Acts of the Apostles, which he composed, Acts i, 1; Luke i, 3. It is
doubted whether the name Theophilus be here the proper name of a man, or
an appellative or common name, which, according to its etymology, may
stand for any good man, or a lover of God. Some think this name is
generic, and that St. Luke’s design here is to address his work to those
that love God; but it is much more probable that this Theophilus was a
Christian to whom the evangelist has dedicated those two works; and the
epithet of “most excellent,” which is given to him, shows him to have
been a man of great quality. Œcumenius concludes from thence that he
was governor or intendant of some province, because such a personage had
generally the title of “most excellent” given to him. Grotius
conjectures he might be a magistrate of Achaia, converted by St. Luke.
THERAPEUTÆ. One particular phenomenon which resulted from the
theosophico-ascetic spirit among the Alexandrian Jews, was the sect of
the Therapeutæ. Their head quarters were at no great distance from
Alexandria, in a quiet pleasant spot on the shores of the Lake Mœris,
where they lived, like the anchorites in later periods, shut up in
separate cells, and employed themselves in nothing but prayer, and the
contemplation of divine things. An allegorical interpretation of
Scripture was the foundation of their speculations; and they had old
theosophical writings which gave them this turn. They lived only on
bread and water, and accustomed themselves to fasting. They only ate in
the evening, and many fasted for several days together. They met
together every Sabbath day, and every seven weeks they held a still more
solemn assembly, because the number seven was peculiarly holy in their
estimation. They then celebrated a simple love-feast, consisting of
bread with salt and hyssop; theosophical discussions were held, and the
hymns which they had from their old traditions were sung; and mystical
dances, bearing reference to the wonderful works of God with the fathers
of their people, were continued, amidst choral songs, to a late hour in
the night. Many men of distinguished learning have considered this sect
as nothing but a scion of the Essenes, trained up under the peculiar
influence of the Egyptian spirit.
THESSALONIANS, Christians of Thessalonica, to whom St. Paul sent two
epistles. It is recorded in the Acts, that St. Paul, in his first
journey upon the continent of Europe, preached the Gospel at
Thessalonica, at that time the capital of Macedonia, with considerable
success; but that after a short stay he was driven thence by the malice
and violence of the unbelieving Jews. From Thessalonica St. Paul went to
Berea, and thence to Athens, at both which places he remained but a
short time. From Athens he sent Timothy to Thessalonica, to confirm the
new converts in their faith, and to inquire into their conduct. Timothy,
upon his return, found St. Paul at Corinth. Thence, probably in A. D.
52, St. Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Thessalonians; and it is to
be supposed that the subjects of which it treats, were suggested by the
account which he received from Timothy. It is now generally believed
that this was written the first of all St. Paul’s epistles, but it is
not known by whom it was sent to Thessalonica. The church there
consisted chiefly of Gentile converts, 1 Thess. i, 9. St. Paul, after
saluting the Thessalonian Christians in the name of himself, Silas, and
Timothy, assures them that he constantly returned thanks to God on their
account, and mentioned them in his prayers; he acknowledges the
readiness and sincerity with which they embraced the Gospel, and the
great reputation which they had acquired by turning from idols to serve
the living God, 1 Thess. i; he reminds them of the bold and
disinterested manner in which he had preached among them; comforts them
under the persecutions which they, like other Christians, had
experienced from their unbelieving countrymen, and informs them of two
ineffectual attempts which he had made to visit them again, 1 Thess. ii;
and that, being thus disappointed, he had sent Timothy to confirm their
faith, and inquire into their conduct; he tells them that Timothy’s
account of them had given him the greatest consolation and joy in the
midst of his affliction and distress, and that he continually prayed to
God for an opportunity of seeing them again, and for their perfect
establishment in the Gospel, 1 Thess. iii; he exhorts to purity,
justice, love, and quietness, and dissuades them against excessive grief
for their deceased friends, 1 Thess. iv; hence he takes occasion to
recommend preparation for the last judgment, the time of which is always
uncertain; and adds a variety of practical precepts. He concludes with
his usual benediction. This epistle is written in terms of high
commendation, earnestness, and affection.
