Perazim, Mount

 

Mount of breaches, only in Isa 28:21 It is the same as BAAL-PERAZIM (q.v.), where David gained a victory over the Philistines 2Sa 5:20

 

Peres

 

Divided, one of the mysterious words "written over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall" of king Belshazzar's palace Da 5:28

 

See MENE

 

Perez

 

=Pharez, (q.v.), breach, the son of Judah Ne 11:4 "The chief of all the captains of the host for the first month" in the reign of David was taken from his family 1Ch 27:3 Four hundred and sixty-eight of his "sons" came back from captivity with Zerubbabel, who himself was one of them 1Ch 9:4 Ne 11:6

 

Perez-uzzah

 

The breach of Uzzah, a place where God "burst forth upon Uzzah, so that he died, "when he rashly "took hold" of the ark 2Sa 6:6-8 It was not far from Kirjath-jearim (q.v.).

 

Perfection

 

See SANCTIFICATION

 

Perfumes

 

1. Were used in religious worship, and for personal and domestic enjoyment Ex 30:35-37 Pr 7:17 So 3:6 Isa 57:9

2. and also in embalming the dead,

3. and in other funeral ceremonies Mr 14:8 Lu 24:1 Joh 19:39

 

Perga

 

The capital of Pamphylia, on the coast of Asia Minor. Paul and his companions landed at this place from Cyprus on their first missionary journey Ac 13:13,14 and here Mark forsook the party and returned to Jerusalem. Some time afterwards Paul and Barnabas again visited this city and "preached the word" Ac 14:25 It stood on the banks of the river Cestrus, some 7 miles from its mouth, and was a place of some commercial importance. It is now a ruin, called Eski Kalessi.

 

Pergamos

 

The chief city of Mysia, in Asia Minor. One of the "seven churches" was planted here Re 1:11 2:17 It was noted for its wickedness, insomuch that our Lord says "Satan's seat" was there. The church of Pergamos was rebuked for swerving from the truth and embracing the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitanes. Antipas, Christ's "faithful martyr, "here sealed his testimony with his blood. This city stood on the banks of the river Caicus, about 20 miles from the sea. It is now called Bergama, and has a population of some twenty thousand, of whom about two thousand profess to be Christians. Parchment (q.v.) was first made here, and was called by the Greeks pergamene, from the name of the city.

 

Perida

 

Kernel, Ne 7:57

 

See PERUDA

 

Perizzites

 

Villagers; dwellers in the open country, the Canaanitish nation inhabiting the fertile regions south and south-west of Carmel. "They were the graziers, farmers, and peasants of the time." They were to be driven out of the land by the descendants of Abraham Ge 15:20 Ex 3:8,17 23:23 33:2 34:11 They are afterwards named among the conquered tribes Jos 24:11 Still lingering in the land, however, they were reduced to servitude by Solomon 1Ki 9:20

 

Persecution

 

The first great persecution for religious opinion of which we have any record was that which broke out against the worshippers of God among the Jews in the days of Ahab, when that king, at the instigation of his wife Jezebel, "a woman in whom, with the reckless and licentious habits of an Oriental queen, were united the fiercest and sternest qualities inherent in the old Semitic race", sought in the most relentless manner to extirpate the worship of Jehovah and substitute in its place the worship of Ashtoreth and Baal. Ahab's example in this respect was followed by Manasseh, who "shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another" 2Ki 21:16 comp. 2Ki 24:4 In all ages, in one form or another, the people of God have had to suffer persecution. In its earliest history the Christian church passed through many bloody persecutions. Of subsequent centuries in our own and in other lands the same sad record may be made. Christians are forbidden to seek the propagation of the gospel by force Lu 9:54-56 Ro 14:4 Jas 4:11,12 The words of Ps 7:13 "He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors, "ought rather to be, as in the Revised Version, "He maketh his arrows fiery [shafts]."

 

Perseverance of the Saints

 

Their certain continuance in a state of grace. Once justified and regenerated, the believer can neither totally nor finally fall away from grace, but will certainly persevere therein and attain everlasting life. This doctrine is clearly taught in these passages, Joh 10:28,29 Ro 11:29 Php 1:6 1Pe 1:5 It, moreover, follows from a consideration of

 

1. the immutability of the divine decrees Jer 31:3 Mt 24:22-24 Ac 13:48 Ro 8:30

2. the provisions of the covenant of grace Jer 32:40 Joh 10:29 Joh 17:2-6

3. the atonement and intercession of Christ Isa 53:6,11 Mt 20:28 1Pe 2:24 Joh 11:42 17:11,15,20 Ro 8:34 and

4. the indwelling of the Holy Ghost Joh 14:16 2Co 1:21,22 5:5 Eph 1:14 1Jo 3:9 This doctrine is not inconsistent with the truth that the believer may nevertheless fall into grievous sin, and continue therein for some time.

 

See BACKSLIDE

 

Persia

 

An ancient empire, extending from the Indus to Thrace, and from the Caspian Sea to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The Persians were originally a Medic tribe which settled in Persia, on the eastern side of the Persian Gulf. They were Aryans, their language belonging to the eastern division of the Indo-European group. One of their chiefs, Teispes, conquered Elam in the time of the decay of the Assyrian Empire, and established himself in the district of Anzan. His descendants branched off into two lines, one line ruling in Anzan, while the other remained in Persia. Cyrus II., king of Anzan, finally united the divided power, conquered Media, Lydia, and Babylonia, and carried his arms into the far East. His son, Cambyses, added Egypt to the empire, which, however, fell to pieces after his death. It was reconquered and thoroughly organized by Darius, the son of Hystaspes, whose dominions extended from India to the Danube.

 

Persis

 

A female Christian at Rome whom Paul salutes Ro 16:12 She is spoken of as "beloved, "and as having "laboured much in the Lord."

 

Peruda

 

One whose descendants returned with Zerubbabel Ezr 2:55 called also Perida Ne 7:57

 

Peter

 

