scenes in his Epistle to the Ephesians, where he mentions the glorious
ascension of his Redeemer into heaven: “When he ascended up on high, he
led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men,” Eph. iv, 8. These words
are a quotation from the sixty-eighth Psalm, where David in spirit
describes the ascension of Messiah in very glowing colours: “The
chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord
is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on
high, thou hast led captivity captive,” or an immense number of
captives; “thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious
also; that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who
daily loadeth us with his benefits, even the God of our salvation.
Selah,” Psalm lxviii, 17–19. Knowing the deep impression which such an
allusion is calculated to make on the mind of a people familiarly
acquainted with triumphal scenes, the Apostle returns to it in his
Epistle to the Colossians, which was written about the same time:
“Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it,” Col. ii, 15. After obtaining a
complete victory over all his enemies, he ascended in splendour and
triumph into his Father’s presence on the clouds of heaven, the chariots
of the Most High, thousands of holy angels attending in his train; he
led the devil and all his angels, together with sin, the world, and
death, as his spoils of war, and captives in chains, and exposed them to
open contempt and shame, in the view of all his angelic attendants,
triumphing like a glorious conqueror over them, in virtue of his cross,
upon which he made complete satisfaction for sin, and by his own
strength, without the assistance of any creature, destroyed him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil. And as mighty princes were
accustomed to scatter largesses among the people, and reward their
companions in arms with a liberal hand, when, laden with the spoils of
vanquished nations, they returned in triumph to their capital; so the
Conqueror of death and hell, when he ascended far above all heavens, and
sat down in the midst of the throne, shed forth blessings of his grace
and Holy Spirit, upon people of every tongue and of every nation.
The officers and soldiers, also, were rewarded according to their merit.
Among the Romans, the noblest reward which a soldier could receive, was
the crown, made of leaves. Alluding to this high distinction, the
Apostle says to his son Timothy, “I have fought a good fight; henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, will give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto
all them also that love his appearing,” 2 Tim. iv, 7, 8. And lest any
one should imagine that the Christian’s crown is perishable in its
nature, and soon fades away, like a crown of oak leaves, the Apostle
Peter assures the faithful soldier of Christ that his crown is
infinitely more valuable and lasting: “Ye shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away,” 1 Peter v, 4. And this account is confirmed by
St. James: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised
to them that love him,” James i, 12. The military crowns were conferred
by the general in presence of his army; and such as received them, after
a public eulogium on their valour, were placed next his person. The
Christian also receives his unmerited reward from the hand of the
Captain of his salvation: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give
thee a crown of life,” Rev. ii, 10. And, like the brave veteran of
ancient times, he is promoted to a place near his Lord: “To him that
overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne,” Rev. iii, 21.
TROAS, a city of Phrygia, or of Mysia, upon the Hellespont, having the
old city of Troy to the north, and that of Assos to the south. Sometimes
the name of Troas is put for the province, wherein the city of Troy
stood. St. Paul was at Troas, when he had the vision of the Macedonian
inviting him to come and preach in that kingdom, Acts xvi, 8. Beside
this, the Apostle was several times at Troas; but we know nothing
particular of his transactions there, Acts xx, 5, 6; 2 Cor. ii, 14; 2
Tim. iv, 13.
TROPHIMUS, a disciple of St. Paul, and an Ephesian by birth. He came
from Ephesus to Corinth with the Apostle, and kept him company in his
whole journey from Corinth to Jerusalem, A. D. 58, Acts xx, 4. When St.
Paul was in the temple there, the Jews laid hold of him, crying out,
“Men of Israel, help; this is the man that teacheth all men every where
against the people, and the law, and this place; and farther, brought
Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place,” Acts
xxi, 28, 29. And this they said, because certain Jews of Ephesus having
seen Trophimus with St. Paul in the city, whom they looked upon as a
Gentile, imagined that St. Paul had introduced him into the temple. The
whole city was immediately in an uproar, and St. Paul was secured.
Trophimus afterward accompanied St. Paul; for that Apostle writes to
Timothy, that he had left Trophimus sick at Miletus, 2 Tim. iv, 20.
TRUMPET. The Lord commanded Moses to make two trumpets of beaten silver,
to be employed in calling the people together when they were to decamp,
Num. x, 2, 3, &c. They also chiefly made use of these trumpets, to
proclaim the beginning of the civil year, the beginning of the
Sabbatical year, and the beginning of the jubilee, Lev. xxv, 9, 10.