It is generally believed that the messenger who carried the former
epistle into Macedonia, upon his return to Corinth, informed St. Paul
that the Thessalonians had inferred, from some expressions in it, that
the coming of Christ and the final judgment were near at hand, and would
happen in the time of many who were then alive, 1 Thess. iv, 15, 17; v,
6. The principal design of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians was
to correct that error, and prevent the mischief which it would naturally
occasion. It was written from Corinth, probably at the end of A. D. 52.
St. Paul begins with the same salutation as in the former epistle, and
then expresses his devout acknowledgments to God for the increasing
faith and mutual love of the Thessalonians in the midst of persecution;
he represents to them the rewards which will be bestowed upon the
faithful, and the punishment which will be inflicted upon the
disobedient, at the coming of Christ, 2 Thess. i; he earnestly entreats
them not to suppose, as upon authority from him, or upon any other
ground, that the last day is at hand; he assures them, that before that
awful period a great apostasy will take place, and reminds them of some
information which he had given them upon that subject when he was at
Thessalonica; he exhorts them to steadfastness in their faith, and prays
to God to comfort their hearts, and establish them in every good word
and work, 2 Thess. ii; he desires their prayers for the success of his
ministry, and expresses his confidence in their sincerity; he cautions
them against associating with idle and disorderly persons, and
recommends diligence and quietness. He adds a salutation in his own
hand, and concludes with his usual benediction.
THESSALONICA, a celebrated city in Macedonia, and capital of that
kingdom, standing upon the Thesmaic Sea. Stephen of Byzantium says that
it was improved and beautified by Philip, king of Macedon, and called
Thessalonica in memory of the victory that he obtained over the
Thessalians. Its old name was Thesma. The Jews had a synagogue here, and
their number was considerable, Acts xvii.
THIEF. Among the Hebrews theft was not punished with death: “Men do not
despise a thief if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry. But
if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the
substance of his house,” Prov. vi, 30, 31. The law allowed the killing
of a night-robber, because it was supposed his intention was to murder
as well as to rob, Exod. xxii, 2. It condemned a common thief to make
double restitution, Exod. xxii, 4. If he stole an ox he was to restore
it fivefold; if a sheep, only fourfold, Exod. xxii, 1; 2 Sam. xii, 6.
But if the animal that was stolen was found alive in his house he only
rendered the double of it. If he did not make restitution, they seized
what was in his house, put it up to sale, and even sold the person
himself if he had not wherewithal to make satisfaction, Exod. xxii, 3.
THOMAS, the Apostle, otherwise called Didymus, which in Greek signifies
_a twin_, Matt. x, 3; Luke vi, 15. We know no particulars of his life
till A. D. 33, John xi, 16; xiv, 5, 6; xx, 24–29; xxi, 1–13. Ancient
tradition says, that in the distribution which the Apostles made of the
several parts of the world, wherein they were to preach the Gospel, the
country of the Parthians fell to the share of St. Thomas. It is added,
that he preached to the Medes, Persians, Carmanians, Hircanians,
Bactrians, &c. Several of the fathers inform us that he also preached in
the East Indies, &c.
THORN. A general name for several kinds of prickly plants. 1. In the
curse denounced against the earth, Gen. iii, 18, its produce is
threatened to be “thorns and thistles,” קוץ ודרדר, in the Septuagint
ἀκάνθας καὶ τριϐόλους. St. Paul uses the same words, Heb. vi, 8, where
the last is rendered “briers;” they are also found Hos. x, 8. The word
_kutz_ is put for “thorns,” in other places, as Exod. xxii, 6; Judges
viii, 7; Ezek. ii, 6; xxviii, 24; but we are uncertain whether it means
a specific kind of thorn, or may be a generic name for all plants of a
thorny kind. In the present instance it seems to be general for all
those obnoxious plants, shrubs, &c, by which the labours of the
husbandman are impeded, and which are only fit for burning. If the word
denotes a particular plant, it maybe the “rest-harrow,” a pernicious
prickly weed, which grows promiscuously with the large thistles in the
uncultivated grounds, and covers entire fields and plains, in Egypt and
Palestine. From the resemblance of the Hebrew _dardar_, to the Arabic
word _dardargi_, Scheuchzer supposes the _cnicus_ to be intended. 2.