Originally called Simon(=Simeon,i.e., "hearing"), a very common Jewish name in the New Testament. He was the son of Jona Mt 16:17 His mother is nowhere named in Scripture. He had a younger brother called Andrew, who first brought him to Jesus Joh 1:40-42 His native town was Bethsaida, on the western coast of the Sea of Galilee, to which also Philip belonged. Here he was brought up by the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and was trained to the occupation of a fisher. His father had probably died while he was still young, and he and his brother were brought up under the care of Zebedee and his wife Salome Mt 27:56 Mr 15:40 16:1 There the four youths, Simon, Andrew, James, and John, spent their boyhood and early manhood in constant fellowship. Simon and his brother doubtless enjoyed all the advantages of a religious training, and were early instructed in an acquaintance with the Scriptures and with the great prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah. They did not probably enjoy, however, any special training in the study of the law under any of the rabbis. When Peter appeared before the Sanhedrin, he looked like an "unlearned man" Ac 4:13 "Simon was a Galilean, and he was that out and out...The Galileans had a marked character of their own. They had a reputation for an independence and energy which often ran out into turbulence. They were at the same time of a franker and more transparent disposition than their brethren in the south. In all these respects, in bluntness, impetuosity, headiness, and simplicity, Simon was a genuine Galilean. They spoke a peculiar dialect. They had a difficulty with the guttural sounds and some others, and their pronunciation was reckoned harsh in Judea. The Galilean accent stuck to Simon all through his career. It betrayed him as a follower of Christ when he stood within the judgment-hall Mr 14:70 It betrayed his own nationality and that of those conjoined with him on the day of Pentecost Ac 2:7 It would seem that Simon was married before he became an apostle. His wife's mother is referred to Mt 8:14 Mr 1:30 Lu 4:38 He was in all probability accompanied by his wife on his missionary journeys 1Co 9:5 comp. 1Pe 5:13 He appears to have been settled at Capernaum when Christ entered on his public ministry, and may have reached beyond the age of thirty. His house was large enough to give a home to his brother Andrew, his wife's mother, and also to Christ, who seems to have lived with him Mr 1:29,36 2:1 as well as to his own family. It was apparently two stories high Mr 2:4 At Bethabara (R.V., Joh 1:28 "Bethany"), beyond Jordan, John the Baptist had borne testimony concerning Jesus as the "Lamb of God" Joh 1:29-36 Andrew and John hearing it, followed Jesus, and abode with him where he was. They were convinced, by his gracious words and by the authority with which he spoke, that he was the Messiah Lu 4:22 Mt 7:29 and Andrew went forth and found Simon and brought him to Jesus Joh 1:41 Jesus at once recognized Simon, and declared that hereafter he would be called Cephas, an Aramaic name corresponding to the Greek Petros, which means "a mass of rock detached from the living rock." The Aramaic name does not occur again, but the name Peter gradually displaces the old name Simon, though our Lord himself always uses the name Simon when addressing him Mt 17:25 Mr 14:37 Lu 22:31 comp. Lu 21:15-17 We are not told what impression the first interview with Jesus produced on the mind of Simon. When we next meet him it is by the Sea of Galilee Mt 4:18-22 There the four (Simon and Andrew, James and John) had had an unsuccessful night's fishing.  Jesus appeared suddenly, and entering into Simon's boat, bade him launch forth and let down the nets. He did so, and enclosed a great multitude of fishes. This was plainly a miracle wrought before Simon's eyes. The awe-stricken disciple cast himself at the feet of Jesus, crying, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" Lu 5:8 Jesus addressed him with the assuring words, "Fear not, "and announced to him his life's work. Simon responded at once to the call to become a disciple, and after this we find him in constant attendance on our Lord. He is next called into the rank of the apostleship, and becomes a "fisher of men" Mt 4:19 in the stormy seas of the world of human life Mt 10:2-4 Mr 3:13-19 Lu 6:13-16 and takes a more and more prominent part in all the leading events of our Lord's life. It is he who utters that notable profession of faith at Capernaum Joh 6:66-69 and again at Caesarea Philippi Mt 16:13-20 Mr 8:27-30 Lu 9:18-20 This profession at Caesarea was one of supreme importance, and our Lord in response used these memorable words: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." "From that time forth" Jesus began to speak of his sufferings. For this Peter rebuked him. But our Lord in return rebuked Peter, speaking to him in sterner words than he ever used to any other of his disciples Mt 16:21-23 Mr 8:31-33 At the close of his brief sojourn at Caesarea our Lord took Peter and James and John with him into "an high mountain apart, "and was transfigured before them. Peter on that occasion, under the impression the scene produced on his mind, exclaimed, "Lord, it is good for us to be here: let us make three tabernacles" Mt 17:1-9 On his return to Capernaum the collectors of the temple tax (a didrachma, half a sacred shekel), which every Israelite of twenty years old and upwards had to pay Ex 30:15 came to Peter and reminded him that Jesus had not paid it Mt 17:24-27 Our Lord instructed Peter to go and catch a fish in the lake and take from its mouth the exact amount needed for the tax, viz., a stater, or two half-shekels. "That take, "said our Lord, "and give unto them for me and thee." As the end was drawing nigh, our Lord sent Peter and John Lu 22:7-13 into the city to prepare a place where he should keep the feast with his disciples. There he was forewarned of the fearful sin into which he afterwards fell Lu 22:31-34 He accompanied our Lord from the guest-chamber to the garden of Gethsemane Lu 22:39-46 which he and the other two who had been witnesses of the transfiguration were permitted to enter with our Lord, while the rest were left without. Here he passed through a strange experience. Under a sudden impulse he cut off the ear of Malchus Lu 22:47-51 one of the band that had come forth to take Jesus. Then follow the scenes of the judgment-hall Lu 22:54-61 and his bitter grief Lu 22:62 He is found in John's company early on the morning of the resurrection. He boldly entered into the empty grave Joh 20:1-10 and saw the "linen clothes laid by themselves" Lu 24:9-12 To him, the first of the apostles, our risen Lord revealed himself, thus conferring on him a signal honour, and showing how fully he was restored to his favour Lu 24:34 1Co 15:5 We next read of our Lord's singular interview with Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where he thrice asked him, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" Joh 21:1-19

See LOVE After this scene at the lake we hear nothing of Peter till he again appears with the others at the ascension Ac 1:15-26 It was he who proposed that the vacancy caused by the apostasy of Judas should be filled up. He is prominent on the day of Pentecost Ac 2:14-40 The events of that day "completed the change in Peter himself which the painful discipline of his fall and all the lengthened process of previous training had been slowly making. He is now no more the unreliable, changeful, self-confident man, ever swaying between rash courage and weak timidity, but the stead-fast, trusted guide and director of the fellowship of believers, the intrepid preacher of Christ in Jerusalem and abroad. And now that he is become Cephas indeed, we hear almost nothing of the name Simon (only in) Ac 10:5,32 15:14 and he is known to us finally as Peter." After the miracle at the temple gate Ac 3:1 persecution arose against the Christians, and Peter was cast into prison. He boldly defended himself and his companions at the bar of the council Ac 4:19,20 A fresh outburst of violence against the Christians Ac 5:17-21 led to the whole body of the apostles being cast into prison; but during the night they were wonderfully delivered, and were found in the morning teaching in the temple. A second time Peter defended them before the council Ac 5:29-32 who, "when they had called the apostles and beaten them, let them go." The time had come for Peter to leave Jerusalem. After labouring for some time in Samaria, he returned to Jerusalem, and reported to the church there the results of his work Ac 8:14-25 Here he remained for a period, during which he met Paul for the first time since his conversion Ac 9:26-30 Ga 1:18 Leaving Jerusalem again, he went forth on a missionary journey to Lydda and Joppa Ac 9:32-43 He is next called on to open the door of the Christian church to the Gentiles by the admission of Cornelius of Caesarea Ac 10:1ff. After remaining for some time at Caesarea, he returned to Jerusalem Ac 11:1-18 where he defended his conduct with reference to the Gentiles. Next we hear of his being cast into prison by Herod Agrippa Ac 12:1-19 but in the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison gates, and he went forth and found refuge in the house of Mary. He took part in the deliberations of the council in Jerusalem Ac 15:1-31 Ga 2:1-10 regarding the relation of the Gentiles to the church. This subject had awakened new interest at Antioch, and for its settlement was referred to the council of the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. Here Paul and Peter met again. We have no further mention of Peter in the Acts of the Apostles. He seems to have gone down to Antioch after the council at Jerusalem, and there to have been guilty of dissembling, for which he was severely reprimanded by Paul Ga 2:11-16 who "rebuked him to his face." After this he appears to have carried the gospel to the east, and to have laboured for a while at Babylon, on the Euphrates 1Pe 5:13 There is no satisfactory evidence that he was ever at Rome.  Where or when he died is not certainly known. Probably he died between A.D. 64 and 67

