PHILOLOGUS

the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. Tlie rulers of these cities are called by a peculiar title, which is translated 'lords of the Philistines' (wh. see).

After the reign of David, probably at the division of the kingdom, the Philistines regained their indepen-dence, tor we find the kings of Israel in the 9th cent, trying to wrest from them Gibbethon, a town on the border of the Maritime Plain (1 K 15" 16"). Late in the same century the Assyrian king Adad-nirari m. took tribute of Philistine kings (KIB i. 190), and began the long series of Assyrian interferences in Philistine affairs. Amos (l«-8) denounces Philistine monarchies as among the independent kingdoms of his time.

The position of the Philistines exposed them to every approach of the Assyrians and Egyptians, and during the last third of the 8th cent, and the whole of the 7th then: history is a series of conquests, conspiracies, and rebellions. It is possible to follow these with much fulness in the Assyrian inscriptions, but full details cannot be given here. Tiglath-pileser in. received tribute from Philistines (KIB ii. 20). They became Sargon's vassals the year that Samaria fell, B.C. 722 (.KIB ii. 54), but ten years later a rebellion was led by Ashdod (Is 20'; KIB ii. 64 fl.). At the beginning of the reign of Sennacherib another effort was made to shake off the Assyrian yoke. In this Hezekiah of Judah took part by imprisoning Padi, the Philistine king of Ekron, who remained faithful to Sennacherib. The allies thus brought together were defeated at Eltekeh {,KIB ii. 92 ff.), and the siege of Jerusalem by Sennach-erib was the result (2 K 18. 19). Esarhaddon {.KIB ii. 148), and Ashurbanipal {KIB ii. 240) marched across the Philistine territory and held it in subjection. With the decline of Assyria the Philistines began to , suffer from the rise of Egypt under the XXVI th dynasty. Psammetichus i. took Ashdod after a siege of 29 years (Herod, ii. 157). Necho ii., a contemporary of Josiah of Judah, captured Gaza (Herod, ii. 159). It is probable that the Philistines suffered at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, but no record of his doings among them has been preserved. The Assyrians call the Philistine rulers 'kings.' The older title, 'lords of the Philistines,' has disappeared.

When Cambyses made his expedition into Egypt (B.C. 525), Gaza opposed him (Polyb. xvi. 40). The Sidonian king Eshmunazar claims that Dor and Joppa were added to the dominions of Sidon. Gaza in 332 held out against Alexander the Great, and his siege of it is famous (Diod. Sic. xvii. xlviii. 7). The Ptolemys and Seleucids often fought over Philistine territory. It finally passed imder Roman rule, and its cities had then an important history.

The Philistines cease to be mentioned by this name after the time of the Assyrians. Some infer from the fact that Herodotus (ill. 5) speaks of the Arabians as being in possession of the coast in the time of Cam-byses, that the Philistines had even then been sup-planted. It is probable that in the ebb and flow of the nations over this land they were gradually absorbed and lost their identity.

Probably the Philistines adopted in the main the religion and civilization of the Canaanites. Their chief god, Dagon (1 S 6*-), was a Semitic deity . He appearsin the el-Amarna letters and also in Babylonia (cf. Barton, Semit. Or. 229 ff.). There was also at Ashkelon a temple of Ashtart (Herod. 1. 105). If their religion was Semitic, so also were probably the other features of their civiliza-tion. If they brought other customs from beyond the sea, they are not described in our scanty records.

George A. Barton.

PHILOLOGUS.— A Christian greeted in Ro 16".

PHILOSOPHY.— This word occurs in EV only in Col 2», wher? it refers to an unsound and pernicious form of teaching. 'Philosophy' proper falls outside

PH(ENICIA, PHCENICIANS

the scope of the present work. Some points of contact between it and the Bible will be found in such articles as Gnosticism, Logos, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom; cf. also Epicureans, Stoics. PHINEES.— 1. =Phinehas, 1 (1 Es S» S^- 2«, 2 Es i:"').

