The Bible cyclopædia: or, Illustrations of the civil and natural history of ...

ACHMETHA.

fortified. The sides and summit are covered with large remnants of ruined walls of a great thickness, and also of towers, the materials of which were sun-dried bricks. It has the name of the Inner Fortress, and certainly❘ holds the most commanding situation near the plain."

When the name of Ecbatana merged into that of Hamadan, the lofty city of Astyages lost its honour and importance. While it retained its ancient designation it was regarded as the city in which great monarchs had dictated their decrees, and where "Cyrus, the king, had placed in the house of the rolls of its palace, the record wherein was written his order for rebuilding Jerusalem." It was even of some consequence, three centuries after the commencement of the Christian era until towards the end of the fourteenth century, when it received its most disastrous blow, from Timour the Tartar, who sacked, pillaged, and destroyed its proudest buildings, ruined the inhabitants, and reduced the gorgeous summer residence of the Persian and Parthian kings, one of the most considerable cities of the East, to a mere skeleton of its former greatness.

In that dismantled state it lay, dwindled to a mere clay-built suburb of what it was, until the middle of the eighteenth century, although it still possessed iron gates, when Aga Mahomed Khan, then sovereign of Persia, not satisfied with the degradation of nearly four hundred years, ordered every memorial or building of consequence, to be destroyed. His commands were faithfully obeyed.

Narrow mud alleys occupy the sites of former streets and squares, interrupted by large holes or hollows, in the way, and crumbled walls of deserted dwellings. "A miserable bazaar, or two," says Sir Robert Ker Porter, "are passed through, in traversing the town, and large, lonely spots are met with, marked by broken low mounds, over older ruins, with here and there a few poplars, or willow trees, shadowing the border of a dirty stream, abandoned to the meanest purposes, which probably flowed pellucid and admired, when these places were gardens, and the grass-grown heap some stately dwelling of Ecbatana. The only thing that appears for some years to have kept the place in any degree of notice with the modern Persians, is the manufacture of an inferior sort of leather; but the very article of traffic proclaims the low order of population to which it has been abandoned, and, as I passed through the wretched hovelled streets, and saw the once lofty city of Astyages, sbrunk like a shrivelled gourd, the contemplation of such a spectacle, called forth more saddening reflections, than any that had been awakened in me on any former ground of departed greatness. In some, I had seen mouldering pomp, or sublime desolation; in this, every object spoke of neglect, and hopeless poverty-not majesty in stately ruins, pining to final dissolution, but beggary, seated on the place which kings had occupied, squalid in rags, and stupid with misery."

Mr. Buckingham found Hamadan in almost the same situation, when he visited it; although it had, a few years previously, been created a royal government, to which Mahmoud Ali Mirza, a son of the Shah, had been appointed; and palaces, mansions, new bazars, and mercantile caravanserais, were erecting, or had been planned. "The entrance to the town of Hamadan, was as mean as that of the smallest village we had seen; and great ruin and desertion were apparent on every side. We continued our way through poor bazaars, and miserable streets, until after much difficulty, we obtained shelter in a half ruined caravansera." Sir Robert Ker Porter estimates the number of houses at nine thousand, a third of which are inhabited by persons employed by the State, who are thereby exempted from the taxation of the town, and the population at between 40,000 and 50,000

souls, amongst whom, there are about six hundred Jewish families, and nearly the same number of Armenians.

In the time of Benjamin of Tudela, who visited Hamadan, and describes the tomb of Esther and Mordecai, there were no less than fifty thousand Jews settled in it, which is more than the whole of the present population; while in the city of Ispahan, although the chief priest, on whom all the Jews of Persia were dependent, resided there in a kind of college, there were not more than fifteen thousand. This fact certainly proves, not only the high antiquity of Hamadan; but that it was also regarded with such peculiar veneration by the Jews, as to draw more of them to reside in it, than in Ispahan.

