Ekron
(torn up by the roots; emigration), one of the five towns belonging to the lords of the Philistines, and the most northerly of the five. ( Joshua 13:3 ) Like the other Philistine cities its situation was in the lowlands. It fell to the lot of Judah. ( Joshua 15:45 , 46 ; Judges 1:18 ) Afterwards we find it mentioned among the cities of Dan. ( Joshua 19:43 ) Before the monarchy it was again in full possession of the Philistines. ( 1 Samuel 5:10 ) Akir, the modern representative of Ekron, lies about five miles southwest of Ramleh . In the Apocrypha it appears as Accaron . 1Macc 10:89 only.
Eliab
(God is my father). Son of Helon and leader of the tribe of Zebulun at the time of the census in the wilderness of Sinai. ( Numbers 1:9 ; 2:7 ; 7:24 , 29 ; 10:16 ) (B.C. 1490.) A Reubenite, father of Dathan and Abiram. ( Numbers 16:1 , 12 ; 26:8 , 9 ; 11:6 ) One of David’s brothers, the eldest of the family. ( 1 Samuel 16:6 ; 17:13 , 28 ; 1 Chronicles 2:13 ) (B.C. 1063.) A Levite in the time of David, who was both a “porter” and a musician on the “psaltery.” ( 1 Chronicles 15:18 , 20 ; 16:5 ) One of the warlike Gadite leaders who came over to David when he was in the wilderness taking refuge from Saul. ( 1 Chronicles 12:9 ) (B.C. 1061.) An ancestor of Samuel the prophet; a Kohathite Levite, son of Nahath. ( 1 Chronicles 6:27 ) (B.C. 1250). Son of Nathanael, one of the fore-fathers of Judith, and therefore belonging to the tribe of Simeon. Judith 8:1 .
Eliphelet
(the God of deliverance). The name of a son of David, one of the children born to him after his establishment in Jerusalem. ( 1 Chronicles 3:6 ) (B.C. after 1044.) Another son of David, belonging also to the Jerusalem family, and apparently the last of his sons. ( 1 Chronicles 3:8 ) One of the thirty warriors of David’s guard. ( 2 Samuel 23:34 ) Son of Eshek, a descendant of King Saul through Jonathan. ( 1 Chronicles 8:39 ) (B.C. before 536.) One of the leaders of the Bene-Adonikam who returned from Babylon with Ezra. ( Ezra 8:13 ) (B.C. 459.) A man of the Bene-Hushum in the time of Ezra who had married a foreign wife. ( Ezra 10:33 ) (B.C. 458).
Elon
(an oak). A Hittite, whose daughter was one of Esau’s wives. ( Genesis 26:34 ; 36:2 ) (B.C. 1797.) The second of the three sons attributed to Zebulun, ( Genesis 46:14 ; Numbers 26:26 ) and the founder of the family of the Elonites. (B.C. 1695.) Elon the Zebulonite, who judged Israel for ten years, and was buried in Aijalon in Zebulun. ( Judges 12:11 , 12 ) (B.C. 1174-1164). On of the towns in the border of the tribe of Dan. ( Joshua 19:43 )
Elonbethhanan
(oak of the house of grace) is named with two Danite towns as forming one of Solomon’s commissariat districts. ( 1 Kings 4:9 )
Elonites, The
( Numbers 26:26 ) [ Elon , 2]
Engannim
(fountain of the garden). A city in the low country of Judah, named between Zanoah and Tappuah. ( Joshua 15:34 ) A city on the border of Issachar. ( Joshua 19:21 ) allotted with its “suburbs” to the Gershonite Levites, ( Joshua 21:29 ) probably Jenin, the first village encountered on the ascent from the great plain of Esdraelon into the hills of the central country.
Epicureans, The
derived their name from Epicurus (342-271 B.C.), a philosopher of Attic descent, whose “Garden” at Athens rivalled in popularity the “Porch” and the “Academy.” The doctrines of Epicurus found wide acceptance in Asia Minor and Alexandria. (95-50 B.C.) The object of Epicurus was to find in philosophy a practical guide to happiness. True pleasure and not absolute truth was the end at which he aimed; experience and not reason the test on which he relied. It is obvious that a system thus formed would degenerate by a natural descent into mere materialism; and in this form Epicurism was the popular philosophy at the beginning of the Christian era. When St. Paul addressed “Epicureans and Soics,” ( Acts 17:18 ) at Athens, the philosophy of life was practically reduced to the teaching of these two antagonistic schools. Epistles, letters; personal correspondence by writing. The twenty-one epistles of the New Testament took the place of tracts among us. In their outward form they are such as might be expected from men who were brought into contact with Greek and Roman customs, themselves belonging to a different race, and so reproducing the imported style with only partial accuracy. They begin (the Epistle to the Hebrews and 1John excepted) with the names of the writer and of those to whom the epistle is addressed. Then follows the formula of salutation. Then the letter itself commences in the first person, the singular and plural being used indiscriminately. When the substance of the letter has been completed, come the individual messages. The conclusion in this case was probably modified by the fact that the letters were dictated to an amanuensis. When he had done his work, the apostle took up the pen or reed, and added in his own large characters, ( Galatians 6:11 ) the authenticating autograph. In one instance, ( Romans 16:22 ) the amanuensis in his own name adds his salutation. An allusion in ( 2 Corinthians 3:1 ) brings before us another class of letters which must have been in frequent use in the early ages of the Christian Church, by which travellers or teachers were commended by one church to the good offices of others.
