SE SANHEDHIN, or great council of the Hebrews, powers and functions of, 54, 55. SAPPHIRA, the wife of Ananias, who, together with him, was struck with instant death, for attempting to deceive God the Holy Spirit. (Acts v. 1. 3. 9, 10.) SH 2. A mountain upon the frontiers of the tribes of Judah and Dan. SEIRATH, the place where Ehud stopped after the death of Eglon king of Moab. It is supposed to have been near Bethel. (Judg. iii. 26.) SARAH, the wife of Abraham, and the mother of Isaac, whom SELAH, the capital of the Edomites, which Amaziah captured, she bore at an age when she could little expect such a blessing. and changed its name into Joktheel. It is supposed to have de(Gen. xxi.) She died at the advanced age of 127 years, at Kir-rived its name (which signifies a rock) from its rocky situation, jath-arba, afterwards called Hebron. (Gen. xxiii. 1. 9.) and to have been the city afterwards called Petra in Arabia. (2 Kings xiv. 7.) SARDIS, the metropolis of the region of Lydia, in Asia Minor, was situated at the foot of Mount Tmolus, which commands an extensive view over the surrounding country. It was celebrated for the great opulence and for the voluptuous and debauched manners of its inhabitants. Considerable ruins still attest the ancient splendour of this once celebrated capital of Croesus and the Lydian kings, which is now reduced to a wretched village called Sart, consisting of a few mud huts occupied by Turkish herdsmen. "A great portion of the ground once occupied by the imperial city is now a smooth grassy plain, browsed over by the sheep of the peasants, or trodden by the camels of the caravan; and all that remains to point out the site of its glory are a few disjointed pillars, and the crumbling rock of the Acropolis." No Christians reside on the spot: two Greek servants of a Turkish miller, in 1826, were the only representatives of the church at Sardis, the present state of which affords a most striking illus tration of the accomplishment of the prophetic denunciations against the church in that city. (Emerson's Letters from the Ægean, vol. i. pp. 201. 216-218; Hartley's Visit, Miss. Register, 1827, p. 326.; Arundell's Visit, pp. 176-182.) SAREPTA, OF ZAREPHATH (Luke iv. 26.), was a city in the territory of Sidon, between that city and Tyre. It was the place where the widow dwelt to whom the prophet Elijah was sent, and was preserved by her cruise of oil and barrel of meal that wasted not. (1 Kings xvii. 9.) It is now a small village called Zarfa. SARGON (Isa. xx. 1.), a king of Assyria, whom some critics and expositors have supposed to have been the predecessor of Sennacherib; while others have conceived him to have been Sennacherib himself. SARON OF SHARON, a town adjoining to Lydda, which gave name to the spacious and fruitful valley between Cæsarea and Joppa. Peter's miraculous healing of the paralytic Eneas at Lydda was the means of bringing the inhabitants of Saron to the knowledge of the Gospel. (Acts ix. 35.) SAUL. 1. The son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, and the first king of Israel. In consequence of his disregarding the divine commands, he was rejected by God, and David the son of Jesse anointed to be sovereign in his stead. Saul, after persecuting David for many years, was slain, together with his two sons, on Mount Gilboa, fighting against the Philistines. (2 Sam. i.) On the nature of his malady, see p. 196. 2. The Jewish name of the apostle Paul. SCAPE-GOAT, typical reference of, 127. SCEPTRE of the kings of Israel, 44. SCEVA, a Jew, one of the chief priests, whose seven sons went from city to city, as many Jews did, to exorcise those who were possessed by demons. At Ephesus pretending to invoke the name of Jesus over the possessed, they were so severely treated by these spirits for their presumption, that they were forced to flee out of the house naked and wounded. (Acts xix. 14—17.) SCHOOLS of the Jews, particularly of the prophets, 184, 185. Military schools, 87. SCIENCES cultivated by the Jews, account of, 184-187. SCOURGING, punishment of, how inflicted among the Jews, 64, and among the Romans, ibid. Could not be inflicted on a Roman citizen, 58, 59. SCRIBES, account of, in the time of Moses, 42; and in the time of Christ, 146. Royal scribes, 47. SCRIPTURES, reading of, in the Synagogues, 104, 105. SELEUCIA, a fortified city of Syria, situated on the sea-coast, a little north of the mouth of the river Orontes: it derived its name from Seleucus Nicator, and was sometimes called Seleucia ad mare, to distinguish it from seven or eight other cities in Syria of the same name. (Acts xiii. 4.) SELEUCIDE, area of, 77, and note 4. SELF-INTERDICTION, VOWS of, 130. SENATE of Seventy in the wilderness, notice of, 42. SENNACHERIB, a king of Assyria, who invaded the kingdom of Judah in the reign of Hezekiah. See ASSYRIA, p. 410. col. 2. SENTENCES (Judicial), how performed among the Jews, 57. SEPHARAD, a country or place where some of the Jewish captives dwelt. In the Latin Vulgate, it is rendered Bosphorus ; in the Syriac and Chaldee versions, and by modern Hebrew commentators, it is rendered Spain. Both these explanations, says Gesenius, are undoubtedly false; but nothing