
Tirshatha(always
written with the article), the title of the governor of Judea under the
Persians, perhaps derived from a Persian root signifying stern, severe,
is added as a title after the name of Nehemiah, (Nehemiah 8:9; 10:1)
and occurs also in three other places. In the margin of the Authorized
Version (Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65; 10:1) it is rendered "governor."
Tirzahan
ancient Canaanite city, whose king is enumerated among those overthrown
in the conquest of the country. (Joshua 12:24) It reappears as a royal
city, the residence of Jeroboam and of his successors, (1 Kings
14:17,18) and as the seat of the conspiracy of Menahem ben-Gaddi
against the wretched Shallum. (2 Kings 15:16) Its reputation for beauty
throughout the country must have been widespread. It is in this sense
that it is spoken of in the Song of Solomon. Eusebius mentions it in
connection with Menahem, and identifies it with a "village of
Samaritans in Batanea." Its site is Telluzah, a place in the mountains
north of Nablus . (delight), youngest of the five daughters of
Zelophehad. (Numbers 26:33; 27:1; 36:11; Joshua 17:3) (B.C. 1450.)
Tishbite,
Thethe
well-known designation of Elijah. (1 Kings 17:1; 21:17,28; 2 Kings
1:3,8; 9:36) The name naturally points to a place called Tishbeh,
Tishbi, or rather perhaps Tesheb, as the residence of the prophet.
Assuming that a town is alluded to as Elijah's native place, it is not
necessary to infer that it was itself in Gilead, as many have imagined.
The commentators and lexicographers, with few exceptions, adopt the
name "Tishbite" as referring to the place Thisbe in Naphtali which is
found in the Septuagint text of Tobit 1:2.
Tithe
Or Tenththe
proportion of property devoted to religious uses from very early times.
Instances of the use of tithes are found prior to the appointment of
the Levitical tithes under the law. In biblical history the two
prominent instances are--
+Abram presenting the tenth of all his property, or rather of the
spoils of his victory, to Melchizedek. (Genesis 14:20; Hebrews 7:2,6)
+Jacob, after his vision at Luz, devoting a tenth of all his property
to God in case he should return home in safety (Genesis 28:22) The
first enactment of the law in respect of tithe is the declaration that
the tenth of all produce, as well as of flocks and cattle belongs to
Jehovah and must be offered to him that the tithe was to be paid in
kind, or, if redeemed, with an addition of one fifth to its value.
(Leviticus 27:30-33) This tenth is ordered to be assigned to the
Levites as the reward of their service, and it is ordered further that
they are themselves to dedicate to the Lord a tenth of these receipts,
which is to be devoted to the maintenance of the high priest. (Numbers
18:21-28) This legislation is modified or extended in the book of
Deuteronomy, i.e. from thirty-eight to forty years later. Commands are
given to the people--
+To bring their tithes, together with their votive and other offerings
and first-fruits, to the chosen centre of worship, the metropolis,
there to be eaten in festive celebration in company with their children
their servants and the Levites. (12:5-18)
+All the produce of the soil was to be tithed every and these tithes
with the firstlings of the flock and herd, were to be eaten in the
metropolis.
+But in case of distance, permission is given to convert the produce
into money, which is to be taken to the appointed place, and there laid
out in the purchase of food for a festal celebration, in which the
Levite is, by special command, to be included. (14:22-27)
+Then follows the direction that at the end of three years all the
tithe of that year is to be gathered and laid up "within the gates" and
that a festival is to be held of which the stranger, the fatherless and
the widow together with the Levite, are to partake. Ibid. (5:28,29)
+Lastly it is ordered that after taking the tithe in each third year,
"which is the year of tithing," an exculpatory declaration is to be
made by every Israelite that he has done his best to fulfill the divine
command, (26:12-14) From all this we gather-- (1) That one tenth of the
whole produce of the soil was to be assigned for the maintenance of the
Levites. (2) That out of this the Levites were to dedicate a tenth to
God for the use of the high priest. (3) That a tithe, in all
probability a second tithe, was to be applied to festival purposes. (4)
That in every third year, either this festival tithe or a third tenth
was to be eaten in company with the poor and the Levites. (These tithes
in early times took the place of our modern taxes, us well as of gifts
for the support of religious institutions.--ED.)
TitusOur
materials for the biography of this companion of St. Paul must be drawn
entirely from the notices of him in the Second Epistle to the
Corinthians, the Galatians, and to Titus himself, combined with the
Second Epistle to Timothy. He is not mentioned in the Acts at all.
Taking the passages in the epistles in the chronological order of the
events referred to, we turn first to (Galatians 2:1,3) We conceive the
journey mentioned here to be identical with that (recorded in Acts 15)
in which Paul and Barnabas went from Antioch to Jerusalem to the
conference which was to decide the question of the necessity of
circumcision to the Gentiles. Here we see Titus in close association
with Paul and Barnabas at Antioch. He goes with them to Jerusalem. His
circumcision was either not insisted on at Jerusalem, or, if demanded,
was firmly resisted. He is very emphatically spoken of as a Gentile by
which is most probably meant that both his parents were Gentiles. Titus
would seem on the occasion of the council to have been specially a
representative of the church of the uncircumcision. It is to our
purpose to remark that, in the passage cited above, Titus is so
mentioned as apparently to imply that he had become personally known to
the Galatian Christians. After leaving Galatia., (Acts 18:23) and
spending a long time at Ephesus, (Acts 19:1; 20:1) the apostle
proceeded to Macedonia by way of Troas. Here he expected to meet Titus,
(2 Corinthians 2:13) who had been sent on a mission to Corinth. In this
hope he was disappointed, but in Macedonia Titus joined him. (2
Corinthians 7:6,7,13-15) The mission to Corinth had reference to the
immoralities rebuked in the First Epistle, and to the collection at
that time in progress, for the poor Christians of Judea. (2 Corinthians
8:6) Thus we are prepared for what the apostle now proceeds to do after
his encouraging conversations with Titus regarding the Corinthian
church. He sends him back from Macedonia to Corinth, in company with
two other trustworthy Christians, bearing the Second Epistle, and with
an earnest request, ibid. (2 Corinthians 8:6,17) that he would see to
the completion of the collection. ch. (2 Corinthians 8:6) A
considerable interval now elapses before we come upon the next notices
of this disciple. St. Paul's first imprisonment is concluded, and his
last trial is impending. In the interval between the two, he and Titus
were together in Crete. (Titus 1:5) We see Titus remaining in the
island when St. Paul left it and receiving there a letter written to
him by the apostle. From this letter we gather the following
biographical details. In the first place we learn that he was
originally converted through St. Paul's instrumentality. (Titus 1:4)
Next we learn the various particulars of the responsible duties which
he had to discharge. In Crete, he is to complete what St. Paul had been
obliged to leave unfinished, ch. (Titus 1:5) and he is to organize the
church throughout the island by appointing presbytery in every city.
