PEOR

PERFECTION

common people, who were lax in observing the Mosaic law (Jn 7"). W. F. Boyd.

PEOR. — 1. A mountain E. of the Jordan to which Balals led Balaam (Nu 23^8). It looked down upon the desert. The Onomasticon (s.ii. 'Fogor') places it 7 miles from Heshbon, above Livias, one of the heights of the Nebo group. Conder suggests for it the peak above 'Ain eUMinyeh, about 5 miles W. of Ma' In. Buhl (.GAP) thinks it may be el-Mushakkar, flanked by Wady Hesban and WBdy 'AyUn MOsa. 2. In Nu 2518 3ii6_ Jos 22", Peor is the god Baal-Peor. 3. LXX places a Peor (Phagor) in Judah not far from Bethlehem, which is evidently the modern Khirbet Faghur, to the S. of the town. W. Ewinq.

FEUffiA. — The district called by Josephus 'the Persea' is referred to in NT as 'beyond Jordan' (Mt 4" etc.). When Josephus says that it stretches from Machserus to Pella, and from Philadelphia ('Amman) to the Jordan, he probably gives political boundaries, excluding Decapolis (BJ iii. iii. 3), since (iv. vii. 3, 6) Gadara is called the capital of the Peraea. The name seems to have covered the ancient 'Land of Gilead,' what is now known as Jebel 'Ajlun and el-Belkn,. It is perhaps the most picturesque and beautiful part of Palestine. Rough mountain heights rise from the midst of wooded slopes, while rich fields stretch between; anon romantic vales break down into mighty gorges, where the sound of running water makes music all the year. The olive and vine flourish, and good harvests reward the husbandman's toil.

The removal of the Jews from the Persa by Judas (1 Mac 5«) left it in Gentile hands. Later, the Jews resumed possession and control. Alexander Jannaeus held sway from the Dead Sea to the roots of Hermon. Persea was given as a tetrarchy to Pheroras, the brother of Herod {Ant. xv. x. 3, etc.), and later to Herod Antipas (xvii. viii. 1). From Peraea, Simon made his ill- starred raid upon Jericho (xvii. x. 6). It was part of the jurisdiction of Felix (BJ ii. xii. 8). Manasseh was made governor after the disaster to Cestius (ii. XX. 4). Placidus effected its final subjugation to the Romans (rv. vii. 3, 6). It was attached by the Moslems to the province of Damascus. Subsequently it was under Kerak.

The Mishna recognizes the Persea — the land beyond Jordan — as a province of the land of Israel, ranking with Judaea and Galilee on the west. On the border of the Peraea probably Jesus was baptized. It was the scene of happy and profitable intercourse with His disciples (Mt 19' etc.). It furnished the retreat from Jewish enmity, whence He was summoned by the distress at Bethany (Jn 10" etc.). The most horrible story connected with the siege of Jerusalem is that of Mary, a native of the Peraea (BJ vi. iii. 4). In the Peraea to-day the Jew is represented only by the travel- ling tinsmith and the pedlar. Colonies of Circassians are turning the soil to good account, e.g. at Jerash. At es-Salt the natives pursue a profitable trade in raisins, while in the barrlyeh, the uncultivated parts, the nomads find good pasture for their flocks.

W. Ewinq.

FERAZIM (Is 2821) prob.=Baal-perazim.

PERDITION. — The word is used several times in the NT in the ordinary sense of 'destruction,' with special reference to the destruction of the soul (Ph l^e, 1 Ti 6', He 108', 2 P 3', Rev 178- "). It is found twice in the phrase son of perdition— a Heb. expression denoting close connexion between product and producer (cf. 'sons of thunder,' 'sons of light,' etc.). In Jn 171' the phrase is applied to Judas Iscariot, while in 2 Th 2' it is used of the 'man of sin,' or Antichrist. In the latter context a great deal of discussion has centred round the meaning of the reference (see art. Antichrist). It will suflice here to point out that the phrase in 2 Th 2", ' the son of per-dition,' combined with'certain passages in the Apocalypse

(ch. 13), points to a constant tradition in the Christian Church of the Apostolic Age, which appears, from the passages alluded to, to have conceived not of a foreign potentate alien to the Church, but rather of a false Messiah who should be ' sent to them that are perishing' (namely, the Jews), and was expected to make his appear-ance at Jerusalem. The phrase 'son of perdition ' suggest not so much the power of destruction exerted upon those coming under the sphere of the evil influence, as the effect of wickedness upon the soul of the individual to whom the phrase in each case, is applied.

T. A. MoxoN. PERESH.— A 'son' of Machir (1 Ch 7").

PEREZ. — Son of Judah and Tamar, and twin-brother of Zarah (Gn 38"; in 1 Es S' Phares; patronymic Perezites, Nu 26™). His importance consists in his being the ancestor of David through Boaz and Ruth, and then of Jesus Christ. His descendants were in all probability the most numerous among the families of Judah; hence the blessing of the elders on Boaz; 'Let thy house be like the house of Perez ' (Ru 4"). Accord-ing to Gn 46", Perez had two sons, Hezron and Hamul. From Hezron, according to 1 Ch 2, came Jerahmeel and Ram and Caleb, and through Ram was traced the line of the royal house o^^ David. W. F. Cobb.

PEREZITES.— See Perez.

PEREZ -tJZZA(H).— See Uzza, 3.

PERFECTION.— The various Biblical terms connoting ' perfection ' differ in shade of meaning between whole-ness, the attaining of an end or ideal, complete adjust-ment, full equipment in fltness for an appointed task. They are sparingly applied to God; in OT His way, work, knowledge, law are 'perfect' (Ps 188", Dt 32<, Job 37", Ps 19') ; in NT the same term is used of His will. His gifts. His law (Ro 12^, Ja l"- »), while Christ describes the Father in heaven as 'perfect,' and therefore as the source and pattern of moral ideals (Mt 5'8). The sense in which perfection is attributed to or urged upon men must naturally vary according to the moral conceptions of the time.

1. In OT. — In the sharp moral contrasts which are presented in the successive kings of Judah, right doing and loyalty to Jehovah are expressed in the phrase "a perfect heart' (.e.g. 1 K 8*1; cf. 11* IS'- '). It is clear from what is contrasted with the 'perfect heart' — idolatry, abominable sin — that the phrase has regard only to general tendencies of religious attitude and moral conduct, and its ethical depth is not perhaps greatly increased by the addition 'with the Lord his God,' for in the case of Amaziah a contrast is drawn between the two phrases; 'he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart' (2 Ch 25'). In a similar sense the term ' perfect ' is applied to Noah, Abraham, and Job: its meaning is to be gathered from the synonyms which are linked with it — 'righteous and perfect,' ' perfect and upright,' 'fearing God and eschew-ing evil' (Gn 6» 171, Job li- 8 2"; cf. Pr 2^1 11«). It is noteworthy that in a number of passages in RV 'perfect' has displaced AV 'upright,' with greater fidelity of translation but little difference of meaning (e.g. Ps 18M- M 191S 3718).

2. In NT. — The idea of moral perfection is carried up to an immeasurably higher level by the saying of Christ — the climax of His contrast between evangelical and Pharisaic righteousness — 'Ye therefore shall be (im-peratival future) perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Mt 5"). This may be regarded as our Lord's re-statement of the OT law, 'Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy' (Lv 192, cf. 11"), but the immediate context of the two paissages is sufficient to indicate the infinite difference between the old law and the new. Infinite, because in place of precepts of ritual purity there is now set up an absolute moral ideal in the perfect love of God.

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