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pursued him; and Antiochus, falling from his chariot, bruised his limbs, and died in the most excruciating tortures, B. c. 160. He was succeeded by his son,

5. ANTIOCHUS EUPATOR, who reigned only two years. 6. ANTIOCHUS THEOS, son of Alexander Balas, was treacherously put to death by Tryphon his minister. B. c. 139.

7. ANTIOCHUS PIUS, SOTER, or SIDETES (that is, the fisher or hunter), reigned ten years, B. c. 137 to 127; in which last year he was put to death by the Parthians.

ANTIPAS, a faithful martyr, mentioned in Rev. ii. 13. is said to have been put to death in a tumult at Pergamos by the priests of Esculapius, who had a celebrated temple in that city. ANTIPAS (Herod). See pp. 52, 53.

ANTIPATHIS, a small town which was situated in the road from Jerusalem to Cæsarea. It was formerly called Capharsalma: but being rebuilt and beautified by Herod the Great, it was by him named Antipatris, in honour of his father Antipater. Hither St. Paul was brought after his apprehension at Jerusalem. (Acts xxiii. 31.)

ANTONIA, (Tower of ), 20.

APHARSITES, and APHARSACHTHITES, were two tribes or nations in subjection to the king of Assyria, by whom colonies of them were sent to inhabit the country of Samaria in place of the Israelites, who had been removed beyond the river Euphrates. They greatly opposed the building of Jerusalem. (Ezra v. 6. iv. 9.) Some have supposed the Apharsites to be the Parrhasii in the east of Media; others, the Persians; and the Apharsachthites have been compared with Parasitaceni, Parœtaceni, a people of Media.

APHEK.-There are several cities of this name mentioned in Scripture, as,

1. APHEK, in the tribe of Judah. Here the Philistines encamped, when the ark was brought from Shiloh, which was taken in battle by the Philistines. (1 Sam. iv.) Probably this is the Aphekah, mentioned in Josh. xv. 53.

2. APHEK, in the valley of Jezreel. Here the Philistines encamped, while Saul and his army lay near Jezreel, on the mountains of Gilboa. (1 Sam. xxix. 1, &c.)

3. APHEK, a city belonging to the tribe of Asher, near the country of the Sidonians. (Josh. xix. 30. xiii. 4.) Perhaps this was the

4. APHEK, a city of Syria, one of the principal in Ben-Hadad's kingdom, in the vicinity of which the battle was fought between Ahab and Ben-Hadad, when the Syrians were beaten (1 Kings xx. 26, &c.), and as they retreated with precipitation into the city, the city wall fell upon them, and crushed 27,000. Probably, in this city Aphek, or Aphaca, situated in Libanus, on the river Adonis, stood the famous temple of Venus, the Aphacite. This city lay between Heliopolis and Biblos.

APOLLONIA, a city of Macedonia Prima, situated between Amphipolis and Thessalonica, about a day's journey from the former place. St. Paul passed through this city on his way to Thessalonica: (Acts xvii. 1.)

APOLLOS, a Jewish Christian, born at Alexandria, and distinguished for his cloquence and success in propagating the Gospel. His history and character are given in Acts xviii. 24-28. xix. 1. He preached at Corinth with such eloquence, that the Corinthians, divided in their affections, boasted that they were the disciples of Paul, or of Cephas, or of Apollos. From these vain disputes St. Paul, certain of the humility of his friend, took occasion to write those admirable passages, in which he requires the Corinthian Christians to forget both Paul and Apollos, and to refer every thing to Christ. (1 Cor. i. 12. iii. 4. iv. 6.) It is uncertain whether the apostle alludes in 2 Cor. iii. 1. to the letters of recommendation which Apollos took with him on his departure from Ephesus for Corinth: but it is clear, that the success of the latter in Achaia, and the admiration felt by the Corinthians for his eloquence, excited no envious emotions in the mind of St. Paul, since he earnestly pressed him to return to Corinth (1 Cor. xvi. 12.), and subsequently recommended him in a very particular manner to the friendly attentions of Titus. (Tit. iii. 13.)

