NERO
he
was
a
mere
youth,
were
kept
in
check
by
his
two
tutors,
Burrus
an
experienced
soldier,
and
Seneca
the
dis-tinguished
philosopher.
His
mother,
a
woman
of
very
strong
will,
who
had
successfully
schemed
for
his
advance-ment,
had
no
good
influence
on
him,
and,
when
of
age
to
throw
off
all
restraints,
he
plunged
into
follies
and
excesses
which
suggest
that
madness
had
unhinged
his
mind.
His
defects,
however,
seem
to
have
done
little
more
than
scandalize
and
amuse
Rome:
the
prosperity
of
the
provinces,
thanks
to
the
excellence
of
the
bureau-cratic
machine,
continued.
Space
permits
only
a
refer-ence
to
some
important
events
in
his
reign.
The
question
of
the
Eastern
frontier,
which
was
a
problem
ever
present
to
the
Emperors,
demanded
settlement
from
Nero.
The
safety
of
this
frontier
could
be
secured
only
if
Armenia
were
under
the
suzerainty
of
Eome.
It
was
therefore
the
object
of
their
perpetual
rivals,
the
Parthians,
to
obtain
this
suzerainty.
The
Romans
dared
not
annex
Armenia,
because
it
would
inevitably
become
necessary
to
annex
also
the
whole
of
the
country
on
the
west
of
the
Tigris.
At
the
opening
of
Nero's
reign,
Tiridates,
a
Parthian,
had
established
himself
securely
on
the
throne
of
Armenia,
and
the
possession
of
Armenia
by
the
Romans
was
thus
seriously
threatened.
The
ultimate
intention
of
Rome
was
to
offer
Armenia
to
Tiridates
as
a
gift,
but
as
a
necessary
preliminary
to
this
they
made
the
most
vigorous
prep-arations
for
war.
Cn.
Domitius
Corbulo,
one
of
the
ablest
generals
of
the
1st
cent.,
was
appointed
by
Nero
to
conduct
the
campaign,
and
the
governor
of
Syria
and
the
other
ofScials
and
client-princes
in
the
neighbourhood
of
Armenia
were
instructed
to
co-operate
with
him.
The
condition
of
the
Eastern
troops
caused
a
delay
of
two
and
a
half
years.
After
a
terrible
winter
passed
in
tents
in
the
uplying
plain
of
Armenia,
Corbulo
was
ready
to
strike
in
spring
58,
and
as
the
result
of
this
first
campaign
Tiridates
asked
for
terms.
He
was
offered
his
kingdom
as
a
gift
from
Rome,
but
refused
to
accept
it,
and
in
the
second
campaign
(59)
the
Roman
general
marched
upon
Tiridates'
capital
Artaxata,
which
sur-rendered,
and
proceeded
thence
by
a
long
and
difficult
march
to
Tigranocerta,
the
second
capital,
in
the
extreme
south,
which
in
its
turn
surrendered.
In
the
year
60,
which
was
occupied
in
pacification,
Tigranes,
who
was
educated
in
Rome,
was
placed
on
the
throne
by
Nero.
The
folly
of
this
king
and
the
cowardice
and
incompetence
of
the
Roman
general
Psetus
threatened
to
undo
all
that
Corbulo
had
achieved;
but
Corbulo,
as
supreme
commander-in-chief
for
the
whole
Eastern
frontier,
retrieved
the
loss
in
the
year
63
and
following
on
this
successful
campaign
Tiridates
received
the
crown
as
the
gift
of
Rome.
The
long
peace
with
Armenia
which
followed
is
to
the
credit
of
Corbulo's
consummate
generalship
and
Nero's
skilful
diplomacy.
The
Roman
hold
on
Britain,
which
his
predecessor
Claudius
had
obtained,
was
further
strengthened
under
Nero.
It
was
in
his
reign
that
the
justly
aroused
rebellion
under
Boudicca
(better
known
by
the
incorrect
form
Boadicea)
in
East
Anglia
was
crushed,
after
terrible
massacres
by
the
Britons,
by
the
governor
Suetonius
Paulinus
(60).
There
was
henceforth,
for
a
considerable
time,
peace
in
Britain.
The
Germany
and
Danube
frontiers
also
engaged
attention
in
Nero's
time.
In
the
city
Nero
exercised
a
wise
care'for
the
corn
and
water
supplies.
He
also
increased
the
power
of
the
Senate,
and
may
be
said
to
have
constituted
an
Imperial
Cabinet.
He
was
fond
of
the
arts,
especially
music
and
poetry,
but
he
never
attained
more
than
a
respectable
standard
in
either.
On
19
July,
64,
fire
broke
out
in
Rome,
and
raged
for
nine
days
in
all,
leaving
great
parts
of
the
city
in
ashes.
On
the
evidence
Nero
must
be
acquitted
of
all
connexion
with
the
fire,
which
was
due
to
chance.
The
populace,
however,
suspected
the
Emperor,
and
were
anxious
to
bring
retribution
on
the
originators
of
the
fire.
Nero
selected
the
Christians
as
scapegoats,
and
he
may
have
believed
them
guilty,
as
NETHINIM
some
of
them
were
understood
to
have
confessed
their
guilt.