Josephus says, that these trumpets were near a cubit long; and had a
tube, or pipe, of the thickness of a common flute. Their mouths were
only wide enough to be blown into, and their ends were like those of a
modern trumpet. At first there were but two in the camp, but afterward a
greater number were made. Even in the time of Joshua there were seven of
them, Joshua vi, 4. At the dedication of the temple of Solomon six-score
priests sounded as many trumpets, 2 Chron. v, 12. Beside the sacred
trumpets of the temple, the use of which was restrained to the priests
only, in war there were others, which the generals sometimes employed
for gathering their troops together. For example, Ehud sounded the
trumpet, to assemble the Israelites against the Moabites, who oppressed
them, and whose king Eglon he had lately slain, Judg. vi, 27. Gideon
took a trumpet in his hand, and gave every one of his people one, when
he assaulted the Midianites, Judges vii, 2, 16. Joab sounded the
trumpet, to give the signal of retreat to his soldiers, in the battle
against those of Abner’s party, and in that against Absalom; and lastly,
in the pursuit of Sheba the son of Bichri, 2 Sam. ii, 28; xviii, 16; xx,
22. The feast of trumpets was kept on the first day of the seventh month
of the sacred year, the first of the civil year. See MUSIC.
TRUTH is used, 1. In opposition to falsehood, lies, or deceit, Prov.
xii, 17, &c. 2. It signifies fidelity, sincerity, and punctuality in
keeping promises; and to truth taken in this sense is generally joined
mercy or kindness, as in Gen. xxiv, 27, and other places of Scripture.
3. Truth is put for the true doctrine of the Gospel, Galatians iii, 1.
4. Truth is put for the substance of the types and ceremonies of the
law, John i, 17.
TUBAL, the fifth son of Japheth. The Scripture commonly joins together
Tubal and Meshech, which makes it thought that they peopled countries
bordering upon each other. The Chaldee interpreters, by Tubal and
Meshech understand Italy and Asia, or rather Ausonia. Josephus accounts
them to be Iberia and Cappadocia. St. Jerom affirms that Tubal
represents the Spaniards, heretofore called Iberians. Bochart is very
copious in proving, that by Meshech and Tubal are intended the
Muscovites and the Tibarenians.
TUBAL-CAIN, or THUBAL-CAIN, son of Lamech the bigamous, and of Zillah,
Gen. ix, 29. The Scriptures tell us, that he was the father and
inventor, or master, of the art of forging and managing iron, and of
making all kinds of iron-work. There is great reason to believe that
this was the Vulcan of the Heathens.
TURTLE, תזו, τρυγὼν, Gen. xv, 9; Lev. i, 14; v, 7, 11; xii, 6, 8; xiv,
22, 30; xv, 14, 29; Num. vi, 10; Psalm lxxiv, 19; Cant. ii, 12; Jer.
viii, 7; τρυγὼν, Luke ii, 24. We have the authority of the Septuagint,
the Targum, and of all the ancient interpreters, for understanding this
of the turtle. Indeed, it is one of those evident instances in which the
name of the bird is by _onomatopœia_ formed from its note or cry. The
turtle is mentioned among migratory birds by Jeremiah viii, 7, and in
this sense differs from the rest of its family, which are all
stationary. The fact to which the prophet alludes is attested by
Aristotle in these words: “The pigeon and the dove are always present,
but the turtle only in summer: that bird is not seen in winter.” And in
another part of his work, he asserts that the dove remains, while the
turtle migrates. Varro, and other ancient writers, make the like
statement. Thus Solomon, Cant. ii, 12, mentions the return of this bird
as one of the indications of spring: “The voice of the turtle is heard
in the land.” See DOVE.
TYCHICUS, a disciple of St. Paul, whom the Apostle often employed to
carry his letters to the several churches. He was of the province of
Asia, and accompanied St. Paul, when, in A. D. 58, he made his journey
from Corinth to Jerusalem, Acts xx, 4. It was he that carried the
epistle to the Colossians, that to the Ephesians, and the first to
Timothy. St. Paul did not send him merely to carry his letters, but also
to learn the state of the churches, and to bring him an account of them.
Wherefore he calls him his dear brother, a faithful minister of the
Lord, and his companion in the service of God, Eph. vi, 21, 22; Col. iv,
7, 8. He had thoughts also of sending him into Crete, to preside over
that church in the absence of Titus, iii, 12.
