I. ANANIAS, son of Nebedæus, and high-priest | the reasons which induced the Holy Spirit thus to of the Jews, succeeded Joseph, son of Camith, A. D. punish the falsehood of Ananias and Sapphira. [But 47. He was sent by Quadratus, governor of Syria, the sin committed by them was surely of no ordinary to Rome, to answer for his conduct to the emperor dye. They had feigned the appearance of piety; they Claudius; but he justified himself, was acquitted, and had attempted to deceive the apostles; they had dereturned. Jos. Ant. xx. 6. 2. [He did not, however, liberately undertaken to commit a fraud, and even a again recover the high priesthood; for during the sacrilegious one, inasmuch as the money destined to time that Felix was procurator of Judea, Jonathan, the use of the church of God was itself a consecrated the successor of Ananias, was high-priest. But Felix thing; in short they had lied unto the Holy Ghost.' having caused him to be assassinated in the temple, The meanness and flagitiousness of their crime was (Jos. Ant. xx. 8. 5.) the office remained vacant, until also aggravated by the circumstance, that those who king Agrippa gave it to Ismael the son of Phabeus. thus really gave up their possessions for the common (ib. xx. 8. 8.) During this interval the events in which use, appear to have been themselves sustained from Paul was concerned with Ananias, as given below, the public treasury. The sacred history does not deseem to have taken place. Ananias at that time was tail to us specifically the motives which impelled not in fact high-priest, but had usurped the dignity, them to this course; but God read their hearts; and or acted rather as the high-priest's substitute. Ř. we may rest assured that in this awful doom, as well as in all things else, the 'Judge of all the earth did right.' R.

The tribune of the Roman troops which guarded the temple at Jerusalem, having taken the apostle Paul into his custody, when he was assaulted by the Jews, (Acts xxii. 23, 24; xxiii. 1, seq.) convened the priests, and placed the apostle before them, that he might justify himself. Paul commenced his address, but the high-priest Ananias immediately commanded those who were near him to strike him on the face. To this injury and insult the apostle replied, "God is about to smite thee, thou whited wall; for thou sittest to judge me according to the law, but commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law." Being rebuked for thus addressing himself to the high-priest, the apostle excused himself by alleging that he was ignorant of his office. See PAUL.

The assembly being divided in opinion, the tribune ordered Paul to Cesarea, and thither Ananias, and other Jews, went to accuse him before Felix, Acts xxiv. Ananias was slain by a seditious faction, at the head of which was his own son, at the commencement of the Jewish wars. Some writers, not distinguishing what Josephus relates of Ananias, when high-priest, from what he relates of him after his deposition, have made two persons of the same individual.

II. ANANIAS, surnamed the Sadducee, was one of the warmest defenders of the rebellion of the Jews against the Romans. He was sent by Eleazar, leader of the mutineers, to Metilius, captain of the Roman troops, then shut up in the royal palace at Jerusalem, to promise him and his people their lives, provided they would leave the place, and surrender their arms. Metilius having surrendered on these conditions, the factious murdered all the Romans, except Metilius, who escaped on promising to turn Jew, A. D. 66. Ananias was also sent by Eleazar to the Idumæans, (A. D. 66.) requesting that they would assist the rebels at Jerusalem, against Ananus, whom they accused of designing to deliver up the city to the Romans. Jos. B. J. ii. 18 or 32.

III. ANANIAS, one of the first Christians of the city of Jerusalem, who, in concert with his wife, Sapphira, sold an estate, and secreting part of the purchase-money, carried the remainder to the apostles, as the whole price of his inheritance, Acts v. 1. Peter, knowing the falsehood of this pretension, reproved him sharply, telling him, "that he had lied to the Holy Ghost, not to men only ;" and Ananias fell suddenly dead at his feet. Shortly after, his wife, Sapphira, ignorant of what had transpired, came into the assembly, and Peter, having put the same question to her, as he had before put to her husband, she also was guilty of the like falsehood; and was suddenly struck dead in the same manner.

