OLIVET

Franks) as the 'Mount of OCfence,' and is considered to be tlie scene of Solomon's idolatry. The peak north of this is commonly called OUvet proper; it is unfortunately spoilt by a hideous bell-tower and some other modern monastic buildings. The next peak, the Yiri Gallloei, is the traditional site of the Ascension; and the next is popularly, but erroneously, called Scopus.

Ecclesiastical tradition has, as might be expected, been busy with the Mount of Olives, and the places pointed out have by no means remained unaltered through the Christian centuries, as becomes evident from a study of the writings of the pilgrims. To-day are shown the tomb of the Virgin; the grotto of the Agony; the Garden of Gethsemane (two sites); the chapel of the Ascension (a mosque, with a mark in the floor said to be the ' foot-print of Christ'); the tomb of Huldah; the site (an impossible one) of Christ's weeping over the city; the place where He taught the Lord's Prayer; the place where the Apostles' Creed was composed, etc. etc. Far more interesting than these ecclesiastical inventions are the numerous ancient Jewish and early Christian tombs (especially the tomb of Nicanor — the donor of the 'Beautiful Gate' of the Temple; the extraor-dinary labyrinth commonly known as the 'Tombs of the Prophets'); and the fragments of mosaic found here from time to time which testify to the pious regard in which the mount was naturally held from early times. R. A. S. Macalibter.

OLIVET. — See preceding article.

OLYMPAS. — The name of a member of the Eoman Church greeted by St. Paul in Ro le's.

OLYMPITIS. — An epithet of Zeus derived from Mt. Olympus in Thessaly, the legendary home of the gods. Antiochus Epiphanes caused the Temple at Jerusalem to be dedicated to Zeus Olympius in B.C. 168 (2 Mac S'), and the setting up of his image is the 'abomination of desolation' (Dn 9"). Cf. Jdpiter. A. E. Hillaed.

OMAR (perhaps = ' eloquent'). — A grandson of Esau (Gn 36"- 15, 1 Ch 1»).

OMEGA. — See Alpha and Omega.

OMENS. — See Magic Divination and Sorcery.

OMER. — See Weights and Measures.

OMRI. — 1. See following article. 2. A descendant of Benjamin (1 Ch 7'). 3. A Judahite (1 Ch 9<). 4. A prince of Issachar (1 Ch 27'*).

OMRI was one of the most important kings of Israel, and the founder of a dynasty. He was one of the generals of the army under Elah, son of Baasha. This king was assassinated by Zimri, another of the officers. Omri was at the siege of Gibbethon at the time, and his troops acclaimed him king instead of his rival. A civil war of some duration followed, in which (apparently after the death of Zimri) one Tibni took part, himself aspiring to the throne. Omri finally prevailed, and for a time occupied the old capital Tirzah (1 K 16i«-). But he had the intelUgence to perceive the advantages of Samaria as a site for the capital, and removed thither, enlarging and fortifying the city.

Omri's poUtical measures included an alliance with the Phoenicians, in which he had the example of David and Solomon, though subsequent generations condemned him for it. The alliance was cemented by the marriage of Ahab and Jezebel, so important for the later history. Omri seems to have been an able soldier, and he subdued Moab to Israel. This is acknowledged by the Moablte king Mesha in an inscription which has come down to us. The wars with Damascus were not so successful. The Assyrians first became acquainted with Israel in the time of Omri, and they call the country 'the land of the house of Omri' even after the extinction of his dynasty. The length of this king's reign is given as twelve years, but some think it to have been more.

H. P. Smith.

ONIAS

ON. — A Reubenite associated with Dathan and Abiram (Nu 16') [text doubtful].

ON.— The city of Heliopolis, On also in Egyptian, Gn 4148. 60 4620. The same name in Ezk 30" has been intentionally misvocaUzed as Aven, i.e. 'idolatry'; in Jer 43i3 it is called Beth-shemesh, meaning ' House of the Sun,' like its Egyp. sacred name P-Re, and the Gr. Hdiopolis. The city lay on the east border of the Delta, a Uttle below the fork of the river. As the centre of sun-worship in Egypt, its temple was of the highest importance: it was favoured by the kings and served by the most learned priesthood in the land. Tradition makes Plato and other Greek philosophers study in HeUopoUs; later, the foundation of the Alex-andrian Ubrary, on the one hand, deprived Heliopolis of the glory of learning, and, on the other, the old tradi-tions of royal descent from the Sun-god had httle weight with the Ptolemys. Early in the Roman period HeUop-oUs is described by Strabo as almost deserted. Besides enclosure waUs of crude brick and mounds of rubbish, the site of the temple is now marked by one conspicuous monument, an obeUsk set up by Senwosri i. about B.C. 2000. F. Ll. Griffith.

ONAM.— 1. The eponym of a Horite clan (Gn 36!^= 1 Ch 1"). 2. A son of Jerahmeel (1 Ch 2^- ^s).

ONAN.— A son of Judah (Gn 38« 46i2, Nu 26", 1 Ch 2'). After the decease of his elder brother, Er, he was in-structed by his father to contract a levirate marriage with Tamar. The device by which he evaded the object of this marriage ' was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him' (Gn 388-'»).

ONESIMUS. — The name of the slave in whose behalf St. Paul wrote the Epistle to Philemon. As in his Epistle to the Colossians, St. Paul speaks of Onesimus as 'one of you' (Col 4'), we may infer that he was a native of Colossae. His name means 'profitable' or ' helpful ' — not an uncommon name for slaves. The Apostle plays upon this word in his letter to Phile-mon : ' which in time past was unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me' (Philem "). He ran away from his master, probably after having robbed him (v."). He fled to Rome, the common hiding-place of criminals. There in some way he came under the in-fluence of St. Paul, and was by him converted to Christianity (v.i"). There grew up a deep affection between the two (v.'^). The Apostle would gladly have kept him to minister to him (v."), but would not do so without the consent of Philemon, and therefore sends Onesimus back with the letter to obtain his master's forgiveness and his permission to return to St. Paul. MoHLEY Stevenson.

ONESIPHORTIS.— The name of a Christian mentioned twice in St. Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy (2 Ti 116-18 and 4"). From the first reference we learn that he showed special kindness to the Apostle during his im-prisonment at Rome, when others, from whom he might have expected sympathy and help, held aloof from him; from the second we infer that he and his family lived at Ephesus. From St. Paul's expression 'the house-hold of Onesiphorus,' it has been inferred that One-siphorus himself was dead, and this text has been urged in proof of the lawfulness of prayers for the dead. There is much probabiUty in this view, but the breathing of such a pious wish has nothing in common with the later abuses which gathered round this practice.

Morley Stevenson.

ONIAS . — Four high priests bore this name. Onias I. was son of Jaddua and father of Simon the Just (Sir SO', where, however, the Heb. reads John in place of Onias). In his time a letter was said to have come from the Spartan king Areus I. claiming kinship and suggesting alUance (1 Mac 12"- [RV. Alius] ; cf. Jos. Ant. xii. iv. 10). — Onias II. was son of Simon the Just. His reluctance to pay the tribute of 20 talents to Egypt would have led to great trouble if his shrewd and self-seeking

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