APPAREL, royal, notice of, 44.

APPHIA, a Christian woman, whom the ancient fathers supposed to be the wife of Philemon: a conjecture which is rendered not improbable by the circumstance that in the inscription of his epistle to Philemon in favour of Onesimus, St. Paul mentions Apphia before Archippus. (Philem. 2.)

APPII FORUM, a small town on the celebrated Appian Way, constructed by the Roman censor Appius Claudius, and which

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led from Rome to Capua, and thence to Brundusium. St. Paul passed through this place on his first journey to Rome; whence, according to Antoninus's Itinerary, it was distant 43 Roman miles, or about 40 English miles.

APPLE TREES of Palestine, notice of, 36.

AQUILA, a native of Pontus, in Asia Minor, was a Jew by birth, and a tent-maker by occupation; who, with his wife Priscilla, was converted by St. Paul to the Christian faith. When the Jews were banished from Rome by the emperor Claudius (the Christian and Jewish religions being confounded by the Romans), Aquila and his wife retired to Corinth, and afterwards became the companions of St. Paul in his labours, by whom they are mentioned with much commendation. (Acts xviii. 2. 18. 26. Rom. xvi. 3. 1 Cor. xvi. 19. 2 Tim. iv. 19.) The most cordial friendship appears to have subsisted between them: Aquila and Priscilla had even saved Paul's life at the risk of their own; which instance of devotedness to the apostle has been referred to the accusation preferred against the apostle before Gallio at Corinth, or to the tumult excited by Demetrius at Ephesus. (Acts xviii. 12. xix. 24.)

AR, or ARIEL, OF MOAB. See RABBATH-MOAB.

ARABIA, the name of a large region, including the peninsula, which lies between Syria, Palestine, the Arabian and Persian Gulfs, and the Indian Ocean or Sea of Arabia. Its inhabitants are supposed to be principally descended from Ishmael, and in the earlier books of Scripture are termed (BENI KEDEM) or children of the east (Judg. vi. 3. 1 Kings v. 10. Isa. xi. 14. Jer. xlix. 28.); and in the later books y (ARABIM), or Arabians. (2 Chron. xxii. 1. Neh. ii. 19.) The Greek geographers divided this country into three parts, Arabia Eudaμav or Felix, Πετρίδης or Petra, and Σκηνιτις or Ερημος, Deserta: but these divisions were not anciently known to the inhabitants of the East, nor are they recognised in any part of the Old or New Testament.

1. ARABIA FELIX lies between the ocean on the south-east, and the Arabian and Persian gulfs. It is a fertile region, especially in the interior, producing various species of odoriferous shrubs and fragrant gums, as frankincense, myrrh, cassia, &c The queen of Sheba is supposed to have reigned over part of this region.

2. ARABIA PETREA received its name from the city Petra: it lies on the south and south-east of Palestine, extending to Egypt, and including the peninsula of Mount Sinai. It is remarkable for its mountains and sandy plains.

3. ARABIA DESERTA lies between the other two, and extends northward along the confines of Palestine, Syria, Babylonia, and Mesopotamia; including the vast deserts which lie between these limits, and which are inhabited only by wandering tribes of savage Arabs. For a description of the horrors of a journey across the great desert of Arabia, see pp. 34, 35.

The Scriptures frequently mention the Arabians (meaning those adjoining Judæa) as a powerful people, who valued themselves on their wisdom. Their riches consisted principally in flocks and cattle; they paid king Jehoshaphat an annual tribute of 7700 sheep, and as many goats. (2 Chron. xvii. 11.). The kings of Arabia furnished Solomon with a great quantity of gold and silver. (2 Chron. ix. 14.) They loved war, but made it rather like thieves and plunderers, than like soldiers. They lived at liberty in the field, or the desert, concerned themselves little about cultivating the earth, and were not very obedient to established governments. This is the idea which the Scripture gives of them (Isa. xiii. 20.), and the same is their character at this day. Since the promulgation of the Gospel, many Arabians have embraced Christianity; though by far the greater part continue to profess the faith of Mohammed.