Ecbatana, or Hamadan, is not without its local traditions, connected with sacred history. On the mountain Orontes, or Elwund, the body of a son of King Solomon is pretended to be buried, but what son is not mentioned. It is a large square platform, a little raised, formed by manual labour, out of the native rock, which is ascended by a few rugged steps, and is assuredly no covering of the dead. It is a very ancient piece of workmanship, but how it came to be connected, with a son of the Jewish monarch, does not appear. The Jewish natives of Hamadan are credulous as to the reputed story, and it is not unlikely that it was, originally, a mountain altar to the sun, illustrating what we often read in Scripture, respecting the idolatrous sacrificial worship, in "high places." The natives believe, that certain ravines of the mountain produce a plant which can transform all kinds of metal into gold, and also cure every possible disease. They admit that no one had ever found it, but their belief in its existence is nevertheless unshaken. They also have a fabulous legend respecting a stone on the side of this mountain, which reminds the English reader of the celebrated story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, in the Arabian Nights. This stone contains an inscription in cabalistic characters, unintelligible to every one who has hitherto looked on it; but it is believed that if any person could read the characters aloud, an effect would be produced, which will shake the mountain to its centre, it being the protecting spell of an immense hidden treasure; and these characters, once pronounced, would procure instant admittance from the genii of this subterranean cavern, and the wealth it contains would be laid at the feet of the fortunate invoker of this golden "Sesame!"

The most interesting local tradition at Hamadan, is, that which alleges it to be the burying-place of Esther and Mordecai, the tomb of whom is still shown—a circumstance of itself sufficient to attest the antiquity of the place. Its dome roof rises over the habitations of the poor remnant of Israel who still linger in the land of their captivity, living memorials of the truth of the inspired record. This tomb is regarded by all the Jews of Persia as a place of peculiar sanctity; and pilgrimages are still made to it, at certain seasons of the year, in the same spirit of devout penitence, with which, in former times, they turned their eyes towards Jerusalem. salem."The sepulchre," says Sir John Malcolm, "is not splendid, but we must recollect it was not likely that either Ahasuerus, or his successor, would build a mausoleum, as such mode of interment was contrary to the religion they professed; but their permitting the Jews to build a tomb in the most public place of Ecbatana, implies an extraordinary respect for those, to perpetuate whose memory such an edifice was erected."

The original structure was destroyed, it is said, at the sacking of Ecbatana, by Timour, and after that disastrous event, the present unobtrusive building was erected, on the ancient spot, at the expense of several devout Jews; and about the end of the seventeenth century, it

ACHMETHA

was fully repaired by a rabbi, of the name of Ismael. It

-ACHSHAPH.

The following is the inscription, carved round the sar

daughters, whose perfect beauty was even excelled by her virtue, modesty, and humility:

is a small square building of brick, having the appear-cophagus of Esther the queen, one of Israel's fairest ance of a mosque, and a dome rather elongated on the top. It is described as being again in a frail state, and requiring another repair. The door of the tomb is very small, and consists of a single stone of great thickness, turning on its own pivot from one side. On passing through the little portal, the visitor is introduced into a small arched chamber, in which are seen the graves of several rabbis, some of which may contain the bodies of the first rebuilders of the tomb, after the destruction of the original one by Timour.

A second door, of very confined dimensions, is at the end of this vestibule, by which the entrance is made into a large apartment, on hands and knees, and under the concave, stand two sarcophagi, made of very dark wood, curiously and richly carved, with a line of Hebrew inscription running round the upper ledge of each. Other inscriptions, in the same language, are cut on the walls, while one of the most ancient, engraved on a white marble slab, is let into the wall itself. This slab is traditionally alleged to have been preserved from the ruins of the edifice destroyed by Timour, with the sarcophagi in the same consecrated spot.

Sir Robert Ker Porter was fortunate in procuring translations of these ancient inscriptions. The first is a Hebrew one, on the marble slab in the sepulchre of Esther and Mordecai, which is as follows:-"Mordecai, beloved and honoured by a king, was great and good. His garments were as those of a sovereign. Ahasuerus covered him with this rich dress, and also placed a golden chain around his neck. The city of Susa, (or Shushan,) rejoiced at his honours, and his high fortune became the glory of the Jews."

This entirely agrees with the early custom common with the Persian monarchs, of investing their ministers and favourites, with splendid robes, golden chains, and other ornaments; a custom which is still observed in Persia, when marks of distinction or favour are conferred; and, as Xenophon informs us that death would be the punishment of any noble, however illustrious, who dared to assume to himself, the royal mixture of purple and white, we may easily infer the peculiar honour bestowed on Mordecai. The inscription on the marble slab is corroborated by the account in the book of Esther. "And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced, and was glad." (Esther 8. 15.) Again, it is said, "Mordecai the Jew was next unto King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed." (10. 3.)

The inscription which encompasses the sarcophagus of Mordecai, is to the following effect :

"It is said by David, Preserve me, O God! I am now in thy presence. I have cried at the gate of heaven that thou art my God, and what goodness I have received from thee, O Lord!

