had likewise establishments to the east of the same sea, between the brooks of Jabbok and Arnon, whence they forced the Ammonites and Moabites. Numb. xviii, 30, 21, 29; Josh. v, 1; and Judg. xi, 19, 20. Moses made a conquest of this country from their kings, Sihon and Og, in the year of the world 2553. The prophet Amos (ii, 9) speaking of the gigantic stature and valor of the Amorites, compares their height with that of cedars, and their strength with that of an oak. The name Amorites is often taken in scripture for all Canaanites in general. The lands, which the Amorite possessed on this side Jordan, were given to the tribe of Judah; and those which they had enjoyed beyond this river were distributed between the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Indeed there seems to have been very different tribes of men called by this general name. Amorrhites, inhabited a part of mount Lebanon, East of Phenicia. Amorrhites, dwelt in mount Gilead, between the rivers Jabbok and Arnon. Amorrhites, inhabited the mountain of Paran, between mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea, Gen. xv. As their He brew name signifies branching or spreading; it may, therefore, simply mean the people who live in the numerous and extensive branches of mount Paran, Gilead, and Lebanon, Wells, &c. AMPHIPOLIS, a city lying between Macedon and Thrace, but depending on the kingdom of Macedon. It is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (xvii, 1.) St. Paul and Silas, being delivered out of prison, left Phillippi, went to Thessa lonica, and passed through Amphipolis; but it does not appear, that any church was formed there: It has its name from being encompassed by the river Strymon, the old boundary be tween Thrace and Macedon. It was built by Cimon the famous Athenian, 470 years before Christ, and settled with a colony of 10,000 people. It is now called Emboli by the Turks; but is not a place of much importance. Lat. 41, 50. ANA, a city of Arabia Deserta on the Euphrates. Upon an island near it is a very fine mosque. For half a league round the town is a fruitful soil, beyond which is a frightful desert. ANAB, a city in the moun tains of Judah. Josh. xi, 22. Lat. 31, 12. ANAHARATH, a city belonging to the tribe of Issachar. Josh. xix, 19. Lat. 32, 32. ANAKIMS, a people descended from Anak, who was the son of Arba; Numb. xiii, 22. These people, like their fathers, were giants, and terrible for their fierceness. But Caleb, assisted by the tribe of Judah, took Kirjath-arba and destroyed the Anakims; Judges i, 20. There seems to have been several races of giants in Palestine. The Emims, Rephaims, &c. See Rephaims. The Anakims, or the sons of Anak, were the most famous giants of Palestine. They dwelt at Hebron, and in the vicinity. Their stature was so much above what was common, that the Israelites, who were sent to view the promised land, told the people at their return, that they had seen giants, who were of so monstrous a size, that the Israelites in comparison were but grasshoppers. Numbers xiii, 23. The Septuagint sometimes translate the word Gibbor, giant, though literally it signifies no more than a strong man, a man of valor and bravery, a warrior. For example, they say, that Nimrod was a giant before the Lord, Gen. x, 8, 9; that the sun rises like a giant to run his course, Psalm xi, 5: that the Lord will destroy the giant and the warlike man, Isaiah iii, 2; that he will call his giants in his wrath to take vengeance of his enemies, Isaiah xiii, 3; that he will destroy the power of Egypt by the sword of his giants, that is to say, of his warriors, Ezekiel xxxii, 12, 21, 27. to It is very probable, that the first men were of a strength and stature much superior those of mankind at present, since they lived longer; long life being commonly the effect of a They of a vigorous constitution. The scripture says that there were many of these mighty, men upon the earth when Noah appeared, and that there were some before, and after the sons of God had an intercourse with the daughters of men. The text in Moses runs thus, "there were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bear children to them." Several of the ancient authors, led into mistake by the apocry. phal book of Enoch, have asserted, that giants were the production of a marriage between angels and the daugh ters of men. This opinion they founded, likewise, upon the text of the Septuagint, which in some copies stand thus, Gen. vi, 2, The angels of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and fair, and all which they chose. But Moses in this place means nothing else, but that the men of Seth's family, which was the family of the righteous, and the sons of God, were corrupted by their affections to the women of Cain's race, who are here described under the name of the daughters of men. Thus St. Chrysostom, Theodoret, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Austin and many more, have explained it. As to the existence of Giants, several writers, ancient and modern, have imagined, that the giants spoken of in scripture, were indeed men of an extraordinary stature, but not so much above what was common as some have fancied, who describe them as three or four times larger, than men are at present. They were, say they, men famous for the violences, which they committed, and for their crimes rather than their strength, or the greatness of their stature. But it cannot be denied, that formerlythere were men of a stature, men, much above common without contradicting scripture, and the most certain histories and traditions of all people. Moses, Deut. iii, 11, speaks of Og, the king of