ARAD, a Canaanitish royal city in the southern part of Palestine. Its king having opposed the passage of the Israelites, they afterwards took it with its dependencies. (Num. xxi. 1-3.) In later times, Arad was rebuilt; and is placed by Eusebius in the vicinity of the desert of Kades, at the distance of 20 Roman miles from Hebron.

ARAM, fifth son of Shem, was father of the people of Syria, who, from him, are called Aramæans. The region, which in the Old Testament is denominated ARAM, is a vast tract extending from Mount Taurus south as far as Damascus, and from the Mediterranean Sea in an eastern direction beyond the Tigris into Assyria. Different parts of this region are called by different names; as-Aram Naharaïm, or Syria of the Two Rivers, that is, Mesopotamia; Aram of Damascus; Aram of Soba; Aram Bethrehob; and Aram of Maacha; because the cities

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of Damascus, Soba, Bethrehob, and Maacha, were in Syria; or at least, because Syria contained the provinces of Soba, Maacha, Rehob, &c. Homer and Hesiod call Aramæans those whom the more modern Greeks call Syrians. The prophet Amos (ix. 7.) seems to say, that the first Aramæans dwelt in the country of Kir, in Iberia, where the river Cyrus runs; and that God brought them from thence, as he did the Hebrews out of Egypt; but at what time this happened is not known. Moses always calls the Syrians, and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Aramites. The Aramæans often warred against the Hebrews; David subdued them, and obliged them to pay him tribute. Solomon preserved the same authority; but, after the separation of the ten tribes, it does not appear that the Syrians were generally subject to the kings of Israel; unless, perhaps, under Jeroboam II., who restored the kingdom of Israel to its ancient boundaries. (2 Kings xiv. 25.)

ARARAT, a celebrated mountain in the Greater Armenia, on which Noah's ark rested after the deluge. (Gen. viii. 4.) It is of stupendous height, and inaccessible to the summit, which is covered with perpetually frozen snow; and the magnitude of the peak is annually increasing in consequence of the continual accession of ice. Agridagh is the name given to this sublime mountain by the Turks; the Armenians call it Mucis; and the Persians in the neighbourhood, Kuhi Nuach, 'the mountain of Noah;' but all unite in reverencing it as the haven of the great ship, which preserved the father of mankind from the waters of the deluge. (Sir R. K. Porter's Travels in Persia, vol. i. pp. 183, 184. Stuart's Hebrew Chrestomathy, p. 150.)

ARBA. See HEBRON.

ARCHELAUS, the son and successor of Herod the Great in the government of part of his dominions. See an account of him in p. 51.

ARCHIPPUS, a Christian, who was either a teacher or a deacon of the church at Colossæ. (Col. iv. 17.)

Apuvages, or ruler of the synagogue, powers and functions of, 104.

AREOPAGUS, tribunal of, 60, 61.

ARETAS, the third of the name, a king of Arabia, was the father-in-law of Herod Antipas, against whom he declared war in revenge for repudiating his daughter. Antipas called the Romans to his assistance; but some unaccountable delay in the marching of their forces, and the death of the emperor Tiberius, put an end to the expedition, and saved Aretas. It is supposed that he availed himself of this favourable opportunity to make an incursion into Syria, and obtain possession of Damascus, where he appointed an ethnarch, whose jurisdiction probably extended only over the Jews who dwelt there. Some learned men have supposed this name to have been of Greek origin, and to be derived from aper, excellence or pre-eminence, but Dr. Pococke is of opinion, that it is an Arabic name (from al-hareth) which was common to many of the Arabian kings.

ARGOB, the capital city of a region of the same name, which was situated beyond the Jordan, in Bashan, the most fruitful country on the other side of that river: it belonged to the halftribe of Manasseh.

ARIMATHEA, a small town to which Joseph belonged who begged the body of Jesus from Pilate. (Matt. xxvii. 57.) It was about thirty-six or thirty-seven miles distant from Jerusalem, and is now called Ramla. At present it is a wretched dilapidated place, but exhibits the marks of having once been an extensive and flourishing town. (Three Weeks in Palestine, p. 14.) Its environs are said to be very beautiful.