תות, from its etymology, must be a kind of thorn, with incurvated
spines, like fish hooks, similar to those of the North American “witch
hazel.” Celsius says that the same word, and of the same original in
Arabic, is the “black thorn,” or “sloe tree,” the _prunus spinosa_ of
Linnæus. 3. סירים. It is impossible to determine what plants are
intended by this word. Meninski says that _serbin_, in the Persic
language, is the name of a tree bearing thorns. In Eccles. vii, 6, and
Nahum i, 10, they are mentioned as fuel which quickly burns up; and in
Hosea ii, 6, as obstructions or hedges; it may be the _lycium Afrum_. 4.
סלון, mentioned Josh. xxiii, 13; Ezek. ii, 6, xxviii, 24. From the
vexatious character ascribed to this thorn in the places just referred
to, compared with Num. xxxiii, 55; Judges ii, 3; it is probably the
_kantuffa_, as described by Bruce. 5. By שבים, Num. xxxiii, 55, may be
intended goads, or sharp-pointed sticks, like those with which cattle
were driven. 6. The שית, Isa. v, 6; x, 17, must mean some noxious plant
that overruns waste grounds. 7. The word צנים, Num. xxxiii, 55; Josh.
xxiii, 13; Isa. v, 5. It seems, from its application, to describe a bad
kind of thorn. Hiller supposes it to be the _vepris_. Perhaps it is the
_rhamnus paliurus_, a deciduous plant or tree, a native of Palestine,
Spain, and Italy. It will grow nearly to the height of fourteen feet,
and is armed with sharp thorns, two of which are at the insertion of
each branch, one of them straight and upright, the other bent backward.
8. כרקנים, translated “briers,” Judges viii, 16. “There is no doubt but
this word means a sharp, jagged kind of plant: the difficulty is to fix
on one, where so many offer themselves. The Septuagint preserves the
original word. We should hardly think Gideon went far to seek these
plants. The thorns are expressly said to be from the wilderness, or
common hard by; probably the _barkanim_ were from the same place. In our
country this would lead us to the blackberry bushes on our commons; but
it might not be so around Succoth. There is a plant mentioned by
Hasselquist, whose name and properties somewhat resemble those which are
required in the _barkanim_ of this passage: “_Nabka paliurus Athenæi_,
is the _nabka_ of the Arabs. There is every appearance that this is the
tree which furnished the crown of thorns which was put on the head of
our Lord. It is common in the east. A plant more proper for this purpose
could not be selected; for it is armed with thorns, its branches are
pliant, and its leaf of a deep green like that of ivy. Perhaps the
enemies of Christ chose this plant, in order to add insult to injury by
employing a wreath approaching in appearance that which was used to
crown emperors and generals.” In the New Testament, the Greek word
translated “thorn,” is ἄκανθα; Matt. vii, 16, xiii, 7, xxvii, 29, John
xix, 2. The note of Bishop Pearce on Matt. xxvii, 29, is this: “The word
ἀκανθῶν may as well be the plural genitive case of the word ἄκανθος, as
of ἄκανθα; if of the latter, it is rightly translated ‘of thorns,’ but
the former would signify what we call ‘bear’s foot,’ and the French
_branche ursine_. This is not of the thorny kind of plants, but is soft
and smooth. Virgil calls it _mollis acanthus_. So does Pliny: and Pliny
the elder says that it is _lævis_, “smooth;” and that it is one of those
plants that are cultivated in gardens. I have somewhere read, but cannot
at present recollect where, that this soft and smooth herb was very
common in and about Jerusalem. I find nothing in the New Testament
concerning this crown which Pilate’s soldiers put on the head of Jesus,
to incline one to think that it was of thorns, and intended, as is
usually supposed, to put him to pain. The reed put into his hand, and
the scarlet robe on his back, were meant only as marks of mockery and
contempt. One may also reasonably judge by the soldiers being said to
plat this crown, that it was not composed of such twigs and leaves as
were of a thorny nature. I do not find that it is mentioned by any of
the primitive Christian writers as an instance of the cruelty used
toward our Saviour before he was led to crucifixion, till the time of
Tertullian, who lived after Jesus’ death at the distance of above one
hundred and sixty years. He indeed seems to have understood ἀκανθῶν in
the sense of thorns, and says, ‘_Quale oro te, Jesus Christus sertum pro
utrogue sexu subiit? Ex spinis, opinor, et tribulis._’ [What kind of a
crown, I beseech you, did Jesus Christ sustain? One made of thorns and
thistles, I think.] The total silence of Polycarp, Barnabas, Clemens
Romanus, and all the other Christian writers whose works are now extant,
and who wrote before Tertullian, in particular, will give some weight to
incline one to think that this crown was not platted with thorns. But as
this is a point on which we have not sufficient evidence, I leave it
almost in the same state of uncertainty in which I found it.” See
GARDEN.