"Those whose bodies are now beneath, in this earth, when animated by thy mercy, were great; and whatever happiness was bestowed upon them in this world, came from thee, O God!

"Their griefs and sufferings were many at the first, but they became happy, because they always called upon thy name in their miseries. Thou liftedst me up, and I became powerful. Thine enemies sought to destroy me in the early times of my life; but the shadow of thy hand was upon me, and covered me as a tent, from their wicked purposes !-Mordecai."

"I praise thee, O God, that thou hast created me! I know that my sins merit punishment, yet I hope for mercy at thy hands; for whenever I call upon thee, thou art with me; thy holy presence secures me from all evil.

"My heart is at ease, and my fear of thee increases. My life became, through thy goodness, at the last, full of peace.

"Oh God! do not shut my soul out from thy Divine Presence! Those whom thou lovest never feel the torments of hell. Lead me, O merciful Father, to the life of life, that I may be filled with the heavenly fruits of Paradise!-Esther."

In the apocryphal book of Esther, there is an interesting confirmation of these pious sentiments. The key of the tomb is always in the possession of the head of the Jews resident at Hamadan, "and, doubtless," says Sir Robert Ker Porter, "has been so preserved from the interment of the holy pair, when the grateful sons of the captivity, whose lives they had rescued from a universal massacre, first erected a monument over the remains of their benefactors, and obeyed the ordinance of gratitude, in making the anniversary of their preservation, a lasting memorial of Heaven's mercy, and the just faith of Esther and Mordecai."

In the same apocryphal book of Esther (10. 12,13) it is thus given. "So God remembered his people, and justified his inheritance. Therefore those days shall be unto them in the month Adar, the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the same month, with an assembly, and joy, and with gladness before God, according to the generations for ever among his people." It is remarkable, that this annual assembling or pilgrimage to the ancient city of Esther and Mordecai is still kept up; it has existed from the time of the memorable event; such a memorial, therefore, becomes an evidence of the fact, more convincing, perhaps, than even written testimony-it is a kind of eye-witness.

The

The climate of Ecbatana is delightful, during eight months of the year, the air being rendered agreeable by a light breeze blowing continually during the hot months, from the north-west. In winter, however, the cold is excessive, and fuel is procured with difficulty. plain is intersected by innumerable little streams, covered with gardens and villages, and the vegetation is most luxuriant. Ecbatana is in latitude 34° 47' N., and longitude 47° 52′ E. Sir Robert Ker Porter; Sir John Malcolm; Horne; Script. Gaz.; Calmet.

ACHOR, The name of a valley not far from Jericho, (Joshua 7. 26,) near to the river Jordan, in the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin. It was in this valley that Achan, his sons, and his daughters, the concealed articles, his cattle, his tent and everything which belonged to him, were taken, and after being stoned to death, their bodies and the goods were consumed by fire.

The Israelites raised a heap or cairn of stones over their ashes, which the author of the Book of Joshua says, remained in his time. This event occurred A.C. 1451. See Ar.

ACHSAH, Dy The daughter of Caleb, whe promised her in marriage to him who should conquer Kirjathsepher from the Philistines. Othniel took the place and married Achsah. (Josh. 15, 16,17.)

ACHSHAPH, The name of a city which belonged to the tribe of Asher. (Josh. 19. 25.) The

ACHZIB -ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

king of Achshaph was conquered by Joshua, (12. 20.) Some writers are of opinion, that Achshaph is the same as Ecdippa on the Mediterranean, between Tyre and Ptolemais; others that Ecdippa is described in Josh. 19. 29, under the name of Achzib. In St. Jerome's time, about 400 years after Christ, it was a small village called Chasalus. Mr. Buckingham, who visited this place in January, 1816, found it a small town situated on a hill near the sea, and having a few palm trees rearing themselves above the houses.

ACHZIB, ON The name of a sea-port town belonging to the tribe of Asher, between Accho and Tyre, situated on the shores of the Mediterranean. (Josh. 19. 29.) It is denominated Zib by the Arabs.

Another town of this name belonged to the tribe of Judah and was strongly fortified. (Josh. 15. 44.) The prophet Micah says, (1. 14,)" the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel,” i. e. that the kings of Israel were deceived or disappointed by the inhabitants of Achzib during the Assyrian invasion.

