NASBAS

deceased owner. It will be noted that the salutation is not addressed to Narcissus himself, but to the members of his household. Morley Stevenson.

NASBAS. — Apparently the nephew of Achiacharus, who was the nephew of Tobit (To H"). He came with Achiacharus to the wedding of Tobias. About his identity there is some Uttle uncertainty. The Vulgate speaks of him as brother of Achiacharus, while others have regarded the two as identical. It has been suggested also that he is the same as Aman or Nadan, the ward of Achiacharus (To 141"), jn which case the uncle adopted the nephew and brought him up as his son. T. A. MoxoN.

NASI (1 Es 532) =Neziah, Ezr 2", Neh 7™.

NATHAN. — 1. Third son of David by Bath-sheba (2 S 5", but note 2 S 12^'). In Zee 12"2 the Nathan who is recognized as head of a house is probably David's son. In Lk 3^' the genealogy of Jesus is traced through Nathan to David. 2. The prophet, a confidential ad-viser of David. Thf king desired to build the Temple, and Nathan at first agreed, but later received a revelation forbidding the enterprise (2 S 7). The next appearance of Nathan is in connexion with the parable of the ewe lamb, by which David was self-convicted of his sin with Bath-sheba (2 S 12'-"). Later, in token that an atone-ment has been made, he adds to Solomon's name the significant title Jedidiah ('beloved of Jah'). The third service was rendered alike to Da vid and to Solomon. Adonijah had planned a coup by which to grasp the sceptre, now falling from the hands of his aged father. It was Nathan's watchfulness that discovered the plot, and his ingenuity that saved the kingdom for Solomon (1 K 1). It was fitting that a Life of David should come from this friendly hand (1 Ch 292'). His service to Solomon was recognized by the king, who appointed his sons, Azariah and Zabud, to important offices (1 K 4'). 3. Father of Igal, one of David's heroes (2 S 23»). The text of 1 Ch ns« reads, 'Joel brother of Nathan.' 4. One of the chief men who returned with Ezra (Ezr 8", 1 Es 8"). 6. One of the Bani family, who had taken strange wives (Ezr 10='); called in 1 Es 9'' Nathanias. 6. A Judahite (1 Ch 2^). J. H. STEVENSo^f.

NATHANAEL.— 1. 1 Es l^ =2 Ch 35' Nethanol. 2. 1 Es 922 -Ezr 10» Nethanel. 3. An ancestor of Judith (Jth 80. 4. Nathanaelof Cana in Galilee (Jn 21^) appears twice in the Fourth Gospel. (1) When told by Philip, 'We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,' Nathanael hesitated. ' Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? ' he asked. Philip thereupon conducted him to meet Jesus, and, when he looked on that won-drous face, his doubt vanished, and he hailed Him as the Messiah, 'the Son of God, the King of Israel.' See Jn l"-'i. (2) Nathanael was one of the seven to whom the risen Lord manifested Himself at the Lake of GaUlee (Jn 212) . Hig name occurs only injn.butthe following are reasons for believing that he was identical with Bartholo - mew, who is never mentioned by St. John, and by the other Evangelists only in their catalogues of the Apostles (Mt 10' -Mk 3i8=Lk 6»). (o) Bartholomew is not a name, but a patronymic— Bar Talmai, ' the son of Talmai.' (6) Nathanael appears in St. John's narrative as a friend of Philip, and Bartholomew is coupled with Phihp in the Usts of the Apostles, (c) Since the others of the seven at the Lake whose names are indicated by St. John were Apostles, it is probable that Nathanael also was an Apostle. His title would thus be Nathanael bar Talmai.

David Smith.

NATHANIAS (1 Es 9^>) =Nathan, Ezr lO^'.

NATHAN-MELEOH.— An official in the reign of Josiah, whose name is used to designate one of the halls or chambers of the Temple (2 K 23").

NATIONS.— In many places where in the AV we have 'Gentiles' and 'heathen' the RV has rightly substituted

646

NATIONS

'nations,' and it might with advantage have carried out the change consistently.

