cording to the Greek, a city, which was assigned by Joshua (xv, 4, 7) to the tribe of Judah, and afterwards given to Dan; but was possessed a long time by the Philistines, and rendered famous for the temple of their god, Dagon. It lies upon the Mediterranean sea, about nine or ten miles north of Gaza. Here Philip, the evangelist, preached the gospel, and a church was continued till the ravages of the Saracens. In the times, when Christianity flourished in these parts, it was made an Episcopal see, and continued a fair village, till the days of St. Jerome. The present state of Ashdod is thus described by Dr. Wittman: "pursuing our route March 14, through a delightful country, we came to Ashdod, by the Greeks called Azotus, a town of great antiquity, provided with two small entrance gates. In passing through the place, we saw several fragments of columns, capitals, and cornices of marble. Towards the centre is a handsome mosque with a minaret. By the Arabs the place is called Mezdel. Two miles to the south on a hill is a ruin, having in its centre a lofty column, standing entire. The delightful verdure of the surrounding plains, with a great abundance of fine, old olive

trees, rendered the scene charmingly picturesque. In the villages, tobacco, fruit, and veg. etables, in great plenty are cultivated by the inhabitants; the fertile and extensive plains yield an ample produce of corn. At this time the wheat was just coming into ear; the harvest here takes place the latter part of April, or beginning of May. Ashdod may be seen from a hill near Joppa. In Sam. v, 2, Uzziah, king of Judah brake down the walls of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod." To build cities about another city would be very remarkable; but to build towers might be useful. Probably what are called cities were watch towers. One of which was standing a few years ago, which Dr. Wittman saw. Herodotus says, "That Psammetichus, king of Egypt, lay with his arms nine and twenty years before Azotus, so that of all the cities, which we know, none ever maintained so long a siege." Judas Maccabæus, (Macc. ix, 18,) was kil led on mount Azotus. This place is memorable for the temple of Dagon into which the ark of God was brought and set by the side of Dagon. Of Ashdod the prophets foretold terrible things; and history has recorded their terrible fulfilment. Jerome says that

Ashdod should drink "the cup of divine fury." Amos says, "The Lord will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod." Zephaniah says, "they shall drive out Ashdod at noon day." Accordingly in Macca. x, 77, we read of the complete destruction of Ashdod or Azotus. Jonathan set fire to Azotus, and the temple of Dagon he burn. ed: those burned and slain were about eight thousand. The temple, the city, and the very suburbs, were destroyed. The dead bodies of the slain were not buried, but piled in heaps by the way side. Some time after, the city was again burned, and two thousand of the people destroyed. 1 Macc. xvi, 10. To recapitulate the calamities of this city, would show the terrible fulfilment of prophecy. King Uzziah took the city and demolished the walls, and built a garrison to command the place; Tartan, the Assyrian general, took it by assault, and left there a garrison; Nebuchadnezzar took and ravaged the city; Alexander the Great, in his all conquering march, took Ashdod; Jonathan, the Jewish Maccabee, took the city, and burned it to ashes.

ASHDOTH, was a city in the tribe of Reuben, called also Ashdoth-Pisgah, because it lay near the mountain, or perhaps

springs of Pisgah. Lat. 31, 30.

ASHER, a city of Canaan. ASHER, this tribe lay in the north-west corner of Canaan, extending on the Mediterranean for 56 miles, bounded north by the mountains of Lebanon, east by the tribe of Naphtali; and south by Zebulon. But this tribe never d▸ve out all the nations of the country, nor obtained possession of all the territory allotted to them. Whether this was a frown of Providence for their sins, or whether it was owing to the cowardice of the people, or whether their actual possessions satisfied their wants, we are not informed. Their soil produced a plenty of the comforts and luxuries of life, and abounded in mines. They, however, tamely submitted to the tyranny of Jabin, king of Canaan; but assisted Gideon in his suit of the Midianites. At the coronation of David they attended with forty thousand warriors. When this tribe came from Egypt their warriors were 41,500; in the wilderness they amounted to 53,400. Jacob had prophesied, to use the translation of Dr. Clarke, "From Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall produce royal dainties." "This refers," says the Doctor, "to the great fertility

pur

of the lot, which fell to Asher, and which appears to have corresponded with the name, which signifies happy or blessed, and whose great prosperity Moses describes in this figurative way, "Let Asher be blessed with children, let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil." Deut. xxxiii, 24. Within the limits, which were granted to this tribe, was the celebrated city of Tyre, called by the Hebrews Zor; hence the surrounding country, it is thought, came to be called Syria. Here was also the city of Achzib, at the present called Tib; also Accho, afterwards called Ptolemais, but now called Acra, or Acre, or St. John de Acre.