Esdraelon
This name is merely the Greek form of the Hebrew word Jezreel. “The great plain of Esdraelon” extends across central Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Jordan, separating the mountain ranges of Carmel and Samaria from those of Galilee. The western section of it is properly the plain of Accho or ’Akka . The main body of the plain is a triangle. Its base on the east extends from Jenin (the ancient Engannim) to the foot of the hills below Nazareth, and is about 15 miles long; the north side, formed by the hills of Galilee, is about 12 miles long; and the south side, formed by the Samaria range, is about 18 miles. The apex on the west is a narrow pass opening into the plain of ’Akka . From the base of this triangular plain three branches stretch out eastward, like fingers from a hand, divided by two bleak, gray ridges—one bearing the familiar name of Mount Gilboa, the other called by Franks Little Hermon, but by natives Jebel ed-Duhy . The central branch is the richest as well as the most celebrated. This is the “valley of Jezreel” proper—the battle-field on which Gideon triumphed, and Saul and Jonathan were overthrown. ( Judges 7:1 ) seq. ; ( 1 Samuel 29:1 ) ... and 1Sam 31:1 ... Two things are worthy of special notice in the plain of Esdraelon: Its wonderful richness; Its present desolation. If we except the eastern branches, there is not a single inhabited village on its whole surface, and not more than one-sixth of its soil is cultivated. It is the home of the wild wandering Bedouin.
Eshkalonites, The
( Joshua 13:3 ) [ Ashkelon, Askelon ]
Esther, Book Of
one of the latest of the canonical books of Scripture, having been written late in the reign of Xerxes, or early in that of his son Artaxerxes Longimanus (B.C. 444, 434). The author is not known. The book of Esther is placed among the hagiographa by the Jews, and in that first portion of them which they call “the five rolls.” It is written on a single roll, sin a dramatic style, and is read through by the Jews in their synagogues at the feast of Purim, when it is said that the names of Haman’s sons are read rapidly all in one breath, to signify that they were all hanged at the same time; while at every mention of Haman the audience stamp and shout and hiss, and the children spring rattles. It has often been remarked as a peculiarity of this book that the name of God does not once occur in it. Schaff gives as the reason for this that it was to permit the reading of the book at the hilarious and noisy festival of Purim, without irreverence. The style of writing is remarkably chaste and simple. It does not in the least savor of romance. The Hebrew is very like that of Ezra and parts of the Chronicles; generally pure, but mixed with some words of Persian origin and some of the Chaldaic affinity. In short it is just what one would expect to find in a work of the age to which the book of Esther professes to belong.
Excommunication
(expulsion from communion). Jewish excommunication.—The Jewish system of excommunication was threefold. The twenty-four offences for which it was inflicted are various, and range in heinousness from the offence of keeping a fierce dog to that of taking God’s name in vain. The offender was first cited to appear in court; and if he refused to appear or to make amends, his sentence was pronounced. The term of this punishment was thirty days; and it was extended to a second and to a third thirty days when necessary. If at the end of that time the offended was still contumacious, he was subjected to the second excommunication. Severer penalties were now attached. The sentence was delivered by a court of ten, and was accompanied by a solemn malediction. The third excommunication was an entire cutting off from the congregation. The punishment of excommunication is not appointed by the law of Moses; it is founded on the natural right of self-protection which all societies enjoy. In the New Testament, Jewish excommunication is brought prominently before us in the case of the man that was born blind. ( John 9:1 ) ... In ( Luke 6:22 ) it has been thought that our Lord referred specifically to the three forms of Jewish excommunication: “Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.” Christian excommunication.—Excommunication, as exercised by the Christian Church, was instituted by our Lord, ( Matthew 18:15 , 18 ) and it was practiced and commanded by St. Paul ( 1 Corinthians 5:11 ; 1 Timothy 1:20 ; Titus 3:10 ) Int he epistles we find St. Paul frequently claiming the right to exercise discipline over his converts; comp. ( 2 Corinthians 1:23 ; 13:10 ) We find, (1) that it is a spiritual penalty, involving no temporal punishment, except accidentally; (2) that it consists in separation from the communion of the Church; (3) that its object is the good of the sufferer, ( 1 Corinthians 5:5 ) and the protection of the sound members of the Church, ( 2 Timothy 3:17 ) (4) that its subjects are those who are guilty of heresy, ( 1 Timothy 1:20 ) or gross immorality, ( 1 Corinthians 5:1 ) (5) that it is inflicted by the authority of the Church at large, ( Matthew 18:18 ) wielded by the highest ecclesiastical officer, ( 1 Corinthians 5:3 ; Titus 3:10 ) (6) that this officer’s sentence is promulgated by the congregation to which the offender belongs, ( 1 Corinthians 5:4 ) in defence to his superior judgment and command, ( 2 Corinthians 2:9 ) and in spite of any opposition on the part of a minority, ( 2 Corinthians 2:6 ) (7) that the exclusion may be of indefinite duration, or for a period; (8) that its duration may be abridged at the discretion and by the indulgence of the person who has imposed the penalty, ( 2 Corinthians 2:8 ) (9) that penitence is the condition on which restoration to communion is granted, ( 2 Corinthians 2:8 ) (10) that the sentence is to be publicly reversed as it was publicly promulgated. ( 2 Corinthians 2:10 )