The Heb. (sot) and Greek (ethnos) words denote invariably a nation or a people, never a person. Where in the AV (only NT) we find 'Gentile' in the singular (Ro 2" 1 the RV has ' Greek,' following the original. In nearly every example the singular 'nation' stands for 'Israel,' though we have a few exceptions, as in Ex ^ ioi Egypt), Pr 14*" (general), and Mt 21". It is often applied to Israel and Judah when there is an inaplication of disobedience to God, sinfulness and the Uke: see Dt 322S, Jg 2'", Is 1* etc. This shade of meaning became very common in the later writings of the OT. Quite early in Israelitish history the singular as a term for Israel was discarded for the word translated ' people '(' am) , so that ' am (' people ' )and ffoiC nation ') came to be almost antithetic terms = ' Israelites and 'non-Israelites,' as in Rabbinical Hebrew. For the reason of the change in the use of goi ('nation'), see below.

In the AV ' Gentiles ' often corresponds to Greeks m the original, as in Jn 7"*, Ro 3' etc. In the RV the word ' Greeks ' is rightly substituted, though the sense is the same, for to the Jews of the time Greek culture and rehgion stood for the culture and religion of the non -Jewish world.

The two words (Heb. and Greek) translated ' nation ' have their original and Uteral sense in many parts of the OT and NT, as in Gn lO^- '» etc.. Is 2< (=Mic 42'), Job 1223 3421', Ac 172«, Gal 3". In other passages this general meaning is narrowed so as to embrace the descendants of Abraham, e.g. in Gn 122 IS's IT- =■ »■ «. But it is the plural that occurs by far the most fre-quently, standing almost invariably for non-Israelltish nations, generally with the added notion of their being idolatrous and immoral: see Ex 92* 3411', Lv 25"^-, Nu 1416, Dt 158, 1 K 431, Is n"- >2, and often. These are contrasted with Israel 'the people of Jahweh' in 2 S 722, 1 Ch 1721 etc.

This contrast between Israel (united or divided into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah) as Jahweh's people, and all the rest of the human race designated 'nations,' runs right through the OT. Such a conception could have arisen only after the Israelites had developed the consciousness of national unity. At first, even among the Israelites, each nation was thought to be justified in worshipping its deity (see Dt 32< 10", 1 K 82=, Is 19' etc.). As long as this idea prevailed there could be no necessary antagonism between Israehtes and foreign nations, except that which was national, for the nation's god was identified with the national interests. But when the behef in Jahweh's absolute and exclusive claims possessed the mind of Israel, as it began to do in the time of the earUest Uterary prophets (see Am 9"-, Mic 7'3 etc.), the nations came to be regarded as wor-shippers of idols (Lv 182"), and in Ps 9«- 's- " (cf . Ezk 721) 'nations' and 'wicked people' are, as being identical, put in parallelism. It will be gathered from what has been said, that the hostile feeUngs with which Israehtes regarded other peoples varied at various times. At all periods it would be modified by the laws of hospitality (see art. Stranqeb), by pohtical aUlanees (cf. Is T"-, and 2 K 16™-, Ahaz and Assyria against Israel and Syria), and by the needs of commerce (see Ezk 27" [Tyre], 1 K 925 10" 2228 etc.).

The reforms instituted by king Josiah in the Southern Kingdom (2 K 22>«), based upon the Deuteronomic law newly found in the Temple, aimed at stamping out all syncretism in rehgion and establishing the pure reUgion of Jahweh. This reformation, as also the Rechabite movement (Jer 35), had a profound infiuence upon the thoughts and feeUngs of Jews, widening the gulf between them and alien nations. The teaching of the oldest prophets looked in the same direction (see Am 2" 3" 5"- 2S 6* 8', Hos 2" 8" 910 10" 12™- 14* Is 2« IQi 171", Zeph 1»- ", Jer SS'"- 37"- etc.).

But the Deuteronomic law (about b.c. 620) made legally obligatory what earher teachers had inculcated. Israelites were not to marry non-Israelites (Dt 7'), or to have any except unavoidable deaUngs with them.

The feeling of national exclusiveness and antipathy