A number of conjectures have been formed as to

IV. ANANIAS, a disciple of Christ, at Damascus, whom the Lord directed to visit Paul, then recently converted and arrived at Damascus, Acts ix. 10. Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints." But the Lord said, "Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me." Ananias therefore went to the house where Paul resided, and putting his hands on him, said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared unto thee on the road, hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." We know no other circumstance of the life of Ananias. The modern Greeks maintain, that he was one of the seventy disciples, bishop of Damascus, a martyr, and buried in that city. There is a very fine church where he was interred; and the Turks, who have made a mosque of it, preserve a great respect for his

monument.

I. ANANUS, high-priest of the Jews; called Annas, Luke iii. 2; John xviii. 13. See ANNAS.

II. ANANUS, son of Ananus, the high-priest mentioned above, was high-priest three months, A. D. 62. Josephus (Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 8.) describes him as a man extremely bold and enterprising, of the sect of the Sadducees; who, thinking it a favorable opportunity, after the death of Festus, governor of Judea, and before the arrival of Albinus, his successor, assembled the Sanhedrim, and therein procured the condemnation of James the brother (or relative) of Christ, who is often called the bishop of Jerusalem, and of some others, whom they stigmatized as guilty of impiety, and delivered to be stoned. This was extremely displeasing to all considerate men in Jerusalem, and they sent privately to king Agrippa, who had just arrived in Judea, entreating that he would prevent Ananus from taking such proceedings in future. He was, in consequence, deprived of his office; and it is thought that he was put to death at Jerusalem, at the beginning of the Jewish wars, A. D. 67.— Several other Jews of this name are mentioned by Josephus in his accounts of the last war between the Jews and the Romans. See AGRIPPA II.

ANATHEMA, Ανάθεμα, from ἀνατίθημι, signifies something set apart, separated, devoted. It is understood principally to denote the absolute, irrevocable, and entire separation of a person from the communion of the faithful, or from the number of the living, or from the privileges of society; or the devoting of any man, animal, city, or thing, to be extirpated, destroyed, consumed, and, as it were, annihilated. The Hebrew on, charam, in Hiph. signifies properly to destroy, exterminate, devote. Moses requires the Israelites to

Moses (Exod. xxxii. 32.) and Paul (Rom. ix. 3.) in some sort anathematize themselves. Moses conjures God to forgive Israel; if not, to blot him out of the book which he had written; and Paul says that he could wish to be accursed (anathematized, absolutely separated from life, devoted, and made over to death -whether stoning-burning-or in the most tremendous form-as Achan, &c.) for his brethren, the Israelites, rather than see them excluded from the blessings of Christ's covenant, by their malice and obduracy. That is, he would, as it were, change places with them. They were now excluded from being the peculiar people of God; so would he be they ANATHOTH, a city of Benjamin, (Josh. xxi. 18. were devoted to wrath in the destruction of their about three miles from Jerusalem, according to Euse state; so would he be: they were excluded from bius and Jeronie, or twenty furlongs, according to Jo Christian society; so would he be, if it would bene-sephus, where the prophet Jeremiah was born, Jer fit them.-I COULD WISH myself anathematized from i. 1. It was given to the Levites of Kohath's family the body of Christ, if that might advantage Israel: so and was a city of refuge. great is my affection to my nation and people!

ANGARIARE. The evangelists use this term as equivalent to PRESS:-to constrain or take by force. Origen, Bede, and others, think that angels were The word angari, whence angariare is derived, comes created at the same time as the heavens, and that originally from the Persians, who called the post-Moses included them under the expression-"In the boys which carried the letters and orders of the king to the provinces, angares. As these officers compelled the people, in places they passed through, to furnish them with guides, horses, and carriages, the word angariare became expressive of constraints of that nature. (See Xen. Cyr. viii. 6. 17. Herodot. viii. 98. Compare also Esth. viii. 10, 14.) It appears that the Jews were subject to these angares under the Romans. Jesus said to his disciples, "Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him

he perish for ever." This will not agree with the Amalekites, if they were so modern; for the generation then living was but the third from Amalek himself, as appears by the following comparative genealogy:

Jacob,

Esau,
Eliphaz,
Amalek,

Levi,

Koath,

Amram,
Aaron.

