TIMNA

Tabernacles, as also the Fast of the Day of Atonement; in the ninth, the Feast of Dedication; and in the twelfth, the Feast of Purim.

Though at first all the months seem to have been reckoned of equal length, in later times they contained 30 and 29 days alternately. This rendered an intercala-tion in the Calendar necessary, .to keep the Passover in the right season of the year; and this intercalary period was called the second Adar, and was inserted as required to bring Abib to its proper place in the year.

It remains to mention that in the Apocrypha we have traces of the Macedonian Calendar. In 2 Mac ll^', a month is named Dioscorinthius, a name which does not occur elsewhere, and which is either a corruption of the text for Dystrus, a name for the twelfth month, which occurs in the Sinaitic text of To 2^', or the name of an intercalary month inserted at the end of i the year. In 2 Mac 11'° Xanthicus, the name for the first month of the Macedonian year, occurs. It answers to the month Abib. These names, with other Macedonian names, are used by Josephus. In 3 Mac 6^' two Egyptian months, Pachon and Epiphi, occur, the former being omitted in some texts. They are the ninth and eleventh months of the Egyptian year.

Of epochs or eras there is but little trace. There were the periods of seven years and fifty years already mentioned, but they never occur in any chronological statement. 430 years is the time assigned to the sojourning in Egypt, both in OT and NT (Ex 12", Gal 3"), and the commencement of the building of Solomon's Temple is dated 480 years after the Exodus. The chronology of the two kingdoms is reckoned by regnal years, though in some cases a regency period is counted as part of the length of the reign. Twice in Isaiah (6' 14^8) the date noted is that of the year of the death of a king, in another case the date is the invasion by the Tartan (20') ; whilst in Amos (1') a date is given as 'two years before the earthquake,' apparently a particularly severe one which happened during the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah (Zee 14*). The 'seventy years' of the Captivity is also a well-known period, as is the thousand years of the Apocalypse (Rev 20), with all the speculations it has given rise to. In later times the years were reckoned by the names of those who filled the office of high priest ; in Lk 3"- , we have a careful combination of names of various offices held by various persons at the time of the commencement of the preach-ing of John the Baptist, to indicate the date.

Of instruments to measure time we hear of only one, the sun-dial of Ahaz (2 K 20=-", Is 388), but what shape or form this took we do not know.

H. A. Redpath.

TIMB'A. — 1. A concubine of Eliphaz, son of Esau (Gn 36'2). 2. A woman of the Esau clan of Horites (Gn 36=2, 1 Ch 1"). 3. A 'duke' of Edom (1 Ch 1", Gn 36" [where RV has, by a slip, Timnah]).

H. L. WiLLETT.

TDtlKAH. — 1. A town in the high region of S. Judah, S.E. of Hebron (Jos IS"). It is possible that this was the Timnah visited by Judah at the time of sheep-shearing (Gn 38'2). Or it may have been — 2. A place on the N. frontier of the tribe of Judah between Beth-shemesh and Ekron (Jos 1S'°). At one time it was counted in the territory of Dan (Jos IQ"'), but at an-other it was in Philistine possession (Jg 14i). Here Samson celebrated his marriage. His father-in-law is called the Timnite (Jg 15«). The town was held by the Hebrews in the reign of Uzziah, but was lost to the Philistines by Ahaz (2 Ch 28i8). It is now identified with Tibneh, on the S. side of the Wady Sarar, 2 miles W. of Beth-shemesh. 3. For Gn 36" see Timna, 3.

H. L. WiLLETT.

TBHirATH.— A strong city built by Bacchides (1 Mac 95"). It is possibly the Thamna of Jos. BJ nr. iii. 6, the mod. Tibneh, some 10 miles N.W. of Bethel. Cf.

TiMNATH-SEKAH.

TIMOTHY

TIMKATH-HERES (in Jos 19" 248» written Tim-nath-serah). — A place assigned to Joshua as an inherit-ance and burying-place (Jg 2»). It is described as being 'in Mt. Ephraim, on the N. side of the Mountain of Gaash.' See next article. H. L. Willett.

TIMNATH-SERAH.— The city in Mount Ephraim given to Joshua (19"'), where he was buried (Jos 2V), lying on the N. of the Mountain of Gaash (Jg 2' Timnath-herea). Josephus calls the burial-place of Joshua Thamna, and this probably corresponds to Timnath of l Mac 9'", although there it is reckoned to Judasa. It was head of a Jewish toparchy, and is named with Lydda and Emmaus {BJ ni. iii. 5, etc.). The Onomasticon identifies it with Tibneh, where there are remains of an important place, with a spring and ancient tombs, on the Roman road from Caesarea to Jerusalem, about 14 miles N.E. of Licdd (Lydda). The tombs are on the S. of the road. One, distinguished by size and workmanship, may be that pointed out as Joshua's in the time of Eusebius and Jerome. The Samaritans place the burial of Joshua at Kefr Hdris, a village some 10 miles S. of Nablus, with two sanctuaries to the E., one of which, Neby Kifl ('the prophet of the portion or lot'), may be identified with Joshua. In this case, only the second element in the name has sur-vived. Heres, it will be observed, simply reverses the order of the letters in Seraft. W. Ewing.

TEHON.— One of 'the Seven' (Ac 6*).

THHOTHEUS.— 1. A leader of the Ammonites who was defeated in many battles by Judas Maccabaeus (1 Mac 5™- *«■, 2 Mac 8^ 9^ 10"-"). 2. The AV form of the name Timothy everywhere in NT except 2 Co 1', 1 Ti V, 2 Ti 1^, PhUem', He IS^.

TIMOTHY. — A young disciple, a native of Lystra, chosen as companion and assistant by Paul when, during his second missionary journey, he visited that city for the second time. He was the child of a mixed marriage, his father (probably dead at the time of his selection by Paul) being a Greek and his mother a Jewess (Ac 16'). From earliest childhood (' babe ' RV) he had received religious training, being taught the Jewish Scriptures by his mother Eunice and his grand-mother Lois (2 Ti 1' 3"). Probably both he and his mother were converted during Paul's first sojourn at Lystra, for on the Apostle's second visit he was already 'a disciple' of some standing, 'well reported of by the brethren' (Ac 16i- '). Indeed, Paul seems to claim him as a personal convert in 1 Co 4", describing him as his ' beloved and faithful child in the Lord.'

The selection of Timothy was due not only to the wish of Paul (Ac 16'), but also to the opinion of the Church at Lystra. In his case, as in the case of Paul and Barnabas (Ac IS^), the local prophets 'led the way' (1 Ti 1" RVm) to him; and he was then set apart by imposition of hands by Paul (2 Ti 1») in conjunction with the local presbyters (1 Ti 4"). Possibly it was on this occasion that he ' confessed the good confession' (1 Ti 6'2). Paul caused him to be circumcised (Ac 16'), judging that, as his mother was a Jewess, his not having submitted to the rite would prove an obstacle to his ministry among Jews, and, further, that from his semi- Jewish parentage, he did not come within the scope of the Church's decree which released Gentiles from circumcision.

Timothy at once accompanied Paul through Asia to Troas, and thence into Macedonia. He was left behind at Bercea when the Apostle moved on to Athens, but was summoned to rejoin him (Ac 17"- "). He was thence despatched back again to Macedonia to confirm the Church at Thessalonica, and to bring news of its state to Paul. He rejoined the Apostle in Corinth and cheered him by a favourable report (1 Th 3'-«, Ac 18»). While in Corinth, Paul wrote his Epistles to the Thessalonians, and included Timothy in the greetings (1 Th 1', 2 Th 1'). He is next men-

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