ARISTARCHUS, a native of Thessalonica, a city of Macedonia, who embraced Christianity, and accompanied St. Paul in several of his journeys. He was seized in the tumult at Ephesus, and was afterwards carried with the apostle as a prisoner to Rome, where he shared his imprisonment. (Acts xix. 29. xx. 4. xxvii. 2. Col. iv. 20. Philem. 24.)

ARITHMETIC of the Jews, 186.

ARK. See NOAH.

ARMAGEDDON, the name of a place mentioned in Rev. xvi. 16., the position and nature of which are unknown. According to some expositors, it is compounded of two words, signifying the mountain of Mageddo or Megiddo; a place situated at the foot of Mount Carmel, and celebrated in the history of God's people for two memorable slaughters, first of the Canaanites (Judg. v. 19.), and afterwards of the Israelites. (2 Kings xxiii. 29.) Others, however, conjecture that the name Armageddon means dry barren, mountainous, and desert country, such as the Jews

a

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deemed to be the abode of unclean spirits. This meaning of the word accords with what is said in Rev. xvi. 12-14. ARMIES of the Hebrews, levies, divisions, officers, and disci pline of, 83-87., and of the Romans, 93, 94. ARMS of the Hebrews, 87. Defensive arms, 87, 88. Offen sive arms, 88. Allusions to the Greek and Roman armour in the New Testament, 93.

ARNON, a brook and valley of the same name, forming the northern boundary of the country of Moab. (Num. xxi. 13. Deut. iii. 8. 12. 16. iv. 28.) According to the observations of the traveller Seetzen, its present name is Mujeb.

AROER.-1. The proper naine of a city of the Gadites, on the river Arnon. (Num. xxxii. 34. Deut. ii. 36. iii. 12. Josh. xii. 2. xiii. 25.) The cities of, or about Aroer, mentioned in Isa. xvii. 2., Prof. Gesenius is of opinion, may mean the cities beyond Jordan generally.—2. The name of a place in the canton of the tribe of Judah. (1 Sam. xxx. 28.)

ARPAD, a city and country in Syria, near Hamath, with which it is often joined, and which for a time had its own kings. (2 Kings xviii. 34. xix. 13. Isa. x. 9. Jer. xlix. 23.)

ARPHAXAD, the son of Shem, who is mentioned in the genealogy of Mary, was born two years after the deluge. (Gen. x. 22-24. xi. 12, 13.) The names of his brethren are most of them the names of countries. If this be the case with Arphaxad, the most probable supposition is that of Josephus, viz. that it denotes Chaldæa.

ARROWS used by the Hebrews, notice of, 88. Divination by arrows, 143.

ARTAXERXES (

ARTACHSCHASCHTHA), a title of several Persian kings. Professor Gesenius derives it from the ancient Persian word Artahshetr, which is found upon the inscriptions of Nachschi Roustam. The latter part of this word is the Zendish Khshethro (also sherao), a king. But the syllable art (which is found in several Persian names, as Artabanus, Artaphernes, Artabasus), appears to have signified to be great or mighty. At least the Greeks gave it this interpretation. This signification is now lost in the Persian. From the original Artukshetr, the modern Persians formed Ardeshir (a name borne by three kings of the dynasty of the Sassanides); the Armenians, Artashir; the Greeks, Artaxerxes; and the Hebrews, Artuchschaschtha. Two Persian sovereigns who bore this name, are mentioned in the Old Testament; viz.

1. ARTAXERXES, who at the instigation of the enemies of the Jews issued an edict, prohibiting them from rebuilding Jerusalem. (Ezra iv. 7—22.) This Artaxerxes is generally considered to be the pseudo-Smerdis, one of the Persian Magi, who assumed that name, and pretending to be Smerdis the son of Cyrus and the brother of Cambyses, occupied the throne between the reigns of Cambyses and Darius the son of Hystaspes.