Baashan's bed, which was 9 cubits long, and four wide, that is fifteen feet four inches and an half long. Goliah, was six cubits and a span in height, that is to say, ten feet seven inches; 1 Sam. xvii, 4. These giants were still common in Joshua's and David's times, when the life of men was already so much shortened, and as may be presumed, the size and strength of human bodies very much diminished. Calmet's Dict. The ancient writers, who make mention of giants, are Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Pliny, Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Plutarch, &c. Mr. Whiston in his Original Records, has a supplement concerning the old giants, where, according to the apocryphal book of Enoch he divides the giants into three kinds and in this division thinks himself countenanced by the words of Moses, Gen. vi, 2, &c. the first and lowest kind of which are in stature from 4 cubits to 15, the second are called Nephilim, from 15 to forty, and the third or great giants 40 cubits at least and many times above. ANAMIM, whether this be the name of an individual or a nation or tribe of men has been doubted. But as this and many other words of the same species, have plural terminations in Hebrew, it may be presumed they signify a people, or nation. The Anamim were descendants of Mizraim, a son of Ham, who settled in Egypt, Lat. 26, N. ANATHOTH, a city of Palestine belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, Josh. xxi, 18. About three miles distant from Jerusalem, according to Eusebius and St. Jerome; or twenty furlongs according to Josephus. This was the birth place of the prophet Jeremiah. It was given to the Levites of Koath's family, for their habitation, and to be a city of refuge. After the death of his father, Solomon ordered Abiathar the priest, who had joined the party of Adonijah, to retire to Anathoth. Lat. 31, 47. ANEM, a city of Palestine, belonging to the tribe of Manasseh, given by lot to the Levites of Koath's family, 1 Chr. vi, 10. Anem, a city belonging to the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv, 50. It was eight or ten miles cast of Hebron. ANER, a Levitical city on the west of Jordan in the half tribe of Manasseh. ANGE, a mountain mentioned in the Latin text of Judith ii, 21. The text, says this mountain lies to the left of Cilicia; it is the highest in these parts. Strabo says, it is always covered with snow, and that from its summit the Euxine and sea of Cilicia are both visible. ANTARADA, a city of Syria, lying on the continent, opposite to the island Aradus, or Arada. or Arada. Though this town is not mentioned in scripture; yet mention is made of Árada, or Arva, or the Arvadites. Antarada is now called Tortosa, and is noted for its fine harbor. ANTHEDON, see AGRIP PIAS. ANTIOCH, according to Mr. Wells, there were no less than sixteen cities of that name in Syria and other countries; but the Scripture speaks only of the greater Antioch, which was the capital of Syria; and of another Antioch of Pisidia; Antioch the capital of Syria was frequently called Antiochia Epidaphne, from its neighborhood to Daphne, a village where the temple of Daphne stood. Antioch of Syria, i we believe St.Jerome, was formerly called Riblath or Riblatla, of which there is mention in the book of Numbers xxxiv, 11; in the 2 book of Kings xxiii,33;xxvii, 6; xxix, 21; and in Jeremiah xxxix, 5; lii, 9; x, 26, 27. Theodoret says, that in his time, there was a city called Riblath, near Emesa in Syria, which is very contrary to St. Jerome's opinion. However this may be, it is certain Antioch was not known under this name, till after the reign of Seleucus Nicanor, who built it,and called it Antioch, in memory of his father Antiochus in the year 301 before the Christian era. Hence there is no mention of this Antioch in Scripture, excepting in the book of Maccabees, and in the New Testament. Here resided the kings of Syria, successors of Alexander the Great. Then it was a beautiful, flourishing, and illustrious city, though at present scarce any thing remains, but a heap of rains. However, the walls are still standing; but within these walls, there is no thing but gardens, ruins, and shattered houses. The river Orontes runs near the city on the outside. The Bishop of Antioch has the title of Patriarch, and at all times has had a great share in the affairs of the eastern church. The city of Antioch` was in form almost square; it had a great number of gates, and part of it on the north side was raised upon a high mountain. It was adorn. ed with galleries and fountains, palaces and magnificent temples; it was strongly fortified by art and nature. Ammianus Marcellinus says, that it was celebrated throughout the world, and that no other city exceeded it either in fertility of soil, or in richness of trade. The emperor Vespasian Titus, and others granted it very great privileges; but sometime after. ward it underwent several revolutions, having been almost totally demolished by two successive earthquakes, one of which hap pened in the fourth, the other in the fifth centuries. In 548, it was taken and burned by the Persians, and all the inhabitants put to the sword; four years after this, Justinian rebuilt it, in a more beautiful and regular manner, than it was before. The Persians however took it a second time in 574, and destroyed its walls. In 588, it suffered again by a dreadful earthquake, by which upwards of 60,000 persons perished. It was once more rebuilt, but taken by the Saracens in 637, Nicephoras Phocas retook it in 966, but afterwards it was again taken by the Saracens. The Christians in the crusades took it in 1098; but it was tak |