in migrating parties, in caves, or in tents. The Israelites had scarcely passed the Red sea, when the Amalekites attacked them in the desert of Rephidim, and slew those who, through fatigue or weakness, lagged behind. Moses, by God's command, directed Joshua to repel this assault; and to record the act of inhumanity in a book, to perpetuate its remembrance for future vengeance. Joshua attacked the Amalekites, and defeated them, while Moses was on the mountain, and, with Aaron and Hur in his company, held up his lifted hands to heaven, A. M. 2513. It is worthy of notice, also, that Moses never reAccording to the Scripture mode of expression, proaches the Amalekites with attacking the IsraelMoses required all the virtue of his rod and his ites, their brethren; an aggravating circumstance, prayers, to defeat so dreadful an enemy; and if God which it is probable he would not have omitted if had not interfered on behalf of his people, the num- they had been descended from Esau, and, by that ber, valor, and advantage of Amalek's arms, had descent, brethren to the Israelites. Lastly, we see given them the victory. Moreover, victory, which the Amalekites almost always joined in Scripture God gives or withholds at his pleasure, had certainly with the Canaanites and Philistines, and never with favored the Amalekites, if Aaron and Hur, who ac- the Edomites; and when Saul destroyed Amalek, companied Moses on the mount, remote from dan- the Edomites neither assisted nor avenged them. It ger, had not supported the extended arms and hands is therefore probable that the Amalekites, so often of that legislator. The mystery of this we leave to mentioned in Sacred History, were a people descendcommentators. The battle continued till the ap-ed from Canaan, and very different from the deproach of night; for Scripture says, (Exod. xvii. 12.) "the hands of Moses were steady till the going down of the sun." As the success of this action was the sole work of God, he said to Moses, "Write this for a memorial in a book.”

Under the Judges, (Judg. vi. 3.) we see the Amalekites united with the Midianites and Moabites to oppress Israel; but Ehud delivered them from Eglon, (Judg. iii. 13.) and Gideon delivered them from Midian and Amalek. Many years after, the Lord directed Samuel to say to Saul, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt: now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all." Saul marched therefore against the Amalekites, advanced to their capital, defeated and drove them from Havilah (towards the lower part of the Euphrates) to Shur, (on the Red sea towards Egypt,) destroying the people: but he spared the best of the cattle and movables; thereby violating the command of God. Nevertheless, some fugitives escaped; for though they appear but little more in history, yet some years after Saul's expedition against them, a troop of Amalekites pillaged Ziklag, then belonging to David, where he had left his wife and his property. David, returning, pursued, overtook, and dispersed them, and recovered all the booty which they had carried off, 1 Sam. xxx. 1. In Judges x. 14. and xii. 15. we read of an Amalek and a mount of the Amalekites in the tribe of Ephraim. It is hence probable that colonies of this people had formerly migrated into Canaan; and that one of them had thus maintained itself against the Ephraimites. See Bib. Repos. I. p. 594.

scendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau, who perhaps might be but a small tribe, and not conspicuous at the time; if, indeed, they ever rose to much importance.