 

Peter, First Epistle of

 

This epistle is addressed to "the strangers scattered abroad", i.e., to the Jews of the Dispersion (the Diaspora). Its object is to confirm its readers in the doctrines they had been already taught. Peter has been called "the apostle of hope, "because this epistle abounds with words of comfort and encouragement fitted to sustain a "lively hope." It contains about thirty-five references to the Old Testament. It was written from Babylon, on the Euphrates, which was at this time one of the chief seats of Jewish learning, and a fitting centre for labour among the Jews. It has been noticed that in the beginning of his epistle Peter names the provinces of Asia Minor in the order in which they would naturally occur to one writing from Babylon. He counsels

1. to steadfastness and perseverance under persecution 1Pe 1-2:10

2. to the practical duties of a holy life 1Pe 2:11-3:13

3. he adduces the example of Christ and other motives to patience and holiness 1Pe 3:14-4:19 and

4. concludes with counsels to pastors and people 1Pe 5:1-14

 

Peter, Second Epistle of

 

The question of the authenticity of this epistle has been much discussed, but the weight of evidence is wholly in favour of its claim to be the production of the apostle whose name it bears.  It appears to have been written shortly before the apostle's death 2Pe 1:14 This epistle contains eleven references to the Old Testament. It also contains 2Pe 3:15,16 a remarkable reference to Paul's epistles. Some think this reference is to 1Th 4:13-18, 5:1-11

 

Pethahiah

 

Loosed of the Lord.

1. The chief of one of the priestly courses (the nineteenth) in the time of David 1Ch 24:16

2. A Levite Ezr 10:23

3. Ne 9:5

4. A descendant of Judah who had some office at the court of Persia Ne 11:24

 

Pethor

 

Interpretation of dreams, identified with Pitru, on the west bank of the Euphrates, a few miles south of the Hittite capital of Carchemish Nu 22:5 "which is by the river of the land of the children of [the god] Ammo").

 

See BALAAM

 

Pethuel

 

Vision of God, the father of Joel the prophet Joe 1:1

 

Petra

 

Rock, Isa 16:1 marg.

 

See SELA

 

Peulthai

 

Wages of the Lord, one of the sons of Obed-edom, a Levite porter 1Ch 26:5

 

Phalec

 

Lu 3:35 =Peleg (q.v.), Ge 11:16

 

Phallu

 

Separated, the second son of Reuben Ge 46:9

 

Phalti

 

Deliverance of the Lord, the son of Laish of Gallim 1Sa 25:44 = Phaltiel 2Sa 3:15 Michal, David's wife, was given to him.

 

Phanuel

 

Face of God, father of the prophetess Anna (q.v.), Lu 2:36

 

Pharaoh

 

The official title borne by the Egyptian kings down to the time when that country was conquered by the Greeks.

See EGYPT The name is a compound, as some think, of the words Ra, the "sun" or "sun-god, "and the article phe, "the, "prefixed; hence phera, "the sun, "or "the sun-god." But others, perhaps more correctly, think the name derived from Perao, "the great house" his majesty in Turkish, "the Sublime Porte."

1. The Pharaoh who was on the throne when Abram went down into Egypt Ge 12:10-20 was probably one of the Hyksos, or "shepherd kings." The Egyptians called the nomad tribes of Syria Shasu, "plunderers, "their king or chief Hyk, and hence the name of those invaders who conquered the native kings and established a strong government, with Zoan or Tanis as their capital. They were of Semitic origin, and of kindred blood accordingly with Abram. They were probably driven forward by the pressure of the Hittites. The name they bear on the monuments is "Mentiu."

2. The Pharaoh of Joseph's days Ge 41:1ff. was probably Apopi, or Apopis, the last of the Hyksos kings. To the old native Egyptians, who were an African race, shepherds were "an abomination; "but to the Hyksos kings these Asiatic shepherds who now appeared with Jacob at their head were congenial, and being akin to their own race, had a warm welcome Ge 47:5,6 Some argue that Joseph came to Egypt in the reign of Thothmes III., long after the expulsion of the Hyksos, and that his influence is to be seen in the rise and progress of the religious revolution in the direction of monotheism which characterized the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The wife of Amenophis III., of that dynasty, was a Semite. Is this singular fact to be explained from the presence of some of Joseph's kindred at the Egyptian court? Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell" Ge 47:5,6

3. The "new king who knew not Joseph" Ex 1:8-22 has been generally supposed to have been Aahmes I., or Amosis, as he is called by Josephus. Recent discoveries, however, have led to the conclusion that Seti was the "new king." For about seventy years the Hebrews in Egypt were under the powerful protection of Joseph. After his death their condition was probably very slowly and gradually changed. The invaders, the Hyksos, who for some five centuries had been masters of Egypt, were driven out, and the old dynasty restored. The Israelites now began to be looked down upon. They began to be afflicted and tyrannized over. In process of time a change appears to have taken place in the government of Egypt. A new dynasty, the Nineteenth, as it is called, came into power under Seti I., who was its founder. He associated with him in his government his son, Rameses II., when he was yet young, probably ten or twelve years of age. Note, Professor Maspero, keeper of the museum of Bulak, near Cairo, had his attention in 1870 directed to the fact that scarabs, i.e., stone and metal imitations of the beetle (symbols of immortality), originally worn as amulets by royal personages, which were evidently genuine relics of the time of the ancient Pharaohs, were being sold at Thebes and different places along the Nile. This led him to suspect that some hitherto undiscovered burial-place of the Pharaohs had been opened, and that these and other relics, now secretly sold, were a part of the treasure found there. For a long time he failed, with all his ingenuity, to find the source of these rare treasures. At length one of those in the secret volunteered to give information regarding this burial-place. The result was that a party was conducted in 1881 to Dier el-Bahari, near Thebes, when the wonderful discovery was made of thirty-six mummies of kings, queens, princes, and high priests hidden away in a cavern prepared for them, where they had lain undisturbed for thirty centuries. "The temple of Deir el-Bahari stands in the middle of a natural amphitheatre of cliffs, which is only one of a number of smaller amphitheatres into which the limestone mountains of the tombs are broken up. In the wall of rock separating this basin from the one next to it some ancient Egyptian engineers had constructed the hiding-place, whose secret had been kept for nearly three thousand years." The exploring party being guided to the place, found behind a great rock a shaft 6 feet square and about 40 feet deep, sunk into the limestone. At the bottom of this a passage led westward for 25 feet, and then turned sharply northward into the very heart of the mountain, where in a chamber 23 feet by 13 and 6 feet in height, they came upon the wonderful treasures of antiquity.  The mummies were all carefully secured and brought down to Bulak, where they were deposited in the royal museum, which has now been removed to Ghizeh. Among the most notable of the ancient kings of Egypt thus discovered were Thothmes III., Seti I., and Rameses II. Thothmes III. was the most distinguished monarch of the brilliant Eighteenth Dynasty. When this mummy was unwound "once more, after an interval of thirty-six centuries, human eyes gazed on the features of the man who had conquered Syria and Cyprus and Ethiopia, and had raised Egypt to the highest pinnacle of her power. The spectacle, however, was of brief duration. The remains proved to be in so fragile a state that there was only time to take a hasty photograph, and then the features crumbled to pieces and vanished like an apparition, and so passed away from human view for ever." "It seems strange that though the body of this man, "who overran Palestine with his armies two hundred years before the birth of Moses, "mouldered to dust, the flowers with which it had been wreathed were so wonderfully preserved that even their colour could be distinguished" (Manning's Land of the Pharaohs). Seti I. (his throne name Merenptah), the father of Rameses II., was a great and successful warrior, also a great builder. The mummy of this Pharaoh, when unrolled, brought to view "the most beautiful mummy head ever seen within the walls of the museum. The sculptors of Thebes and Abydos did not flatter this Pharaoh when they gave him that delicate, sweet, and smiling profile which is the admiration of travellers. After a lapse of thirty-two centuries, the mummy retains the same expression which characterized the features of the living man. Most remarkable of all, when compared with the mummy of Rameses II., is the striking resemblance between the father and the son. Seti I. is, as it were, the idealized type of Rameses II. He must have died at an advanced age. The head is shaven, the eyebrows are white, the condition of the body points to considerably more than threescore years of life, thus confirming the opinions of the learned, who have attributed a long reign to this king."