Next he is to control and bridle, ver. 11, the restless and mischievous
Judaizers. He is also to look for the arrival in Crete of Artemas and
Tychicus, ch. (Titus 3:12) and then is to hasten to join St. Paul at
Nicopolis, where the apostle purposes to pass the winter. Zenas and
Apollos are in Crete, or expected there; for Titus is to send them on
their journey, and to supply them with whatever they need for it.
Whether Titus did join the apostle at Nicopolis we cannot tell; but we
naturally connect the mention of this place with what St. Paul wrote,
at no great interval of time afterward, in the last of the Pastoral
Epistles, (2 Timothy 4:10) for Dalmatia lay to the north of Nicopolis,
at no great distance from it. From the form of the whole sentence, it
seems probable that this disciple had been with St. Paul in Rome during
his final imprisonment; but this cannot be asserted confidently. The
traditional connection of Titus with Crete is much more specific and
constant, though here again we cannot be certain of the facts. He said
to have been permanent bishop in the island, and to have died there at
an advanced age. The modern capital, Candia, appears to claim the honor
of being his burial-place. In the fragment by the lawyer Zenas, Titus
is called bishop of Gortyna. Lastly, the name of Titus was the
watchword of the Cretans when they were invaded by the Venetians.
Titus
Justus(The
form given in the Revised Version, of the proselyte Justus, at whose
house in Corinth Paul preached when driven from the synagogue. He is
possibly the same as Titus the companion of Paul.)
Titus,
Epistle ToThere
are no specialties in this epistle which require any very elaborate
treatment distinct from the other Pastoral Letters of St. Paul. It was
written about the same time and under similar circumstances with the
other two i.e., from Ephesus, in the autumn of 67 in the interval
between Paul's two Roman imprisonments.
Tizite,
Thethe
designation of Joha, one of the heroes of David's army. (1 Chronicles
11:45) It occurs nowhere else, and nothing is known of the place or
family which it denotes.
Toah(lowly)
a Kohathite Levite, ancestor of Samuel and Heman. (1 Chronicles 6:34)
(19).
Tob(good),
The land of, a place in which Jephthah took refuge when expelled from
home by his half-brother, (Judges 11:3) and where he remained, at the
head of a band of freebooters, till he was brought back by the sheikhs
of Gilead. ver. 5. The narrative implies that the land of Tob was not
far distant from Gilead; at the same time, from the nature of the case
it must have lain out toward the eastern deserts. It is undoubtedly
mentioned again in (2 Samuel 10:6,8) as Ishtob, i.e. man of Tob,
meaning, according to a common Hebrew idiom, the men of Tob. After a
long interval it appears again, in the Maccabaean history, 1 Macc.
5:13, in the names Tobie and Tubieni. 2 Macc. 12:17. No identification
of the ancient, district with any modern one has yet been attempted.
Tobadonijah(Adonijah
the good), one of the Levites sent by Jehoshaphat through the cities of
Judah to teach the law to the people. (2 Chronicles 17:8) (B.C. 910.)
Tobiah(goodness
of Jehovah).
+"The children of Tobiah" were a family who returned with Zerubbabel,
but were unable to prove their connection with Israel-- (Ezra 2:60;
Nehemiah 7:62) (B.C. before 536.)
+"Tobiah the slave, the Ammonite," played a conspicuous part in the
rancorous position made by Sanballat the Moabite and his adherents to
the rebuilding of Jerusalem. (B.C. 446.) The two races of Moab and
Ammon found in these men fit representatives of that hereditary hatred
to the Israelites which began before the entrance into Caanan, and was
not extinct when the Hebrews had ceased to exist as a nation. But
Tobiah, though a slave, (Nehemiah 2:10,19)--unless, this is a title of
opprobrium--and an Ammonite, found means to ally himself with a
priestly family, and his son Johanan married the daughter of Meshullam
the son of Berechiah. (Nehemiah 6:18) He himself was the son-in-law of
Shechaniah the son of Arah, (Nehemiah 6:17) and these family relations
created for him a strong faction among the Jews.
Tobijah(goodness
of Jehovah).
+One of the Levites sent by Jehoshaphat, to teach the law in the cities
of Judah. (2 Chronicles 17:8) (B.C. 910.)
+One of the captivity in the time of Zechariah, in whose presence the
prophet,as commanded to take crowns of silver and gold and put them on
the head of Joshua the high priest. (Zechariah 6:10,14) (B.C 519.)
Tobit,
Book Ofa
book of the Apocryphal which exists at present in Greek, Latin, Syriac
and Hebrew texts, but it was probably written originally in Greek. The
scene of the book is placed in Assyria, whither Tobit, a Jew, had been
carried as a captive by Shalmaneser. It is represented and completed
shortly after the fall of Nineveh (B.C. 606), Tob. 14:15, and written,
in the main, some time before. Tob. 12:20. But the whole tone of the
narrative bespeaks a later age and above all, the doctrine of good and
evil spirits is elaborated in a form which belongs to a period
considerably posterior to the Babylonian captivity. Asmodeus iii. 8;
vi. 14; viii. 3; Raphael xii. 15. It cannot be regarded as a true
history. It is a didactic narrative and its point lies in the moral
lessons which it conveys, and not in the incidents. In modern times the
moral excellence of the book has been rated highly, except in the heat
of controversy. Nowhere else is there preserved so complete and
beautiful a picture of the domestic life of the Jews after the return.
Almost every family relation is touched upon with natural grace and
affection. A doctrinal feature of the book is the firm belief in a
glorious restoration of the Jewish people. Tob. 14:5; 13:9-18. But the
restoration contemplated is national, and not the work of a universal
Saviour. In all there is not the slightest trace of the belief in a
personal Messiah.
Tochen(task),
a place mentioned in (1 Chronicles 4:32) only, among the towns of
Simeon.
Togarmaha
son of Gomer, of the family of Japheth, and brother of Ashkenaz and
Riphath. (Genesis 10:3) His descendants became a people engaged in
agriculture, breeding horses and mules to be sold in Tyre. (Ezekiel
27:14) They were also a military people, well skilled in the use of
arms. Togarmah was probably the ancient name of Armenia.
Tohu(lowly),
an ancestor of Samuel the prophet, perhaps the same as [1230]Toah. (1
Samuel 1:1) comp. 1Chr 6:34
Toi(erring),
king of Hamath on the Orontes, who, after the defeat of his powerful
enemy the Syrian king Hadadezer by the army of David, sent his son
Joram or Hadoram to congratulate the victory and do him homage with
presents of gold and silver and brass. (2 Samuel 8:9,10) (B.C. 1036.)
Tola
+The first-born of Issachar and ancestor of the Tolaiters. (Genesis
46:13; Numbers 26:23; 1 Chronicles 7:1,2) (B.C. about 1700.)
+Judge of Israel after Abimelech. (Judges 10:1,2) He is described as
"the son of Puah the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar." Tola judged
Israel for twenty-three years at Shamir in Mount Ephraim, where he died
and was buried. (B.C. 1206-1183.)
Toladone
of the towns of Simeon, (1 Chronicles 4:29) elsewhere called El-tolad.