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 1. The Acts of the Apostles form the fifth and last of the historical books of the New Testament, constituting an interesting and im, portant record of the early history of the Christian Church. In several very ancient manuscripts and versions it is placed after the Epistles of St. Paul. It has had several titles; Ecumenius termed it The Gospel of the Holy Spirit; and Chrysostom The Book of the Demonstration of the Resurrection. In the Codex Beza, or Cambridge manuscript, it is called The Acts or Transactions of the Apostles. In the Codex AlexanActs of the Holy Apostles, which title is also adopted by drinus, and many other manuscripts, it is entitled The

many of the Greek and Latin fathers.

affirmed by the unanimous testimonies of the early 2. That St. Luke the Evangelist was the author, is Christians, and demonstrated also from its introduction, He appears to have accompanied Saint Paul from Troas to Philippi; he also attended him to Jerusalem, and afterwards to Rome, where he remained two years, during that Apostle's first confinement. Accordingly we find St. Luke particularly mentioned in two of the epistles written by St. Paul from Rome during that imprisonment. (Col. 4. 14; Philem. 24.) As the book of the Acts is continued to the end of the second year of Saint Paul's imprisonment, it could not have been written before the year 63; and as the death of that Apostle is not mentioned, it is probable that the book was composed before that event, which is supposed to have happened A.D. 65. For these reasons, Michaëlis, Dr. Lardner, Dr. Benson, Rosenmüller, Bishop Tomline, and the generality of critics, assign the date of this book to the year 63.

3. Chrysostom, and other writers inform us that this book was annually read in the churches, every day between the festivals of Easter and Pentecost or Whitsuntide. The Valentinians, indeed, as well as the Mar Mr. Robinson who visited the spot in 1831, says, "We cionites, Severians, and some Manichæans, rejected the entered by the gate of Jaffa, or Bethlehem, as it is in- Acts of the Apostles, not from historical reasons, but bedifferently called, when turning suddenly to the left, in cause they opposed their opinions; for the Gnostics, of a few minutes we arrived at the Latin convent of Saint which sect, the Valentinians and Marcionites were a Salvador, situated in the north-west corner of the city on branch, affirmed that the God of the Old Testament was the sloping edge of what is supposed to be Mount Gihon. different from the God of the New Testament; and that Our party being rather numerous, apartments were as- another Christ, different from our Saviour, was promised. signed to us in the Casa Nova. The large room that The Severians and Encratites strenuously insisted upon fell to our lot had been at one time occupied by the late abstinence from certain articles of food; whereas in the Queen Caroline of England. Jerusalem is the head-book of the Acts, the promiscuous use of food is allowed. quarters of the chapter for the government of the Terra Santa establishments. They receive their nomination from the General of the order of St. Francis. The usual complement of monks is about forty. The convent is a large irregular building of stone, with several courts and gardens, the whole enclosed by a strong wall."

It was

Manes wished himself to be taken for the "Comforter" who had been promised by Christ to his Apostles; but in the Acts it is related, that the Comforter that had been so promised, was the Holy Spirit who had been sent.

The reasons, therefore, why the book was rejected by the above-mentioned sects, were not historical, but ACRABATENE, a district of Judæa, extending doctrinal; because the narrative of the sacred historian contradicted their dogmas; and as their errors were debetween Shechem and Jericho, inclining east. tected and refuted by contemporary writers, the unabout twelve miles in length according to Eusebius. The Acrabatene had its name from a place called Ak-qualified and unsupported assertions of these heretics rabbim, about nine miles from Shechem. It was also the name of another district of Judæa, on the frontier of Idumæa towards the northern extremity of the Dead Sea.

ACRE. The English acre is 4840 square yards; the Scotch, 6150 and two-fifths; the Roman, 3200; and the Egyptian aroura, 3698 and seven-eighths.

The Hebrew word y translated Acre, is a piece of land which can be ploughed by a pair of oxen in one day, and might be properly termed a yoke. (1Sam. 14. 14; Isaiah 5. 10.) The Egyptians ploughed with two oxen yoked together.

ACRE. See ACCнo.

are so far from impugning the veracity and genuineness of the Acts of the Apostles, that, on the contrary, they afford a decisive testimony in favour of the book.

4. The design of St. Luke not being to write a general history, he passes by all the transactions in the Church of Jerusalem after the conversion of St. Paul, though the Apostles continued for some time in Palestine. He also omits to notice the propagation of Christianity in Egypt or in the countries bordering on the Euphrates and the Tigris. The journey of St. Paul into Arabia; the state of Christianity in Babylon (1Peter 5. 13); the foundation of the Church at Rome, which had already received an Epistle from St. Paul; several of his voyages; and many other matters of which he could not possibly be

was fully repaired by a rabbi, of the name of Ismael. It is a small square building of brick, having the appearance of a mosque, and a dome rather elongated on the top. It is described as being again in a frail state, and requiring another repair. The door of the tomb is very small, and consists of a single stone of great thickness, turning on its own pivot from one side. On passing through the little portal, the visitor is introduced into a small arched chamber, in which are seen the graves of several rabbis, some of which may contain the bodies of the first rebuilders of the tomb, after the destruction of the original one by Timour.