TYPE. This word is not frequently used in Scripture; but what it
signifies is supposed to be very frequently implied. We usually consider
a type as an example, pattern, or general similitude to a person, event,
or thing which is to come: and in this it differs from a representation,
memorial, or commemoration of an event, &c, which is past. The Spirit of
God has adopted a variety of means to indicate his perfect foreknowledge
of all events, and his power to control them. This is sometimes declared
by express verbal prophecy; sometimes by specific actions performed by
divine command; and sometimes by those peculiar events, in the lives of
individuals, and the history or religious observances of the Israelites,
which were caused to bear a designed reference to some parts of the
Gospel history. The main point, says Chevallier, in an inquiry into
these historical types, is to establish the fact of a preconcerted
connection between the two series of events. No similarity, in itself,
is sufficient to prove such a correspondence. Even those recorded in
Scripture are recorded under very different circumstances. If the first
event be declared to be typical, at the time when it occurs, and the
second correspond with the prediction so delivered, there can be no
doubt that the correspondence was designed. If, before the occurrence of
the second event, there be delivered a distinct prophecy, that it will
happen, and will correspond with some previous event; the fulfilment of
the prophecy furnishes an intrinsic proof, that the person who gave it
spake by divine inspiration. It may not, from this fact, follow, that
the two events were connected by a design formed before either of them
occurred: but it certainly does follow, that the second event, in some
measure, had respect to the first; and that whatever degree of
connection was, by such a prophet, assumed to exist, did really exist.
If, again, no specific declaration be made, respecting the typical
character of any event or person, until after the second event has
occurred, which is then declared to have been prefigured; the fact of
preconcerted connection will rest solely upon the authority of the
person who advances the assertion. But, if we know, from other sources,
that his words are the words of truth, our only inquiry will be, if he
either distinctly asserts, or plainly infers, the existence of a
designed correspondence. The fact, then, of a preconcerted connection
between two series of events, is capable of being established in three
ways: and the historical types may be accordingly arranged in three
principal divisions. Some of them afford intrinsic evidence, that the
Scriptures, which record them, are given by inspiration of God; the
others can be proved to exist only by assuming that fact: but all, when
once established, display the astonishing power and wisdom of God; and
the importance of that scheme of redemption, which was ushered into the
world with such magnificent preparations. In contemplating this
wonderful system, we discern one great intention interwoven, not only
into the verbal prophecies and extraordinary events of the history of
the Israelites, but into the ordinary transactions of the lives of
selected individuals, even from the creation of the world. Adam was “the
figure of him that was to come,” Romans v, 14. Melchisedec was “made
like unto the Son of God,” Heb. vii, 3. Abraham, in the course of events
in which he was engaged by the especial command of Heaven, was enabled
to see Christ’s day, John viii, 56; and Isaac was received from the dead
“in a figure,” Heb. xi, 19. At a later period, the paschal lamb was
ordained to be sacrificed, not only as a memorial of the immediate
deliverance, which it was instituted to procure and to commemorate, but
also as a continued memorial of that which was to be “fulfilled in the
kingdom of God,” Luke xxii, 16. Moses was raised up to deliver the
people of Israel; to be to them a lawgiver, a prophet, a priest; and to
possess the regal authority, if not the title of king. But, during the
early period of his life, he was himself taught, that one great prophet
should be raised up like unto him: before his death he delivered the
same prophecy to the people: and, after that event, the Israelites
continually looked for that faithful prophet, who should return answer
to their inquiries, 1 Macc. iv, 46; xiv, 41. Their prophets all pointed
to some greater lawgiver, who should introduce a new law into their
hearts, and inscribe them upon their minds, Jer. xxxi, 33. The whole
people of Israel were also made, in some instances, designedly
representative of Christ: and the events, which occurred in their
national history, distinctly referred to him. During their wanderings in
the wilderness, God left not himself without witness, which should bear
reference to the great scheme of the Gospel. They ate spiritual meat. It
was an emblem of the true bread of life, which came down from heaven,
John vi, 32. “They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and
that Rock was Christ,” 1 Cor. x, 4. They were destroyed of serpents; and
a brazen serpent was lifted up on a pole, that whosoever looked might
live. It was a sensible figure of the Son of man, who was, in like
manner to be lifted up; “that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have eternal life,” John iii, 15. Beside, their religious
ordinances were only “a figure for the time then present,” Heb. ix, 9.