2. ARTAXERXES, who issued a decree extremely favourable to the Jews, which was carried by Ezra to Jerusalem. (Ezra vii. 1. viii. 1.) This sovereign is the Artaxerxes surnamed Longimanus, or the Long-handed, from a trifling deformity. Nehemiah was his cup-bearer, and was permitted by him to return to Jerusalem, with a commission to rebuild its walls, and to be the governor of Judæa.

"Apreμs. See DIANA. ARTS, origin of, 180. State of them from the deluge, until after the captivity, 181. Account of some of the arts practised by the Jews, 183, 184.

ARUBOTH, or ARA BOTH, a city or country belonging to the tribe of Judah. (1 Kings iv. 10.) Its true situation is unknown. ARVAD, OF ARADUS, a small island at the mouth of the river Eleutherus, on the coast of Phoenicia, opposite to Tyre. (Ezek. xxvii. 8.) The ARVADITE is mentioned in Gen. x. 18. The Arvadites were employed as mariners by the Tyrians.

ASA, king of Judah, succeeded his father Abijam, B. c. 951. He was distinguished for his success in war, and his zeal for the worship of the true God. In the latter part of his reign, the prophet Hanani having reproved him for his distrust in God in forming an alliance with Ben-hadad king of Syria, he was so exasperated that he put the prophet in chains, and at the same time gave order for the execution of many of his friends. He is supposed to have died of a severe fit of the gout, B. c. 886.

ASAPH, HEMAN, and JEDUTHUN, of the tribe of Levi, were constituted by David, chiefs of the sacred singers, of whom their families formed a part. (1 Chron. xxi. 1.) They are all three termed prophets or scers (1 Chron. xxv. 5. 2 Chron. xxix. 30. xxxv. 15.), which appellation is supposed to refer rather to their

AS genius as sacred poets and musicians, than to their possessing the spirit of prophecy. Psalms 1. Ixxiii.-lxxxiii. were composed by Asaph.

ASENATH, the daughter of Potipherah, and wife of Joseph, was the mother of Ephraim and Manasseh. (Gen. xli. 45. and xlvi. 20.) The etymology, Gesenius observes, is Egyptian (but obscure), and this circumstance furnishes an additional presumption in favour of the authenticity of the writings of Moses; for, according to Coquerel, the name of a woman absolutely analagous to this has been discovered on Egyptian monuments, which is composed of the monosyllable As and Neith, the name of the Egyptian Minerva.

ASHDOD. See Azorus, p. 411. infra.

ASHER, the son of Jacob and Zilpah, gave his name to one of the tribes of Israel. (Gen. xxx. 13. 1 Chron. ii. 2.) For the limits of the canton assigned to this tribe, see p. 17. But they never expelled the nations of the country, nor did they obtain entire possession of the district allotted to them. Their soil produced abundance of the comforts and luxuries of life, and was rich in mines. The tribe of Asher tamely submitted to the tyranny of Jabin king of Canaan, but assisted Gideon in his pursuit of the Midianites. On the exodus from Egypt, the fighting men of this tribe were 41,500; in the wilderness they amounted to 53,400.

ASHKENAZ, the eldest son of Gomer (Gen. x. 3. Jer. li. 7.), and the father or head of a nation. That a people in northern Asia is intended is evident from its being placed next to Gomer (Cymmeria), in the first instance, and next to Ararat (Armenia), in the second. The Jews understand by it, Germany, and use the word in that signification. Bochart was of opinion that the regio Ascania in Phrygia and Bithynia was peopled by the descendants of Ashkenaz.

ASHPENAZ, master of the eunuchs, or rather one of the chief chamberlains of Nebuchadnezzar, who was commanded to select certain Jewish captives to be instructed in the literature and sciences of the Chaldæans. In this number he included Daniel and his three companions, whose names he changed into Chaldæan appellations. Their refusal to partake of the provisions sent from the monarch's table filled Ashpenaz with apprehension; he had, however, the generosity not to use constraint towards them. At that time, as in our days, the Asiatic despots frequently punished with death the least infraction of their wills. In acceding to the request of Daniel, Ashpenaz had every thing to apprehend; and the grateful prophet specially records that God had disposed him to treat him with kindness. (Dan. i. 3 -16.)