The inscription which encompasses the sarcophagus of Mordecai, is to the following effect :

"It is said by David, Preserve me, O God! I am now in thy presence. I have cried at the gate of heaven that thou art my God, and what goodness I have received from thee, O Lord!

"Those whose bodies are now beneath, in this earth, when animated by thy mercy, were great; and whatever happiness was bestowed upon them in this world, came from thee, O God!

The following is the inscription, carved round the sar cophagus of Esther the queen, one of Israel's fairest daughters, whose perfect beauty was even excelled by her virtue, modesty, and humility:

"My heart is at ease, and my fear of thee increases. My life became, through thy goodness, at the last, full of peace.

In the apocryphal book of Esther, there is an interesting confirmation of these pious sentiments. The key of the tomb is always in the possession of the head of the Jews resident at Hamadan, “and, doubtless," says Sir Robert Ker Porter, "has been so preserved from the interment of the holy pair, when the grateful sons of the captivity, whose lives they had rescued from a universal massacre, first erected a monument over the remains of their benefactors, and obeyed the ordinance of gratitude, in making the anniversary of their preservation, a lasting memorial of Heaven's mercy, and the just faith of Esther and Mordecai."

In the same apocryphal book of Esther (10. 12,13) it is thus given. "So God remembered his people, and justified his inheritance. Therefore those days shall be unto them in the month Adar, the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the same month, with an assembly, and joy, and with gladness before God, according to the genera tions for ever among his people." It is remarkable, that this annual assembling or pilgrimage to the ancient city of Esther and Mordecai is still kept up; it has existed from the time of the memorable event; such a memorial, therefore, becomes an evidence of the fact, more convincing, perhaps, than even written testimony-it is a kind of eye-witness.

The climate of Ecbatana is delightful, during eight months of the year, the air being rendered agreeable by a light breeze blowing continually during the hot months, from the north-west. In winter, however, the cold is excessive, and fuel is procured with difficulty. The plain is intersected by innumerable little streams, covered with gardens and villages, and the vegetation is most luxuriant. Ecbatana is in latitude 34° 47' N., and longitude 47° 52′ E. Sir Robert Ker Porter; Sir John Malcolm; Horne; Script. Gaz.; Calmet.

The Israelites raised a heap or cairn of stones over their ashes, which the author of the Book of Joshua says, remained in his time. This event occurred A.C. 1451. See AI.

ACHSAH, My The daughter of Caleb, who promised her in marriage to him who should conquer Kirjathsepher from the Philistines. Othniel took the place and married Achsah. (Josh. 15, 16,17.)

ACHSHAPH, belonged to the tribe of

The name of a city which Asher. (Josh. 19. 25.) The

ACHZIB, N The name of a sea-port town belonging to the tribe of Asher, between Accho and Tyre,

situated on the shores of the Mediterranean. (Josh. 19. 29.) It is denominated Zib by the Arabs.

Another town of this name belonged to the tribe of Judah and was strongly fortified. (Josh. 15. 44.) The prophet Micah says, (1. 14,) ❝ the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel,” i. e. that the kings of Israel were deceived or disappointed by the inhabitants of Achzib during the Assyrian invasion.

ACRA, a Greek word, Axpa, signifying a citadel. Antiochus Epiphanes built a citadel at Jerusalem, north of the Temple, on an eminence which commanded the Holy Place; and for that reason was called Acra. Josephus says that this eminence was semicircular, and that Simon Maccabæus, having expelled the Syrians, who had seized Acra, demolished it, and spent three years in levelling the mountain on which it stood; that no situation in future should command the Temple. On Mount Acra were afterwards built the palace of Helena, also that of Agrippa, the place where the public records were lodged; and also that where the magistrates of Jerusalem assembled. On it now stand, the Latin convent of the Terra Santa, the castle of the Pisans, or citadel of David, as it is popularly called; the gate of Jaffa, &c., overlooking the whole of the town. See JERUSALEM. Mr. Robinson who visited the spot in 1831, says, "We entered by the gate of Jaffa, or Bethlehem, as it is indifferently called, when turning suddenly to the left, in a few minutes we arrived at the Latin convent of Saint Salvador, situated in the north-west corner of the city on the sloping edge of what is supposed to be Mount Gihon. Our party being rather numerous, apartments were assigned to us in the Casa Nova. The large room that fell to our lot had been at one time occupied by the late Queen Caroline of England. Jerusalem is the headquarters of the chapter for the government of the Terra Santa establishments. They receive their nomination from the General of the order of St. Francis. The usual complement of monks is about forty. The convent is a large irregular building of stone, with several courts and gardens, the whole enclosed by a strong wall."