THRESHING FLOORS, among the ancient Jews, were only, as they are to this
day in the east, round level plats of ground in the open air, where the
corn was trodden out by oxen, the _libycæ areæ_ of Horace. Thus,
Gideon’s floor, Judges vi, 37, appears to have been in the open air; as
was likewise that of Araunah the Jebusite; else it would not have been a
proper place for erecting an altar and offering sacrifice. In Hosea
xiii, 3, we read of the chaff which is driven by the whirlwind from the
floor. This circumstance of the threshing floor’s being exposed to the
agitation of the wind seems to be the principal reason of its Hebrew
name; which may be farther illustrated by the direction which Hesiod
gives his husbandman to thresh his corn in a place well exposed to the
wind. From the above account it appears that a threshing floor (rendered
in our textual translation “a void place”) might well be near the
entrance of the gate of Samaria, and that it might afford no improper
place in which the kings of Israel and Judah could hear the prophets, 1
Kings xxii, 10; 2 Chron. xviii, 9; Psalm i, 4.
THRONE is used for that magnificent seat on which sovereign princes
usually sit to receive the homage of their subjects, or to give audience
to ambassadors; where they appear with pomp and ceremony, and from
whence they dispense justice; in a word, the throne, the sceptre, the
crown, are the ordinary symbols of royalty and regal authority. The
Scripture commonly represents the Lord as sitting upon a throne;
sometimes it is said that the heaven is his throne, and the earth his
footstool, Isaiah lxvi, 1. The Son of God is also represented as sitting
upon a throne, at the right hand of his Father, Psalm cx, 1; Heb. i, 8;
Rev. iii, 21. And Jesus Christ assures his Apostles that they should sit
upon twelve thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, Luke xxii,
30. Though a throne and royal dignity seem to be correlatives, or terms
that stand in reciprocal relation to each other, yet the privilege of
sitting on a throne has been sometimes granted to those that were not
kings, particularly to some governors of important provinces. We read of
the throne of the governor of this side the river; the throne, in other
words, of the governor for the king of Persia of the provinces belonging
to that empire on the west of the Euphrates. So D’Herbelot tells us that
a Persian monarch of aftertimes gave the governor of one of his
provinces permission to seat himself in a gilded chair, when he
administered justice; which distinction was granted him on account of
the importance of that post, to which the guarding a pass of great
consequence was committed. This province, he tells us, is now called
Shirvan, but was formerly named Serir-aldhahab, which signifies, in
Arabic, “the throne of gold.” To which he adds, that this privilege was
granted to the governor of this province, as being the place through
which the northern nations used to make their way into Persia; on which
account, also, a mighty rampart or wall was raised there.
In the Revelation of St. John, we find the twenty-four elders sitting
upon as many thrones in the presence of the Lord; “and they fall down
before him that sat on the throne, &c, and cast their crowns before the
throne.” Many of the travellers in eastern countries have given
descriptions highly illustrative of this mode of adoration. Thus Bruce,
in his Travels, says, “The next remarkable ceremony in which these two
nations (of Persia and Abyssinia) agreed is that of adoration,
inviolably observed in Abyssinia to this day, as often as you enter the
sovereign’s presence. This is not only kneeling, but absolute
prostration; you first fall upon your knees, then upon the palms of your
hands, then incline your head and body till your forehead touches the
ground; and, in case you have an answer to expect, you lie in that
posture till the king, or somebody from him, desires you to rise.” And
Stewart observes, “We marched toward the emperor with our music playing,
till we came within about eighty yards of him, when the old monarch,
alighting from his horse, prostrated himself on the earth to pray, and
continued some minutes with his face so close to the earth, that, when
we came up to him, the dust remained upon his nose.”
The circumstance of “casting their crowns before the throne” may be
illustrated by several cases which occur in history. That of Herod, in
the presence of Augustus, has been already mentioned. (See _Herod_.)
Tiridates, in this manner, did homage to Nero, laying the ensigns of his
royalty at the statue of Cæsar, to receive them again from his hand.