ASTAROTH, a Phoenician or Syrian idol, notice of, 138. ASHUR, the son of Shem (Gen. iii. 11.), who gave his name to ASSYRIA.

ASIA, one of the largest divisions of the Old World, is not mentioned in the Old Testament. In the New Testament it is always taken for Asia Minor, as it includes the proconsular Asia, which comprised the four regions of Phrygia, Mysia, Caria, and Lydia. In this proconsular Asia were the seven churches of Ephesus, Laodicea, Pergamos, Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyrna, and Thyatira.

ASIARCHS, officers appointed to preside over the worship of the gods, and the sacred games in Asia Minor. See p. 140. In our version of Acts xix. 31. they are termed the chief of Asia.

ASKELON, a city in the territory of the Philistines, situated between Azoth and Gaza on the coast of the Mediterranean or Great Sea, about 520 furlongs from Jerusalem. After the death of Joshua, the tribe of Judah took Askelon, which subsequently became one of the five governments belonging to the Philistines. (Judg. i. 18.) This place is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures. During the crusades it was a station of considerable importance, but is now a very inconsiderable place.

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ping an ass, see p. 137. And on the subject of Balaam's ass speaking, see Vol. I. p. 421.

ASSEMBLY at Ephesus, powers of, 61.

Assos, a maritime city of Mysia, according to some geographers, but of Troas, according to others. It is mentioned in Acts | xx. 13, 14.

ASSYRIA, a country of Asia, the boundaries of which it is difficult to assign. It appears to have been situated between the Tigris and the Euphrates, enclosed between those two rivers, from the part where they begin to approach each other on leaving Mesopotamia to that where they join, not far from their mouth, in the Gulf of Persia.

It must naturally excite surprise, that so small a country should have been able to send forth armies of a million or twelve hundred thousand men; a number which dismays the imagination, especially when we consider how many attendants they must have had, exclusive of fighting men. But this kind of enigma is explained by the manner in which these vast armies were formed. From the centre of a not very extensive domain, a warlike band frequently issued, which poured upon the neighbouring country, carrying away the inhabitants, who, having no other resource, incorporated themselves with the conquerors. United, and allured by the hope of plunder, they proceeded onwards, ravaging other lands, and increasing their army with the despoiled inhabitants, who in like manner joined them. Thus were formed those wandering hordes which, under the name of Assyrians, subdued Mesopotamia, penetrated to Armenia, Media, and Persia, inundated Syria like a torrent, and carried devastation through Chaldæa, become the country of the Jews. As their conquests extended, the centre of their power became surrounded with deserts, and itself a desert. It is in vain that we seek the vestiges of the most famous cities, Nineveh for instance, which, from the descriptions that have reached us, have been justly enumerated among the wonders of the world. It is in vain, likewise, that we inquire, what were the manners, religion, commerce, and usages of the Assyrians. They must have been those of all the various nations who united to form them; that is to say, they were conquerors and barbarians, who allowed the greatest liberty in their police and their ceremonies, provided none of their people adopted laws or practices which might obstruct the success of their warlike expeditions.

It may be supposed that a people in this unsettled state had neither the time nor the means to write annals which may serve as a basis for chronology, or furnish any certain dates. The memory of the principal facts could only be preserved by tradition, and it has been transmitted to us with not a few variations by the Greeks. At the same time that it is allowed, that we owe to the latter almost all the historical knowledge we possess relative to the ancient nations of Asia, it must be admitted, that they have greatly disfigured it by accommodating to their own language and pronunciation the names of persons and divinities, and assimilating events to their own traditions in such a manner, that when we imagine we are in possession of authentic facts, we frequently discover them to be only Grecian fables. This observation may serve to point out the degree of confidence which ought to be reposed in the histories of these ancient times.