2. =Phinehas, 2 (2 Es V^). 3. =Pliinehas, 3 (1 Es 8"). PHINEHAS.— 1. The son of Eleazar, who was the

third son of Aaron. Both his name and that of his mother Putiel are perhaps of Egyptian origin. The only certain occurrence of the name in a pre-exilic writing is in Jos 24''; a hill {Gibeath Pinhas) in Ephraim was named after him, where his father and (LXX) he himself was buried. In P and the Chronicler he rises into great prominence. He succeeded Eleazar as chief priest (Ex d^, 1 Ch 6'- »», Ezr 7', 1 Es 8', 2 Es 1^), and was the superintendent of the Korahite Levites (1 Ch 9»»). The succession of the priesthood in his line was assured to him when he showed his zeal at Shittim in Moab, when Israel 'joined themselves unto Baal-peor,' An Israelite brought into the camp a woman from the Midianites who had beguiled the people into foreign worship. Phinehas slew the man and the woman (Nu 25). This is referred to in Ps 106™'-, Sir 452S-25, 1 Mac T?'- ". As priest he accompanied the expedition to punish the Midianites (Nu 10"-). He was the spokesman of the western tribes concerning the altar which the eastern tribes had erected (Jos 22"- '"'-'2. See Ed.). The war between Benjamin and the other tribes occurred in his high priesthood (Jg 20^8). After the Exile a clan of priests, 'the sons of Phinehas,' claimed descent from him (Ezr 8' [1 Es ^ S", 2 Es V-'^ Phinees]). 2. The younger son of Eli (1 S 1> [2 Es l^t Phinees]). See Hophni and Phinehab.

3. Ezr 8'' father of a priest named Eleazar; =1 Es 8» Phinees. a. H. M'Neile.

PHINOE (1 Es 5")— Paseah, Ezr 2", Neh 7".

PHLEGON.— The name of a Christian greeted by St. Paul in Ro 16".

PH(EBE. — The bearer of the Epistle to the Romans (Ro 16'). She was a 'deaconess' of the church at Cenchreae. See Deaconess.

PHCENICIA, PHCENICIANS.— Phoenicia was the strip of coast land between Lebanon and the hills of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. Its northern and southern limits are indefinite, being differently defined by different ancient geographers.

The Semitic name of the country Iwas • Canaan' {Kinachchi and Kinackna in the el- Amama tablets, and Chna on Phoeni-cian coins ; cf. Canaanites) .The name Phosnicia comes from a Gr. root signifying ' blood-red,' and was probably given on account of the colour of the soil. It was once thought to be derived from the Egyptian Fenkh, but that is now conceded to have been a designation of Asiatics in general (cf. W. Max Muller, Asien und Europa, 208 ff.).

The extent of the country may be roughly determined by its chief cities — Arvad or Arados, on the island now called Ruad, eighty miles north of Sidon, Simyra, Arka, Gebal orByblos.Birutaonthesiteofthe modern BejTout , Sidon, Sarepta, Tyre, Achzib, and Acco. The latter, the modern Acre, not far north of Mt. Carmel, was the most southerly of these cities.

The Phoenicians are proved by their language and religion to have belonged to the Semitic race. Herodotus (1. 1 and vii. 89) records a tradition that they came from the Red Sea. Scholars now suppose that this refers really to the Persian Gulf, and that the Canaanites, of whom the Phcenicians were a part, came from North Arabia by way of the shore of the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates valley. This migration was probably a part of that movement of races which about B.C. 1700 gave Babylon the Kassite dynasty and Egypt its Hyksos kings (cf. Paton, Early Hist, of Syria and Pal. ch. v.). Perhaps the Canaanites were the last wave of Amorites (wh. see). Their chief cities may have been built by a previous race. Herodotus (ii. 44) records a tradition

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