the house of Jason in that city, where St Paul and Silas lodged, and accused them of sedition to the constituted authorities, the Thessalonians sent the Apostle and his companion by night to Berea. Here there was a synagogue, the members of which are described as more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so," Acts xvii. 11. The evangelical historian informs us that great success attended St Paul's preaching; "many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men not a few." But when the Jews of Thessalonica received intelligence of the Apostle's proceedings, a party of them came to Berea, and "stirred up the people," which compelled him to leave the city, when he repaired to Athens. Sopater, or Sosipater, one of St Paul's coadjutors in the ministry, and whom he mentions as his "kinsman," Rom. xvi. 21, was a native of Berea, Acts xx. 4.

BERED, a village of Judah near Kadish, supposed to be the same with Arad, or Hazar-addar in the Hebrew and authorized versions, Numb. xxxiv. 4.

BERESCHITH, in the beginning, a name which the Jews give to the Book of Genesis, which begins with this word. BERITH. See BAAL-BErith. BEROTHAI, or CHUN, a city of Syria, conquered by David in his wars with the Syrians, and one of those from whom he took "exceeding much brass," 2 Sam. viii. 8, with which Solomon his son afterwards made the "brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass." This city is alleged by some geographers to be the ancient Berytus in Phoenicia, which was situated to the north of Sidon. BEROTHAH, mentioned by Ezekiel (xlvii. 16), between Hamath and Damascus, is supposed to be the same place.

BESIMOTH. See BETH-JESIMOTH. BESOR, glad news, or incarnation, the name of a brook which is said to fall into the Mediterranean Sea between Gaza and Rhinocorura. David pursued the

Amalekites who had spoiled Ziklag, and in his progress came to the brook Besor. There is, however, considerable difficulty in ascertaining the stream which is called Besor. "From a solitary passage in the Septuagint version," says Dr Hales, rendering the stream or the river of Egypt, Isa. xxvii. 12, by Rhinocorura, a city of Palestine Syria, built on the borders of the desert which separates that country from Egypt, it has been supposed to denote a stream or torrent near that city by Augustine, and by some respectable modern geographers, Wells, Cellarius, Bochart, &c.; but none of the old geographers, Strabo, Mela, Pliny, Ptolemy, notice any such stream or torrent there." Besor has been very erroneously taken for the river of Egypt, as it is called in the sacred writings, which is the eastern branch of the Nile. That stream is designated by the Prophet Amos, the river of the wilderness (vi. 14), and is literally a torrent in the rainy

season.

BETAH, confidence, the name of a strong place in Syria which David took from Hadadezer, 2 Sam. viii. 8, called also TIBHATH, 1 Chron. xviii. 8.

BETEN, the name of a town in the territory allotted to the tribe of Asher, Josh. xix. 25, supposed by some geographers to be the same as the preceding. Reland says it was situated about eight miles from Ptolemais, or Acre. Eusebius terms it Batvai, and adds that it is now called Bethlehem in the tribe of Asher.

BETH, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which gives name to the beta of the Greek, in literary history makes the title of a number of books in the Hebrew language, such as, BETH-AVOTн, or The House of the Fathers; BETH-ELOHIM, or The House of God; BETHISRAEL, or The House of Israel. It literally signifies a house, and the following names of places in the Holy Land are compounded with it, similar instances of which occur in various languages. In German the word hausen is compounded with other words, as Mühlhausen, Nordhausen, Schaffhausen; and in English such names

as Limehouse, Lofthouse, Stonehouse. The German heim, in Hochheim, Manheim, Hildesheim, corresponds to the English word ham in Oakham, Egham, Clapham, and the Scottish hame, the termination heim being equivalent to house. The Hebrew word Beth, when compounded with the names of places, probably indicates that those places at an early period contained houses or temples dedicated to some particular idol, as in the case of Baal. See BAAL.