Tigranes, king of Armenia, did the same to Pompey. In the inauguration
of the Byzantine Cæsars, when the emperor comes to receive the
sacrament, he puts off his crown. “This short expedition,” says Malcolm,
“was brought to a close by the personal submission of Abool Fyze Khan,
who, attended by all his court, proceeded to the tents of Nadir Shah,
and laid his crown, and other ensigns of royalty, at the feet of the
conqueror, who assigned him an honourable place in his assembly, and in
a few days afterward restored him to his throne.”
THYATIRA, a city of Lydia, in Asia Minor, and the seat of one of the
seven churches in Asia. It was situated nearly midway between Pergamos
and Sardis, and is still a tolerable town, considering that it is in the
hands of the Turks, and enjoys some trade, chiefly in cottons. It is
called by that people Ak-hisar, or White Castle.
TIBERIAS, a city situated in a small plain, surrounded by mountains, on
the western coast of the sea of Galilee, which, from this city, was also
called the sea of Tiberias. Tiberias was erected by Herod Antipas, and
so called in honour of Tiberius Cæsar. He is supposed to have chosen,
for the erection of his new city, a spot where before stood a more
obscure place called Chenereth or Cinnereth, which also gave its name to
the adjoining lake or sea.
TIMBRELS. See MUSIC.
TIMOTHEUS, commonly called Timothy, a disciple of St. Paul. He was a
native of Lystra in Lycaonia. His father was a Gentile; but his mother,
whose name was Eunice, was a Jewess, Acts xvi, 1, and educated her son
with great care in her own religion, 2 Tim. i, 5; iii, 15. To this young
disciple St. Paul addressed two epistles; in the first of which he calls
him his “own son in the faith,” 1 Tim. i, 2; from which expression it is
inferred that St. Paul was the person who converted him to the belief of
the Gospel; and as, upon St. Paul’s second arrival at Lystra, Timothy is
mentioned as being then a disciple, and as having distinguished himself
among the Christians of that neighbourhood, his conversion, as well as
that of Eunice his mother, and Lois his grandmother, must have taken
place when St. Paul first preached at Lystra, A. D. 46. Upon St. Paul’s
leaving Lystra, in the course of his second apostolical journey, he was
induced to take Timothy with him, on account of his excellent character,
and the zeal which, young as he was, he had already shown in the cause
of Christianity; but before they set out, St. Paul caused him to be
circumcised, not as a thing necessary to his salvation, but to avoid
giving offence to the Jews, as he was a Jew by the mother’s side, and it
was an established rule among the Jews that _partus sequitur ventrem_.
Timothy was regularly appointed to the ministerial office by the laying
on of hands, not only by St. Paul himself, but also by the presbytery, 1
Tim. iv, 14; 2 Tim. i, 6. From this time Timothy acted as a minister of
the Gospel; he generally attended St. Paul, but was sometimes employed
by him in other places; he was very diligent and useful, and is always
mentioned with great esteem and affection by St. Paul, who joins his
name with his own in the inscription of six of his epistles. He is
sometimes called bishop of Ephesus, and it has been said that he
suffered martyrdom in that city, some years after the death of St. Paul.
The principal design of St. Paul’s First Epistle to Timothy was to give
him instructions concerning the management of the church of Ephesus; and
it was probably intended that it should be read publicly to the
Ephesians, that they might know upon what authority Timothy acted. After
saluting him in an affectionate manner, and reminding him of the reason
for which he was left at Ephesus, the Apostle takes occasion, from the
frivolous disputes which some Judaizing teachers had introduced among
the Ephesians, to assert the practical nature of the Gospel, and to show
its superiority over the law; he returns thanks to God for his own
appointment to the apostleship, and recommends to Timothy fidelity in
the discharge of his sacred office; he exhorts that prayers should be
made for all men, and especially for magistrates; he gives directions
for the conduct of women, and forbids their teaching in public; he
describes the qualifications necessary for bishops and deacons, and
speaks of the mysterious nature of the Gospel dispensation; he foretels
that there will be apostates from the truth, and false teachers in the
latter times, and recommends to Timothy purity of manners and
improvement of his spiritual gifts; he gives him particular directions
for his behaviour toward persons in different situations in life, and
instructs him in several points of Christian discipline; he cautions him
against false teachers, gives him several precepts, and solemnly charges
him to be faithful to his trust.