more certain can be substituted in their place. SEPHARVIM, a city under the government of the Assyrians, probably situated in Mesopotamia; whence colonists were sent into the country of Samaria. (2 Kings xvii. 24.) SEPULCHRES of the Jews, account of, 200, 201. SEPULTURE, rights of, 199, 200. SERAB, nature of, 35, and note 3. SERGIUS PAULUS, the Roman proconsul or governor of Cyprus, who was led by the preaching of Paul and Barnabas to embrace the Christian faith. (Acts xiii. 7.) SERPENT, Brazen, worshipped by the Jews, 136, 137. SERVANTS, different kinds of, mentioned in the Scriptures, 168. How hired and paid in Judæa, 167. SETH, the son of Adam and Eve, and father of Enos, was born after the death of Abel. He lived 912 years. His posterity, who were distinguished from the descendants of Cain by the appellation of the sons of God, preserved the patriarchal religion in its purity until the time of the deluge, after which it was transmitted by the race of Shem. (1 Chron. i. 1. Luke iii. 1. Gen. iv. 25. v. 3. vi. 2.) SHADOW OF DEATH, Valley of, notice of, 34. note 3. SHALMANESER or SALMANESER king of Assyria. See AsSYRIA, 410. col. 1. SHARON, Vale of, notice of, 32. SHEEP-HUSBANDRY of the Jews, 175, 176. SHEM OF SEM, the second son of Noah. (Gen. v. 32.) According to the genealogical table in Gen. x. the nations in southwestern Asia, as the Persians, Assyrians, Syrians, Hebrews, and part of the Arabians, were descended from him. SHEMER, the name of the possessor of the mountain on which the city of SAMARIA was erected by Omri king of Israel, to whom he sold that territory for two talents of silver. From the circumstance of that city being called after his name, as well as from the very small sum given by way of purchase money, it has been conjectured that Shemer made it one of the conditions of sale that his name should be given to the new city. As the law of Moses prohibited the irredeemable cession of estates, and as Shemer's name is mentioned without any notice of his genealogy, it is not improbable that he was descended from the Canaanites, whom the Israelites had not been able to expel. SHEMONEH ESRAH, or Jewish Prayers, 107, 108. SHENIR, Mount, 30. SHEPHERDS, duties of, 176. SHESHACH, another name for Babylon. (Jer. xxv. 26. li. 41.) SEAS mentioned in the Scriptures. See pp. 26-28; and RED This is evident from the connection; but the derivation of the SEA, p. 446. SEASONS of Palestine, 23-25. SECTS of the Jews, account of, 144-146. SEED-TIME, notice of, 23. SEIR. 1. Mountains of Seir, a ridge to the south of the Dead Sea, inclining towards Elath and Ezion-geber upon the Red Sea. VOL. II. 3 L word is obscure. Calmet supposed Sheshach to be a pagan idol, worshipped at Babylon; and that Jeremiah gave to that city the name of its tutelar deity. SHIELDS of the Hebrews, and of the Romans, 87, 88. SHILOH, a celebrated city in the tribe of Ephraim, where the people assembled (Josh. xviii. 1.) to set up the tabernacle of the congregation, which continued there until the time of Eli. SHINAR, the territory of Babylon. (Gen. x. 10. xi. 2. xiv. 1. SHOES, or Sandals of the Hebrews, 157. SHUNEM, a city in the tribe of Issachar. (Josh. xix. 18. 2 Sam. xxviii. 4.) Here the prophet Elisha was hospitably entertained by a benevolent woman; whose son dying, he miraculously restored him to life. (2 Kings iv.) According to Eusebius, there was a place called Sulem (by a commutation of 7 and n) five Roman miles south of Mount Tabor. SHUR, Wilderness of, notice of, 33. MA 8vo.) has given a minute and very interesting account of the antiquities of Shechem. See also Mr. Jolliffe's Letters from Palestine, pp. 44-48. SICK, healing of, why deemed unlawful by the Jews, on the Sabbath-day, 121. Treatment of, 194, 195. SIDDIM, Vale of, notice of, 31. SIDON, OF ZIDON, a celebrated city of Palestine, reputed to have been founded by Sidon the eldest son of Canaan, from whom, according to Josephus, it derives its name; but other authorities derive the name Sidon from the Hebrew or Syrian word 7 (тsiDen), which signifies fishing. If the primitive founder was a fisherman, the two accounts may be easily reconciled. Joshua (xi. 8.) calls it Sidon the Great, by way of eminence; whence some have taken occasion to say, that in his time there were two Sidons, a greater and a lesser: but no geographer has mentioned any other Sidon than Sidon the Great. Joshua assigned Sidon to the tribe of Asher (Josh. xix. 28.), but this tribe could never get possession of it. (Judg. i. 31.) It is situated on the Mediterranean, one day's journey from Paneas, or from the fountains of Jordan, in a fine level tract of land, the remarkably simple air of which suits with that touching portion of the Gospel, which records the interview of Jesus Christ on this very spot,-the coasts of Tyre and Sidon,— with the Syro-Phoenician woman. (Matt. xv. 21-28. Mark vii. 24-30.) Abulfeda places it sixty-six miles from Damascus. This city has been always famous for its great trade and navigation. Its inhabitants were the first remarkable merchants in the world, and were very early celebrated on account of their luxury; for, in the days of the judges of Israel, the inhabitants of Laish are said to have dwelt careless and secure after the manner of the Zidonians. (Judg. xviii. 