Abilene

a small province in Coelo-Syria, between Lebanon and Antilibanus. Of this place Lysanias was governor in the fifteenth year of Tiberius, Luk 3:1. Abela, or Abila, the capital, was north of Damascus, and south of Heliopolis.

Abile´ne (Luk 3:1), the small district or territory which took its name from the chief town, Abila. Its situation is in some degree determined by that of the town; but its precise limits and extent remain unknown. Northward it must have reached beyond the Upper Barrada, in order to include Abila; and it is probable that its southern border may have extended to Mount Hermon (Jebel es-Sheikh). It seems to have included the eastern declivities of Anti-Libanus, and the fine valleys between its base and the hills which front the eastern plains.

This territory had been governed as a tetrarchate by Lysanias, son of Ptolemy and grandson of Mennaeus, but he was put to death, B.C. 33, through the intrigues of Cleopatra, who then took possession of the province. After her death it fell to Augustus, who rented it out to one Zenodorus; but as he did not keep it clear of robbers, it was taken from him, and given to Herod the Great. At his death a part (the southern, doubtless) of the territory was added to Trachonitis and Ituraea to form a tetrarchy for his son Philip; but by far the larger portion, including the city of Abila, was then, or shortly afterwards, bestowed on another Lysanias, mentioned by Luke (Luk 3:1), who is supposed to have been a descendant of the former Lysanias, but who is nowhere mentioned by Josephus. About ten years after the time referred to by Luke, the emperor Caligula gave Abilene to Agrippa I. as ’the tetrarchy of Lysanias,’ to whom it was afterwards confirmed by Claudius. At his death, it was included in that part of his possessions which went to his son Agrippa II.

The name of a district of country on the eastern declivity of Anti-Lebanon, from twelve to twenty miles north-west of Damascus, towards Heliopolis, or Baalbek; so called from the city of ABILA, and also called Abilene of Lysanias, to distinguish it from others. This territory, in the fifteenth year of Tiberius emperor of Rome, was governed as a tetrarchate by a certain Lysanias, {\cf11 \ul Luk 3:1}.\PAR

Abile’ne. (land of meadows). Luk 3:1. A city situated on the eastern slope of Antilibanus, in a district fertilized by the river Barada (Abana). The city was 18 miles from Damascus, and stood in a remarkable gorge called Suk Wady Barada.

(Α᾿βιληνή sc. χώρα, Luk 3:1), the small district or territory in the region of Lebanon which took its name from the chief town, Abila (Polyb. v. 71, 2; Josephus, War, 2, 13, 2; 4:7, 5; Heb. Abel’, אָבֵל, a plain), which was situated in Coele-Syria (Ptolem. v. 18), and (according to the Antonine Itin.) 18 miles N. of Damascus, and 38 S. of Heliopolis (lat. 68o 45’, long. 33o 20’); but which must not be confounded with Abila of the Decapolis (Burckhardt, p. 269; Ritter, 15, 1059). SEE AILA. Northward it must have reached beyond the upper Barada, in order to include Abila; and it is probable that its southern border may have extended to Mount Hermon (Jebel es-Sheikh). It seems to have included the eastern declivities of Anti- Libanus, and the fine valleys between its base and the hills which front the eastern plains. This is a very beautiful and fertile region, well wooded, and watered by numerous springs from Anti-Lebanon. It also affords fine pastures; and in most respects contrasts with the stern and barren western slopes of Anti-Lebanon.

