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SACRED GEOGRAPHY;

OR,

GAZETTEER OF THE BIBLE.

AASAR, a town of Palestine, in the tribe of Judah, between Azotus and Askalon, which in the time of Jerome was a hamlet.

ABANA, a river of Damascus, mentioned by Naaman, the king of Syria's general, in these terms, are not Abana and Pharphar rivers of Damascus, better than all the rivers of Israel,' 2 Kings v, 12. Calmet is of opinion, that this river is the same with Barrady or Chrysorrhoas, which, according to Maundrill, derives its source from the foot of mount Libanus towards the east, and runs round Damascus and through it, and so continues its course, till its waters are lost in the wilderness, at the distance of four or five leagues from the city. The compilers of the Encyclopedia suppose its source is in mount Hermon, and that it falls into the Phenician sea to the north of Tripolis. The Greeks called it Chrysorrhoas. Lat. 31,

20.

ABARIM, a chain of moun tains between the Jordan and Arnon, (Numb. xxvii, 12,) reaching a great way into the tribe of Reuben, and the coun try of the Moabites; composed of many hills, under different names. The mountains, Nebo, Pisgah, and Peor, were parts of the Abarim. See the article Nebo, &c. They were high mountains and of steep ascent, separating the land of Canaan from the Ammonites and Moabites. From their summits was a grand view of Canaan. According to Josephus they stood opposite to Jericho, and were the last station of Israel, excepting one, as they were entering Canaan. Lat. 31, 30. Kimpton.

ABEL BETHMAACHAH, a city of Palestine, placed by Jerome in the tribe of Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Jerusalem; but more probably it was a city in the tribe of Naphtali, in the north of Palestine; for here we find a place of this name, taken by Benha

dad, king of Syria. 1 Kings xv, 20; and afterwards by the king of Assyria, 2 Kings xv,29. ABEL KERAMIM, a town, which lay east of the Jordan, in the country of the Ammonites, where Jephthah de feated that people; it abounds in vines; it was also called Abela. Abila signifies a mountain, in the Phenician language. Probably therefore, this town was built on a mountain.

ABEL THE GREAT, the name of a large stone lying in the field of one Joshua, a Bethshemite, on which the ark was placed, when it was sent back by the Philistines. It is thought to have been called by this name, which signifies great mourning, on account of the vast number of Bethshemites, that were punished by God on this occasion, for we are told (1 Sam. vi, 18,19;) that no less than fifty thousand, threescore, and ten Bethshemites were smitten for looking into the ark of the Lord. Lat. 32, 36.

ABELA, See ABELKERAMIM, a city a city in the land of Bashan, in the half tribe of Manasseh, 12 miles from Gadara, east. Jerome says, it was remarkable for good wine. Lat. 33, 5.

ABEL-MEHOLAH, OR ABELMEA, being the country of Elijah, (1 Kings xix, 16.) It was also the birthplace of Elisha the prophet. According to Eusebius, it was sixteen miles distant from Scythopolis; it was situated on the west of Jordan, between the valley of Jezreel and the village of Bethmaela in the plains of Jordan, where the Midianites were defeated by Gideon. Lat. 32, 12.

ABEL-MIZRAIM, a place some distance west from Jerichoand Jordan, and not far from Hebron. It was before the threshing floor of Atad, but on account of the mourning here for Jacob, it was called AbelMizraim, signifying, the lamentation of the Egyptians, the peo ple of the place supposing that all the people, who composed this funeral procession were Egyptians. Some suppose

it was between the Jordan and the city of Jericho.

ABEL-SHITTIM, or SHITTIM, a city situate in the plains of Moab beyond Jordan, opposite to Jericho. (Numb. xxxiii, 49; and xxv, 1; and Josh. ii, 1.) and Josh. ii, 1.) Eusebius says it stood in the neighborhood of mount Peor. Moses encamped at Abel-Shittim,

sometime before the Hebrew army passed the Jordan. Here the Israelites fell into idolatry and worshipped Baal-Peor, for which God punished them, so severely by the hands of the Levites. The place stood north-east from the Dead Sea, * and received its name from the great number of Shittim or Sittim trees, which grew there. As Abel denotes mourning in Hebrew, some have thought, this place received its name on account of the mourning and lamentations of the people here, on account of the destruction made among them for the sin above mentioned. See Numb. xxv, 1-9. Some of them being hanged, others slain, others others dying of the plague, to the number of twenty-four thousand. Whether Ábel-Shittim and Shittim were two places is somewhat uncertain. Perhaps Shittim was the city, and Abel-Shittim the valley or plain, where was an encampment of Israel. ABEN-BOHAN, See BoHAN. Lat. 31, 31.

ABEZ, a city belonging to the tribe of Issachar. Josh. 19,20. ABILA, or ABEL, HOBAL, or HOBA, or ABELBETH-MAACHA, OR ABEL-MAIN, a town, north of Damascus, between Libanus and Anti-Libanus.

Joab besieged this town, during the revolt of Sheba. Lat. 32, 22.