7.) The men of Sidon being great shipwrights, were particularly eminent above all other nations, for hewing and polishing timber, there being none SHUSHAN, the capital of Susiana, a province of Elam or Persia, who were skilled how to hew timber like the Sidonians. (1 Kings which Daniel terms the palace (viii. 2.), because the Chaldæan v. 6.) This place is now called Seide or Saide: its port is monarchs had here a royal palace. After Cyrus, the kings of small, and nearly filled up with the accumulation of mud. (Irby's Persia were accustomed to pass the winter there, and the sum- and Mangles' Travels, p. 201.) The city, as it exists at present, mer at Ecbatana. The winter was very moderate at Shushan, rises immediately from the strand; and, when seen from a slight but the heat of the summer was so great, that the very lizards distance, presents a rather imposing appearance. The interior, and serpents, if surprised by it in the streets, are said to have however, is most wretched and gloomy. About half-way bebeen burned up by the solar rays. This city stands on the river tween Saide (or Sidon) and Sour (or Tyre) are very extensive Ulai, or Choaspes. In this city, and on this river, Daniel had ruins of towns which once connected these two cities; but of the vision of the ram with two horns, and the goat with one these ruins there is now scarcely one stone left upon another. horn, &c. in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar (Dan. They consist chiefly of lines which show, rased even with the viii, 1—3, &c.), A. M. 3447, B. c. 557. In this city of Shushan, soil, the foundation of houses-many stones irregularly scattered the transactions took place which are related in the book of a few cisterns with half-defaced sculpture on them; and, at a Esther. Here Ahasuerus, or Darius the son of Hystaspes, gene- considerable distance from the path, there are at one spot several rally resided and reigned. (Esth. i. 1, 2. 5, &c.) He rebuilt, low columns either mutilated or considerably sunk in the earth. enlarged, and adorned it. Nehemiah was also at Shushan, when These relics show, what it needed indeed no such evidence to he obtained from king Artaxerxes permission to return into prove, that in peaceable and flourishing times, on this road beJudæa, and to repair the walls of Jerusalem. (Neh. i. 1.) Ben-tween two such considerable cities as Tyre and Sidon, there jamin of Tudela, and Abulfaragius, place the tomb of Daniel at must have been many smaller towns for business, pleasure, and Chuzestan, which is the ancient city of Shushan, and a tomb is agriculture, delightfully situated by the seaside; but peaceful sestill shown to travellers, as the tomb of the prophet. Dr. Light-curity has long been a blessing unknown to these regions; and foot says, that the outward gate of the eastern wall of the temple we may apply to them the language of Judges v. 7.-The villages was called the gate of Shushan; and that upon this gate was ceased; they ceased in Israel." (Jowett's Christ. Researches in carved the figure (more probably the arms or insignia) of Shu- Syria, pp. 129, 130. shan, in acknowledgment of the decree there granted by Darius son of Hystaspes, which permitted the rebuilding of the temple. The site of this once noble metropolis of the ancient sovereigns of Persia is now a mere wilderness; no human being residing there excepting one poor dervise, who keeps watch over the supposed tomb of the prophet Daniel. See an account of the ruins and the present state of Shushan, in Sir R. K. Porter's Travels in Georgia, Persia, &c. vol. ii. pp. 411-418. SICARII, or assassins mentioned in the New Testament, notice of, 148. SIEGES, how conducted, 89. SIHON, a king of the Amorites, who refused a passage through his territories to the Hebrews; and, coming to attack them, was himself slain. (Num. xxi. 21.) SIHOR, River, 26. SILAS OF SILVANUS (the former name being a contraction of the latter), an eminent Christian teacher, who was Saint Paul's companion in his journeys through Asia Minor and Greece. SILOAM, Fountain or Pool of, 21. 28. Just over against this SICHEM, SYCHAR or SHECHEM, a city of Samaria, about forty pool, near the bottom of the valley, through which its waters miles distant from Jerusalem, which became the metropolis of flow with an almost imperceptible current, and on the slope of a the Samaritans after the destruction of Samaria by Hyrcanus. lofty mountain on the opposite side, is a village called Siloa: it In the vicinity of this place is Jacob's well (John iv. 6), memo- has a miserable aspect, many of the habitations being no better rable for our Saviour's conversation with the Samaritan woman. than excavations from the rock, and the rest very meanly built It stands in a delightful situation, and is at present called Napo- | houses and dilapidated stone huts; though it once could boast lose. The remains of the sect of the Samaritans, now reduced the palace of Pharaoh's daughter and Solomon's queen. The to about forty persons, chiefly reside here. Contiguous to this population is said not to exceed two hundred persons. (Jowett's place lies a valley, which opens into a plain watered by a fruit- Researches in Syria, p. 262. Three Weeks in Palestine, p. 45.) ful stream, that rises near the town. This is universally allowed to be the parcel of a field mentioned by Saint John (iv. 5.) which Jacob bought at the hand of the children of Hamor. (Gen. xxxiii. 