Sketch of the History of ASSYRIA illustrative of the Prophetic Writings.

ever, that Nineveh was at that time a city of immense extent, whose inhabitants, like those of other great cities abounding in wealth and luxury, were extremely corrupt in their morals. But, at the preaching of Jonah, both sovereign and subjects repented and abandoned their evil ways, and thus for a time delayed the execution of the divine judgments. About fifty years after the time of Jonah, the Scriptures mention a king of Assyria, named PUL, who invaded the kingdom of Israel in the days of Menahem (2 Kings xv. 19. 1 Chron. v. 26.), who gave him a thousand talents of silver to engage him to lend him his assistance, and secure him on his throne. Pul is supposed to have been the father of Sardanapalus, the last king of the Assyrians, in whose reign the crimes of the Ninevites having risen to their utmost height, God raised up enemies to chastise them. Arbaces the Median, indignant at the effeminate and luxurious life which Sardanapalus led in his palace, conspired with Belesis, governor of Babylon, to shake off the yoke of so worthless a sovereign. After various engagements, they compelled him to retreat to Nineveh, where he expected that he should be able to defend himself a long time, because the city was strongly fortified, and the besiegers had not machines to batter the walls. But in the third year of the siege, the river Tigris, being swollen with continual rains, overflowed part of the city, agreeably to the predictions of Nahum (particularly i. 8-10.), and broke down the wall for twenty furlongs. Sardanapalus, that he might not fall into the hands of his enemies, burnt himself in his palace, with his women and all his immense treasures. (Usher's Annals, p. 48. A. M. 3254. Athenæus, lib. xii. c. 12.) Arbaces and Belesis then divided the dominions of Sardanapalus: the former had Media, which he restored to its liberty; the latter had Babylon, where he reigned fourteen years: Nineveh they left to Ninus the younger, who was heir to the ancient kings of Assyria, and maintained the second Assyrian monarchy with considerable splendour; so that out of the ruins of this vast empire there were formed three considerable kingdoms, viz. that of Nineveh, that of Babylon, and that of the Medes. We shall briefly consider each of them, separately, according to the share they had in the affairs of the Jews.

Belesis, called BALADAN, by Isaiah (xxxix. 1. 2 Kings xx. 12.), is the Nabonassar of profane historians. He founded the Babylonian empire, of which he made Babylon the metropolis. He was succeeded by his son Merodach-Baladan, who cultivated Hezekiah's friendship, as appears from the embassy which he sent to the latter, to congratulate him on his recovery from sickness (2 Kings xx. 12.), a. m. 3291, B. c. 713. After this time the sacred historians are silent concerning the kings of Babylon, until the time of Esar-haddon, who is noticed in the next column. The younger Ninus, who was left king of Assyria and Nineveh, is the TIGLATH-PILESER of the Scriptures (2 Kings xv. 29. xvi. 7. 10. 2 Chron. xxviii. 20.), A. M. 3257, B. c. 747. His empire appears to have been the most celebrated in the East; as Ahaz king of Judah sent to request his assistance against Rezin king of Damascus, and Pekah king of Israel. Accordingly, Tiglath-pileser advanced with a numerous army, defeated Rezin, captured Damascus, and put an end to the kingdom erected there by the Syrians, agreeably to the predictions of Isaiah (viii. 4.) and Amos. (i. 5.) He also entered the kingdom of Israel, conquered Pekah, and carried away part of the ten tribes beyond the river Euphrates. But Ahaz soon had cause to regret this unhallowed alliance for Tiglath-pileser exacted from him such immense sums of money, that he was obliged not only to exhaust his own treasures, but also to take all the gold and silver out of the temple. (2 Chron. xxviii. 20, 21. 24.) Ahaz became tributary to the Assyrian monarch, whose successors found abundance of pretexts for entering the kingdom of Judah, which they ultimately ruined and subverted.