Tolaites,
Thethe
descendants of Tola the son of Issachar. (Numbers 26:23)
TombFrom
the burial of Sarah in the cave of Machpelah, (Genesis 23:19) to the
funeral rites prepared for Dorcas, (Acts 9:37) there is no mention of
any sarcophagus, or even coffin, in any Jewish burial. Still less were
the rites of the Jews like those of the Pelasgi or Etruscans. They were
marked with the same simplicity that characterized all their religious
observances. This simplicity of rite led to what may be called the
distinguishing characteristic of Jewish sepulchres--the deep
loculus--which, so far as is now known, is universal in all purely
Jewish rock-cut tombs, but hardly known elsewhere. Its form will be
understood by referring to the following diagram, representing the
forms of Jewish sepulture. In the apartment marked A there are twelve
such loculi about two feet in width by three feet high. On the ground
floor these generally open on the level of the door; when in the upper
story, as at C, on a ledge or platform, on which the body might be laid
to be anointed, and on which the stones might rest which closed the
outer end of each loculus. The shallow loculus is shown in chamber B,
but was apparently only used when sarcophagi were employed, and
therefore, so far as we know, only during the Graeco-Roman period, when
foreign customs came to be adopted. The shallow loculus would have been
singularly inappropriate and inconvenient where an unembalmed body was
laid out to decay, as there would evidently be no means of shutting it
off from the rest of the catacomb. The deep loculus, on the other hand,
was strictly conformable with Jewish customs, and could easily be
closed by a stone fitted to the end and luted into the groove which
usually exists there. This fact is especially interesting as it affords
a key to much that is otherwise hard to be understood in certain
passages in the New Testament; Thus in (John 11:59) Jesus says, "Take
away the stone," and (ver. 40) "they took away the stone" without
difficulty, apparently. And in ch. (John 20:1) the same expression is
used "the stone is taken away." There is one catacomb-- that known as
the "tomb of the kings"--which is closed by a stone rolled across its
entrance; but it is the only one, and the immense amount of contrivance
and fitting which it has required is sufficient proof that such an
arrangement was not applied to any other of the numerous rock tombs
around Jerusalem nor could the traces of it have been obliterated had
if anywhere existed. Although, therefore, the Jews were singularly free
from the pomps and vanities of funereal magnificence, they were at all
stages of their independent existence an eminently burying people.
Tombs of the patriarchs .--One of the most striking events in the life
of Abraham is the purchase of the field of Ephron the Hittite at
Hebron, in which was the cave of Machpelah, in order that he might
therein bury Sarah his wife, and that it might be a sepulchre for
himself and his children. There he and his immediate descendants were
laid 3700 years ago, and there they are believed to rest now, under the
great mosque of Hebron; but no one in modern times has seen their
remains, or been allowed to enter into the cave where they rest. From
the time when Abraham established the burying-place of his family at
Hebron till the time when David fixed that of his family in the city
which bore his name, the Jewish rulers-had no fixed or favorite place
of sepulture. Each was buried on his own property, or where he died,
without much caring for either the sanctity or convenience chosen. Tomb
of the kings.--Of the twenty-two kings of Judah who reigned at
Jerusalem from 1048 to 590 B.C. eleven, or exactly one half, were
buried in one hypogeum in the "city of David." Of all these it is
merely said that they were buried in "the sepulchres of their fathers"
or "of the kings" in the city of David, except of two-- Asa and
Hezekiah. Two more of these kings--Jehoram and Joash--were buried also
in the city of David "but not in the sepulchres of the kings." The
passage in (Nehemiah 3:18) and in Ezek 43:7,9 Together with the
reiterated assertion of the books of Kings and Chronicles that these
sepulchres were situated in the city of David, leaves no doubt that
they were on Zion, or the Eastern Hill, and in the immediate proximity
of the temple. Up to the present time we have not been able to identify
one single sepulchral excavation about Jerusalem can be said with
certainty to belong to a period anterior to that of the Maccabees, or
more correctly, to have been used for burial before the time of the
Romans. The only important hypogeum which is wholly Jewish in its
arrangement, and may consequently belong to an earlier or to any epoch,
is that known as the tombs of the prophets, in the western flank of the
Mount of Olives. It has every appearance of having originally been a
natural cavern improved by art, and with an external gallery some 140
feet in extent, into which twenty-seven deep or Jewish loculi open.
Graeco-Roman tombs .--Besides the tombs above enumerated, there are
around Jerusalem, in the valleys of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat and on the
plateau to the north, a number of remarkable rock-cut sepulchres, with
more or less architectural decoration, sufficient to enable us to
ascertain that they are all of nearly the same age, and to assert with
very tolerable confidence that the epoch to which they belong must be
between the introduction of Roman influence and the destruction of the
city by Titus, A.D. 70. In the village of Siloam there is a monolithic
cell of singularly Egyptian aspect which Deuteronomy Saulcy assumes to
be a chapel of Solomon's Egyptian wife. It is probably of very much
more modern date, and is more Assyrian than Egyptian in character. The
principal remaining architectural sepulchres may be divided into three
groups: first, those existing in the valley of Jehoshaphat, and known
popularly as the tombs of Zechariah of St. James and of Absalom. Second
those known as the tombs of the Judges, and the so-called Jewish tomb
about a mile north of the city. Third, that known as the tomb of the
kings, about half a mile north of the Damascus Gate. Of the three
first-named tombs the most southern is known as that of Zechariah a
popular name which there is not even a shadow of tradition to justify.
Tombs of the judges .--The hypogeum known as the tombs of the judges is
one of the most remarkable of the catacombs around Jerusalem,
containing about sixty deep loculi, arranged in three stories; the
upper stories with ledges in front, to give convenient access, and to
support the stones that close them; the lower flush with the ground;
the whole, consequently, so essentially Jewish that it might be of any
age if it were not for its distance from the town and its architectural
character. Tombs of Herod .--The last of the great groups enumerated
above is that known as the tomb of the kings--Kebur es Sulton--or the
Royal Caverns, so called because of their magnificence and also
because, that name is applied to them by Josephus. They are twice again
mentioned under the title of the "monuments of Herod." There seems no
reason for doubting that all the architectural tombs of Jerusalem
belong to the age of the Romans. Tomb of Helena of Adiabene .--There
was one other very famous tomb at Jerusalem, which cannot he passed
over in silence, though not one vestige of it exists--the supposed tomb
of Helena. We are told that "she with her brother was buried in the
pyramids which she had ordered to be constructed at a distance of three
stadia from Jerusalem." Joseph. Ant. xx. 4,3. This is confirmed by
Pelusanias. viii. 16. The tomb was situated outside the third wall near
a gate between the tower Psephinus and the Royal Caverns. B.J. v. 22
and v. 4,2. The people still cling to their ancient cemeteries in the
valley of Jehoshaphat with a tenacity singularly characteristic of the
east. [[1231]Burial, Sepulchres]
Tongues,
Confusion OfThe
unity of the human race is most clearly implied, if not positively
asserted, in the Mosaic writings. Unity of language is assumed by the
sacred historian apparently as a corollary of the unity of race. (This
statement is confirmed by philologists.) No explanation is given of the
origin of speech, but its exercise is evidently regarded as coeval with
the creation of man. The original unity of speech was restored in Noah.