19.) Dr. Clarke (Travels, vol. iv. pp. 260—280. SIMEON, the son of Jacob and Leah: he was the head of one of the twelve tribes; for the limits of whose allotment, see p. 17. SIMON OF SIMEON, the name of several persons mentioned in SO the New Testament; of whom the following are the most remarkable : 1. SIMON, surnamed Peter, who was also called Simon BarJona. See PETER, p. 442. 2. SIMON, surnamed the Canaanite (perhaps because he was a native of Cana in Galilee), and also Zelotes or the Zealous, probably because he had been of the ZEALOTS. (See p. 148. for a notice of their principles.) He is supposed to have been the brother of James the Less and Jude: the particulars of his life are unknown. 3. SIMON, surnamed the Cyrenean, from Cyrene in Libya (where many Jews were settled), who was compelled to assist in bearing the cross of Jesus. (Matt. xxvii. 32.) Why he was so compelled, see p. 70. supra. 4. SIMON, surnamed Bar-Jesus, a sorcerer. See BAR-JESUs, p. 413. col. 2. SIMOOM Wind, pestilential effects of, 40. (Acts viii. 9. 13.) 1. A strong city in Egypt (Ezek. xxx. 15, 16.), according to Jerome, Pelusium: it was situated on the eastern boundary of Egypt, and was defended by the swamps which lay around it. 2. Desert of Sin, a part of Arabia Deserta, towards Egypt, between Elim and Mount Sinai. (Exod. xvi. 1. xvii. 1. Num. xxxiii. 12.) SIN-OFFERING, notice of, 118. Account of, 65. 1. DESERT OF SINAI, 34. 2. MOUNT SINAI, a mountain in Arabia Petræa, where the law was given. It had two summits; the one lower, called Horeb, or the Mount of God (Exod. iii. 1.), when he appeared to Moses in a flame of fire in a bush. (See HOREB, p. 428., col. 1.) This Horeb is therefore called Sinai by Saint Stephen. (Acts vii. 30.) Mount Sinai is an enormous mass of granite rocks, with a Greek convent at the bottom, called the Convent of St. Catharine. It is the highest of a chain of mountains called by the Arabians Djebbel Moosa (or the mountains of Moses), and which requires a journey of several days to go entirely round it. This chain is partly composed of sand-stone: it contains several fertile valleys, in which are gardens producing grapes, pears, dates, and other excellent fruits. These are taken to Cairo, where they are sold at a high price; but the general aspect of the peninsula of Mount Sinai is that of a frightful sterility. (MalteBrun's System of Geography, vol. ii. p. 200.) SINIM, a land very distant from Palestine. From the context of Isa. xlix. 12. it appears to have been situated towards the south or east. Some expositors have supposed it to be Pelusium or Syene; but these are only cities, and not sufficiently remote. It were better (says Gesenius) to understand it of an eastern country, perhaps China; of the name of which the Hebrews may have heard, as well as of Scythia and India. SION OF SIRION, a name of Mount HERMON, 30. SIVAN OF SIUVAN, the third month of the ecclesiastical year of the Jews; and the ninth of their civil year. For a notice of the festivals, &c. in this month, see p. 76. SLAVES, how acquired, 165. Their condition and treatment among the Hebrews, 165, 166; and heathens, 166, 167. Explanation of customs relating to them, mentioned in the New Testament, 167. Different kinds of, 167, 168. SLAYING with the sword, a Jewish punishment, 67. SurRNA, a city of Asia Minor, was situated between forty and forty-five miles to the north of Ephesus, of which city it was originally a colony. It is now celebrated chiefly for the number, wealth, and commerce of the inhabitants. Of its population, which is estimated at about 75,000 inhabitants, 45,000 are Turks; 15,000 Greeks; 8000 Armenians; 8000 Jews; and less than 1000 Europeans. (Hartley's Visit, p. 289.) The angel of the church of Smyrna, addressed in the second apocalyptic epistle, is supposed to have been Polycarp, the disciple of Saint John, by whom he was appointed bishop of Smyrna. As he afterwards suffered much, being burnt alive at Smyrna, A. n. 166, the exhortation in Rev. ii. 10. would be peculiarly calculated to support and encourage him. So, an Egyptian king, contemporary with Hoshea, with whom he formed an alliance. (2 Kings xvii. 4.) He appears, however, to have been too weak to succour Hoshea against the Assyrians, one of whose kings, named Sargon, obtained signal advantages over him. (Isa. xx. 1.) According to Jablonski, So means a chief prince or prince of the dwelling. For a long time the Pharaoh, who is named So, in the Scriptures, was taken for the ST Sabacho of profane history, the head of the twenty-fifth or Ethiopian dynasty, who invaded Egypt, caused its monarch Boccharis to be thrown into the flames, and usurped the throne. More recent and correct researches have shown that So is the Sevechus of profane history. (Coquerel, Biog. Sacr. tom. iv. p. 223.) SODOM, the chief of the Pentapolitan cities, or five cities of the plain, gave