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TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY

OF

PALESTINE, &c.

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ABARIM, (lat. 30°. 55'.-long. 35°. 55',) mountains of, a ridge of mountains running nearly north and south, east of the Jordan, between that river and the city Heshbon or Esbus. part of this ridge, or perhaps a distinct mass of the chain was denominated Nebo: which is plain from the command of God to Moses, to "get up into this mountain Abarim, unto Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, over against Jericho." Pisgah was also a part of the same assemblage of mountains, and as appears, of Mount Nebo itself: as it is said, that "Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho;" from all which it may be gathered that Nebo was a conspicuous mountain in the chain of Abarim, having two or more distinct summits; one, and perhaps the highest, of which was denominated Pisgah, which commanded an extensive prospect over great part of the land of Canaan.

Abarim signifies passages; whence it is conjectured that these mountains derive their name from the passages or passes leading through them.

ABEL MEHOLA (lat. 32o. 21'-long. 35o. 30',) was Elisha's country, 1 Kings xix. 16; it could not be far from Scythopolis (chap. iv. xii.) Eusebius places it in the great plain, sixteen miles from Scythopolis, south. Not far from thence, Gibeon obtained a victory over the Midianites. Judg. vii. 22.

ABILENE, (lat. 33°. 30'.-long.36o. 10′,) a small province in Coelo-Syria, between Libanus and Antilibanus, whereof Lysanias was some time tetrarch; Abela or Abila, the capital of Abilene, was north of Damascus and Paneas, and south of Heliopolis.

ABILA, (lat. 32°. 44'.-long. 36o. 13',) a city of Manasseh

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beyond Jordan, (Luke iii. 1,) situate in a valley adjacent to the river Chrysorrhoas, the channel of which river was extremely rocky.

ACHZIB, (lat. 32o. 56′. 30′′.- long. 35o, 7′,) a town in the tribe of Asher, nine miles from Ptolemais. Josh. xix. 29; xv. 44. Judges i. 31. Mich. i. 14.

ACHZIB, (lat. 31°. 37.--long. 35o. 3',) a town in the south of Judah, probably so called from a spring or fountain, the waters of which sometimes failed; whereas, at other times, they gushed out and ran over in shallow, though glittering streams. The nature of these intermitting fountains is well known to naturalists. Some suppose that this town was the same as Chezib, Gen. xxxiii. 5, which name implies deception, or fallacy.

ADAMAH, (lat. 33°. 13.-long. 35°. 37′,) a city of Naphtali, Josh. xix. 36. The LXX. call it Armath, the Vulgate, Edema.

ADONIS, River, (lat. 34°. 4.-long. 35°. 45',) its source is in Mount Lebanon. The waters of this river, at a certain time of the year, change colour, and appear as red as blood. [Mr. Maundrell confirms this fact, of which he was so fortunate as to be an eye witness. See his Journey to Jerusalem, March 17.] This was the signal for celebrating their Adonia, or feasts of Adonis. It was not lawful to omit the observance of them ; great lamentations were made at this time through town and country; they cried dreadfully, whipped themselves, and imitated all the ceremonies of a most afflictive mourning for a dead person. After this mourning was ended, succeeded the interment and funeral solemnities. The next day it was reported that he was alive, and had ascended into the air.

The common people were persuaded to believe, that the Egyptians, at the feast of Adonis, sent by sea a box made of rushes, or of Egyptian papyrus, in the form of a human figure, in which a letter was inclosed, acquainting the inhabitants of Biblos, a city about seven days' journey from the coast of Egypt, that their god Adonis, whom they apprehended to be lost, had been discovered. The vessel which carried this letter arrived always safe at Biblos, at the end of seven days. Lucian tells us, he was a witness of this event. Procopius, St. Cyril, of Alexandria, (on Isaiah xviii.) and other learned men are of opinion, that Isaiah alludes to this superstitious custom, when he says, "Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the river of Ethiopia, that sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even

vessels of bulrushes upon the waters."

Some, as Bochart,

Phaleg. lib. iv. cap. 2. translate—" that sendeth images or idols, by sea." But the Hebrew signifies properly, ambassadorsdeputed thither by sea to carry the news of Adonis's resurrection.

ADULLUM, or ADULLAM, (lat. 31o. 39.-long. 35o. 7') a city of Judah (Josh. xii. 15. xv. 35.) in the southern part of that tribe, towards the Dead Sea. Eusebius says (in locis, in Adullan) it was a large town ten miles from Eleutheropolis, eastward. (Jerom places it at eleven miles from Eleutheropolis.) Rehoboam rebuilt this place, and strengthened it with fortifications. 2 Chron. xi. 7, 8. Judas Maccabæus encamped in the plain of Adullum and there passed the sabbath-day. 2 Macc. xii. 38. Joshua killed the king of Adullum. Josh. xii. 15. David, during his flight, hid himself in the cave of Adullum. 1 Sam. xxii. 1.

AHLAB, (lat. 33°. 15'.-long. 35°. 18',) a city in Asher, Judg. i. 31.