Disturbing causes were, however, early at work to dissolve this twofold
union of community and speech. The human family endeavored b check the
tendency to separation by the establishment of a great central edifice
and a city which should serve as the metropolis of the whole world. The
project was defeated by the interposition of Jehovah, who determined to
"confound their language, so that they might not understand one
another's speech." Contemporaneously with, and perhaps as the result
of, this confusion of tongues, the people were scattered abroad from
thence upon the face of all the earth, and the memory of the great
event was preserved in the name Babel. [[1232]Babel. [1233]Tower OF]
Inscription of Nebuchadnezzar .--In the Borsippa inscription of
Nebuchadnezzar there is an allusion to the confusion of tongues. "We
say for the other, that is, this edifice, the house of the Seven Lights
of the Earth, the most ancient monument of Borsippa, a former king
built it [they reckon forty-two ages], but he did not complete its
head. Since a remote time people had abandoned it, without order
expressing their words . Since that time the earthquake and the thunder
had dispersed its sun-dried clay; the bricks of the casing had been
split, and the earth of the interior had been scattered in heaps." It
is unnecessary to assume that the judgment inflicted on the builders of
Babel amounted to a loss, or even a suspension of articulate speech.
The desired object would be equally attained by a miraculous
forestallment of those dialectical differences of language which are
constantly in process of production. The elements of the one original
language may have remained, but so disguised by variations of
pronunciation and by the introduction of new combinations as to be
practically obliterated. The confusion of tongues and the dispersion of
nations are spoken of in the Bible as contemporaneous events. The
divergence of the various families into distinct tribes and nations ran
parallel with the divergence of speech into dialects and languages, and
thus the tenth chapter of Genesis is posterior in historical sequence
to the events recorded in the eleventh chapter.
Tongues,
Gift OfI.
glotta, or glossa, the word employed throughout the New Testament for
the gift now under consideration, is used-- (1) for the bodily organ of
speech; (2) for a foreign word imported and half-naturalized in Greek;
(3) in Hellenistic Greek, for "speech" or "language." The received
traditional view, which starts from the third meaning, and sees in the
gift of tongues a distinctly linguistic power, is the more correct one.
II. The chief passages from which we have to draw our conclusion as to
the nature and purpose of the gift in question are--
+(Mark 16:17)
+(Acts 2:1-13; 10:46; 19:6)
+(2 Corinthians 12:1; 2 Corinthians 14:1) ... III. The promise of a new
power coming from the divine Spirit, giving not only comfort and
insight into truth, but fresh powers of utterance of some kind, appears
once and again in our Lord's teaching. The disciples are to take no
thought what they shall speak, for the spirit of their Father shall
speak in them. (Matthew 10:19,20; Mark 13:11) The lips of Galilean
peasants are to speak freely and boldly before kings. The promise of
our Lord to his disciples, "They shall speak with new tongues," (Mark
16:17) was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when cloven tongues like
fire sat upon the disciples, and "every man heard them speak in his own
language." (Acts 2:1-12) IV. The wonder of the day of Pentecost is, in
its broad features, familiar enough to us. What views have men actually
taken of a phenomenon so marvellous and exceptional? The prevalent
belief of the Church has been that in the Pentecostal gift the
disciples received a supernatural knowledge of all such languages as
they needed for their work as evangelists. The knowledge was permanent.
Widely diffused as this belief has been it must be remembered that it
goes beyond the data with which the New Testament supplies us. Such
instance of the gift recorded in the Acts connects it not with the work
of teaching, but with that of praise and adoration; not with the normal
order of men's lives but with exceptional epochs in them. The speech of
St. Peter which follows, like meet other speeches addressed to a
Jerusalem audience, was spoken apparently in Aramaic. When St. Paul,
who "spake with tongues more than all," was at Lystra, there is no
mention made of his using the language of Lycaonia. It is almost
implied that he did not understand it. (Acts 14:11) Not one word in the
discussion of spiritual gifts in 1Cor 12-14 implies that the gift was
of this nature, or given for this purpose. Nor, it may be added, within
the limits assigned the providence of God to the working of the
apostolic Church,was such a gift necessary. Aramaic, Greek, Latin, the
three languages of the inscription on the cross were media, of
intercourse throughout the empire. Some interpreters have seen their
way to another solution of the difficulty by changing the character of
the miracle. It lay not in any new character bestowed on the speakers,
but in the impression produced on the hearers. Words which the Galilean
disciples uttered in their own tongue were heard as in their native
speech by those who listened. There are, it is believed, weighty
reasons against both the earlier and later forms of this hypothesis.
+It is at variance with the distinct statement of (Acts 2:4) "They
began to speak with other tongues."
+It at once multiplies the miracle and degrades its character. Not the
120 disciples, but the whole multitude of many thousands, are in this
case the subjects of it.
+It involves an element of falsehood. The miracle, on this view, was
wrought to make men believe what was not actually the fact.
+It is altogether inapplicable to the phenomena of (1 Corinthians 14:1)
... Critics of a negative school have, as might be expected, adopted
the easier course of rejecting the narrative either altogether or in
part. What then, are, the facts actually brought before us? What
inferences may be legitimately drawn from them? (a) The utterance of
words by the disciples, in other languages than their own Galilean
Aramaic, is distinctly asserted. (b) The words spoken appear to have
been determined, not by the will of the speakers, but by the Spirit
which "gave them utterance." (c) The word used, apoftheggesthai, has in
the LXX. a special association with the oracular speech of true or
false prophets, and appears to imply a peculiar, perhaps physical,
solemn intonation. Comp. (1 Chronicles 25:1; Ezekiel 13:9) (d) The
"tongues" were used as an instrument not of teaching, but of praise.
(e) Those who spoke them seemed to others to be under the influence of
some strong excitement, "full of new wine." (f) Questions as to the
mode of operation of a power above the common laws of bodily or mental
life lead us to a region where our words should be "wary and few." It
must be remembered then, that in all likelihood such words as they then
uttered had been heard by the disciples before. The difference was that
before the Galilean peasants had stood in that crowd neither heeding
nor understanding nor remembering what they heard, still less able to
reproduce it; now they had the power of speaking it clearly and freely.
The divine work would in this case take the form of a supernatural
exaltation of the memory, not of imparting a miraculous knowledge of
words never heard before. (g) The gift of tongues, the ecstatic burst
of praise, is definitely asserted to be a fulfillment of the prediction
of (Joel 2:28) We are led, therefore, to look for that which answers to
the gift of tongues in the other element of prophecy which is included
in the Old Testament use of the word; and this is found in the ecstatic
praise, the burst of sang. (1 Samuel 10:5-13; 19:20-24; 1 Chronicles
25:3) (h) The other instances in the Acts offer essentially the same
phenomena. By implication in ch. (Acts 14:16-10) by express statement
in ch. (Acts 10:47; 11:15,17; 19:6) it belongs to special critical
epochs. V. The First Epistle to the Corinthians supplies fuller data.