This territory had been governed as a tetrarchate by Lysanias, son of Ptolemy and grandson of Mennneus (Josephus, Ant. 14:13, 3); but he was put to death, B.C. 33, through the intrigues of Cleopatra, who then took possession of the province (Ant. 15:4, 1). After her death it fell to Augustus, who rented it out to one Zenodorus; but as he did not keep it clear of robbers, it was taken from him, and given to Herod the Great (Ant. 15:10, 1; War, 1:20, 4). At his death a part (the southern, doubtless) of the territory was added to Trachonitis and Itursea to form a tetrarchy for his son Philip; but by far the larger portion, including the city of Abila, was then, or shortly afterward, bestowed on another Lysanias, mentioned by Luke (Luk 3:1), who is supposed to have been a descendant of the former Lysanias, but who is nowhere mentioned by Josephus. SEE LYSANIAS. Indeed, nothing is said — by him or any other profane writer respecting this part of Abilene — until several years after the time referred to by Luke, when the Emperor Caligula gave it to Agrippa I as “the tetrarchy of Lysanias” (Josephus, Ant. 18:6, 10), to whom it was afterward confirmed by Claudius. At his death it was included in that part of his possessions which went to his son Agrippa II. (See Josephus, Ant. 13:16, 3; 14:12, 1; 3,2; 7,4; 15:10, 3; 17:11, 4; 19:5, 1; 10:7, 1; War, 1:13, 1; 2:6, 3; 11. 5; Dio Cass. 49:32; 54:9.) This explanation as to the division of Abilene between Lysanias and Philip removes the apparent discrepancy in Luke, who calls Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene at the very time that, according to Josephus (a part of) Abilene was in the possession of Philip (see Noldii Hist. Idum. p. 279 sq.; Krebs, Observ. Flav. p. 110 sq.; Susskind, Symbol. ad Illustr. Quaedam Evang. Loca, 1:21; 3:23 sq.; also in Pott, Syllog. 8:90 sq.; also in the Stud. u. Krit. 1836, 2:431 sq.; Miunter, De Rebus Ituraeor. Hafn. 1824, p. 22 sq.; Wieseler, Chronol. Synopsis, p. 174 sq.; Ebrard, Wissenschaft. Kritik, p. 181 sq.; Hug, Gutachten ub. Strauss, p. 119 sq.). In fact, as Herod never actually possessed Abilene (Josephus, Ant. 19:5, 1; War, 2:11, 5), and Zenodorus only had the farming of it, this region never could have descended to Herod’s heirs, and therefore properly did not belong to Philip’s tetrarchy. The same division of the territory in question is implied in the exclusion of Chalcis from the government of the later Lysanias, although included in that of the older (Josephus, Ant. 20:7, 1). We find Abila mentioned among the places captured by Placidus, one of Vespasian’s generals, in A.D. 69-70 (Josephus, War, 4:7, 5); and from that time it was permanently annexed to the province of Syria (Smith’s Dict. of Class. Geog. s.v.). The metropolis Abila is mentioned in the lists of the Christian councils as the seat of an episcopal see down to A.D. 634 (Reland, Palest. p. 529).

Abilene (ăb’i-lç’ne), from Abila, a small district of Palestine on the eastern slopes of Anti-Libanus, of which Abila on the river Barada was the capital. It was governed by Lysanias in the time of John the Baptist. Luk 3:1.

[Abile’ne]

The district over which Lysanias was tetrarch. Luk 3:1. Abila was its chief city. Josephus speaks of this as "Abila of Lysanias" to distinguish it from other cities of the same name. It was described by ancient writers as eighteen miles from Damascus on the way to Heliopolis or Baalbek, and Robinson reached its site in six hours, on the eastern slope of the Anti-Libanus. The centre of the district of Abilene lies about 33° 35’ N, 36° 5’ E. Its extent is not known: it is probable that its limits varied at different times.

