Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/416

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398 BETHOKON. (I Maceab. vl 23; Joseph. Ant. zii. 9. §4; B.J. L 1. § 5.) It waa here that Judas Maccabaeus en- camped at a raoontam pass, to defend the approach to Jemsalem against Antiochmt Eupator, and here an mgagement took place, in which Judas was defeated, with the loss of his brother Eleazar, who was crashed to death bj one of the elephants, which he had stabbed in the bellj. (Joseph. L c.) Sozomen calls it Xa^^ TAXfupla {ff. E.ix.! 7), and places it in the region of Elentheropolis [Betiiogabris], and,app8^ rentlj in ordor to account for tiie name, aajs that the bodj of Zachariah was found there. A village named Tell-Zakariya (Itobinson, B. R. vol. ii. p. 350) still marks the site of the ancient town. It is situated in the SW. of Wadg-eS'Sumty fermerlj the vallej of Elah, in the narrowest part of the valley, so that the scene of Jndas's conflict with the forces of An- tiochns was not far distant firom that of David's overthrow of the Philistine champion. [6. W.] BETHORON (B7}90op(^y, Bcuftup^). There wero two cities of thb name in the northern border of the tribe of Benjamin (Josh. xvi. 5, xviii. 13), but be- longing to the tribe of Efdiraim, and assigned to the Levites. {Josh, zxi. 22.) Originally built by Sherah (1 Chron. vil. 24) ; they were fortified by So](Mnon. (2 Chron. viii. 5.) The two cities were distinguished as the Upper and the Lower ^ the Upper being situated more to the east, the Lower to the west, where the mountain country inclines towards the great western pUun. It was in this neighbour- hood that Joshua defeated the allied kings (z. 10, 11), and 15 centuries later that same ^ going down to Bethoron " was fatal to the Roman army nnder Cestitts, retreating before the Jews from his unsuc- cessful attempt upon the city {B. J. ii. 19. §§ 2, 8), as it had been once again, in the interim, to the forces of Antiochus Epiphanes, under Seron, who lost 800 men in tills descent after he had been routed by Judas Macoabaens. (I Mace. iii. 16, 24.) Beth- oron was one of several cities fertified by Bacchides against Jonathan, the brother of Judas (ix. 50). These towns ky on the high road from Jerusalem to Gaesarea, by way of Lydda, and are frequently mm- tioned in the line of maroh of the Roman legions {iL cc., B. J. ii. 19. §§1,2, 8). The highway rob- bery of Stepbanus, the servant of the emperor Clau- dius, (me of the events which helped to precipitate the war, took place on this road {B. J. ii. 12. § 2), at the distance of 100 stadia from Jerusalem, (cf. Ant. zx. 5. § 4.) Eusebius and St. Jerome men- tion two villages of this name 12 miles from Aelia (Jerusalem), on the road to Nicopolis (Emmaus) [they would more correctly have written Diospolis (Lydda)] ; and St. Jerome remarks that Rama, Bethoron, and the other renowned cities built by Solomon, were then inoxisidemble villages. {Com- fnent. in Sophon. c. 1.) Villages still remain on the sites of both of these ancient towns, and are still distinguished as BeUrur et-Tahta and d-Fokoy i. e. the Lower and the Upper. They both contain scanty remains of ancient buiklings, and traces of a Roman road are to be found between them. They are about an hour (or three miles) apart. (Robinson, B. R. Vol. iii. pp. 59—62.) [G. W.] BETHPHAGE (Bi7A^'yi7), a plac« on Mount OKvet, -between Bethany and Jerusalem {St. Matth. xxi. 1 ; St. Lvke, xix. 29); for our Lord, having passed the preceding night at Bethany {St. John, xii. 1), came on the following morning to "Beth- phage and Bethany," i. c., as Lightfoot explains it, to that part of the mountain where the district of BETHSAK. BeChflfl^ m«t that of Beihphage. {Ckorograp^ Cent. ch. xxxviL; Exercitatiotifi on St.Lvk€^ zziv. 50 ; Horae Heb. &a in Act Ap. i. 1 2.) This writer denies that there was any village of Bethphage, but assigns the name to the whole western dope of Mount Olivet as fer as the city^ explaining it to mean the *' place of figs," from the trees planted on the terraced sides of tl^ mount {Ckoro^aph. Cent, zzzvii.) Eusebius and St. Jerome, however, describe it as a small village on the Mount of Olives, and the latter explains the name to mean **' villa (s. domus) saoerdotalium maxillarum "( CommefU. m St Mattk. xxi.; Epitaph. PaMdae)^ as bdng a village of the priests to whom the foaasiBa d the victims be- longed. [G. W.] BETHSAIDA (BijOer&M). I. A town of GalUee, situated on the Sea of Tiberias. {St John^ xii. 21 ; St. Marhj vi. 45, viii. 22.) It was the native place of four of our Lord's apostles {St. John^ i. 45), and probably derived its name from the occupation of its in}iabitants="vicu8 piscatorum." (Rdand, s. 9.^ It is mentioned in connection with Ghorazin and Ca- pernaum as one of the towns where most of our Lard's mighty works were done {St. Matth. zL 21 — 23; St. Lube, x. 13); and Epiphanius speaks of Bethsaida and Capernaum as not far distant from each other. {Ada. Haer, ii. p. 437.) At the NE.. extremity of the plain of Gennesareth, where the western coast of the Sea of Tiberias j<nns the north coast, isa rocky promontoiy which is caIledi2«(Cape) Seiyada, and between this and some ruined watw* works of Roman construction — now called Taoga (mills), from some com •mills still worked by water from the Roman tanks and aqueducts — are the mina cf a town on the shore which the natives believe to mark the site of Bethsaida. 2. Another town on the northern shore of the Sea of Tiberias, which Philip the Tetnurch enlaigad and beautified, and changed its name to Julias, in honoor of the daughter of Augustus and the wife of Ti- berius. {Ant. xviiL 2. § 1 .) As Julia was dis- graced by Augustus before his death, and repudiated by Tiberius inmiediately on his assuming the purple, it is clear that the name must have been changed some time before the death of Augustus (a. d. 14)^ and probably before the disgrace of Julia (b.c 2). And it is therefore nearly certain that this town is not (as has been supposed) the Bethsaida of the Gospels, since the sacred writers would doubtless, aa in the parallel case of the town of Tiberias, have adopted its new name. Besides which, the Bethsaida of the Gospeb was in Galilee (see supra, No. 1), while Julias was in Lower Gaulonitis {B. J. ii. 9. § 1), and therefore subject to Philip, as Galilee waa not. Its exact situation Is indicated by Jaeephua, where he says that the Jordan enters the Lake of Gennesareth at the city Julias. {B. J. iii. 9. § 7.) It was therefore on the left bank of the Jordan, at its embouchure into the Sea of Tiberias. It is not otherwise known in history except as the place of Philip the Tetrareh's death. {Ant. xviii. 6. § 6.) It is mentioned also by Pliny in connection with Hippo, as one of several agreeable towns near to the j^ace where the Jordan entere the lake, and on the E. shore (v. 15). The small triangolar plain be- tween the lake and the river is thickly covered with ruins, bat especially at et-Tell, a conspicuous hill at its NW. extremity. (Robinson, Bib. Jtee. vol. iiu pp. 304—308.) [G. W.] BETHSAN (Bethshan, Bai0(r^, BtOadyvX or SCYTHOPOLIS, a city of the ManassiteSi bat b^