The spiritual gifts are classified and compared arranged, apparently,
according to their worth. The facts which may be gathered are briefly
these:
+The phenomena of the gift of tongues were not confined to one church
or section of a church.
+The comparison of gifts, in both the lists given by St. Paul-- (1
Corinthians 12:8-10,28-30)--places that of tongues and the
interpretation of tongues lowest in the scale.
+The main characteristic of the "tongue" is that it is unintelligible.
The man "speaks mysteries," prays, blesses, gives thanks, in the
tongue, (1 Corinthians 14:15,16) but no one understands him.
+The peculiar nature of the gift leads the apostle into what at first
appears a contradiction. "Tongues are for a sign," not to believers,
but to those who do not believe; yet the effect on unbelievers is not
that of attracting, but of repelling. They involve of necessity a
disturbance of the equilibrium between the understanding and the
feeling. Therefore it is that, for those who believe already, prophecy
is the greater gift.
+The "tongues," however, must be regarded as real languages. The
"divers kinds of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:28) the "tongues of men,"
(1 Corinthians 13:1) point to differences of some kind and it is easier
to conceive of these as differences of language than as belonging to
utterances all equally mild and inarticulate.
+Connected with the "tongues" there was the corresponding power of
interpretation. VI.
+Traces of the gift are found in the Epistles to the Romans, the
Galatians, the Ephesians. From the Pastoral Epistles, from those of St.
Peter and St. John, they are altogether absent, and this is in itself
significant.
+It is probable, however, that the disappearance of the "tongues" was
gradual. There must have been a time when "tongues" were still heard,
though less frequently and with less striking results. For the most
part, however, the pierce which they had filled in the worship of the
Church was supplied by the "hymns and spiritual songs" of the
succeeding age, after this, within the Church we lose nearly all traces
of them. The gift of the day of Pentecost belonged to a critical epoch,
not to the continuous life of the Church. It implied a disturbance of
the equilibrium of man's normal state but it was not the instrument for
building up the Church.
Topazone
of the gems used in the high priest's breastplate, (Exodus 28:17;
39:10; Ezekiel 28:13) one of the foundations also of the New Jerusalem,
in St. John's description of the city. (Revelation 21:20) The topaz of
the ancient Greeks and Romans is generally allowed to be our
chrysolite, while their chrysolite is our topaz. Chrysolite is a
silicate of magnesia and iron; it is so son as to lose its polish
unless carefully used. It varies in color from a pale-green to a
bottle-green. It is supposed that its name was derived from Topazos, an
island in the Red Sea where these stones were procured.
Tophel(mortar),
(1:1) has been identified with Tufileh on a wady of the same name
running north of Bozra toward the southeast corner of the Dead Sea.
Tophethand
once To'phet (place of burning), was in the southeast extremity of the
"valley of the son of Hinnom," (Jeremiah 7:31) which is "by the entry
of the east gate." (Jeremiah 19:2) The locality of Hinnom is to have
been elsewhere. [[1234]Hinnom] It seems also to have been part of the
king's gardens, and watered by Siloam, perhaps a little to the south of
the present Birket el-Hamra . The name Tophet occurs only in the Old
Testament. (2 Kings 23:10; Isaiah 30:33; Jeremiah 7:31,32;
19:6,11,12,13,14) The New does not refer to it, nor the Apocrypha.
Tophet has been variously translated. The most natural meaning seems
that suggested by the occurrence of the word in two consecutive verses,
in one of which it is a tabret and in the other Tophet. (Isaiah
30:32,37) The Hebrew words are nearly identical; and Tophet war
probably the king's "music-grove" or garden, denoting originally
nothing evil or hateful. Certainly there is no proof that it took its
name from the beaten to drown the cries of the burning victims that
passed through the fire to Molech. Afterward it was defiled by idols
and polluted by the sacrifices of Baal and the fires of Molech. Then it
became the place of abomination, the very gate or pit of hell. The
pious kings defiled it and threw down its altars and high places,
pouring into it all the filth of the city, till it became the
"abhorrence" of Jerusalem.
Tormahoccurs
only in the margin of (Judges 9:31) By a few commentators it has been
conjectured that the word was originally the same with [1235]Arumah in
ver. 41.
Tortoise(Heb.
tsab). The tsab occurs only in (Leviticus 11:29) as the name of some
unclean animal. The Hebrew word may be identified with the kindred
Arabic dhab, "a large kind of lizard," which appears to be the
Psommosaurus scincus of Cuvier.
Tou,
Or Toiking
of Hamath. (1 Chronicles 18:9,10)
TowerWatch-towers
or fortified posts in frontier or exposed situations are mentioned in
Scripture, as the tower of Edar, etc., (Genesis 35:21; Isaiah
21:5,8,11; Micah 4:8) etc.; the tower of Lebanon. (2 Samuel 8:6)
Besides these military structures, we read in Scripture of towers built
in vineyards as an almost necessary appendage to them. (1 Samuel 5:2;
Matthew 22:33; Mark 12:1) Such towers are still in use in Palestine in
vineyards, especially near Hebron, and are used as lodges for the
keepers of the vineyards.
Town
Clerkthe
title ascribed in our version to the magistrate at Ephesus who appeased
the mob in the theatre at the time of the tumult excited by Demetrius
and his fellow craftsmen. (Acts 19:35) The original service of this
class of men was to record the laws and decrees of the state, and to
read them in public.
Trachonitis(a
rugged region), (Luke 3:1) is in all probability the Greek equivalent
for the Aramaic Argob, one of the five Roman provinces into which the
country northeast of the Jordan was divided in New Testament times.
[[1236]Argob]
Trance(1)
In the only passage-- (Numbers 24:4,16)--in which this word occurs in
the English of the Old Testament italics show no corresponding word in
Hebrew. In the New Testament we meet with the word three times-- (Acts
10:10; 11:6; 22:17) The ekstasis (i.e. trance) is the state in which a
man has passed out of the usual order of his life, beyond the usual
limits of consciousness and volition, being rapt in causes of this
state are to be traced commonly to strong religious impressions.
Whatever explanation may be given of it, it is true of many, if not of
most, of those who have left the stamp of their own character on the
religious history of mankind, that they have been liable to pass at
times into this abnormal state. The union of intense feeling, strong
volition, long-continued thought (the conditions of all wide and
lasting influence, aided in many cases by the withdrawal from the lower
life of the support which is needed to maintain a healthy equilibrium,
appears to have been more than the "earthen vessel" will bear. The
words which speak of "an ecstasy of adoration" are often literally
true. As in other things, so also here, the phenomena are common to
higher and lower, to true and false systems. We may not point to
trances and ecstasies as proofs of a true revelation but still less may
we think of them as at all inconsistent with it. Thus though we have
not the word, we have the thing in the "deep sleep" the "horror of
great darkness," that fell on Abraham. (Genesis 15:12) Balaam, as if
overcome by the constraining power of a Spirit mightier than his own,
"sees the vision of God, falling, but with opened eyes." (Numbers 24:4)
Saul, in like manner, when the wild chant of the prophets stirred the
old depths of feeling, himself also "prophesied" and "fell down"--most,
if not all, of his kingly clothing being thrown off in the ecstasy of
the moment--"all that day and all that night." (1 Samuel 19:24)
Something there was in Jeremiah that made men say of him that he was as
one that" is mad and maketh himself a prophet." (Jeremiah 29:26) In
Ezekiel the phenomena appear in more wonderful and awful forms.