the name to the whole land. It was burnt, with three other cities, by fire from heaven, for the unnatural lusts of their inhabitants, the truth of which is attested by numerous heathen writers. See pp. 27, 28. supra. SOLDIERS (Jewish) levies of, how made, 84. Mosaic statutes concerning them, 84, 85. How commanded, 85, 86. Their encampments, 86, 87. Their pay and training, 87. Arms of, 87, 88. SOLDIERS (Roman), allusions to the officers, armour, and dis cipline of, 92-94. Their treatment of Jesus Christ, 70. They watched at the execution of criminals, 72. SOLOMON, the son of David and Bathsheba, and the third king of Israel, renowned for his wisdom and riches, and for the mag nificent temple which he caused to be erected at Jerusalem. The commencement of his reign was characterized by piety and justice; but afterwards he abandoned himself, through the influence of his heathen wives, to gross and shameful idolatry. Temple of, 98. Extent of his dominions, 17. His commerce, 187, 188. He died B. c. 975, after a reign of forty years. For analyses of the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles, which were composed by him, see pp. 245—253. SOLOMON'S PORCH, notice of, 99. SONS, education of, 164. Parental authority over them, Ibid. SOSTHENES, a chief ruler of a synagogue at Corinth. (Acts xviii. 17.) Concerning the interpretation of which passage the learned differ greatly. Some suppose him to have been at this time an enemy to the apostle Paul, and his accuser, though subsequently a convert to the Christian faith; and that he was beaten by the unbelieving Greeks, in consequence of the opinion given by the judge, and because he had troubled the proconsul with so impertinent an affair. Others are of opinion, that, at this time, he favoured Christianity, and suffered on that account, the Greeks beating him at the instigation of the unbelieving Jews. However this may have been, Sosthenes afterwards joined with Saint Paul in sending the first Epistle to the Corinthians. (Biscoe on the Acts, vol. i. p. 417.) SOWING of corn, Jewish mode of, 177. SPAIN, an extensive region of Europe, which anciently comprehended the country forming the modern kingdoms of Spain and Portugal. In the time of St. Paul it was subject to the Romans. (Rom. xv. 24. 28.) SPEARS of the Hebrews, notice of, 88. STEPHANUS, one of the principal Christians at Corinth, whom St. Paul baptized with all his family. This was the first family in Achaia that embraced the Gospel: its members zealously devoted themselves to the service of the Christians, and their affectionate hospitality is recommended by the apostle, as an example to the Corinthians. (1 Cor. i. 16. xvi. 15, 16.) STEPHEN, the first martyr for the faith of Christ: he was one of the seven primitive deacons of the Christian church. After having wrought many miracles, and ably defended the doctrines of Christ, he was put to death by the Jews. (Acts vi. vii.) On the stoning of Stephen, see p. 53. note 4. STOCKS, punishment of, 65. STOICS, a sect of philosophers who derived their name from the Era or portico where their founder Zeno delivered his lectures. Their philosophy required an absolute control over all the passions, and taught that man alone, even in his present state of existence, might attain to perfection and felicity. They encouraged suicide, and disbelieved in a future state of rewards and punishments,-a doctrine which they deemed unnecessary as an incitement to virtue. STONE, white, import of, 56, STONES, Consecrated, notice of, 138. prohibited to the Israelites, Ibid. Hieroglyphic stones STONING to death, a Jewish punishment, 67, 68. SUCCOTH. SY 1. A city in the tribe of Gad. (Josh. xiii. 27. Judg. viii. 5. 1 Kings vii. 46.) Hither "Jacob journeyed, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth," that is, booths. (Gen. xxxiii. 17.) TA 6. SYRIA OF TOE, or of Ishtob, or of the land of Tob, or of the Tubieni, as they are called in the Maccabees, was in the neighbourhood of Libanus, the northern extremity of Palestine. (Judg. xi. 3. 5. 1 Macc. v. 13. 2 Macc. xii. 17.) When Jephthah was banished by his brethren from Gilead, he withdrew into the land of Tob. 7. SYRIA OF EMATH, or Hamath, that of which the city Hamath, on the Orontes, was the capital. 2. The first encampment of the Israelites in their march out of Egypt. (Num. xxxiii. 5. Exod. xii. 37. xiii. 20.) Dr. Shaw is of opinion that no fixed situation can be assigned for this place (it signifying only a place of tents), being probably nothing more 8. SYRIA, without any other appellation, stands for the KINGthan some considerable Dou-war (or encampment) of the Ish-DOM OF SYRIA, of which Antioch became the capital after the maelites or Arabs, such as may be still met with, at the distance reign of the Seleucidæ. of fifteen or twenty miles from Cairo, on the road towards the Red Sea. The rendezvous of the caravan which conducted Dr. S. to Suez was at one of these Dou-wars; at the same time he saw another about six miles off, in the very same direction which the Israelites may be supposed to have taken in their marches from Goshen to the Red Sea. (Travels, vol. ii. p. 93.) SUCCOTH-BENOTH (or booths of the daughters), an object