4. Rameses II., the son of Seti I., is probably the Pharaoh of the Oppression. During his forty years' residence at the court of Egypt, Moses must have known this ruler well. During his sojourn in Midian, however, Rameses died, after a reign of sixty-seven years, and his body embalmed and laid in the royal sepulchre in the Valley of the Tombs of Kings beside that of his father. Like the other mummies found hidden in the cave of Deir el-Bahari, it had been for some reason removed from its original tomb, and probably carried from place to place till finally deposited in the cave where it was so recently discovered. In 1886 the mummy of this king, the "great Rameses, "the "Sesostris" of the Greeks, was unwound, and showed the body of what must have been a robust old man. The features revealed to view are thus described by Maspero: "The head is long and small in proportion to the body. The top of the skull is quite bare. On the temple there are a few sparse hairs, but at the poll the hair is quite thick, forming smooth, straight locks about two inches in length. White at the time of death, they have been dyed a light yellow by the spices used in embalmment. The forehead is low and narrow; the brow-ridge prominent; the eye-brows are thick and white; the eyes are small and close together; the nose is long, thin, arched like the noses of the Bourbons; the temples are sunk; the cheek-bones very prominent; the ears round, standing far out from the head, and pierced, like those of a woman, for the wearing of earrings; the jaw-bone is massive and strong; the chin very prominent; the mouth small, but thick-lipped; the teeth worn and very brittle, but white and well preserved. The moustache and beard are thin. They seem to have been kept shaven during life, but were probably allowed to grow during the king's last illness, or they may have grown after death. The hairs are white, like those of the head and eyebrows, but are harsh and bristly, and a tenth of an inch in length. The skin is of an earthy-brown, streaked with black. Finally, it may be said, the face of the mummy gives a fair idea of the face of the living king. The expression is unintellectual, perhaps slightly animal; but even under the somewhat grotesque disguise of mummification there is plainly to be seen an air of sovereign majesty, of resolve, and of pride." Both on his father's and his mother's side it has been pretty clearly shown that Rameses had Chaldean or Mesopotamian blood in his veins to such a degree that he might be called an Assyrian. This fact is thought to throw light on Isa 52:4

5. The Pharaoh of the Exodus was probably Menephtah I., the fourteenth and eldest surviving son of Rameses II. He resided at Zoan, where he had the various interviews with Moses and Aaron recorded in the book of Exodus. His mummy was not among those found at Deir el-Bahari. It is still a question, however, whether Seti II. or his father Menephtah was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Some think the balance of evidence to be in favour of the former, whose reign it is known began peacefully, but came to a sudden and disastrous end. The "Harris papyrus, "found at Medinet-Abou in Upper Egypt in 1856 a state document written by Rameses III., the second king of the Twentieth Dynasty, gives at length an account of a great exodus from Egypt, followed by wide-spread confusion and anarchy. This, there is great reason to believe, was the Hebrew exodus, with which the Nineteenth Dynasty of the Pharaohs came to an end. This period of anarchy was brought to a close by Setnekht, the founder of the Twentieth Dynasty. "In the spring of 1896 Professor Flinders Petrie discovered, among the ruins of the temple of Menephtah at Thebes, a large granite stela, on which is engraved a hymn of victory commemorating the defeat of Libyan invaders who had overrun the Delta. At the end other victories of Menephtah are glanced at, and it is said that 'the Israelites (I-s-y-r-a-e-l-u) are minished so that they have no seed.' Menephtah was son and successor of Rameses II., the builder of Pithom, and Egyptian scholars have long seen in him the Pharaoh of the Exodus. The Exodus is also placed in his reign by the Egyptian legend of the event preserved by the historian Manetho. In the inscription the name of the Israelites has no determinative of 'country' or 'district' attached to it, as is the case with all the other names (Canaan, Ashkelon, Gezer, Khar or Southern Palestine, etc.) mentioned along with it, and it would therefore appear that at the time the hymn was composed, the Israelites had already been lost to the sight of the Egyptians in the desert. At all events they must have had as yet no fixed home or district of their own. We may therefore see in the reference to them the Pharaoh's version of the Exodus, the disasters which befell the Egyptians being naturally passed over in silence, and only the destruction of the 'men children' of the Israelites being recorded. The statement of the Egyptian poet is a remarkable parallel to Ex 1:10-22

6. The Pharaoh of 1Ki 11:18-22

7. So, king of Egypt 2Ki 17:4

8. The Pharaoh of 1Ch 4:18

9. Pharaoh, whose daughter Solomon married 1Ki 3:1 7:8

10. Pharaoh, in whom Hezekiah put his trust in his war against Sennacherib 2Ki 18:21

11. The Pharaoh by whom Josiah was defeated and slain at Megiddo 2Ch 35:20-24 2Ki 23:29,30 See NECHO II

12. Pharaoh-hophra, who in vain sought to relieve Jerusalem when it was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar (q.v.), 2Ki 25:1-4 comp. Jer 37:5-8 Eze 17:11-13 See ZEDEKIAH

 

Pharaoh's Daughters

 

Three princesses are thus mentioned in Scripture:

1. The princess who adopted the infant Moses (q.v.), Ex 2:10 She is twice mentioned in the New Testament Ac 7:21 Heb 11:24 It would seem that she was alive and in some position of influence about the court when Moses was compelled to flee from Egypt, and thus for forty years he had in some way been under her influence. She was in all probability the sister of Rameses, and the daughter of Seti I. Josephus calls her Thermuthis. It is supposed by some that she was Nefert-ari, the wife as well as sister of Rameses. The mummy of this queen was among the treasures found at Deir-el-Bahari.