(Ezekiel 3:15) As other elements and forms of the prophetic work were
revived in "the apostles and prophets" of the New Testament, so also
was this. Though different in form, it belongs to the same class of
phenomena as the gift of tongues, and is connected with "visions and
revelations of the Lord" In some cases, indeed, it is the chosen
channel for such revelations. (Acts 10:11; 22:17-21) Wisely for the
most part did the apostle draw a veil over these more mysterious
experiences. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)
Transfiguration,
The(The
event in the earthly life of Christ which marks the culminating point
in his public ministry, and stands midway between the temptation in the
wilderness and the agony in Gethsemane, (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13;
Luke 9:28-36) Place . Though tradition locates the transfiguration on
Mount Tabor there is little to confirm this view and modern critics
favor Mount Hermon, the highest mountain-top in Gaulanitis, or one of
the spurs of the Anti-Lebanus. Time .--The transfiguration probably
took place at night, because it could then be seen to better advantage
than in daylight, and Jesus usually went to mountains to spend there
the night in prayer. (Matthew 14:23,24; Luke 6:12; 21:37) The apostles
were asleep, and are described its having kept themselves awake through
the act of transfiguration. (Luke 9:32) The actors and witnesses
.--Christ was the central figure, the subject of transfiguration. Moses
and Elijah appeared from the heavenly world, as the representatives of
the Old Testament, the one of the law the other of prophecy, to do
homage to him who was the fulfillment of both. Mr. Ellicott says, "The
close of the ministry of each was not after the 'common death of all
men.' No man knew of the sepulchre of Moses, (34:6) and Elijah had
passed away in the chariot and horses of fire. (2 Kings 2:11) Both were
associated in men's minds with the glory of the kingdom of the Christ.
The Jerusalem Targum on (Exodus 12:1) ... connects the coming of Moses
with that of the Messiah. Another Jewish tradition predicts his
appearance with that of Elijah." Moses the law giver and Elijah the
chief of the prophets both appear talking with Christ the source of the
gospel, to show that they are all one and agree in one. St. Luke, (Luke
9:31) adds the subject of their communing: "They spake of his decease
which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." Among the apostles the three
favorite disciples, Peter, James and John were the sole witnesses of
the scene-- "the sons of thunder and the man of rock." The event itself
.--The transfiguration or transformation, or, as the Germans call it,
the glorification, consisted in a visible manifestation of the inner
glory of Christ's person, accompanied by an audible voice from heaven.
It was the revelation and anticipation of his future state of glory,
which was concealed under the veil of his humanity in the state of
humiliation. The cloud which overshadowed the witnesses was bright or
light-like, luminous, of the same kind as the cloud at the ascension.
Significance of the miracle .--
+It served as a solemn inauguration of the history of the passion and
final consummation of Christ's work on earth.
+It confirmed the faith of the three favorite disciples, and prepared
them for the great trial which was approaching, by showing them the
real glory and power of Jesus.
+It was a witness that the spirits of the lawgiver and the prophet
accepted the sufferings and the death which had shaken the faith of the
disciples as the necessary conditions of the messianic
kingdom.--Ellicott. As envoys from the eternal Majesty, audibly
affirmed that it was the will the Father that with his own precious
blood he should make atonement for sin. They impressed a new seal upon
the ancient, eternal truth that the partition wall which sin had raised
could he broken down by no other means than by the power of his
sufferings; that he as the good Shepherd could only ransom his sheep
with the price of his own life.-Krummacher.
+It furnishes also to us all a striking proof of the unity of the Old
and New Testaments, for personal immortality, and the mysterious
intercommunion of the visible and invisible worlds. Both meet in Jesus
Christ; he is the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments,
between heaven and earth, between the kingdom of grace and the kingdom
of glory. It is very significant that at the end of the scene the
disciples saw no man save Jesus alive. Moses and Elijah, the law and
the promise, types and shadows, pass away; the gospel, the fulfillment,
the substance Christ remains--the only one who can relieve the misery
of earth and glorify our nature, Christ all in all. (chiefly from
Smith's larger Bib. Dic.--ED.)
TreasurecitiesThe
kings of Judah had keepers of their treasures both in city and country
(1 Chronicles 27:25) and the places where these magazines were laid up
were called treasure-cities. and the buildings treasure-houses. Pharaoh
compelled the Hebrews to build him treasure-cities. (Exodus
1:11)--McClintock and Strong. [[1237]Pithom]
Treasury(Mark
12:41; Luke 21:1) a name given by the rabbins to thirteen chests in the
temple, called trumpets from their shape. They stood in the court of
the women. It would seem probable that this court was sometimes itself
called "the treasury" because it contained these repositories.
Trespass
Offering[[1238]Sin
Offering OFFERING]
TrialInformation
on the subject of trials under the Jewish law will be found in the
articles on [1239]Judges and [1240]Sanhedrin, and also in [1241]Jesus
Christ CHRIST.
TributeThe
chief biblical facts connected with the payment of tribute have been
already given under [1242]Taxes. The tribute (money) mentioned in
(Matthew 17:24,25) was the half shekel (worth from 25 to 27 cents)
applied to defray the general expenses of the temple. After the
destruction of the temple this was sequestrated by Vespasian and his
successors and transferred to the temple of the Capitoline Jupiter.
This "tribute" of (Matthew 17:24) must not be confounded with the
tribute paid to the Roman emperor. (Matthew 22:17) The temple rate,
though resting on an ancient precedent-- (Exodus 30:13)--was as above a
fixed annual tribute of comparatively late origin.
Tribute
Money[[1243]Taxes;
[1244]Tribute]
Troasthe
city from which St. Paul first sailed, in consequence of a divine
intimation, to carry the gospel from Asia to Europe. (Acts 16:8,11) It
is mentioned on other occasions. (Acts 20:5,6; 2 Corinthians 2:12,13; 2
Timothy 4:13) Its full name was Alexandria Troas (Liv. xxxv. 42), and
sometimes it was called simply Alexandria sometimes simply Troas. It
was first built by Antigonus under the name of Antigonea Troas, and
peopled with the inhabitants of some neighboring cities. Afterward it
was embellished by Lysimachus, and named Alexandria Troas. Its
situation was on the coast of Mysia, opposite the southeast extremity
of the island of Tenedos. Under the Romans it was one of the most
important towns of the province of Asia. In the time of St. Paul it was
a colonia with the Jus Italicum . The modern name is Eski-Stamboul,
with considerable ruins. We can still trace the harbor in a basin about
400 feet long and 200 broad.
Trogylliumis
the rocky extremity of the ridge of Mycale, exactly opposite Samos.