of idolatrous worship among the Babylonians. According to the most common opinion they were small tents or booths, in which the Babylonish maidens exposed themselves to prostitution, in honour of a Babylonish goddess called Mylitta. Herodotus (Hist. 1. i. c. 199.) gives a particular account of these abominable practices; which, there is reason to conclude from 1 Kings xvii. 30., the Babylonians introduced into Judæa. SUKKIMS, an African people mentioned in 2 Chron. xiii. 3. in conjunction with Libyans and Ethiopians. In the Septuagint and Vulgate versions, they are termed Troglodytes, probably from their dwelling in caves. Such a people dwelt near the Red Sea. SUMMER of Palestine, notice of, 24. SUPERIORS, reverence to, how shown, 169. SURVEYING of land, known to the Jews, 187. 9. CŒLO-SYRIA, or Cale-Syria, or the Lower Syria, occurs in several places of the Maccabees. (1 Macc. x. 69. 2 Macc. iii. 5. 8. iv. 4. viii. 8.) The word Cole-Syria, in the Greek, signifies Syria Cava, or Syria the Hollow, or deep. It may be considered, says Strabo, either in a proper and restrained sense, as comprehending only the tract of land between Libanus and Antilibanus: or in a larger signification, and then it will comprehend all the country in obedience to the kings of Syria, from Seleucia or Arabia and Egypt. Syria at first was governed by its own kings, each of whom reigned in his own city and territories. David subdued them about A. M. 2960, B. c. 1044 (2 Sam. viii. 6.), on occasion of his war against the Ammonites, to whom the Syrians gave assistance. (2 Sam. x. 6. 8. 13. 18, 19.) They continued in subjection till after the reign of Solomon, when they shook off the yoke, and could not be reduced again till the time of Jeroboam II. king of Israel, A. M. 3179, B. c. 820. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, having declared war against Ahab, king of Judah, this prince found himself under the necessity of calling to his assistance Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, who put Rezin to death, took Damascus, and transported the Syrians out of their SUSANCHITES, the inhabitants of Susa or SHUSHAN. (Ezra iv. 9.) country beyond the Euphrates. From that time Syria continued SYCHAR. See SICHEм, p. 450. SYENE, a city on the southern frontiers of Egypt, bordering on Ethiopia. (Ezek. xxix. 10. xxx. 6.) SYNAGOGUES, origin and form of, 103, 104. Officers of, 104. Account of the synagogue worship, 104-106. Its ecclesiastical power, 106. Nineteen Jewish prayers read in the synagogue, 106, 107. SYRACUSE, a large and celebrated city on the eastern coast of Sicily, furnished with a capacious and excellent harbour. Saint Paul abode here three days on his first journey to Rome. (Acts xxviii. 12.) SYRIA, properly so called, was a country of Asia, comprehended between the Euphrates on the east, the Mediterranean on the west, Cilicia on the north, Phoenicia, Judæa, and Arabia Deserta, on the south. It was divided into various provinces or cantons, which derived their names from their situation, with respect to particular rivers or cities. Thus, 1. SYRIA of the two rivers, or MESOPOTAMIA of SYRIA, or ARAM NAHARAIM (Hebrew), was comprehended between the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates. 2. SYRIA OF DAMASCUS, that of which Damascus was the capital, extended eastward along Mount Libanus. Its limits varied according as the princes that reigned at Damascus were more or less powerful. 8. SYRIA OF ZOBAH, or Soba, or Sobal, as it is called by the Septuagint, was probably Cole-Syria, or Syria the hollow. Its capital was Zobah, a city unknown, unless it be Hoba or Hobal, north of Damascus. (Gen. xiv. 15.) 4. SYRIA OF MAACHAR, or of Bethmaacah, was also towards Libanus. (2 Sam. x. 6. 8. 2 Kings xv. 29.) It extended beyond Jordan, and was given to Manasseh. (Deut. iii. 14.) 5. SYRIA OF Rонов or REHOв, was that part of Syria of which Rehob was the capital. But Rohob was near the northern frontier of the land of promise (Num. xiii. 21.), on the way or pass that leads to Emath or Hamath. It was given to the tribe of Asher, and is contiguous to Aphek, which was in Libanus. (Josh. xix. 28, 30. and xxi. 31.) Laish, otherwise called Dan, situate at the fountains of Jordan, was in the country of Rohob. (Judg. i. 31.) Hadadazer, king of Syria of Zobah, was son of Rehob or Rohob, or perhaps a native of the city of this name. (2 Sam. viii. 3. 12.) The Ammonites called to their assistance, against David, the Syrians of Rehob, of Zoba, of Maachah, and of Ishtob. (2 Sam. x 6. 8.) in subjection to the kings of Assyria. Afterwards it came under the dominion of the Chaldæans; then under that of the Persians; lastly, it was reduced by Alexander the Great, and was subject to all the revolutions that happened to the great empires of the East. SYRIAN IDOLS, notice of, 137, 138. SYRO-PHOENICIA is Phoenicia properly so called, of which Sidon, or Zidon, was the capital; which having by right of conquest been united to the kingdom of Syria, added its old name Phoenicia to that of Syria. The Canaanitish woman is called a Syrophoenician (Mark vii. 26.), because she was of Phoenicia, which was then considered as making part of Syria. St. Matthew calls her a Canaanitish women (Matt. xv. 22. 