FELIX, ANTONIUS

tinued, as well as work In the fields (Am 8'). It appears also that this was the occasion of a common sacred meal and family sacrifices (of. 1 S 20'- '■ "■ «), and it seems to have been a regular day on which to consult prophets (2 K 42=).

3 . The Feast of Trumpets took place at the New Moon of the 7th month, Tishrl (October). See Tkumpets.

4. The Sabbatical year. — An extension of the Sabbath principle led to the rule that in every 7th year the land was to be allowed to lie fallow, and fields were to be neither tilled nor reaped. See Sabbatical Yeab.

5. By a further extension, every 50th year was to be treated as a year of Jubilee, when Hebrew slaves were emancipated and mortgaged property reverted to its owners. See Sabbaticai, Year.

II. Great National Festivals. — These were solar festivals, and mostly connected with different stages of the harvest; the Jews also ascribed to them a com-memorative significance, and traditionally referred their inauguration to various events of their past history. They were: —

1. The Passover, followed immediately by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These two feasts were probably distinct in origin (Lv 235- s, Nu 28i6- "), and Josephus distinguishes between them; but in later times they were popularly regarded as one (Mk 14", Lk 22i). The Passover festival is probably of great antiquity, but the Feast of Unleavened Bread, being agricultural in character, can scarcely have existed before the Israelites entered Canaan. For the characteristic features of the two festivals, see Passover.

2. Pentecost, on the 50th day after 16th Nisan (April), celebrated the completion of the corn harvest. See Pentecost.

3. TheFeastof Tabernacles, the Jewish harvest-home, took place at the period when the harvests of fruit, oil, and wine had been gathered in. See Tabernacles.

III. Minor Historical Festivals. — 1. TheFeastof Furim, dating from the Persian period of Jewish history, commemorated the nation's deliverance from the in-trigues of Haman. See Purim.

2. The Feast of the Dedication recalled the purifica-tion of the Temple after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes. See Dedication.

3. The Feast of the Wood-offering or of the Wood-carriers, on the 15th day of Abib (April), marked the last of the nine occasions on which offerings of wood were brought for the use of the Temple (Neh 10" 133').

Besides these there were certain petty feasts, alluded to in Josephus and the Apocrypha, but they seem never to have been generally observed or to have attained any religious importance. Such are: the Feast of the Reading of the Law (1 Es 9", of. Neh 8'); the Feast of Nicanor on the 13th day of Adar (March) (1 Mac 7"; see Purim); the Feast of the Captured Fortress (1 Mac 13so-«2); the Feast of Baskets. A. W. F. Blcnt.

FELIX, ANTONIUS.— Procurator of Judsa (Ac 23MB); according to Josephus, he had been sent to succeed Cumanus in a.d. 62; but this contradicts Tacitus, who makes Cumanus governor of Galilee and Felix of Samaria simultaneously; and this suits Ac 24'" ('many years'). Both historians give 52 as the year of Cumanus' disgrace, so that we may probably take that as the date of Felix' accession to office in Judaea. Felix was brother of Pallas, Claudius' powerful freed-man, whose influence continued him in office under Nero, and on his disgrace (due to a riot at Csesarea) procured him his life. He is described by Tacitus as a very bad and cruel governor. He was somewhat touched by St. Paul's preaching (24»'), but kept him in prison, first in hope of a bribe, — one of many details showing that St. Paul was a prisoner of social importance, — and, finally, to please the Jews. He is called 'most excellent' (23» 24'; cf. 2625, Lk 1>), a title given him as governor, but more properly confined to those of

FIG

equestrian rank. He married thrice, each time to a person of roj'ial birth; see Drusilla. A. I. Maclean.

FELLOW. — This Eng. word is used in AV with the meaning either of (1) companion, or (2) of person. Thus (1) Ps 45' 'God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows'; (2) Mt 26" 'This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth' (RV 'man'; there is no word in the Gr.). Cf. Tindale's trans, of Gn 392 ' And the Lordb was with Joseph, and he was a luckie fellowe.' Although the word when used in AV for person may have a touch of disparagement, nowhere is it used to express strong contempt as now.

FELLOWSHIP.— See Communion.

FENCE .— Ps 623 is the only occurrence ofthesubst., and probably the word there has its modern meaning (Cover-dale 'hedge'). But the participle 'fenced' (used of a city) always means 'fortified' (which Amer. RV always substitutes). See Fortification.

FERRET (andqah). — An unclean animal, Lv ll'", RV 'gecko.' Rabbinical writers suggest the hedgehog, but this is unlikely. For gecko see Lizard.

E. W. G. Masterman.

FESTUS, PORCIUS. — Procurator of Judaea after Felix. His short term of office was marked by a much better administration than that of Felix or of Albinus his successor (Jos. Ant. xx. viii. f .). He is addressed with respect by St. Paul (Ac 262<«-)> whom he would not give up to the Jews untried; it was, however, from fear of being eventually given up that St. Paul made his appeal to Caesar, in consequence of which he was sent to Rome. Festus was a friend of king Agrippa ii., whose visit to him is described in Ac 25'™-, and took his side in a dispute with the Jewish priests. His accession to office is one of the puzzles of NT chronology; Eusebius gives a.d. 56, but this- is probably some three years too early. A. J. Maclean.

FETTER.— See Chain.

FEVER.— See Medicine.

FIERY SERPENT.— See Serpent, Seraphim.

FIG.— (ie'Snaft). — The common fig, fruit of the Ficus carica, is cultivated from one end of Palestine to the other, especially in the mountainous regions, occupying to-day a place as important as it did in Bible times. The failure of the fig and grape harvest would even now bring untold distress (Jer 5", Hab 3" etc.). Although the figs are all of one genus, the fellahs distinguish many varieties according to the quality and colour of the fruit.

The summer foliage of the fig is thick, and excels other trees for its cool and grateful shade. In the summer the owners of gardens everywhere may be seen sitting in the shadow of their fig trees. It is possible the references in Mic 4', Zee 3" may be to this, or to the not uncommon custom of having fig trees over-hanging rural dwellings. Although fig trees are of medium height, some individual trees (.e.g. near Jenin reach to over 25 feet high. Self-sown fig trees are usually barren, and are known to the natives as wild or 'male' fig trees. The fruiting of the fig is very interesting and peculiar. Though earlier in the plains, the annual occurrence in the mountain regions, e.g. round Jerusalem, is as follows: The trees, which during the winter months have lost all their leaves, about the end of March begin putting forth their tender leaf buds (Mt 24S2, Mk 1328'2, Lk 21"-M), and at the junction of the old wood with these leaves appear at the same time the tiny figs. These little figs develop along with the leaves up to a certain point, to about the size of a small cherry, and then the great majority of them fall to the ground, carried down with every gust of wind. These immature figs are known as the taksh, and are eaten by the fellahln as they fall; they may indeed sometimes be seen exposed for sale in the market in Jerusalem. They are the paggim ('green figs') of

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