2. "Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took 1Ch 4:18

3. The wife of Solomon 1Ki 3:1 This is the first reference since the Exodus to any connection of Israel with Egypt.

 

Pharez

 

Breach, the elder of the twin sons of Judah Ge 38:29 From him the royal line of David sprang Ru 4:18-22 "The chief of all the captains of the host" was of the children of Perez 1Ch 27:3 Mt 1:3

 

Pharisees

 

Separatists (Heb. persahin, from parash, "to separate"). They were probably the successors of the Assideans (i.e., the "pious"), a party that originated in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes in revolt against his heathenizing policy. The first mention of them is in a description by Josephus of the three sects or schools into which the Jews were divided (B.C. 145) The other two sects were the Essenes and the Sadducees. In the time of our Lord they were the popular party Joh 7:48 They were extremely accurate and minute in all matters appertaining to the law of Moses Mt 9:14 23:15 Lu 11:39 Lu 18:12 Paul, when brought before the council of Jerusalem, professed himself a Pharisee Ac 23:6-8 26:4,5 There was much that was sound in their creed, yet their system of religion was a form and nothing more. Theirs was a very lax morality Mt 5:20 15:4,8 Mt 23:3,14,23,25 Joh 8:7 On the first notice of them in the New Testament Mt 3:7 they are ranked by our Lord with the Sadducees as a "generation of vipers." They were noted for their self-righteousness and their pride Mt 9:11 Lu 7:39 18:11,12 They were frequently rebuked by our Lord Mt 12:39 16:1-4 From the very beginning of his ministry the Pharisees showed themselves bitter and persistent enemies of our Lord. They could not bear his doctrines, and they sought by every means to destroy his influence among the people.

 

Pharpar

 

Swift, one of the rivers of Damascus 2Ki 5:12 It has been identified with the 'Awaj, "a small lively river." The whole of the district watered by the 'Awaj is called the Wady el-'Ajam, i.e., "the valley of the Persians", so called for some unknown reason. This river empties itself into the lake or marsh Bahret Hijaneh, on the east of Damascus. One of its branches bears the modern name of Wady Barbar, which is probably a corruption of Pharpar.

 

Phebe

 

A "deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, "the port of Corinth. She was probably the bearer of Paul's epistle to the Romans. Paul commended her to the Christians at Rome; "for she hath been, "says he, "a succourer of many, and of myself also" Ro 16:1,2

 

Phenice

 

Properly Phoenix a palm-tree (as in the R.V.), a town with a harbour on the southern side of Crete Ac 27:12 west of the Fair Havens. It is now called Lutro.

 

Phenicia

 

Ac 21:2 Phenice Ac 11:19 15:3 R.V., Phoenicia, Gr. phoinix, "a palm", the land of palm-trees; a strip of land of an average breadth of about 20 miles along the shores of the Mediterranean, from the river Eleutherus in the north to the promotory of Carmel in the south, about 120 miles in length. This name is not found in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament it is mentioned only in the passages above referred to. "In the Egyptian inscriptions Phoenicia is called Keft, the inhabitants being Kefa; and since Keft-ur, or 'Greater Phoenicia, 'was the name given to the delta of the Nile from the Phoenician colonies settled upon it, the Philistines who came from Caphtor or Keft-ur must have been of Phoenician origin" (comp.) De 2:23 Jer 47:4 Am 9:7 Sayce's Bible and the Monuments. Phoenicia lay in the very centre of the old world, and was the natural entrepot for commerce with foreign nations. It was the "England of antiquity." "The trade routes from all Asia converged on the Phoenician coast; the centres of commerce on the Euphrates and Tigris forwarding their goods by way of Tyre to the Nile, to Arabia, and to the west; and, on the other hand, the productions of the vast regions bordering the Mediterranean passing through the Canaanite capital to the eastern world." It was "situate at the entry of the sea, a merchant of the people for many isles" Eze 27:3,4 The far-reaching commercial activity of the Phoenicians, especially with Tarshish and the western world, enriched them with vast wealth, which introduced boundless luxury and developed among them a great activity in all manner of arts and manufactures.

See TYRE The Phoenicians were the most enterprising merchants of the old world, establishing colonies at various places, of which Carthage was the chief. They were a Canaanite branch of the race of Ham, and are frequently called Sidonians, from their principal city of Sidon. None could "skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians" 1Ki 5:6 King Hiram rendered important service to Solomon in connection with the planning and building of the temple, casting for him all the vessels for the temple service, and the two pillars which stood in the front of the porch, and "the molten sea" 1Ki 7:21-23 Singular marks have been found by recent exploration on the great stones that form the substructure of the temple. These marks, both painted and engraved, have been regarded as made by the workmen in the quarries, and as probably intended to indicate the place of these stones in the building. "The Biblical account 1Ki 5:17,18 is accurately descriptive of the massive masonry now existing at the south-eastern angle (of the temple area), and standing on the native rock 80 feet below the present surface. The Royal Engineers found, buried deeply among the rubbish of many centuries, great stones, costly and hewed stones, forming the foundation of the sanctuary wall; while Phoenician fragments of pottery and Phoenician marks painted on the massive blocks seem to proclaim that the stones were prepared in the quarry by the cunning workmen of Hiram, the king of Tyre."

See TEMPLE The Phoenicians have been usually regarded as the inventors of alphabetic writing. The Egyptians expressed their thoughts by certain symbols, called "hieroglyphics", i.e., sacred carvings, so styled because used almost exclusively on sacred subjects. The recent discovery, however, of inscriptions in Southern Arabia (Yemen and Hadramaut), known as Hemyaritic, in connection with various philogical considerations, has led some to the conclusion that the Phoenician alphabet was derived from the Mineans (admitting the antiquity of the kingdom of Ma'in,)Jud 10:12 2Ch 26:7 Thus the Phoenician alphabet ceases to be the mother alphabet. Sayce thinks "it is more than possible that the Egyptians themselves were emigrants from Southern Arabia."

See MOABITE STONE "The Phoenicians were renowned in ancient times for the manufacture of glass, and some of the specimens of this work that have been preserved are still the wonder of mankind...In the matter of shipping, whether ship-building be thought of or traffic upon the sea, the Phoenicians surpassed all other nations." "The name Phoenicia is of uncertain origin, though it may be derived from Fenkhu, the name given in the Egyptian inscriptions to the natives of Palestine. Among the chief Phoenician cities were Tyre and Sidon, Gebal north of Beirut, Arvad or Arados and Zemar."

 

Phicol

 

Great, the chief captain of the army of Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar. He entered into an alliance with Abraham with reference to a certain well which, from this circumstance, was called Beersheba (q.v.), "the well of the oath" Ge 21:22,32 26:26

 

Philadelphia

 

Brotherly love, a city of Lydia in Asia Minor, about 25 miles south-east of Sardis. It was the seat of one of the "seven churches" Re 3:7-12 It came into the possession of the Turks in A.D. 1392 It has several times been nearly destroyed by earthquakes. It is still a town of considerable size, called Allahshehr, "the city of God."

 

Philemon

 

An inhabitant of Colosse, and apparently a person of some note among the citizens Col 4:9 Phm 1:2 He was brought to a knowledge of the gospel through the instrumentality of Paul Phm 1:19 and held a prominent place in the Christian community for his piety and beneficence Phm 1:4-7 He is called in the epistle a "fellow-labourer, "and therefore probably held some office in the church at Colosse; at all events, the title denotes that he took part in the work of spreading a knowledge of the gospel.