AI, (lat. 32o.—long. 35o. 28′,) a city near Bethel, westward. Josh. vii. 2. The LXX. call it Agai, and Josephus, Aina; others, Aiath. Joshua having detached 3000 men against Ai, God permitted them to be repulsed, on account of the sin of Achan, who had violated the anathema pronounced against Jericho by appropriating to himself some of the spoil, A. M. 2553; ante A. D. 1451. After the expiation of this offence Joshua sent by night 30,000 men to lie in ambush behind Ai; the next day early in the morning, he marched against the city with the remainder of his army. The king of Ai sallied hastily out of the town with his troops and attacked the Israelites, who, on the first onset, fled as if under great terror; by this feint they drew the enemy into the plain. When Joshua saw the whole of them out of the gates, he elevated his shield on the top of a pike, as a signal to the ambuscade; which immediately entered the place, now without defence, and set fire to it. The people of Ai, perceiving the rising smoke, endeavoured to return, but found those who had set fire to the city in their rear, while Joshua and his army advancing in front, destroyed them all. The king was taken alive, brought to Joshua, and was afterwards hanged.

AJALON, (lat. 32o. 53.-long. 35o. 14',) in the tribe of Zebulun. Judges xii. 12.

AJALON, (lat. 31o. 55'.-35°,) a city of the Canaanites; the

valley adjoining to which is memorable in sacred history from the miracle of Joshua, in arresting the course of the sun and moon, that the Israelites might have sufficient light to pursue their enemies. Josh. x. 12, 13.

ALEXANDRIA, (lat. 31°. 16'.-long. 29o. 54,) a celebrated city in Egypt built by Alexander the Great, A.M. 3673; ante A. D. 331, situated between the Mediterranean and the lake Moeris. Arrian, lib. iii. Strabo, lib. xvii. Pausan. Eliacis. A village called Rachotis, stood near this port. Alexandria is mentioned in the Latin version of books of the Old Testament, which were written before Alexander; but this name is not in the original Hebrew.

The Arabians say, that Alexandria was called Caissoun before Alexander the Great rebuilt it. (D'Herbelot. Bibl. Orient. p. 320.) Dinocrates, the same architect who rebuilt the temple of Diana, at Ephesus, directed the construction of this new city; but, that it might be carried on with more diligence, Alexander appointed Cleomenes, one of his captains, who was of Naucratis, in Egypt, to act as superintendent. Justin calls him founder of Alexandria, as having contributed greatly to the improvement of it.

Aridæus, Alexander's brother, was charged with the care of carrying the corpse of that prince from Babylon, where he died, to Alexandria. He employed two years in preparations for the funereal pomp, which is described by Diodorus Siculus. There had been a prophecy current, that the place where Alexander should be buried, would rise to great prosperity. Several towns and provinces, therefore, disputed the honour and advantage of becoming his burial place. It was proposed to convey his remains to Ægæ, in Macedonia, where, generally, the Macedonian kings were buried; but Egypt prevailed. His body, said to have been embalmed in honey, and enclosed in a coffin of gold, was deposited first at Memphis, and afterwards at Alexandria, the latter being at the same time made the capital of the kingdom. The Ptolemies, his successors, reigned there 293 years.

Alexandria belonged to the Greeks, then to the Romans, then to the Greeks again, till it was taken by the Mahometan Arabians, while Omar III. was caliph. The happy situation of this city attracted the commerce of the east and west, and soon made it one of the most flourishing cities in the world. When the Arabians took it, there were in it four thousand palaces, four

thousand bagnios, forty thousand Jews paying tribute, four hundred squares, and twelve thousand persons who sold herbs and fruits. This city formerly so rich and powerful, has now little remarkable besides its ruins.. The Egyptians, or Copts, call it generally Rachot; this being, as we have observed, the name of the old village on the site of which it was built. Bibl. Orient. p. 323. Thevenot, p. 1. lib. ii. cap. 1, 2.

The Christians at this day reverence the churches of Alexandria, dedicated to St. Mark and St. Catherine; that of St. Mark is celebrated for the tomb of that evangelist, whose body was carried away by the Venetians. A picture in it, say the Copts, who are possessors of this church, was painted by St. Luke: it represents the archangel Michael, at little more than half length, with a sword in his hand.

There are some remains of Cleopatra's magnificent palace; and, without the city, is a pillar very much admired, the shaft of which is six fathoms high, all of one piece, of admirable granite. Granite is a very hard stone, composedas it were, of grains, which some pretend, the ancients had the secret of dissolving. It is the largest column any where to be seen; and is usually called Pompey's Pillar.

[The commerce of Alexandria was very great, especially in corn, (for Egypt was considered as the granary of Rome,) so that the centurion might readily "find a ship of Alexandria-corn laden-sailing into Italy." Acts xxvii. 6. Apollos was born at Alexandria. Acts xviii. 24.

The Alexandrian school of the Jews, and afterwards of the Christians, was long in the highest esteem: and we have reason to think, that the Christian school at Alexandria, besides producing many eloquent preachers, paid great attention to copying the books of the Holy Scriptures: of which we have an instance in that very ancient MS. now extant in the British Museum, known by the name of the Alexandrian Manuscript, because written by Thecla, a noble virgin of that city.]

Alexandria received the gospel by the ministry of St. Mark, about A. D. 59, or 60. He suffered martyrdom there towards the year 68, and was succeeded by Annian, whom he had converted in his first voyage to that city. The Jews were very numerous here; they had several fine synagogues, and great privileges. See Alabarch.

[The Alexandrian Jews had likewise a synagogue at Jeru