is thought by some to have been a kind of canal, cut from the Tigris to the Euphrates; or it may be a river, which has its rise near the head of the Tigris, running through Mesopotamia to the south-west, and falling into the Euphrates, a little south of Charchemish. Brown. CHELMON, a city opposite to Esdrælon, near which, part of Holofernes' army was encamped, before he went to lay siege to Bethulia, Judith vii, 3.

CHEPHIRAH, a city of the Gibeonites, afterwards given up to the tribe of Benjamin, Josh. ix, 17; xviii, 26.

CHERETHIM, a people, supposed to be the same as the Philistines. David's life-guard were Cherethites and Pelethites. Perhaps he chose to venture himself in the hands of foreigners, rather than of his own countrymen; or possibly his guard might be so denominated from adopting the arms, discipline, or dress of those warlike tribes.

CHERITH, a brook, which according to Jerome, was on the east, or beyond Jordan; it falls into this river below Bethsan. Near this brook, and in the valley, through which it runs, the prophet Elijah lay concealed for some time, to a void the persecution of Jezebel;

and

here the ravens, every morning and evening, brought him bread and meat, 1 Kings xvii, 3, 4. But others, and I think for a good reason, suppose it to be a western branch of Jordan. God says to Elijah, "Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith." Here the expression, turn thee eastward, evidently implies that Elijah was on the west side of Jordan, for had he been on the east side, thus to have gone to a brook, which ran on the east side, would have been to turn westward, unless the prophet had been already in the angle, between the two streams. Thus the case is, after all, doubtful. Calmet places it, as an eastern branch, and Wells and Kimp. ton suppose it a western branch of the Jordan. I think it was on the confines of Ephraim and Benjamin. Whether the birds carried the food immediately to him, or whether they only carried it to their own young, and the prophet had address to climb, and take a share with the young eagles or ravens, has been a question among learned men. I have hardly faith to believe, with Mr.Brown, that the birds brought "the bread and flesh from some person's table."

CHESALON, a city in the

tribe of Judah, Josh. xv, 10, thought to be the same as Jearim.

CHESIL, a city in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv, 30. Eusebius calls it, Exalus, and places it in the southern part of Judah, and ten miles from Diocesaria. Calmet says it was a city on the side of mount Tabor.

CHESULLATH, a city situated on the side of mount Tabor, Josh. xix, 18.

CHEZIB, this is thought to have been the same place with that called Achzib, in Josh. xv, 44, and in Micah i, 14. Jerome and Eusebius say it was situated near Adullam, which was a little west from Hebron.

CHIDON, the threshing floor of Chidon is the place where Uzzah was suddenly struck dead, for having rashly. laid his hands upon the ark, which tottered in the cart, (1 Chr. xiii, 9.) In the second book of Sam. vi, 6, this threshing floor is called the threshing floor of Nachon. We do not know whether the names of Nachon and Chidon, are the names of men or places.

CHIMHAM, a town of Palestine, six miles from Jerusalem, in the vicinity of Bethlehem. This place David gave to Barzillai the good old Gileadite.

CHIOS, an island in the Archipelago, next to Lesbos. It is over against Smyrna, and is not above four leagues distant from the Asiatic continent. From Troas, St. Paul went on foot to Assos, where, with St. Luke, and the rest of the com: pany, that were come thither by sea, he embarked, and thence came to Mytelene; then passing by Chios, he arrived at Samos, (Acts xx, 15.) But it does not appear from history, that any church was gathered here for a long period after the age of the apostles. Even in the fourth Christian century, human sacrifices were continued here; but in subsequent ages, we find churches, and their bishops attending the general councils.

In the isle of Chios the Christians now enjoy more freedom, than in any part of the Turkish dominions. A Turk here cannot strike or abuse a Christian, without being exposed to punishment. They carry the cross in procession, and enjoy their religion with all freedom. The island was anciently celebrated for its marble, its figs, and wine. It was celebrated, as the paradise of Greece. The island is 80 miles in circuit, and has about 60 towns and villages. The soil is fertile, well watered, and yields annu

ally 170 tons of wine. They also export large quantities of turpentine or mastic, the best in the world. In this they pay their tribute to the Grand Seignor; they also export olive oil. But little rain falls here, yet every thing is plenty. They manufacture silk, tapestry, satin, damask, &c. Earthquakes are frequent. The wealthy are idle; the men of business are sharpers, and the sciences are neglected. The men have disagreeable countenances; the women are beautiful, and white as the jessamine, which they wear. The population of the island is 50,000 of which the greater part are Greeks, 2000 are Turks, 1000 are Catholics, and a few are Jews. The Latins have 301 churches, and the .Greeks 500. In this island is a village, where the lepers of this and the neighboring islands are sent. In 1801 there were in the hospital, 200 of these wretched people. Several of these had lost one, or both eyes; others, their fingers, toes, or nose. The limbs of the greater part were contracted, their hands and legs were swollen. This disease is externally confined to the legs, arms, and head; yet a cough, a hoarseness, pain in the stomach, and difficulty of digestion is experienced. The island is govern

ed by Christians, subject to the Turks. Wittman.