BETHABARA, the house of passage, or house of anger, the name of a place beyond the river Jordan where John baptized great multitudes, John i. 28, and near which he pointed out our Saviour to two of his disciples as the "Lamb of God." This place is alleged to be the same as BETHBARA, mentioned in the Book of Judges (vii. 24), whither the Midianites resorted when discomfited by Gideon. The sacred writer informs us that "Gideon sent messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan." The meaning of this passage is, that they secured all the fords or passes along the river Jordan from Bethbarah, or Bethabara, lying near the south end of the river Jordan, to the beginning of that river, or its issuing from the Sea of Galilee. It appears to have been a regular passage or ferry over the Jordan, but it is uncertain whether it was the actual place where the Israelites under Joshua passed that river in a miraculous manner. sacred writer informs us, that "as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest), that the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap, very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zarepta; and those that came down toward the Sea of the Plain, even the Salt Sea, failed, and were

The

cut off; and the people passed over right. against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan," Josh. iii. 15, 16, 17. Dr Lightfoot places the passage at Scythopolis, out of the territory of Judea, where the Jews dwelt among the Syro-Grecians over against Galilee ; while Cellarius places it between these two, observing that there were many passages over Jordan. As it is impossible to ascertain the exact place with certainty, we coincide with Dr Hales respecting the fact itself, that "the passage of this deep and rapid, though not wide river, at the most unfavourable season, was more manifestly miraculous, if possible, than that of the Red Sea. It seems, therefore, to have been providentially designed to silence cavils respecting the former; and as it was done in the noon-day, in the face of the sun, and in the presence, we may be sure, of the neighbouring inhabitants, it struck terror into the kings of the Amorites and Canaanites westward of the river, whose hearts melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the Children of Israel,' Josh. v. 1." Bethabara is placed by Jerome, Calmet, and others, on the east bank of the Jordan, about thirty miles north-east of Jerusalem; others place it south of the Sea of Tiberias, and Dr Lightfoot argues that it was situated north-east of that Sea, in East Galilee. It was allotted to the tribe of Benjamin, Josh. xviii. 22.

In St John's Gospel, it was previously observed, Bethabara is mentioned as the place where the forerunner of our Saviour baptized (i. 28). Some old manuscripts of St John's Gospel read Bethany, or Bethania, instead of Bethabara—that Bethany being another place on the east side of the Jordan. Origen found, he tells us, in almost all the MSS. which he examined, or in every one of them, the verse alluded to thus written, "These things were done in Bethany, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing;" but

he rejects this reading for the following reason:" As I have been in that country in order to trace the footsteps of Christ and his Apostles, I am persuaded that we ought not to read Bethany in this passage, but Bethabara; for Bethany, as the Evangelist himself relates, was the birth-place of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, and only fifteen stadia (a stadium corresponding to one furlong) from Jerusalem; but the Jordan was at least, to speak in round numbers, one hundred and ninety stadia from that city. Nor is there any city of the name of Bethany near to that river, but there is a city of the name of Bethabara on the banks of the Jordan, where it is said John baptized." To this alteration it has been objected:" Origen grounds the reading which he has substituted for Bethany on no other authority than the relation of such persons as conduct travellers to the places in Palestine which are mentioned in the sacred writings. Those persons had either no inclination to conduct Origen to the Bethany which lay on the other side of the Jordan, as the journey might have been attended with danger on account of the tribes of wandering Arabs who infest that country, or they were wholly ignorant of the place. Not to lose, therefore, their profits arising from conducting strangers, they showed Bethabara to Origen as the place where John baptized, and the learned father was credulous enough to believe them. Besides, if the text itself be examined, Origen's objections to the common reading will vanish. He says that Bethany lay near Jerusalem, and therefore at a distance from the Jordan; but it may be asked whether there was not more than one place of that name, and whether we must necessarily suppose that the town in question was the place where Lazarus resided. It appears, even from the expression used by St John, that whether we read Bethany or Bethabara, there was more than one city of the name which he mentioned. St John mentions a circumstance by way of distinguishing it, and when he speaks of Bethany beyond Jordan, we are led to