These cities furnished him with a fleet of sixty or seventy vessels, manned by eight hundred Phoenician rowers. They were attacked by the Tyrians with twelve vessels only; who dispersed their fleet, and took five hundred prisoners. The Assyrian monarch did not venture to lay siege to Tyre; but he left bodies of troops in its vicinity to guard the river and aqueducts whence the Tyrians obtained their supplies of water. His precautions were frustrated by the besieged, who dug wells within their city. It was about this time that Isaiah denounced against them those judgments which are recorded in the twenty-third chapter of his prophecies. And Hezekiah seems to have availed himself of the troubled state of Phoenicia and the whole coast of the Mediterranean, in order to attack the Philistines. (2 Kings xviii. 7, 8.) SENNACHERIB ascended the throne of Assyria A. M. 3287. B. c. 717, and was immediately involved in war, both in Asia and in Egypt. While he was thus engaged, Hezekiah shook off the yoke of the Assyrians, and refused to pay the tribute exacted from him by Shalmaneser. It appears from some passages of Scripture that Hezekiah had concluded treaties of mutual alliance and defence with the kings of Egypt and Ethiopia against the Assyrian monarch. (Isa. xx. 1. et seq. 2 Kings xviii. 24. xix. 9.) Upon Hezekiah's refusal of the tribute, Sennacherib invaded Judah with a mighty army, and captured the principal cities of that country. It is probable that he took Damascus in his progress. The pious monarch, grieved to see his kingdom pillaged, implored peace of Sennacherib on any terms he would prescribe: and gave him three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold to withdraw. But the Assyrian, regardless alike of the sanction of oaths and of treaties, continued the war, and prosecuted his conquests more vigorously than ever. Nothing was able to withstand his power; and of all the strong places of Judah, none remained uncaptured but Jerusalem, which was reduced to the very last extremity. Isaiah, however, encouraged Hezekiah by promises of divine interposition and deliverance, and announced that the enemy would soon be obliged to return into his own country. (2 Kings xix. 20—34.) Accordingly, after Sennacherib had defeated the allied forces of the king of Egypt and of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, who had advanced against him to assist Hezekiah, he returned into Judah with immense spoil, and renewed the siege of Jerusalem: but an angel of Jehovah slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand of his troops. (2 Kings xix. 35.) Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, where two of his sons, weary of his tyranny and savage temper, slew him while he was worshipping in the temple of Nisroch his god, and immediately fled into the mountains of Armenia. (2 Kings xix. 37. Tobit i. 21.)

It was during the first year of this war that Hezekiah fell sick, and was cured in a miraculous manner, and that the shadow of the sun went back ten degrees on the dial of the palace, to prove the truth of Isaiah's prediction of his recovery. (2 Kings xviii. xix. xx. Isa. xxxviii. xxxix.)

A. M. 3294, B. c. 710. On the death of Sennacherib, ESARHADDON, another of his sons reigned in his stead. He is called Sargon by Isaiah. (xx. 1.) He reigned twenty-nine years, during which he waged war with the Philistines, from whom his general, Tartan, took Ashdod. He also attacked Egypt and Ethiopia (Isa. xx.), and Idumæa or Edom (Isa. xxxiv.), in order to avenge the injuries they had committed against his father Sennacherib; and at length he took Jerusalem, and carried Manasseh king of Judah to Babylon. (2 Chron. xxxiii.) This last war, however, happened long after those above related. Esarhaddon restored the glory of Assyria; and in addition to his other victories, to the sceptre of Nineveh he united that of Babylon, having availed himself of the intestine troubles and commotions occasioned by the extinction of the royal family, to make himself master of that city, and annex it to his former dominions. Manasseh, having been restored to the divine favour after a deep and sincere repentance, obtained his liberty, and returned to Jerusalem, after a short captivity at Babylon. (Usher's Annals, A. M. 3327.)

Shortly after these events, most of the maritime cities that were subject to the Tyrians revolted against them, and submitted to the Assyrians. Shalmaneser advanced to their assistance.

lib. i. cc. 101, 102.), he resolved to subjugate all the neighbouring territories. He therefore despatched Holofernes into Syria and Palestine with an immense army; but that general was slain, and his army totally discomfited, before Bethulia, in the manner related in the apocryphal book of Judith.

A, M. 3356, E. c. 648, Saracus, otherwise called Chinaldon or