ABILENE, a small canton in Coelo Syria, between Lebanon and Anti-Libanus. It lay west from Damascus. The town of Abilene stood at the bottom of the valley on the bank of Chrysorrhoas, the channel of which Mr. Maundrel says, is very rocky. Here Lysanias was governor in the 15th year of Tiberias, Luke iii, 1. This was a considerable town, and its vineyards were extensive and fruitful, as we are informed by Jerome and Eusebius. Being the capital, it gave name to the district around. Eusebius says it lay between Paneas and Damascus. This is only one of many instances in which we shall find the same place obscured by having more than one name. See Abelbeth-maachah.

ACCARON a town of Judea. It was the boundary of Philistia north, not far from Bethshemeth and the sea. This town was famous for the idol Baalzebub, who was worshipped here under the same attributes with Achor, the god of flies; from this circumstance, according to the celebrated Bryant, this city derived its name. It is 34 miles from

Jerusalem.

It first fell to the lot of Judah, and was after. wards given to the tribe of Dan. Lat., 31, 55. Long. 34, 57, E.

ACCAD, a city built by Nimrod, the situation of which is not very well known. The Septuagint read it Archad. Gen. x, 10. Jerome says, it was a city of Babylon, that in his day it was called Nisibis, that it was besieged and taken by the Romans, and in a few years after delivered to the Persians. Lat 32, 5.

ACCHO, afterwards called Ptolemais, lies north of mount Carmel with a harbor to the sea. It fell to the tribe of Asher by division, Judges i, 31. The Israelites would not extirpate the inhabitants of Accho, and it continued in the hand of the Canaanites. See Acre. It has for 300 years been subject to the Turks, and is remarkable for castles, palaces, and churches in ruins. It is thinly inhabited, but has an old church and a bishop. Lat. 32, 58.

ACELDAMA, that is, the inheritance or potion of blood; by this name was that field cal. led, which the priests purchased with the thirty pieces of silver, that had been given to Judas Iscariot, as the price

for the blood of Jesus Christ, (Matt. xxvii, 8; and. Acts i, 18.) Judas having brought this money back into the temple, and the priests thinking it was not lawful to make use of it for the service of so holy a place, because it was the price of blood, they bought a potters field to be a burying place for strangers. This field is shown at this day to travellers. It lies south of Jerusalem; the place is small, and covered with an arched roof. 'It is said to have been the same with the Fullers field, lying on the south side of Jerusalem, where they whitened their cloth,' Isaiah vii, 3. It was the potters field, where they dug their materials, of course, it must have been entirely barren; and was, therefore, bought as a burying place for strangers.

ACHAIA, a province of Greece of which Corinth was the capital, where St. Paul preached, (Acts xviii, 12;) and St. Andrew suffered martyrdom. This province of the Peloponnessus was bounded west by the Ionian sea, south by Elis and Arcadia, and east by Sicyonia. It is now called Romania, Alta in the Morea, The Romans divided all Greece into two provinces Macedonina, and Achaia. Under

the former they include Epirus and Thessaly; under the latter, Greece, properly so called, and the Peloponnessus. The word Greece in the Old Testament was used in its most extensive sense, and included MacedoDia. In the New Testament it does not include Macedonia, and is equivalent to Achaia in the Roman sense of the word, that is, including not only Greece proper, but the Pelo ponnessus in which lay Achaia proper. Lat. 36, 30.

ACHMETHA, (Ezra vi, 2.) See the article Ecbatana. But some suppose it does not denote a place, or town; but a' box or press, in which the old rolls of the Medo-Persian court were deposited.

ACHOR, a valley in the territory of Jericho, and in the tribe of Benjamin, or on the north border of Judah, where Achan, his sons, and daughters, were stoned to death. The valley lay along the Jordan, not far from Gilgal; it was so called from Achan, or as others, more probably suppose, from the trouble suffered there on his account, Achor in Hebrew signifying trouble. Lat. 31,

44.

ACHSAPH, a city belong ing to the tribe of Asher, the king of which was conquered by Joshua (xii, 20.) It is

thought probable, that Achsaph and Achzib are but different names for the same town, of Ecdippa upon the coasts of Phoenicia and not far from mount Tabor. See Achzib .In the time of Jerome, about four hundred years after Christ, this was a small village called Chasalus.

ACHZIB, a city belonging to the tribe of Asher, (Josh. xix, 29;) thought to be the same, which the Greeks called Ecdippa, and at present is cal led Zib. It was situated near the Mediterranean sea, between Tyre and Ptolemais. See Achsaph. In the tribe of Judah was another town of the same name.

ACRA, one of the hills in Jerusalem, on which stood the tower or old city, which was the old Jerusalem, to which was afterwards added Zion, or the city of David. Probably it was called Acra, from the fortress, which Antiochus built there, in order to annoy the temple, and which Simon Maccabeus took and razed to the ground. He spent three years in levelling the mountain. Here was afterwards built the palace of Helena, also another for Agrippa.

ACRABATENE, a district of Judea, extending itself between Shechem and Jericho, in

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