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 1. The Acts of the Apostles form the fifth and last of the historical books of the New Testament, constituting an interesting and important record of the early history of the Christian Church. In several very ancient manuscripts and ver¬ sions it is placed after the Epistles of St. Paul. It has had several titles; Ecumenius termed it The Gospel of the Holy Spirit; and Chrysostom The Book of the Demonstration of the Resurrection. In the Codex Beza, or Cambridge manuscript, it is called The Acts or Transactions of the Apostles. In the Codex AlexanActs of the Holy Apostles, which title is also adopted by drinus, and many other manuscripts, it is entitled The

many of the Greek and Latin fathers.

affirmed by the unanimous testimonies of the early 2. That St. Luke the Evangelist was the author, is Christians, and demonstrated also from its introduction. He appears to have accompanied Saint Paul from Troas to Philippi; he also attended him to Jerusalem, and afterwards to Rome, where he remained two years, during that Apostle's first confinement. Accordingly we find St. Luke particularly mentioned in two of the epistles written by St. Paul from Rome during that imprisonment. (Col. 4. 14; Philem. 24.) As the book of the Acts is continued to the end of the second year of Saint Paul's imprisonment, it could not have been written before the year 63; and as the death of that Apostle is not mentioned, it is probable that the book was composed before that event, which is supposed to have happened A.D. 65. For these reasons, Michaëlis, Dr. Lardner, Dr. Benson, Rosenmüller, Bishop Tomline, and the generality of critics, assign the date of this book to the year 63.

3. Chrysostom, and other writers inform us that this book was annually read in the churches, every day between the festivals of Easter and Pentecost or Whitsuntide. The Valentinians, indeed, as well as the Marcionites, Severians, and some Manichæans, rejected the Acts of the Apostles, not from historical reasons, but because they opposed their opinions; for the Gnostics, of which sect, the Valentinians and Marcionites were a branch, affirmed that the God of the Old Testament was different from the God of the New Testament; and that another Christ, different from our Saviour, was promised. The Severians and Encratites strenuously insisted upon abstinence from certain articles of food; whereas in the book of the Acts, the promiscuous use of food is allowed. Manes wished himself to be taken for the "Comforter" who had been promised by Christ to his Apostles; but in the Acts it is related, that the Comforter that had been so promised, was the Holy Spirit who had been sent.

The reasons, therefore, why the book was rejected by the above-mentioned sects, were not historical, but ACRABATENE, a district of Judæa, extending doctrinal; because the narrative of the sacred historian between Shechem and Jericho, inclining east. It was contradicted their dogmas; and as their errors were detected and refuted by contemporary writers, the unabout twelve miles in length according to Eusebius. The Acrabatene had its name from a place called Ak-qualified and unsupported assertions of these heretics rabbim, about nine miles from Shechem. are so far from impugning the veracity and genuineness name of another district of Judæa, on the frontier of of the Acts of the Apostles, that, on the contrary, they Idumæa towards the northern extremity of the Dead Sea. ACRE. The English acre is 4840 square yards; the Scotch, 6150 and two-fifths; the Roman, 3200; and the Egyptian aroura, 3698 and seven-eighths.

It was also the

The Hebrew word TDX translated Acre, is a piece of land which can be ploughed by a pair of oxen in one day, and might be properly termed a yoke. (1Sam. 14. 14; Isaiah 5. 10.) The Egyptians ploughed with two oxen yoked together.

ACRE. See ACCнO.

afford a decisive testimony in favour of the book.

4. The design of St. Luke not being to write a general history, he passes by all the transactions in the Church of Jerusalem after the conversion of St. Paul, though the omits to notice the propagation of Christianity in Egypt Apostles continued for some time in Palestine. He also or in the countries bordering on the Euphrates and the Tigris. The journey of St. Paul into Arabia; the state of Christianity in Babylon (1 Peter 5. 13); the foundation of the Church at Rome, which had already received an Epistle from St. Paul; several of his voyages; and many other matters of which he could not possibly be

E 2

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