They
were
subjected
to
every
imaginable
variety
of
cruel
death.
These
punishments
did
not
remove
suspicion
from
Nero,
and,
as
the
populace
soon
became
sated,
other
charges
had
to
be
brought
against
them.
Of
these
charges,
hostility
to
civilized
society
was
the
chief.
At
a
later
stage
in
history
we
find
evidence
to
justify
the
conclusion
that
the
name
'Christian'
was
held
to
be
a
sufficient
charge
in
itself.
A
conspiracy
against
the
Emperor's
life,
in
which
some
of
the
chief
men
in
the
State
were
implicated,
failed
of
its
purpose
through
treachery
in
65;
the
effect
on
the
Emperor's
mind
issued
in
a
reign
of
terror,
and
a
number
of
the
noblest
persons,
particularly
Stoics,
were
put
to
death.
The
later
days
of
Nero
saw
the
rise
of
the
Jewish
insurrection
against
the
Roman
power,
which
culminated
in
the
destruction
of
Jerusalem
and
the
massacre
of
countless
Jews
in
a.d.
70.
Two
years
before
that,
however,
the
revolt
of
Gaul
under
Vindex
had
been
the
prelude
to
Nero's
death.
His
hfe
of
ease
and
luxury
had
weakened
a
nature
never
inured
to
hardship,
and
when
the
hour
of
danger
came
he
sought
a
refuge
in
suicide.
Not
long
after
his
death
there
arose
a
curious
rumour
in
the
East,
that
he
had
come
to
life
again,
or
had
not
really
died.
The
East
had
seen
nothing
but
his
best
side,
and
this
rumour,
born
of
a
desire
to
see
him
emperor
again,
seriously
endangered
the
peace
of
the
Empire,
as
more
than
one
person
came
forward
claiming
to
be
Nero.
Of
the
trial
or
trials
of
St.
Paul
we
know
nothing
certain.
It
is
highly
probable
that
his
appeal
was
heard
either
before
a
committee
of
the
Emperor's
privy
council,
or
before
the
Emperor's
deputy,
the
prefect
of
the
city.
A.
Souter.
NEST
(gere).—
Used
UteraUy
of
birds'
nests
(Dt
22'
32",
Job
39",
Ps
843
104",
Pr
27',
Is
162);
meta^
phorically
for
a
lofty
fortress
(Nu
24^1,
Jer
49'»,
Ob
',
Hab
2');
Job
refers
to
his
lost
home
as
a
nest
(29");
in
Gn
6"
the
'rooms'
of
the
ark
are
(see
mg.)
literally
'nests'
(.qinnlm).
In
Mt
8™,
Lk
9>*
our
Lord
contrasts
His
wandering,
homeless
life
vrith
that
of
the
birds
which
have
their
'
nests
'
(kataskinSseis,
RVm
'
lodging-places
').
E.
W.
G.
Masterman.
NETADH.—
A
place
situated
probably
in
the
Shephelah
of
Judah.
See
Gederah.
NETHANEL.—
1.
The
'prince'
of
Issachar
(Nu
18
2S
718-
28
1016).
2.
One
of
David's
brothers
(1
Ch
2").
3.
A
priest
in
the
time
of
David
(1
Ch
15").
4.
A
Levite
(1
Ch
246).
6.
One
of
Obed-edom's
sons
(1
Ch
26«).
6.
A
'prince'
sent
by
Jehoshaphat
to
teach
in
the
cities
of
Judah
(2
Ch
17').
7.
A
chief
of
the
Levites
under
Josiah
(2
Ch
35=
[1
Es
1'
Nathanael]).
8.
A
priest
who
had
married
aforeign
wife
(Ezr
10«[1
Es
9»
Nathanael]).
9.
Apriestintimeof
Joiakim(Neh
1221).
10.
A
Levite
musician
(Neh
12'6).
NETHANIAH.—
1.
The
father
of
Ishmael
the
mur-derer
of
Gedaliah
(2
K
2523-
25,
Jer
408-
"•
«
41i<-6f.
9.
loii.
isf.
18).
2.
An
Asaphite
(1
Ch
252-
'2).
3.
A
Levite
(2
Ch
17').
4.
The
father
of
Jehudi
(Jer
36").
NETHINEVE.
—
The
word
is
a
late
form
of
a
passive
participle
reeJftfinJm,
and
denotes
'men
who
are
given.'
In
early
days,
when
sacrifices
were
offered
in
the
open
air,
there
was
little
difficulty
occasioned
by
the
odour
and
dirt
arising
from
the
blood,
fat,
and
ashes.
But
when
they
were
offered
within
the
walls
of
a
temple,
and
offered
with
great
frequency
and
with
large
numbers
of
victims,
some
very
disagreeable
drudgery
was
always
necessary.
The
chopping
of
wood,
lighting
of
fires,
sharpening
of
knives,
drawing
of
water,
the
cleansing
not
only
of
the
altar
and
its
surroundings
and
utensils,
but
of
the
whole
of
the
Temple
precincts,
and
the
per-formance
of
many
menial
offices
for
the
priests,
required
a
large
staff
of
servants.
The
analogy
of
other
lands
suggests
that
these
offices
would
be
performed
by
slaves,
procured
either
by
purchase
or
capture.
The