CHIOS, the capital of the above island, is well built on wide streets. Most of the inhabitants are Christians, and most of the churches are Greek; but the Latins have five. The Capuchines have a large church, and keep a school, where they teach religion and the learned languages. The Jews have synagogues, and the Turks have mosques here. No Christian is allowed to lodge in the castle. The citizens claim Homer as their townsman, and pretend to show strangers the place where he formerly kept school, On a kind of table, hewn out of the rock, it is supposed, that the schoolmaster sat; around are seats for the pupils, cut in the rock. The town contains about 20,000 people. Wittman, Pocoke, &c.

CHITTIM, or KITTIM. Le Clerc and Calmet, in their comments upon Gen. x, 4, have shown, that Chittim is the same with Macedonia, peopled by Kittim, the son of Javan, and grandson of Noah. Basnage, by the word Chittim, understands the Cutherans, inhabitants of the Susiana, near Babylon, and subject to Nebuchadnezzar. Bochart supposes the Romans to be meant by Chittim.

But the author of the first

sors.

book of Maccabees understands it of Macedonia: for chap. i, 1, he calls Alexander king of the Chittims; and chap. viii, 5, he says, that Perseus, king of the Chittims, was overcome by the Romans. Balaam, Numb. xxiv, 24, says, "And ships shall come from the coasts of Chittim, and shall afflict Asher." Le Clerc observes "this place clearly proves that Macedonia is meant by the word Chittim, because the Assyrians were conquered by Alexander and his succesBut another writer of merit adds, I do not see sufficient reason for restraining the word Chittim to Macedonia, which was not particularly a maritime country. Why not include allGreece? At least the islands of the Archipelago,and perhaps up the Bosphorus, whence vessels might sail to Tyre, as they do now to Egypt. The Greek colonies, scattered about the Mediterranean, might also be included, consequently, Sicily, Sardinia, and most of Italy. CHORAZIN, a town of Judea, supposed to have stood on the sea of Galilee, and two miles from Capernaum, but not on the western coast of that sea in Galilee, as some have supposed, but on the east, in the region of Argob. Though Chorazin is reckoned among

the cities, where most of our Savior's miracles had been done, it is never mentioned, but by two of the Evangelists, and not once in the Old Testament. St. Matt. xi, 21, and St. Luke x, 23, mentions it only in a discourse where our Lord upbraids it, for its infidelity. See Bethsaida. His woe pronounced upon them has been awfully executed. Both Jerome and Eusebius declare that the place was deserted in their day. D'Anville.

CHOZEBA, a town of Judah, mentioned in 1 Chron. iv, 22.

CHUB, a word which we meet with in Ezekiel xxx, 5; and which occurs in no other part of scripture. Calmet takes cub, to be the habitation of Cubians, placed by Ptolemy in the Mareotis. Sanson thinks it a region or settlement in Africa, between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Lybia, in Lat 30.

CILICIA, a country in the south-east of Asia Minor, and lying on the northern coast, at the east end of the Mediterranean sea; the capital city of which is Tarsus, the native city of St. Paul, Acts xxi, 39; this ancient kingdom, lying between 36th and 40th degree of north latitude, is bounded on the east by Syria, or rather by mount Amana, which separ

ates it from that kingdom; by Pamphylia on the west, by Isauria, Capadocia, and Armenia Minor on the north, and by the Mediterranean sea on the south. It is 50 miles long, 25 broad, and so surrounded by steep and craggy mountains, chiefly the Taurus and Amanus, that it may be defended by a handful of men, against a numerous army, there being but three narrow passcs leading to it, commonly called Pyle Cilicia, or the gates of Cilicia; or on the side of Capadocia, called the pass of mount Taurus, and the other two called the pass of mount Amanus and the pass of Syria. It was the Cilicians, who invented a kind of hair cloth, which in our bibles is called sackcloth, so much used by the Jews and first Christians in times of penitence, and trouble. Aristotle says they sheared their goats. Bowen's folio Geog, vol. 2.

CINNERETH, or CINEROTH, a city of the tribe of Naphtali, to the south of which lay a great plain, which reached as far as the Dead Sea, along the river Jordan, Joshua xi, 2; xii, 3; and xix, 35. Many believe, with a great deal of probability, that Cinnereth was the same with Tiberias; and as the Lake of Genesareth, which is in

Hebrew called the lake of Cin nereth, is without doubt that of Tiberias, there is some reason to believe, that Cinnereth and Tiberias are likewise the same city: Reland however is of a contrary opinion. See Galilee, Sea of

CLAUDA, an island of the Adriatic sea, which lies southwest from Crete. It is now called Goza. Paul and his companions sailed by it in their voyage to Rome. Acts xxvii, 16. Lat. 33, 51.

CNIDUS, once a city of Cana in the canton of Doris, notorious for the worship of Venus, and now a pile of ruins. It stood on a promontory, now called cape Crio, and had two ports, one on each side. Here was a famous statue of Venus,. made by Praxiteles. Topograpic Dictionary.

CO, a city of Egypt, and capital of the province, called Cyppolitana. Whether this be the same place as the next article is uncertain, 1 Kings x, 28; "and Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt and linen yarn." The words may be rendered, and they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt. and from Mihoc. Pliny says that the country of the Troylodytes, near Egypt, was called Michoc. Others translate the passage, and they brought hors