(Acts 20:15) A little to the east of the extreme point there is an
anchorage, which is still called St. Paul's port. [[1245]Samos]
Troop,
BandThese
words are employed to represent the Hebrew word gedud, which has
invariably the sense of an irregular force, gathered with the object of
marauding and plunder.
Trophimus(nutritious).
Both Trophimus and Tychicus accompanied Paul from Macedonia as far as
Asia, but Tychicus seems to have remained there, while Trophimus
proceeded with the apostle to Jerusalem. (A.D. 54.) There he was the
innocent cause of the tumult in which St. Paul was apprehended. (Acts
21:27-29) From this passage we learn two new facts, viz. that Trophimus
was a Gentile, and that he was a native of Trophimus was probably one
brethren who, with Titus, conveyed the second Epistle to the
Corinthians. (2 Corinthians 8:16-24) [[1246]Tychicus]
Trumpet[[1247]Cornet]
Trumpets,
Feast Of(Numbers
29:1; Leviticus 23:24) the feast of the new moon, which fell on the
first of Tisri. It differed from the ordinary festivals of the new moon
in several important particulars. It was one of the seven days of holy
convocation. Instead of the mere blowing of the trumpets of the temple
at the time of the offering of the sacrifices, it was "a day of blowing
of trumpets." In addition to the daily sacrifices and the eleven
victims offered on the first of every month, there were offered a young
bullock, a ram and seven lambs of the first year, with the accustomed
meat offerings, and a kid for a sin offering. (Numbers 29:1-6) The
regular monthly offering was thus repeated, with the exception of the
young bullock. It has been conjectured that (Psalms 81:1) ... one of
the songs of Asaph, was composed expressly for the Feast of Trumpets.
The psalm is used in the service for the day by the modern Jews.
Various meanings have been assigned to the Feast of Trumpets; but there
seems to be no sufficient reason to call in question the common opinion
of Jews and Christians, that if was the festival of the New Year's day
of the civil year, the first of Tisri, the month which commenced the
sabbatical year and the year of jubilee.
Tryphenaand
Trypho'sa (luxurious), two Christian women at Rome, enumerated in the
conclusion of St. Paul's letter. (Romans 16:12) (A.D. 55.) They may
have been sisters, but it is more likely that they were fellow
deaconesses. We know nothing more of these two sister workers of the
apostolic time.
TryphonA
usurper of the Syrian throne. His proper name was Diodotus, and the
surname Tryphon was given to him or adopted by him after his secession
to power. He was a native of Cariana. 1 Macc. 11:39, 12:39-50, etc.
"Tryphon, by treason and successive wars, gained supreme power, killed
Antiochus and assumed the throne. "The coins bear his head as Antiochus
and Trypho."
Tryphosa[[1248]Tryphena]
Tubalis
reckoned with Javan and Meshech among the sons of Japheth. (Genesis
10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5) The three are again associated in the
enumeration of the sources of the wealth of Tyre. (Ezekiel 27:13) Tubal
and Javan, (Isaiah 68:19) Meshech and Tubal, (Ezekiel 32:26; 38:2,3;
39:1) are nations of the north. (Ezekiel 38:15; 39:2) Josephus
identified the descendants of Tubal with the Iberians, that is, the
inhabitants of a tract of country between the Caspian and Euxine Seas,
which nearly corresponded to the modern Georgia.
Tubalcainthe
son of Lamech the Cainite by his wife Zillah, (Genesis 4:22) (B.C.
about 3000.) He is called "a furbisher of every cutting instrument of
copper and iron."
Turpentine
Treeoccurs
only once, via. in the Apocrypha. Ecclus. 24:16. It is the Pistacia
terebinthus, terebinth tree, common in Palestine and the East. The
terebinth occasionally grows to a large size. It belongs to the natural
order Anacurdiaceas, the plants of which order generally contain
resinous secretions.
Turtle,
TurtledoveTurtur
auritus (Heb. tor). The name is phonetic, evidently derived from the
plaintive cooing of the bird. It is one of the smaller members of the
group of birds which ornithologists usually call pigeons . The
turtle-dove occurs first in Scripture in (Genesis 15:9) In the
Levitical law a pair of turtle-doves or of young pigeons are constantly
prescribed as a substitute for those who were too poor to provide a
lamb or a kid. The offering of two young pigeons must have been one
easily within the reach of the poorest. The admission of a pair of
turtle-doves was perhaps a yet further concession to extreme poverty,
for they were extremely numerous, and their young might easily be found
and captured by those who did not possess pigeons. In the valley of the
Jordan, an allied species, the palm-dove (so named because it builds
its nest in the palm tree), or Egyptian turtle-- Turtur aegyptiacus,
Temm.--is by no means uncommon. It is not improbable that the palm-dove
may in some measure have supplied the sacrifice in the wilderness, for
it is found in amazing numbers wherever the palm tree occurs, whether
wild or cultivated. From its habit of pairing for life, and its
fidelity to its mate, the turtle-dove was a symbol of purity and an
appropriate offering. The regular migration of the turtle-dove and its
return in the spring are alluded to in (Jeremiah 8:7) and Song 2:11,12
It is from its plaintive note doubtless that David in (Psalms 74:19)
pouring forth his lament to God, compares himself to a turtle-dove.
Twin
BrothersThis
term is used in the Revised Version of (Acts 28:11) for [1249]Castor
And Pollux AND [1250]Pollux, which see.
Tychicus(fateful)
and Troph'imus (nutritious), companions of St. Paul on some of his
journeys, are mentioned as natives of Asia. (Acts 20:4; 21:29; 2
Timothy 4:20) (A.D. 54-64.) There is much probability in the conjecture
that Tychicus and Trophimus were the two brethren who were associated
with Titus. (2 Corinthians 8:16-24) in conducting the business of the
collection for the poor Christians in Judea.
Tyrannus(sovereign),
the name of a man in whose school or place of audience Paul taught the
gospel for two years, during his sojourn at Ephesus. See (Acts 19:9)
(A.D. 52,53.) The presumption is that Tyrannus himself was a Greek, and
a public teacher of philosophy or rhetoric.
