of
Him
'whose
never-failing
providence
orderetli
all
things
both
in
heaven
and
earth.'
Historians
narrate
the
gradual
accomplishment
of
His
redemptive
purpose
concerning
the
Chosen
People
and
the
world
at
large
(Gn
502",
Ex
8»,
Dt
3282-;
cf.
Ps
74<M.);
poets
delight
to
extol
Him
'whose
tender
mercies
are
over
all
his
works'
(Ps
145»;
cf.
29»k-
104.
136);
prophets
point
to
the
proofs
of
God's
guidance
in
the
past
in
order
that
the
people
may
gain
wisdom
for
the
present
and
courage
for
the
future
(Dt
32'^-,
Hag
2',
Is
Sl^,
Mai
4«').
The
Book
of
Job
has
been
called
'the
book
of
Providence,'
because
it
not
only
gives
the
author's
solution
ot
perplexing
problems,
but
also
'furnishes
reasons
for
believing
in
the
righteous
providence
of
God
from
the
consideration
of
His
character
and
His
dominion
over
nature'
(Oehler,
Theology
of
OT,
ii.
474;
cf.
Job
27.
3410
3822
3721).
4.
Belief
in
Providence
stands
or
fails
with
belief
in
a
personal
God.
It
is
incompatible
with
mechanical
or
pantheistic
theories
of
Creation.
Ancient
problems
which
perplexed
Greek
philosophers
and
Hebrew
sages
press
heavily
upon
the
modern
mind
as
it
strives
to
reconcile
its
trust
in
Divine
providence
with
the
reign
of
law
in
the
universe
and
with
the
existence
of
pain
and
evil.
Jesus
Christ
taught
that
the
laws
of
nature
are
the
established
methods
of
His
Heavenly
Father's
working,
and
that
they
fulfil
as
well
as
reveal
His
will
(Mt
625«.
102™-,
jn
517).
Belief
in
Providence
means
to
the
Christian,
trust
in
the
God
and
Father
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
who
has
so
clearly
revealed
His
will
in
His
Son
as
to
make
it
plain
to
His
children
that
natural
laws
may
not
only
subserve
moral
and
spiritual
ends
in
this
present
time,
but
may
also
further
His
unerring
purposes
which
are
not
bounded
by
this
mortal
life
(Ro
828,
2
Co
4"ff-,
1
P
1«).
J.
G.
Taskeb.
FBOVINOE.
—
This
word,
of
unknown
derivation,
originally
meant
simply
'
a
sphere
of
(magisterial)
duty,'
and
was
applied,
for
example,
to
the
duty
of
the
prmtar
urbanits,
who
was
never
permitted
to
leave
Rome.
With
the
extension
of
the
Roman
Empire,
and
the
consequently
much
increased
number
of
spheres
of
duty
outside
Rome
and
Italy,
the
word
came
gradually
to
have
a
territorial
application
also.
It
is
in
this
derived
sense
that
the
word
is
taken
here.
It
was
part
of
the
Roman
policy
throughout
to
be
in
no
unnecessary
hurry
to
acquire
territory
and
the
responsibility
con-nected
with
it,
and
it
was
not
till
the
year
b.o.
227
—
hundreds
of
years
after
the
foundation
of
the
Roman
State
—
that
the
first
province
was
taken
over.
In
that
year
Sardinia
and
Corsica
became
one
province.
Western
Sicily
another,
and
each,
after
the
details
of
government
had
been
settled
by
special
commissioners,
was
put
under
an
additional
prEStor
elected
for
the
purpose.
Behind
this
step,
as
behind
the
annexation
of
most
Roman
provinces,
there
lay
long
years
of
warfare.
Province
after
province
was
annexed,
until
in
the
time
of
Christ
the
Romans
were
in
possession
of
the
whole
of
Europe
(except
the
British
Isles,
Norway,
Sweden,
Denmark,
Germany,
and
Russia),
all
Asia
Minor,
Syria,
Egypt,
and
the
north-west
of
Africa.
Most
of
this
vast
territory
had
been
acquired
during
the
Republic,
but
certain
portions
had
not
been
annexed
till
the
time
of
the
first
Emperor,
Augustus.
During
the
Republic
the
governors
of
these
provinces
were
appointed
by
the
Roman
senate
from
among
their
own
number,
generally
after
a
period
of
service
as
praetor
or
consul,
as
the
case
might
be.
They
were
unpaid,
and
had
heavy
expenses
to
bear.
Few
resisted
the
temptation
to
recoup
themselves
at
the
expense
of
the
long-suffering
provincials,
and
the
vast
sums
acquired
by
an
extor-tionate
governor
in
his
one
year's
governorship
may
be
estimated
from
the
fact
that
Cicero,
a
just
and
honest
man,
acquired
£18,000
during
his
tenure
of
the
province
Cilicia.
During
the
Empire
the
provinces
were
treated
accord-
ing
to
a
notable
settlement
made
between
the
Senate
and
the
Emperor
Augustus
on
January
1,
B.C.