Of the Amalek destroyed by Saul, too, the Arabians had a tradition, that he was the father of an ancient tribe in Arabia, which contained only Arabians called pure; the remains of which were mingled with the posterity of Joktan and Adnan, and so became Mosarabes, or Mostaarabes, that is, mixed Arabians-blended with foreigners. They believe, also, that Goliath, who was slain by David, was king of the Amalekites, and that the giants who inhabited Palestine in Joshua's time, part of whom retired into Africa while Joshua was living, and settled on the coasts of Barbary, were of the same race; an account which has many circumstances of credibility about it. The son of Amalek was Ad, a celebrated prince among the Arabians, and as some suppose, the son of Uz, and grandson of Aram, the son of Shem. The Mahominedans say, Ad was father of an Arabian tribe called Adites, who were exterminated for not hearkening to the patriarch Eber, who preached the unity of God to them. (D'Herbelot, Biblioth. Orient.) These accounts are, indeed, very imperfect; but on the whole, we seem to be warranted in suggesting, (1.) That there were more kinds of Amalekites than one: (2.) that the tribe which Saul destroyed might not be very numerous at that time, and that the tract of country mentioned in relation to them, was that of their flight, not that of their possession, unless as rovers, or Bedouins: (3.) that they were turbulent and violent toward their neighbors, as formerly they had been toward the stragglers of Israel; which sugThe Arabians have a tradition, that Amalek was a gests the reason why their neighbors were not disson of Ham; a notion which we are not disposed to pleased at their expulsion: (4.) that such being their reject; for certainly it is not easy to conceive how character, they might have produced a war, by giving the Amalekites, if only the posterity of the son of recent cause of offence to Israel; though Scripture Eliphaz, grandson of Esau, could be so powerful and only mentions the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy numerous as this tribe was when the Israelites de--perhaps there never had been peace between the parted out of Egypt. Besides, Moses relates, (Gen. xiv. 7.) that in Abraham's time the five confederate kings invaded Amalek's country about Kadesh, as likewise that of the Amorites at Hazezon-tamar. Moses also (Numb. xxiv. 20.) relates, that Balaam, observing from a distance the land of Amalek, said, in his prophetic style, "Amalek is the first (the head, the original) of the nations, but his end shall be, that

two nations: (5.) that Agag, slain by Samuel, had been extremely cruel-a supposition which seems warranted by the expression, "As thy sword has made mothers childless;" therefore he met with no more than his just punishment in the death he received. See AGAG and SAMUEL.

Mr. Taylor arranges the different tribes bearing the name of Amalek in a geographical view, thus:

[51]

(1.) AMALEK, the ancient, Genesis xiv. 7. where the
phrase is remarkable, "all the country of the Amalek-
ites," which implies a great extent. This people
we may place near the Jordan, Numb. xxiv. 20. (2.)
A tribe in the region east of Egypt; between Egypt
and Canaan, Exod. xvii. 8; 1 Sam. xv. &c. (3.) The
descendants of Eliphaz.-It was against the second
of these that Moses and Joshua fought, (Exod. xvii.
8-13.) against which tribe perpetual hostility was to
be maintained, ver. 16; 1 Sam. xv It was also,
most probably, to the ancient Amalekites (1.) that
Balaam alluded (Numb. xxiv. 20.) as having been
"first of the nations," for the descendants of Esau
were very far from answering to this title; in fact,
they were but just appearing as a tribe, or family.
Even at this day, the Arabs distinguish between
families of pure Arab blood, and those of mixed de-
scent; but they include the posterity of Ishmael
among those of mixed descent, while they reckon
the Amalekites by parentage as of pure blood. The
posterity of Esau, therefore, could hardly claim
privilege above that of Ishmael, either by antiquity,
or by importance. Neither is it any way likely, that
the Amalekites of Esau's family should extend their
settlements to where we find those Amalekites (2.)
who attacked Israel at the very borders of Egypt,
and on the shores of the Red sea. Instead of Maa-
chathi, (Deut. iii. 14; Josh. xii. 5; xiii. 11, 13.) the LXX
read, "the kings of the Amalekites," which implies
that this people had occupied very extensive territo-
ries. The same countries seem to be alluded to by
David, in Psalm lxxxiii. 7. where he had already
mentioned Edom, the Ishmaelites, Moab, &c. yet
distinct from these he mentions Gebel, Ammon, and
Amalek; consequently this Amalek was not of the
descent of Esau, or of Ishmael.

The spies sent to explore the land of Canaan
(Numb. xiii. 29.) report, that the Amalekites inhabit-
ed the south; which agrees exactly with the equiv-
ocation of David to Achish, 1 Sam. xxvii. David
invaded the Amalekites, ver. 8. but in ver. 10. he
says, he went "against the south of Judah," the south
of the Jerahmeelites, the south of the Kenites; which
indeed was very true, as he went against the Amalek-
ites, who were south of all those places.