24.), because this country was really peopled by the Canaanites, Sidon being the eldest son of Canaan. (Gen. x. 15.) The Syro-Phoenicians were so called to distinguish them from the Phoenicians of Africa, who were called Liby-Phoenicians. Both were of the same Canaanitish stock or original. TABERAH (or burning), an encampment of the Israelites in the wilderness. (Num. xi. 3. Deut. ix. 22.) It derives its name from the circumstance that fire went forth from the tabernacle, and burnt a considerable part of their camp, as a punishment for their murmurings. TABERNACLES, feast of, how celebrated, 126, 127. A proof of the credibility of the Old Testament, I. 66. TABERNACLES, various, in use among the Israelites, 96. Form and construction of the tabernacle of Moses, 96, 97. Its migrations, 97. TABITHA, the Aramean name of a female Christian, otherwise called Dorcas, whom St. Peter miraculously restored to life. (Acts ix. 36. 40.) TABLE, ancient mode of reclining at, explained, 154. TACTICS, military, of the Jews, 89, 90. TADMOR, a city of Syria, erected by king Solomon. It was situated in the wilderness of Syria, on the borders of Arabia Deserta, whence it is called Tadmor in the Wilderness, in 1 Kings ix. 18. Josephus places it at two days' journey from the Upper Syria, one day's journey from the Euphrates, and six days' journey from Babylon. He says that there is no water in the wilderness but in this place. (Ant. Jud. lib. viii. c. 6. § 1.) If we may form any conjecture of this city by the ruins of it, which later travellers have described, it must have been one of the first and most magnificent in the East; and it is somewhat TE surprising that history should give us so little account, when or by whom it was reduced to the melancholy condition in which it now appears. The reason why Solomon erected Tadmor in so desolate a place, was, probably, the commodiousness of its situation to cut off all commerce between the Syrians and Mesopotamians, and to prevent them from conspiring against him as they had done against his father David. This city preserved its name of Tadmor to the time of Alexander. It then received the name of PALMYRA, which it preserved for several ages. About the middle of the third century, it became celebrated as the seat of the empire of Odenatus and Zenobia. When the Saracens became masters of the East, they restored its ancient name of Tadmor, which has continued to the present time. Its situation between two powerful empires, that of the Parthians on the east, and that of the Romans to the west, often exposed it to danger from their contests. In time of peace, however, it soon recovered itself, by its trade with both empires: for the caravans of Persia and of the Indies, which now unload at Aleppo, then used to stop at Palmyra: thence they carried the merchandise of the East, which came to them by land, to the ports of the Mediterranean, and returned the merchandise of the West after the same manner. TAHPANES. 1. TAHAPANES, or Tahpanhes (Jer. ii. 16.), a city of Egypt, which anciently was a royal city, of considerable note: it is supposed to be the same as Daphne Pelusiaca. Jeremiah, and the Israelites with him, retired to this place: and here it was revealed to the prophet, that Nebuchadnezzar should take this city, and set up his throne in the very place where Jeremiah had hidden stones. (Jer. xliii. 7—11.) 2. A queen of Egypt, the wife of that Pharaoh who was contemporary with David, and gave her sister in marriage to Hadad the Edomite. Tahpanhes educated her sister's son among the royal family of Egypt, perhaps from the mingled motives of affection and of politics. TAMMUZ, or THAMMUZ. I The tenth month of the civil year of the Jews, and the fourth of their ecclesiastical year. For a notice of the festivals, &c. in this month, see p. 76. 2. An Egyptian and Syrian idol, worshipped by the Israelites, notice of, 138. TANIS. See ZOAN, p. 456. infra. TARSHISH, OF TARTESSUS, a city and country in Spain, the most celebrated emporium in the West, to which the Hebrews traded; the ships of Tarshish (Isa. xxiii. 1. 4. lx. 9.) denote large merchant ships bound on long voyages (perhaps distinguished by their construction from the common Phoenician ships), even though they were sent to other countries instead of Tarshish. (Gibb's Hebrew Lexicon, pp. 713, 714., where the proofs are adduced at length.) TARSUS, the metropolis of Cilicia (Acts xxi. 39.), was celebrated for being the place whither Jonah designed to flee, and where St. Paul was born. It was a very rich and populous city, and had an academy, furnished with men so eminent, that they are said to have excelled in all arts of polite learning and philosophy; even the academies of Alexandria, and Athens, and Rome itself, were indebted to it for their best professors. It is now called Tersoos; has no good buildings; and is but ill supplied with the necessaries of life. (Irby's and Mangles' Travels, p. 503.) TAXES paid by the Jews. See pp. 78, 79. TEACHERS, Jewish, appellations of, 185. Academical degrees conferred on them, ibid. note. Manner of teaching, ibid. TEKOAH, a village south-east of Jerusalem, not