suppose that there were two cities of that name, and that the city which he meant was different from that which was situated on the Mount of Olives. But Origen says there was no town of the name of Bethany on any part of Jordan. To this it might be replied, that Origen hardly visited all the towns on the banks of the Jordan, as he probably took the route pointed out by his guides, or that the wars between the Jews and the Romans had so desolated or altered the face of the country, that many towns might have existed in the time of John the Baptist of which no traces remained in the days of Origen. But this mode of reply is needless, because the Evangelist uses a very indeterminate expression when he says that the place where John baptized was on the other side of Jordan-an expression which by no means implies that the town lay on the banks of that river, for it might have been on the Jabbok, or on some other stream considerably to the eastward, where John had a sufficient supply of water for the purpose of baptizing. The alteration, therefore, made by Origen, and which, upon his authority, and that of Chrysostom and Epiphanius, is introduced into our copies, is wholly without foundation."

These are the condensed arguments of Michaelis, which are evidently conclusive on the point that Bethany should be substituted for Bethabara in John i. 28. Possin observes that the names Bethabara (of which Bethbara is a contraction) and Bethany have a similar signification, the former signifying the house of passing over, and the latter, the house of the chief, or the house of the ferry-boat.

BETH-ACHARA, or BETH-HACCEREM, the house of the vineyard, the name of a little town on a hill, so called from the vineyards round it between Tekoa and Jerusalem, a few miles from the latter, in the mountainous parts of Judah, and south of the capital, Jer. vi. 1. Malchial, the son of Rechab, the "ruler of part of Beth-haccerem," repaired the Dung-Gate of Jerusalem, after the return from the

Babylonish Captivity, "and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof," Neh. iii. 14.

BETHAGLA, or BETH-HOGLAH, a town allotted to the tribe of Benjamin, Josh. xviii. 21, on the northern boundary of the tribe of Judah, about two miles from the Jordan. In the time of Jerome and Eusebius there was a village on its site called Agla, ten miles distant from Eleutheropolis, towards Gaza. There was another town of that name in the tribe of Judah.

BETHA-GABRIS, now called BAITDJEBRIM, a village situated between Jerusalem and Ascalon.

BETHAKAD, or BETHEKED, translated appellatively by some authors to mean the shearing-house mentioned in 2 Kings x. 12, where Jehu met the brethren of Ahaziah on their way to Jerusalem to salute that prince, and where he ordered them to be slain. Others assign it a locality between Jezreel and Samaria.

BETH-ANATH, house of song, of an answer, or of affliction, a city in the territory of the tribe of Naphtali, Josh. xix. 38.

BETHANY, or BETHANIA, the house of song, or of affliction; otherwise, the house of obedience, or, the house of the grace of the Lord; also, the house of the ship, that is, the ferry-boat, a considerable village at the foot of the Mount of Olives, about fifteen stadia or two miles south-east of Jerusalem, on the way to Jericho. It derived its name from the Greek word Athene, which described the tract of ground on which it stood as the dates of palm-trees, which grew there in great profusion. Although the town of Bethany was two miles from Jerusalem, the district called Bethany extended to within eight stadia, or one mile of the city, the Mount of Olives being only a sabbath-day's journey, or half a mile from it, Acts i. 12, and then commenced the tract called Bethphage, from the phagi or green figs which grew upon it, extending so near Jerusalem that the outermost street within the walls was called by that name. A charge of self-contradiction

has been brought against St Luke connected with this village. In his Gospel the Evangelist tells us that Christ ascended from Bethany (xxiv. 50), and in the Acts of the Apostles, of which he is the reputed author, we are informed that Christ ascended from the Mount of Olives (i. 12). But this objection is founded on an ignorance of ancient geography, because Bethany was not only the name of a town, but of a district of Mount Olivet, adjoining that town. There are two roads from Jerusalem to this place, one over the Mount of Olives, and the other, which is shorter, winding round the eastern end, having the greater part of the hill on the north.