ABILENE.—Mentioned in Luk 3:1 as the district of which Lysanias was tetrarch in the 15th year of Tiberius. It was called after its capital Abila, situated on the Barada, about 18 miles from Damascus, and represented by the modern village of Suk. The identity of Suk with Abila is confirmed by a Roman rock-inscription to the west of the town. According to popular tradition, the name Abila is derived from Abel, who was buried by Cain in a tomb which is still pointed out in the neighbourhood. Little is known of the history of Abilene at the time referred to by St. Luke; but when Tiberius died in a.d. 37, some ten years later, the tetrarchy of Lysanias was bestowed by Caligula on Herod Agrippa I. (Josephus Ant. xviii. vi. 10), and this grant was confirmed in a.d. 41 by Claudius (xix. v. 1; BJ ii. xi. 5). On the death of Agrippa I. (a.d. 44) his dominions passed into the charge of Roman procurators (Ant. xix. ix. 2; BJ ii. xi. 6), but in a.d. 53 some parts of them, including Abilene, were granted by Claudius to Agrippa II. (Ant. xx. vii. 1; BJ ii. xii. 8), and remained in his possession till his death in a.d. 100. See Lysanias.

Literature.—Schürer, HJ^{P [Note: JP History of the Jewish People.]} i. ii. 335 ff.; Robinson, Later BR^{P [Note: RP Biblical Researches in Palestine.]} 479 ff.; Porter, Giant Cities of Bashan, 352 I.; Conder, Tent Work in Pal. 127; SW^{P [Note: WP Memoirs of the Survey of W. Palestine.]} , Special Papers.

James Patrick.

By: Gerson B. Levi

A village situated northwest of Sepphoris (Neubauer, "Géographie du Talmud," p. 259). According to Grätz ("Gesch. d. Jud." 2d ed., ii. 257), a district of Perea (Lev. R. xvii.; Pesiḳ. Wa-yeḥi, 66a).

ABILENE.—Mentioned in Luk 3:1, and also in several references in Josephus, as a tetrarchy of Lysanias [wh. see]. It was situated in the Anti-Lebanon, and its capital was Abila, a town whose ruins are found to-day on the northern bank of the river Barada, near a village called Sûk Wady Barada. It is one of the most picturesque spots on the railroad to Damascus. The ancient name is to-day preserved in a Latin inscription on a deep rock-cutting high up above the railway. By a worthless Moslem tradition, Abel is said to have been buried here.

E. W. G. Masterman.

Tetrarchy in Syria, east of Lebanon, mentioned by Luke as being governed by Lysanias at the birth of Christ.

a-bi-lē´nē (Ἀβειληνή, Abeilēnḗ, Codex Alexandrinus and Codex Vaticanus; Ἀβιληνή, Abilēnḗ, Codex Sinaiticus): Mentioned in Luk 3:1 as the tetrarchy of Lysanias at the time when John the Baptist began his ministry. The district derived its name from Abila, its chief town, which was situated, according to the Itinerarium Antonini, 18 Roman miles from Damascus on the way to Heliopolis (Baalbec). This places it in the neighborhood of the village of Suk Wady Barada (see ABANA), near which there are considerable ancient remains, with an inscription in Greek stating that a “freedman of Lysanias the Tetrarch” made wall and built a temple, and another in latin recording the repair of the road “at the expense of the Abilenians.” The memory of the ancient name probably survives in the Moslem legend which places the tomb of Abel in a neighboring height where there are ruins of a temple. Josephus calls this Abila, hē Lusanı́ou, literally, “the Abilene of Lysanius,” thus distinguishing it from other towns of the same name, and as late as the time of Ptolemy (circa 170 ad) the name of Lysanias was associated with it.

The territory of Abilene was part of the Iturean Kingdom, which was broken up when its king, Lysanias, was put to death by M. Antonius, circa 35 bc. The circumstances in which Abilene became distinct tetrarchy are altogether obscure, and nothing further is known of the tetrarch Lysanias (Ant., XIX, v, 1; XX, ii, 1). In 37 ad the tetrarchy, along with other territories, was granted to Agrippa I, after whose death in 44 ad it was administered by procurators until 53 ad, when Claudius conferred it again, along with neighboring territories, upon Agrippa II. On Agrippa’s death, toward the close of the 1st century, his kingdom was incorporated in the province of Syria. See LYSANIAS.