Their tabernacle was made after the pattern of heavenly things, Heb.
viii, 5; Exod. xxv, 9, 40; and was intended to prefigure the “greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,” Heb. ix, 11. The high
priest was a living representative of the great “High Priest of our
profession,” Heb. iii, 1: and the Levitical sacrifices plainly had
respect to the one great sacrifice for sins. Joshua the son of Nun
represented Jesus in name: and by his earthly conquests in some measure
prefigured the heavenly triumphs of his Lord. In a subsequent period,
David was no indistinct type of “the Messiah the Prince,” Dan. ix, 25,
for a long time humbled, and at length triumphant over his enemies. And
the peaceable dominion of Solomon prefigured that eternal rest and
peace, which remaineth to the people of God. In a still later age, the
miraculous preservation of the Prophet Jonah displayed a sign, which was
fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ. And when the temple was
rebuilt, Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest, and his fellows,
were set forth as “men of sign,” representatives of the Branch, which
should, in the fulness of time, be raised up to the stem of Jesse, Zech.
iii, 8; Isa. xi, 1. The illustration, then, to be derived from the
historical types of the Old Testament, is found diffused over the whole
period, which extends from the creation of the world, to the time when
vision and prophecy were sealed. And all the light, which emanates from
so many various points, is concentrated in the person of Christ.
TYRANNUS. It is said in Acts xix, 9, that St. Paul being at Ephesus, and
seeing that the Jews to whom he preached, instead of being converted,
were rather more hardened and obstinate, he withdrew from their society,
nor went to preach in their synagogue, but taught every day in the
school of one Tyrannus. It is inquired, Who was this Tyrannus? Some
think him to have been a prince or great lord, who accommodated the
Apostle with his house, in which to receive and instruct his disciples.
But the generality conclude, that Tyrannus was a converted Gentile, a
friend of St. Paul, to whom he withdrew.
TYRE, or TYRUS, was a famous city of Phenicia. Its Hebrew name is צור or
צר, which signifies a rock. The city of Tyre was allotted to the tribe
of Asher, Joshua xix, 29, with the other maritime cities of the same
coast; but it does not appear that the Asherites ever drove out the
Canaanites. Isaiah, xxiii, 12, calls Tyre the daughter of Sidon, that
is, a colony from it. Homer never speaks of Tyre, but only of Sidon.
Josephus says, that Tyre was built not above two hundred and forty years
before the temple of Solomon; which would be in A. M. 2760, two hundred
years after Joshua. Tyre was twofold, insular and continental. Insular
Tyre was certainly the most ancient; for this it was which was noticed
by Joshua: the continental city, however, as being more commodiously
situated, first grew into consideration, and assumed the name of
Palætyrus, or Old Tyre. Want of sufficient attention to this
distinction, has embarrassed both the Tyrian chronology and geography.
Insular Tyre was confined to a small rocky island, eight hundred paces
long, and four hundred broad, and could never exceed two miles in
circumference. But Tyre, on the opposite coast, about half a mile from
the sea, was a city of vast extent, since many centuries after its
demolition by Nebuchadnezzar, the scattered rains measured nineteen
miles round, as we learn from Pliny and Strabo. Of these, the most
curious and surprising are, the cisterns of Roselayne, designed to
supply the city with water; of which there are three still entire; about
one or two furlongs from the sea, so well described by Maundrell, for
their curious construction and solid masonry. Old Tyre withstood the
mighty Assyrian power, having been besieged in vain, by Shalmaneser, for
five years; although he cut off their supplies of water from the
cisterns; which they remedied by digging wells within the city. It
afterward held out thirteen years against Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, and was at length taken; but not until the Tyrians had removed
their effects to the insular town, and left nothing but the bare walls
to the victor, which he demolished. What completed the destruction of
the city was, that Alexander afterward made use of these materials to
build a prodigious causeway, or isthmus, above half a mile long, to the
insular city, which revived, as the phœnix, from the ashes of the
old, and grew to great power and opulence, as a maritime state; and
which he stormed after a most obstinate siege of five months. Pococke
observes, that “there are no signs of the ancient city; and as it is a
sandy shore, the face of every thing is altered, and the great aqueduct
is in many parts almost buried in the sand.” Thus has been fulfilled the
prophecy of Ezekiel: “Thou shalt be built no more: though thou be sought
for, yet shalt thou never be found again,” Ezek. xxvi, 21. The fate of
insular Tyre has been no less remarkable. When Alexander stormed the
city, he set fire to it. This circumstance was foretold. “Tyre did build
herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold
as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he
will smite her power in the sea, and she shall be devoured with fire,”
Zech. ix, 3, 4. After this terrible calamity, Tyre again retrieved her
losses. Only eighteen years after, she had recovered such a share of her
ancient commerce and opulence, as enabled her to stand a siege of
fourteen months against Antigonus, before he could reduce the city; but
after this, Tyre fell alternately under the dominion of the kings of
Syria and Egypt, and then of the Romans, until it was taken by the
Saracens, about A. D. 639, retaken by the Crusaders, A. D. 1124; and at
length sacked and razed by the Mamelukes of Egypt, with Sidon, and other
strong towns, that they might no longer harbour the Christians, A. D.
1289.