Bethany, which in our Saviour's time was a considerable village, was the residence of his beloved friend Lazarus whom he raised from the dead, and his two sisters Martha and Mary. It appears to have been a favourite resort of our Saviour, and was the scene of some celebrated events during his personal ministry. When Lazarus was sick, his sisters sent to Christ, informing him of the circumstance, and probably requesting his assistance to prevent the death of their only brother and protector. He did not comply with the invitation at the time, but when he heard of the illness of Lazarus, he exclaimed, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." Meanwhile Lazarus died, when Christ said to his disciples, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of his sleep." It is usual with the Hebrews to speak of death under the similitude of sleep, not only with reference to good but also to bad men, Psalm xiii. 3; lxxvi. 5; Deut. xxxi. 16; 2 Sam. vii. 12; Dan. xii. 2; and our Saviour meant that Lazarus was then dead, and that he intended to go and restore him to life. The disciples, however, did not understand it in this light, but taking it literally with reference to his illness, they replied, "Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well," meaning that he would likely recover. Our Saviour perceived their

ignorance, and at length told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe: nevertheless, let me go to him." Thomas, surnamed Didymus, immediately exclaimed unto his fellow disciples, "Let us also go that we may die with him"- -an expression which may either denote their affection for their deceased friend, or refer to the danger our Saviour had recently incurred of being stoned by the Jews. When Christ arrived at Bethany, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days. He immediately proceeded to his house, where many Jews, personal friends of the family, were assembled to comfort Martha and Mary for the loss of their only brother. Martha went and met Jesus, and a conversation ensued which strongly expressed her confidence and resignation. The dialogue as given by the evangelical writer is peculiarly interesting. "Lord," said she, "if thou hadst been here my brother had not died; but I know that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give." Her faith was thus in some respects weak, because she only believed that Christ could prevail with God, and had no knowledge that all the fulness of the Divine Power resided in Him. "Thy brother," said Christ, "shall rise again." "I know," she replied, "that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." "I am the resurrection and the life," said Christ; "he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this ?" "Yea, Lord," was her answer, "I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." Retiring into the apartment, she secretly informed her sister that the "Master was come, and had inquired for her." Mary immediately went to our Saviour, and falling down at his feet in the greatest sorrow, repeated the words of her sister Martha. The illustrious miracle which followed of raising Lazarus from the grave, after he had been dead four days, in the

presence of the Jews-the voice of the Son of God, exclaiming, "Lazarus, come forth !"—the corpse becoming reanimated, and appearing "bound hand and foot with grave-clothes," according to the Jewish custom, and "his face bound about with a napkin❞—is familiar to every Christian, and is one of the most convincing proofs which Jesus gave during his whole life that he was the Son of God, especially serving to confirm the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, and the truth of his own words, "I am the resurrection and the life."

on.

From that part of the Mount of Olives nigh to Bethphage and Bethany," our Saviour made his entry into Jerusalem amidst the shouts and hosannas of the disciples and the multitude, and on that occasion he uttered his celebrated prediction respecting the approaching siege and destruction of the city. He was acquainted with another family in Bethany, for we read of him being in the house of Simon the leper immediately before the feast of the Passover, when a certain woman, supposed to have been Mary, the sister of Lazarus, "having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, poured it his head as he sat at meat."—" This act," observes Bishop Porteous, "however it may appear strange to us, was perfectly conformable to the customs of ancient times, not only in Asia, but in the more polished parts of Europe; and among the Jews particularly, the custom of anointing the head seems to have been almost as common a custom as that of washing the face," Matt. vi. 17, 18. Six days before the same feast of the Passover, when he was betrayed by Judas, our Saviour went to Bethany, "where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment," John xii. 1, 2, 3. It is the