Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
restore to their own country: which he did by the remarkable edict recorded in the first chapter of
Ezra. (Ezra 1:2-4) He was slain in an expedition against the Massagetae or the Derbices, after a
reign of twenty-nine years. Under his son and successor, Cambyses, the conquest of Egypt took
place, B.C. 525. This prince appears to be the Ahasuerus of (Ezra 4:6) Gomates, Cambyses’
successor, reversed the policy of Cyrus with respect to the Jews, and forbade by an edict the further
building of the temple. (Ezra 4:17-22) He reigned but seven months, and was succeeded by Darius.
Appealed to, in his second year, by the Jews, who wished to resume the construction of their
temple, Darius not only granted them this privilege, but assisted the work by grants from his own
revenues, whereby the Jews were able to complete the temple as early as his sixth year. (Ezra
6:1-15) Darius was succeeded by Xerxes, probably the Ahasuerus of Esther. Artaxerxes, the son
of Xerxes, reigned for forty years after his death and is beyond doubt the king of that name who
stood in such a friendly relation toward Ezra, (Ezra 7:11-28) and Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 2:1-9)
etc. He is the last of the Persian kings who had any special connection with the Jews, and the last
but one mentioned in Scripture. His successors were Xerxes II., Sogdianus Darius Nothus,
Artaxerxes Mnemon, Artaxerxes Ochus, and Darius Codomannus, who is probably the “Darius
the Persian” of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 12:22) These monarchs reigned from B.C. 424 to B.C. 330.
The collapse of the empire under the attack of Alexander the Great took place B.C. 330.
Persis
(a Persian woman), a Christian woman at Rome, (Romans 16:12) whom St. Paul salutes. (A.D.
55.)
Peruda
The same as Perida. (Ezra 2:55)
Pestilence
[Plague, The, THE]
Peter
(a rock or stone). The original name of this disciple was Simon, i.e. “hearer.” He was the son
of a man named Jonas, (Matthew 16:17; John 1:42; 21:16) and was brought up in his father’s
occupation, that of a fisherman. He and his brother Andrew were partners of John end James, the
sons of Zebedee, who had hired servants. Peter did not live, as a mere laboring man, in a hut by
the seaside, but first at Bethsaida, and afterward in a house at Capernaum belonging to himself or
his mother-in-law, which must have been rather a large one, since he received in it not only our
Lord and his fellow disciples, but multitudes who were attracted by the miracles and preaching of
Jesus. Peter was probably between thirty and forty pears of age at the date of his call. That call was
preceded by a special preparation. Peter and his brother Andrew, together with their partners James
and John, the sons,of Zebedee, were disciples of John the Baptist when he was first called by our
Lord. The particulars of this are related with graphic minuteness by St. John. It was upon this
occasion that Jesus gave Peter the name Cephas, a Syriac word answering to the Greek Peter, and
signifying a stone or rock. (John 1:35-42) This first call led to no immediate change in Peter’s
external position. He and his fellow disciples looked henceforth upon our Lord as their teacher, but
were not commanded to follow him as regular disciples. They returned to Capernaum, where they
pursued their usual business, waiting for a further intimation of his will. The second call is recorded
by the other three evangelists; the narrative of Luke being apparently supplementary to the brief
and, so to speak official accounts given by Matthew and Mark. It took place on the Sea of Galilee
near Capernaum, where the four disciples Peter and Andrew, James and John were fishing. Some
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William Smith