I. AMANA, a mountain, mentioned in Cant. iv. 8.
and by some supposed to be mount Amanus, in Ci-
licia. Jerome and the rabbins describe the land of
Israel as extending northward to this mountain; and
it is known that Solomon's dominion did extend so
far. Mount Amanus, with its continuations, separates
Syria and Cilicia, and reaches from the Mediterra-
nean to the Euphrates.-[The Amana of the Canti-
eles, however, is rather the southern part or sum-
mit of Antilibanus; so called perhaps from the river
Amana, which descended from it. See Gesenius
Heb. Lex. Reland Pal. p. 320. R.

II. AMANA, a river of Damascus. See ABANA.
I. AMARIAH, eldest son of Meraioth, and father
of the high-priest Ahitub, was high-priest in the time
of the Judges, but we are not able to fix the years of
his pontificate. His name occurs 1 Chron. vi. 7.
and if he actually did exercise this office, he should
be placed, as we think, before Eli, who was succeeded
by Ahitub, who, in the Chronicles, is put after Ama-
riah, ver. 7-[There was another of this name,viz.

II. AMARIAH, high-priest at a later period, the
son of Azariah, but also the father of a second Ahi-
tub, 1 Chron. vi. 11. In like manner, in the same
list, there are three high-priests bearing the name of
Azariah. R.

III. AMARIAH, great-grandfather of the prophet
I. AMASA, son of Jether or Ithra and Abigail,
Zephaniah, and father of Gedaliah, Zeph. i. 1.
David's sister. Absalom, during his rebellion against
David, placed his cousin, Amasa, at the head of his
troops, (2 Sam. xvii. 25.) but he was defeated by
Joab. After the extinction of Absalom's party, David,
from dislike to Joab, who had killed Absalom,
offered Amasa his pardon and the command of the
army, in room of Joab, whose insolence rendered
him insupportable, 2 Sam. xix. 13. On the revolt
of Sheba, son of Bichri, David ordered Amasa to
assemble all Judah against Sheba; but Amasa de-
laying, David directed Abishai to pursue Sheba, with
what soldiers he then had about his person. Joab,
with his people, accompanied him; and when they
had reached the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa joined
them with his forces. Joab's jealousy being excited,
he formed the dastardly and cruel purpose of assas-
sinating his rival-"Then said Joab to Amasa, Art
thou in health, my brother? and took him by the
beard with the right hand to kiss him;" but at the
same time smote him with the sword. Such was the
end of Amasa, David's nephew, ch. xx. 4-10.
A. M. 2982.

II. AMASA, son of Hadlai, opposed the admission of such captives as were taken from the kingdom of Judah, in the reign of Ahaz, into Samaria, 2 Chron. xxviii. 12.

AMASAI, a Levite, who joined David with thirty gallant men, while in the desert, flying from Saul. David went to meet them, and said, "If ye be come peaceably to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine eneGod of our fathers look thereon and rebuke it." mies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the David, therefore, reThen said Amasai, "Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers." ceived them; and gave them a command in his troops, 1 Chron. xii. 18.

AMATH, or EMATH, a city of Syria; the same AMATHITIS, a district in Syria with the capital with Emesa on the Orontes. See HAMATH. city Hamath, on the Orontes, 1 Macc. xii. 25. See HAMATH.

I. AMAZIAH, son of Joash, eighth king of Judah, (2 Chron. xxiv. 27.) succeeded his father, A. M. 3165. He was twenty-five years of age when he began to reign, and reigned twenty-nine years at Jerusalem. He did good in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. When settled in his kingdom, he put to death the murderers of his father, but not their children; because it is written in the law, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for children, neither shall the children be put to death his own sin," Deut. xxiv. 16; 2 Chron. xxv. 2, 3, 4. Designing to proceed against Edom, which had revolted from Judah, in the reign of Joram, about fifty-four years before, (2 Kings viii. 20.) Amaziah mustered 300,000 men able to bear arms. To these he added 100,000 men of Israel; for which he paid 100 talents, about $150,000. But a prophet of the Lord came to him, and said, "O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel." Amaziah, hereupon, sent back those troops; and they returned strongly irritated against him. They dispersed themselves over the cities of and carried off a great booty, to make themselves Judah, from Beth-horon to Samaria, killed 3000 men,