Tyre(a
rock), a celebrated commercial city of Phoenicia, on the coast of the
Mediterranean. Its Hebrew name, Tzor, signifies a rock; which well
agrees with the site of Sur, the modern town, on a rocky peninsula,
formerly an island. There is no doubt that, previous to the siege of
the city by Alexander the Great, Tyre was situated on an island; but,
according to the tradition of the inhabitants, there was a city on the
mainland before there was a city on the island; and the tradition
receives some color from the name of Palaetyrus, or Old Tyre, which was
borne in Greek times by a city on the continent, thirty stadia to the
south. Notices in the Bible .--In the Bible Tyre is named for the first
time in the of Joshua, ch. (Joshua 19:29) where it is adverted to as a
fortified city (in the Authorized Version "the strong city") in
reference to the boundaries of the tribe of Asher, But the first
passages in the Hebrew historical writings, or in ancient history
generally, which actual glimpses of the actual condition of Tyre are in
the book of Samuel, (2 Samuel 6:11) in connection with Hiram king of
Tyre sending cedar wood and workmen to David, for building him a
palace; and subsequently in the book of Kings, in connection with the
building of Solomon's temple. It is evident that under Solomon there
was a close alliance between the Hebrews and the Tyrians. Hiram
supplied Solomon with cedar wood, precious metals and workmen, and gave
him sailors for the voyage to Ophir and India, while on the other hand
Solomon gave Hiram supplies of corn and oil, ceded to him some cities,
and permitted him to make use of some havens on the Red Sea. (1 Kings
9:11-14; 26-28; 10:22) These friendly relations survived for a time the
disastrous secession of the ten tribes, and a century later Ahab
married a daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, (1 Kings 16:31)
who, according to Menander, was daughter of Ithobal king of Tyre. When
mercantile cupidity induced the Tyrians and the neighboring Phoenicians
to buy Hebrew captives from their enemies, and to sell them as slaves
to the Greeks and Edomites, there commenced denunciations, and at first
threats of retaliation. (Joel 3:4-8; Amos 1:9,10) When Shalmaneser,
king of Assyria, had taken the city of Samaria, had conquered the
kingdom of Israel, and carried its inhabitants into captivity, he laid
siege to Tyre, which, however, successfully resisted his arms. It is in
reference to this siege that the prophecy against Tyre in Isaiah,
(Isaiah 23:1) ... was uttered. After the siege of Tyre by Shalmaneser
(which must have taken place not long after 721 B.C.). Tyre remained a
powerful state, with its own kings, (Jeremiah 25:22; 27:3; Ezekiel
28:2-12) remarkable for its wealth, with territory on the mainland, and
protected by strong fortifications. (Ezekiel 26:4,6,8,10,12; 27:11;
28:5; Zechariah 9:3) Our knowledge of its condition thenceforward until
the siege by Nebuchadnezzar depends entirely on various notices of it
by the Hebrew prophets; but some of these notices are singularly full,
and especially the twenty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel furnishes us, on
some points, with details such as have scarcely come down to us
respecting any one city of antiquity excepting Rome and Athens. Siege
by Nebuchadnezzar .--In the midst of great prosperity and wealth, which
was the natural result of extensive trade, (Ezekiel 28:4)
Nebuchadnezzar, at the head of an army of the Chaldees, invaded Judea
and captured Jerusalem. As Tyre was so near to Jerusalem, and as the
conquerors were a fierce and formidable race, (Habakkuk 1:6) It would
naturally he supposed that this event would have excited alarm and
terror amongst the Tyrians. Instead of this, we may infer from
Ezekiel's statement, (Ezekiel 26:2) that their predominant feeling was
one of exultation. At first sight this appears strange and almost
inconceivable; but it is rendered intelligible by some previous events
in Jewish history. Only 34 years before the destruction of Jerusalem
commenced the celebrated reformation of Josiah, B.C. 622. This
momentous religious revolution, (2 Kings 22:1; 2 Kings 23:1) ... fully
explains the exultation and malevolence of the Tyrians. In that
reformation Josiah had heaped insults on the gods who were the objects
of Tyrian veneration and love. Indeed, he seemed to have endeavored to
exterminate their religion. (2 Kings 23:20) These acts must have been
regarded by the Tyrians as a series of sacrilegious and abominable
outrages; and we can scarcely doubt that the death in battle of Josiah
at Megiddo and the subsequent destruction of the city and temple of
Jerusalem, were hailed by them with triumph and retribution in human
affairs. This joy, as instances of divine retribution in human affairs.
This joy, however, must soon have given way to other feelings, when
Nebuchadnezzar invaded Phoenicia and laid siege to Tyre. That siege
lasted thirteen years, and it is still a disputed point whether Tyre
was actually taken by Nebuchadnezzar on this occasion. However this may
be, it is probable that, on some terms or other, Tyre submitted to the
Chaldees. The rule of Nebuchadnezzar over Tyre, though real, may have
been light, and in the nature of an alliance. Attack by the Persians;
Capture by Alexander .--During the Persian domination the Tyrians were
subject in name to the Persian king and may have given him tribute.
With the rest of Phoenicia they had submitted to the Persians without
striking a blow. Toward the close of the following century, B.C. 332,
Tyre was assailed for the third time by a great conqueror. At that time
Tyre was situated on an island nearly half a mile from the mainland; it
was completely surrounded by prodigious walls, the loftiest portion of
which on the side fronting the mainland reached a height of not less
than 150 feet; and notwithstanding the persevering efforts of
Alexander, he could not have succeeded in his attempt if the harbor of
Tyre to the north had not been blockaded by the Cyprians and that to
the south by the Phoenicians, thus affording an opportunity to
Alexander for uniting the Island to the mainland by an; enormous
artificial mole. (The materials for this he obtained from the remains
of old Tyre scraping the very dust from her rocks into the sea, as
prophesied by Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 26:3,4,12,21) more than 250 years
before.) The immediate results of the capture by Alexander were most
disastrous to Tyre, as its brave defenders were put to death; and in
accordance with the barbarous policy of ancient times, 30,000 of its
inhabitants, including slaves, free females and free children, were
sold as slaves. It gradually, how ever, recovered its prosperity
through the immigration of fresh settlers, though its trade is said to
have suffered by the vicinity and rivalry of Alexandria. Under the
Macedonian successors of Alexander it shared the fortunes of the
Seleucidae. Under the Romans, at first it enjoyed a kind of freedom.
Subsequently, however, on the arrival of Augustus in the East, he is
said to have deprived both Tyre and Sidon of their liberties for
seditious conduct. Still the prosperity of Tyre in the time of Augustus
was undeniably great. Strabo gives an account of it at that period,
speaks of the great wealth which it derived from the dyes of the
celebrated Tyrian purple which, as is well known were extracted from
shell-fish found on the coast, belonging to a species of the genus
Murex . Tyre in the time of Christ and since.--When visited by Christ,
(Matthew 15:21; Mark 7:24) Tyre was perhaps more populous than
Jerusalem, and if so, it was undoubtedly the largest city which the
saviour is known to have visited. At the time of the crusades it was
still a flourishing; city, when if surrendered to the Christians on the
27th of June 1144. It continued more than a century and a half in the
hands of Christians, but was deserted by its inhabitants in A.D. 1291
upon the conquest of Acre (Ptolemais) by the sultan of Egypt and
Damascus. This was the turning-point in the history of Tyre, which has
never recovered from the blow. Its present condition is a fulfillment
of Ezekiel's prophecy (Ezekiel 28:5) It contains, according to Volney,
50 or 60 poor families, who live in part by fishing; and is, as Bruce
describes it, "rock whereon fishers dry their nets."
TyrusThis
form is employed in the Authorized Version of the books of Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Hosea (Joel has "Tyre"), Amos and Zechariah, as follows:
(Jeremiah 25:22; 27:3; 47:4; Ezekiel 26:2,3,4,7,15; 27:2,3,8,32;
28:2,12; 29:18; Hosea 9:13; Amos 1:9,10; Zechariah 9:2,3)