 

Philemon, Epistle to

 

Was written from Rome at the same time as the epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians, and was sent also by Onesimus. It was addressed to Philemon and the members of his family. It was written for the purpose of interceding for Onesimus (q.v.), who had deserted his master Philemon and been "unprofitable" to him. Paul had found Onesimus at Rome, and had there been instrumental in his conversion, and now he sends him back to his master with this letter. This epistle has the character of a strictly private letter, and is the only one of such epistles preserved to us. "It exhibits the apostle in a new light. He throws off as far as possible his apostolic dignity and his fatherly authority over his converts. He speaks simply as Christian to Christian. He speaks, therefore, with that peculiar grace of humility and courtesy which has, under the reign of Christianity, developed the spirit of chivalry and what is called 'the character of a gentleman, ' certainly very little known in the old Greek and Roman civilization" (Dr. Barry).

 

See SLAVE

 

Philetus

 

Amiable, with Hymenaeus, at Ephesus, said that the "resurrection was past already" 2Ti 2:17,18 This was a Gnostic heresy held by the Nicolaitanes.

 

See ALEXANDER

 

Philip

 

Lover of horses.

1. One of the twelve apostles; a native of Bethsaida, "the city of Andrew and Peter" Joh 1:44 He readily responded to the call of Jesus when first addressed to him Joh 1:43 and forthwith brought Nathanael also to Jesus Joh 1:45,46 He seems to have held a prominent place among the apostles Mt 10:3 Mr 3:18 Joh 6:5-7 12:21,22 14:8,9 Ac 1:13 Of his later life nothing is certainly known. He is said to have preached in Phrygia, and to have met his death at Hierapolis.

2. One of the "seven" Ac 6:5 called also "the evangelist" Ac 21:8,9 He was one of those who were "scattered abroad" by the persecution that arose on the death of Stephen. He went first to Samaria, where he laboured as an evangelist with much success Ac 8:5-13 While he was there he received a divine command to proceed toward the south, along the road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza. These towns were connected by two roads. The one Philip was directed to take was that which led through Hebron, and thence through a district little inhabited, and hence called "desert." As he travelled along this road he was overtaken by a chariot in which sat a man of Ethiopia, the eunuch or chief officer of Queen Candace, who was at that moment reading, probably from the Septuagint version, a portion of the prophecies of Isaiah Isa 53:6,7 Philip entered into conversation with him, and expounded these verses, preaching to him the glad tidings of the Saviour. The eunuch received the message and believed, and was forthwith baptized, and then "went on his way rejoicing." Philip was instantly caught away by the Spirit after the baptism, and the eunuch saw him no more. He was next found at Azotus, whence he went forth in his evangelistic work till he came to Caesarea. He is not mentioned again for about twenty years, when he is still found at Caesarea Ac 21:8 when Paul and his companions were on the way to Jerusalem. He then finally disappears from the page of history.

3. Mentioned only in connection with the imprisonment of John the Baptist Mt 14:3 Mr 6:17 Lu 3:19 He was the son of Herod the Great, and the first husband of Herodias, and the father of Salome. See HEROD PHILIP I.

4. The "tetrarch of Ituraea" Lu 3:1 a son of Herod the Great, and brother of Herod Antipas. The city of Caesarea-Philippi was named partly after him Mt 16:13 Mr 8:27 See HEROD PHILIP II.

 

Philippi

 

1. Formerly Crenides, "the fountain, "the capital of the province of Macedonia. It stood near the head of the Sea, about 8 miles north-west of Kavalla. It is now a ruined village, called Philibedjik. Philip of Macedonia fortified the old Thracian town of Crenides, and called it after his own name Philippi (B.C.

359) In the time of the Emperor Augustus this city became a Roman colony, i.e., a military settlement of Roman soldiers, there planted for the purpose of controlling the district recently conquered. It was a "miniature Rome, "under the municipal law of Rome, and governed by military officers, called duumviri, who were appointed directly from Rome. Having been providentially guided thither, here Paul and his companion Silas preached the gospel and formed the first church in Europe. See LYDIA This success stirred up the enmity of the people, and they were "shamefully entreated" Ac 16:9-40 1Th 2:2 Paul and Silas at length left this city and proceeded to Amphipolis (q.v.).

2. When Philip the tetrarch, the son of Herod, succeeded to the government of the northern portion of his kingdom, he enlarged the city of Paneas, and called it Caesarea, in honour of the emperor. But in order to distinguish it from the Caesarea on the sea coast, he added to it subsequently his own name, and called it Caesarea-Philippi (q.v.).

 

Philippians, Epistle to

 

1. Was written by Paul during the two years when he was "in bonds" in Rome Php 1:7-13 probably early in the year A.D. 62 or in the end of 61 The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus, their messenger, with contributions to meet the necessities of the apostle; and on his return Paul sent back with him this letter. With this precious communication Epaphroditus sets out on his homeward journey.  "The joy caused by his return, and the effect of this wonderful letter when first read in the church of Philippi, are hidden from us.  And we may almost say that with this letter the church itself passes from our view. To-day, in silent meadows, quiet cattle browse among the ruins which mark the site of what was once the flourishing Roman colony of Philippi, the home of the most attractive church of the apostolic age.  But the name and fame and spiritual influence of that church will never pass. To myriads of men and women in every age and nation the letter written in a dungeon at Rome, and carried along the Egnatian Way by an obscure Christian messenger, has been a light divine and a cheerful guide along the most rugged paths of life" (Professor Beet).

2. The church at Philippi was the first-fruits of European Christianity.  Their attachment to the apostle was very fervent, and so also was his affection for them. They alone of all the churches helped him by their contributions, which he gratefully acknowledges Ac 20:33-35 2Co 11:7-12 2Th 3:8 The pecuniary liberality of the Philippians comes out very conspicuously Php 4:15 "This was a characteristic of the Macedonian missions, as 2Co 8:1-9:15 amply and beautifully prove.  It is remarkable that the Macedonian converts were, as a class, very poor 2Co 8:2 and the parallel facts, their poverty and their open-handed support of the great missionary and his work, are deeply harmonious. At the present day the missionary liberality of poor Christians is, in proportion, really greater than that of the rich" (Moule's Philippians, Introd.).

3. The contents of this epistle give an interesting insight into the condition of the church at Rome at the time it was written. Paul's imprisonment, we are informed, was no hindrance to his preaching the gospel, but rather "turned out to the furtherance of the gospel." The gospel spread very extensively among the Roman soldiers, with whom he was in constant contact, and the Christians grew into a "vast multitude." It is plain that Christianity was at this time making rapid advancement in Rome.

4. The doctrinal statements of this epistle bear a close relation to those of the Epistle to the Romans. Compare also Php 3:20 Eph 2:12,19 where the church is presented under the idea of a city or commonwealth for the first time in Paul's writings. The personal glory of Christ is also set forth in almost parallel forms of expression in Php 2:5-11 compared with Eph 1:17-23 2:8 Col 1:15-20 "This exposition of the grace and wonder of His personal majesty, personal self-abasement, and personal exaltation after it, "found in these epistles, "is, in a great measure, a new development in the revelations given through St.  Paul" (Moule). Other minuter analogies in forms of expression and of thought are also found in these epistles of the Captivity.

 

Philistia

 

=Palestine (q.v.), "the land of the Philistines" Ps 60:8 87:4 108:9 The word is supposed to mean "the land of wanderers" or "of strangers."