far from which the Great Desert commenced: it was the birth-place of the prophet Amos. (i. 1.) TEMPLE at Jerusalem, plan of, 98. Account of the first temple erected by Solomon, ibid.; and of the second temple erected after the captivity, 98-100. Reverence of the Jews for it, 100, 101. Account of the temple-guard, 101., and of the ministers of the temple, 111-114. The temple-worship described, 121, 122. Annual payments made for its support, 78. Feast of the dedication of the temple, 128. TEMPLES at Heliopolis and Gerizim, 101. TERRACES (Oriental), notice of, 153. TERTIUS, a Christian whom St. Paul employed as his amanuensis in writing his epistle to the Romans. (Rom. xvi. 22.) TERTULLUS, a Roman orator or advocate, whom the Jews TH employed to bring forward their accusation against St. Paul, before the Roman procurator at Cæsarea; probably because they were themselves unacquainted with the modes of proceeding in the Roman courts. (Acts xxiv. 1, 2.) TESSERE HOSPITALES, notice of, 173, 174. TETRARCH, office of, 52, note 1. THADDEUS. See JUDE. THAMMUZ. See TAMMUZ. THEATRES and Theatrical performances, allusions to, explained. See pp. 190, 191. THEBETH, or TEBETH, the fourth month of the civil year of the Jews, and the tenth of their ecclesiastical year. For a notice of the festivals, &c. in this month, see p. 75. THEBEZ, a city in the tribe of Ephraim, at the siege of which Abimelech was killed. (Judg. ix. 50-55.) Eusebius says, that in the fourth century there was a village called Thebez, thirteen Roman miles from Shechem. THEFT, punishment of, among the Jews, 62, 63. THEOCRACY of the Hebrews, nature of, 41. It subsisted under the kings, 43. THEOPHILUS, the name of the person to whom Luke inscribed his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. (Luke i. 3. Acts i. 1.) He was most probably some Gentile of rank, who had abjured paganism and embraced the Christian faith. THESSALONICA, a large and populous city and sea-port of Macedonia, the capital of one of the four districts into which the Romans divided that country after its conquest by Paulus Æmilius. It was situated on the Thermaan Bay, and was anciently called Therma; but, being rebuilt by Philip the father of Alexander, after his victory over the Thessalians, it then received the name of Thessalonica. At the time of writing the Epistle to the Thessalonians, Thessalonica was the residence of the proconsul who governed the province of Macedonia, and of the quæstor who had the charge of the imperial revenues. Besides being the seat of government, this port carried on an extensive commerce, which caused a great influx of strangers from all quarters; so that Thessalonica was remarkable for the number, wealth, and learning its inhabitants. The Jews were extremely numerous here. The modern name of this place is Salonichi: it is the chief port of modern Greece, and has a population of sixty thousand persons, twelve thousand of whom are Jews. According to Dr. Clarke, who has given a very interesting account of the antiquities, present state, and commerce of Thessalonica, this place is the same now it was then; a set of turbulent Jews constituted a very principal part of its population: and when St. Paul came hither from Philippi, where the Gospel was first preached, to communicate the "glad tidings" to the Thessalonians, the Jews were sufficient in number to "set all the city in an uproar." THEUDAS, a seditious person, who excited popular tumults among the Jews, probably during the interregnum which followed the death of Herod the Great, while Archelaus was at Rome; at which time Judæa was agitated with frequent sedi tions. (Acts v. 36.) Compare Vol. I, p. 420. THISBE, a town in the tribe of Naphtali, to the south of Kadesh, the chief city belonging to that tribe. The prophet Elijah is supposed to have been a native of this city, though he might afterwards have dwelt in the land of Gilead. (1 Kings xvii. 1.) THOMAS, called Didymus, one of the twelve apostles of the circumstances of whose life very little is known. THORNS, of which Christ's crown was made, 36, note 2. THREE TAVERNS, a small place or village on the Appian Way to Rome, where travellers stopped for refreshment. According to the Itinerary of Antoninus, it was thirty-three Roman (rather less than thirty-three English) miles from Rome. (Acts xxviii. 15.) Some critics and commentators, however, suppose that they were retail shops for the sale of provisions to travellers. THRESHING, and THRESHING-FLOORS, account of, 178. THYATIRA, a city of Asia Minor, was a considerable city in the road from Pergamos to Sardis, and about forty-eight miles eastward of the former. It is called by the Turks Akhisar, and is imbosomed in cypresses and poplars; it is now, as anciently it was, celebrated for dyeing. In 1826, the population was esti mated at 300 Greek houses, 30 Armenian, and 1000 Turkish. (Hartley's Visit, Miss. Reg. pp. 326, 327. Arundell's Visit, pp. 189-191.) TIBERIAS (John vi. 1–23. xxi. 1.), still called by the natives Tabaria or Tabbareeah, was anciently one of the principal cities of Galilee it was built by Herod the Great, and so called in honour of the emperor, Tiberius. The privileges conferred upon |