ASHNAH, a city in the tribe of Judah. Joshua xv, 33.

ASIA, one of the four grand divisions of the earth, situated between 25, and 148 degrees, east from London, and between the equator and 72 degrees of north latitude, bounded by the Frozen ocean on the north, by. the Pacific ocean on the east, by the Indian ocean on the south, by the Red sea on the south-west, by the Mediterranean and Euxine seas, &c. on the west and north-west; being 4800 miles long, from east to west, and 4300 broad, from north to south.

This quarter of the world is designated by the eastern, middle, and western divisions; the first comprehending the empire of China, Chinese Tartary, and the oriental islands, lying south and eastward of China. The second or

middle division,

comprehending Persia, Arabia, Astracan, and Circassian Tartary, and Turkey in Asia. The word Asia, when put alone, unless otherwise determined by the context, signifieth one of the four quarters of the world. That part of it, which lies between mount Taurus on the east, and the Hellespont on the west, is called the Asia Minor, or Natolia.

The ancient Hebrews were strangers to the division of the earth into three or four parts, and we never find the name Asia, in any book written in the Hebrew. This nation seemed to think that the continent consisted only of AsiaMinor, and Africa. The rest of the world, and even AsiaMajor, were comprized under the name of the isles of the Gentiles, (Gen. x, 5.)

According to Dr. Wells the Lesser Asia or Natolia, contained the provinces of Bythynia, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, Mysia, Troas, all of which are mention

ed in scripture, and may be found in this work, described under their own names; also Lydia, with Ionia, and Æolis, these two last being sometimes included in Lydia; also Caria, which often includes Doris, and Lydia. Of these Lydia and Caria, in their largest signification, with Mysia and Phrygia, including Troas, or Phrygia Minor, made the Roman proconsular Asia, and has been supposed to be the Asia of scripture. But it seems evident from reading St. Paul's travels, that Mysia, Phrygia, and Troas, are considered distinct from Asia. Hence the most learned have concluded, that by Asia in the New Testament is to be understood Lydia, including Ionia and Æolis. In these provinces lay the seven churches of Asia, addressed in the Revelation of St. John. See EPHESUS, &c.

ASKELON, or ASKALON, a city in the land of the Philistines, situated between Azoth and Gaza, upon the coast of the Mediterranean sea, about 40 miles west from Jerusalem. It is said to have been of great note, among the Gentiles for a temple, dedicated to Derceto, the mother of Semeramis, here worshipped in the form of a mermaid; and for another of Apollo, where Herod the father

of Antipater, and grandfather of Herod the Great, served as priest. Of the fish in a pond near the town the people dared not to eat, because they were dedicated to Derceto. The tribe of Judah, after the death of Joshua, (Judges i, 18) took the city of Ashkelon; being one of the five governments be. longing to the Philistines. The place at this day is very inconsiderable. The prophet Jeremiah,foretold that that "Ashkelon should be a desolation," (chap. ii, 4.) (chap. ii, 4.) Accordingly it was taken by the armies of Judah; it was taken and ravaged by the Assyrians; it was destroyed by the Chaldeans, and though afterwards rebuilt, it was again besieged and taken by Alexander, and again by the Maccabees. The wine of Ashkelon, and the cypress tree, a shrub, that was very much esteemed, and very common in this place, are frequently mentioned. This town was the birth place of Herod the Great, and hence he is called, Herod the Ascalonite. A Christian church was formed in the town soon after the ascension of Christ, and in the early times of Christianity, this was the residence of a bishop, and in the course of the holy wars, or crusades, the town was beautified and secured with a new wall,