 

Philistines

 

Ge 10:14 R.V.; but in A.V., "Philistim", a tribe allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the Jordan, and Crete and other Mediterranean islands. Some suppose them to have been a branch of the Rephaim 2Sa 21:16-22 In the time of Abraham they inhabited the south-west of Judea, Abimelech of Gerar being their king Ge 21:32,34 26:1 They are, however, not noticed among the Canaanitish tribes mentioned in the Pentateuch. They are spoken of by Amos Am 9:7 and Jeremiah Jer 47:4 as from Caphtor, i.e., probably Crete, or, as some think, the Delta of Egypt. In the whole record from Exodus to Samuel they are represented as inhabiting the tract of country which lay between Judea and Egypt Ex 13:17 15:14,15 Jos 13:3 1Sa 4:1ff. This powerful tribe made frequent incursions against the Hebrews. There was almost perpetual war between them. They sometimes held the tribes, especially the southern tribes, in degrading servitude Jud 15:11 1Sa 13:19-22 at other times they were defeated with great slaughter 1Sa 14:1-47 17:1ff. These hostilities did not cease till the time of Hezekiah 2Ki 18:8 when they were entirely subdued. They still, however, occupied their territory, and always showed their old hatred to Israel Eze 25:15-17 They were finally conquered by the Romans. The Philistines are called Pulsata or Pulista on the Egyptian monuments; the land of the Philistines (Philistia) being termed Palastu and Pilista in the Assyrian inscriptions. They occupied the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, in the south-western corner of Canaan, which belonged to Egypt up to the closing days of the Nineteenth Dynasty.  The occupation took place during the reign of Rameses III. of the Twentieth Dynasty. The Philistines had formed part of the great naval confederacy which attacked Egypt, but were eventually repulsed by that Pharaoh, who, however, could not dislodge them from their settlements in Palestine. Indeed the country was properly Gerar, as in Ge 20:1 ff They are called Allophyli, "foreigners, "in the Septuagint, and in the Books of Samuel they are spoken of as uncircumcised. It would therefore appear that they were not of the Semitic race, though after their establishment in Canaan they adopted the Semitic language of the country. We learn from the Old Testament that they came from Caphtor, usually supposed to be Crete. From Philistia the name of the land of the Philistines came to be extended to the whole of "Palestine." Many scholars identify the Philistines with the Pelethites of 2Sa 8:18

 

 

Phinehas

 

Mouth of brass, or from old Egypt, the negro.

1. Son of Eleazar, the high priest Ex 6:25 While yet a youth he distinguished himself at Shittim by his zeal against the immorality into which the Moabites had tempted the people Nu 25:1-9 and thus "stayed the plague" that had broken out among the people, and by which twenty-four thousand of them perished.  For his faithfulness on that occasion he received the divine approbation Nu 25:10-13 He afterwards commanded the army that went out against the Midianites Nu 31:6-8 When representatives of the people were sent to expostulate with the two and a half tribes who, just after crossing Jordan, built an altar and departed without giving any explanation, Phinehas was their leader, and addressed them in the words recorded in Jos 22:13-20 Their explanation follows. This great altar was intended to be all ages only a witness that they still formed a part of Israel. Phinehas was afterwards the chief adviser in the war with the Benjamites. He is commemorated in Ps 106:30,31 See ED

2. One of the sons of Eli, the high priest 1Sa 1:3 2:12 He and his brother Hophni were guilty of great crimes, for which destruction came on the house of Eli 1Sa 31:1 ff. He died in battle with the Philistines 1Sa 4:4,11 and his wife, on hearing of his death, gave birth to a son, whom she called "Ichabod, "and then she died 1Sa 4:19-22.

 

See HOPHNI

 

Phlegon

 

Burning, a Roman Christian to whom Paul sent salutations Ro 16:14

 

Phoenicia

 

Ac 21:2

 

See PHENICIA

 

Phrygia

 

Dry, an irregular and ill-defined district in Asia Minor. It was divided into two parts, the Greater Phrygia on the south, and the Lesser Phrygia on the west. It is the Greater Phrygia that is spoken of in the New Testament. The towns of Antioch in Pisidia Ac 13:14 Colosse, Hierapolis, Iconium, and Laodicea were situated in it.

 

Phut

 

Phut is placed between Egypt and Canaan in Ge 10:6 and elsewhere we find the people of Phut described as mercenaries in the armies of Egypt and Tyre Jer 46:9 Eze 30:5 27:10 In a fragment of the annuals of Nebuchadrezzar which records his invasion of Egypt, reference is made to "Phut of the Ionians."

 

Phygellus

 

Fugitive, a Christian of Asia, who "turned away" from Paul during his second imprisonment at Rome 2Ti 1:15 Nothing more is known of him.

 

Phylacteries

 

(Gr. phulakteria; i.e., "defences" or "protections"), called by modern Jews tephillin (i.e., "prayers") are mentioned only in Mt 23:5 They consisted of strips of parchment on which were inscribed these four texts:

1. Ex 13:1-10

2. Ex 13:11-16

3. De 6:4-9

4. De 11:18-21

 

and which were enclosed in a square leather case, on one side of which was inscribed the Hebrew letter shin, to which the rabbis attached some significance. This case was fastened by certain straps to the forehead just between the eyes. The "making broad the phylacteries" refers to the enlarging of the case so as to make it conspicuous.

See FRONTLETS Another form of the phylactery consisted of two rolls of parchment, on which the same texts were written, enclosed in a case of black calfskin. This was worn on the left arm near the elbow, to which it was bound by a thong. It was called the "Tephillah on the arm."

 

Physician

 

Asa, afflicted with some bodily malady, "sought not to the Lord but to the physicians" 2Ch 16:12 The "physicians" were those who "practised heathen arts of magic, disavowing recognized methods of cure, and dissociating the healing art from dependence on the God of Israel. The sin of Asa was not, therefore, in seeking medical advice, as we understand the phrase, but in forgetting Jehovah."

 

Pi-beseth

 

Eze 30:17 supposed to mean. "a cat, "or a deity in the form of a cat, worshipped by the Egyptians. It was called by the Greeks Bubastis.  The hieroglyphic name is "Pe-bast", i.e., the house of Bast, the Artemis of the Egyptians. The town of Bubasts was situated on the Pelusian branch, i.e., the easternmost branch, of the Delta. It was the seat of one of the chief annual festivals of the Egyptians. Its ruins bear the modern name of Tel-Basta.

 

Pieces

 

1. of silver. In Ps 68:30 denotes "fragments, "and not properly money. In 1Sa 2:36 (Heb. agorah), properly a "small sum" as wages, weighed rather than coined. Jos 24:32 (Heb. kesitah, q.v.), supposed by some to have been a piece of money bearing the figure of a lamb, but rather simply a certain amount. (Comp.) Ge 33:19

2. The word pieces is omitted in many passages, as Ge 20:16 37:28 Ge 45:22 etc. The passage in Zec 11:12,13 is quoted in the Gospel Mt 26:15 and from this we know that the word to be supplied is "shekels." In all these omissions we may thus warrantably supply this word.

3. The "piece of money" mentioned in Mt 17:27 is a stater=a Hebrew shekel, or four Greek drachmae; and that in Lu 15:8,9 Ac 19:19 a Greek drachma=a denarius.