27.
On
that
day
it
was
arranged
that
those
provinces
which
were
peaceful
and
did
not
require
the
presence
of
an
army
should
be
under
the
control
of
the
senate,
who
would
appoint
their
governors;
while
the
disturbed
provinces
that
did
require
the
presence
ot
an
army
were
to
be
under
the
Emperor
himself,
who
was
generalissimo
of
all
the
forces
of
the
State.
At
the
same
time
the
Emperor
retained
financial
interests
even
in
senatorial
provinces.
The
following
thus
became
senatorial
(or
public)
provinces:
Asia
(i.e.
roughly
the
western
third
of
Asia
Minor),
Africa
(i.e.
practically
Tunis),
Gallia
Narbonensis,
Hispania
Bsetica,
Achaia,
Cyprus,
Creta
et
Cyrenaioa,
Macedonia,
Sicilia,
Bithynia,
Illyricum,
Sardinia
et
Corsica.
The
first
two
were
senatorial
provinces
of
the
first
rank,
and
were
governed
each
by
an
ex-consul
with
the
title
of
proconsul,
and
three
legati
under
him.
The
others
were
senatorial
provinces
of
the
second
rank,
and
were
governed
each
by
an
ex-
praetor,
also
with
the
title
proconsul.
All
the
rest
of
the
Roman
world
outside
Italy,
namely,
three-fourths
of
the
whole,
was
made
up
of
Imperial
provinces,
including
the
following:
Egypt
(where
the
Emperors,
as
successors
of
the
Ptolemys,
ruled
as
kings),
Judaea,
Syria-Cilicia-Phoenice,
Galatia
(established
B.C.
25),
Thracia,
Pam-phylia
(established
b.c.
25),
Gallic
tres
(Aquitania,
Lugudunensis,
Belgica),
Britannia
(established
a.d.
43).
Every
new
province
naturally
came
under
the
Emperor's
authority.
He
governed
his
more
important
provinces
(e.g.
Syria,
Galatia)
through
a
legatus
pro
prcetore
in
each
—
a
man
of
consular
or
praetorian
rank,
who
was
paid
a
fixed
salary
in
and
after
the
time
of
Tiberius^
and
his
less
important
provinces
through
a
procurator
(e.g.
Judaea)
or
prmfectus
(e.g.
Egypt).
The
period
of
senatorial
governorships
was
one
year,
that
of
Imperial
indefinite.
Each
province
was
governed
according
to
a
definite
statute,
which
determined
the
administrative
procedure
and
defined
the
privileges
of
individual
cities
in
it.
The
inhabitants
were
disarmed
and
taxed.
The
oppressive
and
unjust
rule
of
the
Republic
was
exchanged
for
a
much
better
during
the
Empire;
and
the
provinces,
at
least
during
the
first
three
centuries
of
our
era,
were
prosperous
and
contented.
A.
Soutek.
PROVOKE.
—
'To
provoke'
is
now
'to
try
to
call
forth
evil
passions,'
but
in
AV
it
is
used
in
the
sense
of
inciting
to
any
action,
good
or
evil,
as
2
Co
92
'
Your
zeal
hath
provoked
very
many.'
'Provocation,'
how-ever,
always
occurs
in
a
bad
sense.
It
is
used
in
Ps
95'
of
the
conduct
of
the
children
of
Israel
towards
God
in
the
wilderness.
PSALMS.—
1.
Title
and
place
in
Canon.—
The
Book
of
Psalms
is
a
collection
of
sacred
poems,
in
large
part
liturgical
in
character
and
intended
to
be
sung.
The
book
belongs
to
the
Kethubim
or
'Writings,'
i.e.
the
third
and
last
group
of
the
Jewish
Scriptures.
The
order
of
the
Writings
was
much
less
fixed
than
the
order
of
the
Law
and
the
Prophets,
the
other
two
groups
of
Scriptures
;
but
the
Psalms
in
all
caises
come
near
the
beginning
of
this
group,
and
in
the
modern
Hebrew
printed
Bibles,
which
follow
the
great
majority
of
German
MSS,
they
stand
first.
In
placing
the
Psalms,
together
with
the
rest
of
the
Writings,
before
the
('
Latter')
Prophets,
the
EV
has
followed
the
Greek
version;
but
in
the
internal
arrangement
of
the
Writings,
the
English
and
Greek
versions
differ
from
one
another.
The
title
of
this
collection
of
poems
is
derived
from
the
Greek
version,
in
which
the
book
is
entitled
in
some
MSS
Psalmoi,
in
others
Psalterion
(in
NT
'Psalms,'
and
'Book
of
Psalms,'
Lk
20*2
24«,
Ac
12").
psalmos
in
classical
Greek
signified
the
twanging
of
strings,
and
especially
the
musical
sound
produced
by
plucking
the
strings
of
a
stringed
instrument
;
as
used
here
it
means
poems
played
to
the
music
of
(stringed)
instruments.
The
Greek
word
thus
corresponds
closely
to
the
Heb,