 

See PENNY See KESITAH

 

Piety

 

Lat. pietas, properly honour and respect toward parents 1Ti 5:4 In Ac 17:23 the Greek verb is rendered "ye worship, "as applicable to God.

 

Pigeon

 

Pigeons are mentioned as among the offerings which, by divine appointment, Abram presented unto the Lord Ge 15:9 They were afterwards enumerated among the sin-offerings Le 1:14 12:6 and the law provided that those who could not offer a lamb might offer two young pigeons Le 5:7 comp. Lu 2:24

 

See DOVE

 

Pi-hahiroth

 

Place where the reeds grow (LXX. and Copt. read "farmstead"), the name of a place in Egypt where the children of Israel encamped Ex 14:2,9 how long is uncertain. Some have identified it with Ajrud, a fortress between Etham and Suez. The condition of the Isthmus of Suez at the time of the Exodus is not exactly known, and hence this, with the other places mentioned as encampments of Israel in Egypt, cannot be definitely ascertained. The isthmus has been formed by the Nile deposits. This increase of deposit still goes on, and so rapidly that within the last fifty years the mouth of the Nile has advanced northward about four geographical miles. In the maps of Ptolemy (of the second and third centuries A.D.) the mouths of the Nile are forty miles further south than at present.

 

See EXODUS

 

Pilate, Pontius

 

Probably connected with the Roman family of the Pontii, and called "Pilate" from the Latin pileatus, i.e., "wearing the pileus", which was the "cap or badge of a manumitted slave, "as indicating that he was a "freedman, "or the descendant of one. He was the sixth in the order of the Roman procurators of Judea (A.D. 26) His headquarters were at Caesarea, but he frequently went up to Jerusalem. His reign extended over the period of the ministry of John the Baptist and of Jesus Christ, in connection with whose trial his name comes into prominent notice. Pilate was a "typical Roman, not of the antique, simple stamp, but of the imperial period, a man not without some remains of the ancient Roman justice in his soul, yet pleasure-loving, imperious, and corrupt. He hated the Jews whom he ruled, and in times of irritation freely shed their blood. They returned his hatred with cordiality, and accused him of every crime, maladministration, cruelty, and robbery. He visited Jerusalem as seldom as possible; for, indeed, to one accustomed to the pleasures of Rome, with its theatres, baths, games, and gay society, Jerusalem, with its religiousness and ever-smouldering revolt, was a dreary residence. When he did visit it he stayed in the palace of Herod the Great, it being common for the officers sent by Rome into conquered countries to occupy the palaces of the displaced sovereigns." After his trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus was brought to the Roman procurator, Pilate, who had come up to Jerusalem as usual to preserve order during the Passover, and was now residing, perhaps, in the castle of Antonia, or it may be in Herod's palace. Pilate came forth from his palace and met the deputation from the Sanhedrin, who, in answer to his inquiry as to the nature of the accusation they had to prefer against Jesus, accused him of being a "malefactor." Pilate was not satisfied with this, and they further accused him

1. of sedition,

2. preventing the payment of the tribute to Caesar, and

3. of assuming the title of king Lu 23:2 Pilate now withdrew with Jesus into the palace Joh 18:33 and examined him in private Joh 18:37,38 and then going out to the deputation still standing before the gate, he declared that he could find no fault in Jesus Lu 23:4 This only aroused them to more furious clamour, and they cried that he excited the populace "throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee." When Pilate heard of Galilee, he sent the accused to Herod Antipas, who had jurisdiction over that province, thus hoping to escape the difficulty in which he found himself. But Herod, with his men of war, set Jesus at nought, and sent him back again to Pilate, clad in a purple robe of mockery Lu 23:11,12 Pilate now proposed that as he and Herod had found no fault in him, they should release Jesus; and anticipating that they would consent to this proposal, he ascended the judgment-seat as if ready to ratify the decision Mt 27:19 But at this moment his wife (Claudia Procula) sent a message to him imploring him to have nothing to do with the "just person." Pilate's feelings of perplexity and awe were deepened by this incident, while the crowd vehemently cried out, "Not this man, but Barabbas." Pilate answered, "What then shall I do with Jesus?" The fierce cry immediately followed. "Let him be crucified." Pilate, apparently vexed, and not knowning what to do, said, "Why, what evil hath he done?" but with yet fiercer fanaticism the crowd yelled out, "Away with him! crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate yielded, and sent Jesus away to be scourged. This scourging was usually inflicted by lictors; but as Pilate was only a procurator he had no lictor, and hence his soldiers inflicted this terrible punishment. This done, the soldiers began to deride the sufferer, and they threw around him a purple robe, probably some old cast-off robe of state Mt 27:28 Joh 19:2 and putting a reed in his right hand, and a crowd of thorns on his head, bowed the knee before him in mockery, and saluted him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They took also the reed and smote him with it on the head and face, and spat in his face, heaping upon him every indignity. Pilate then led forth Jesus from within the Praetorium Mt 27:27 before the people, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, saying, "Behold the man!" But the sight of Jesus, now scourged and crowned and bleeding, only stirred their hatred the more, and again they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" and brought forth this additional charge against him, that he professed to be "the Son of God." Pilate heard this accusation with a superstitious awe, and taking him once more within the Praetorium, asked him, "Whence art thou?" Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate was irritated by his continued silence, and said, "Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee?" Jesus, with calm dignity, answered the Roman, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above." After this Pilate seemed more resolved than ever to let Jesus go. The crowd perceiving this cried out, "If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend." This settled the matter. He was afraid of being accused to the emperor. Calling for water, he washed his hands in the sight of the people, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person." The mob, again scorning his scruples, cried, "His blood be on us, and on our children." Pilate was stung to the heart by their insults, and putting forth Jesus before them, said, "Shall I crucify your King?" The fatal moment had now come. They madly exclaimed, "We have no king but Caesar; "and now Jesus is given up to them, and led away to be crucified. By the direction of Pilate an inscription was placed, according to the Roman custom, over the cross, stating the crime for which he was crucified.  Having ascertained from the centurion that he was dead, he gave up the body to Joseph of Arimathea to be buried. Pilate's name now disappears from the Gospel history. References to him, however, are found in the Acts of the Apostles Ac 3:13 4:27 Ac 13:28 and in 1Ti 6:13 In A.D. 36 the governor of Syria brought serious accusations against Pilate, and he was banished to Vienne in Gaul, where, according to tradition, he committed suicide.

 

Pillar

 

1. Used to support a building Jud 16:26,29

2. as a trophy or memorial Ge 28:18 35:20 Ex 24:4 1Sa 15:12 A.V., "place, "more correctly "monument, "or "trophy of victory, "as in 2Sa 18:18

3. of fire, by which the Divine Presence was manifested Ex 13:21

4. The "plain of the pillar" in Jud 9:6 ought to be, as in the Revised Version, the "oak of the pillar", i.e.,

5. of the monument or stone set up by Joshua Jos 24:26

 

Pine Tree

 

Heb. tidhar, mentioned along with the fir-tree in Isa 41:19 60:13 This is probably the cypress; or it may be the stone-pine, which is common on the northern slopes of Lebanon. Some suppose that the elm, others that the oak, or holm, or ilex, is meant by the Hebrew word. In Ne 8:15 the Revised Version has "wild olive" instead of "pine."

 

See FIR