cheenc03a.pdf

possible indeed that 8tdC only exists through textual corrup.
. a'xd*d,'a and d"i$d,'* have bee" ruggcrted (4.
Schultenr Lax. in LXX 1.8101 1x46). but nelthcr word exlnr.
1t remai.:d to suggest thzt 84. may be a Graciled Hebrew
word ; D$w$ might become first 8or(.a nnd then,
for euphony, & d+d~e T. K. C.
SELED (12~ ; ahc. cahab, [B], c. [A]. -€A [LI),
b. Nadab b. Shammai, a Jerahmeelite; r Ch. 23s.
SELEMIAS (i.e., Shelemiah). I. ( cfhe~~ac [BA])
Ed.Yj+=Ezra 1O3g SBELEMIAX, 6.
=. (sdrrnizm) a rcrtbe; I Ed. 1414, RV Selemia
SELEUCIA (cahayu~a, Actsl84. TLWH ; I Macc.
118). One of the four chief cities of northern Syria
(the others being Antioch on the Orontrs. Apameia,
and Laodiceia) which together were spoken of an the
tetrapolis of Se1eucis (Stabo. 749). They were the
foundation of Seleucus Nicator (died 280 B.c.).
Seleucia lay on the southern skirts of Mt. Coryphzos
(the Pieria of Strabo, ,5r)-a spur of Mt. Amanus'-
separated from it by a ravine (see description in Pol.
5 ~ ~ ) The . town extended to the sea, and was surrounded
by cliffs, except towards the W.. where the
site WPS more open : here lay the mercantile buildings
(6propeia). The upper torn could be reached only.
from the seaward ride, by an artificial ascent cut in
the rock like a stair (xh~pnon)~). Seleucia wan the
port of Antioch, which war distant 16 m. by land ;
the distance by the Oronter, which fell into the sea
about 5 m. to the southward of Seleucia. was still greater
(Strabo. 751). Being strongly fortified (Strabo, 7jr.
8pura &bXqav nal ~p~inov piar) Seleucia was the key
of Syria (cp Pol. 55s). In 1 Macc. 118 there ir a
reference to the capture of ' Seleucia which is by the
sea' bv Ptolemy Philon~etor VI. (146 8.c.). Itr
. .
HN 5;s).
Paul, with Barnabas, sailed from Seleucia on his
first missionary enterprise (Actrl34), and to Seleucia in
all probability he returned (Acts. 1426; for the expression
'sailed to Antioch' need not imply a voyage up the
river : ep the expression ' sailed away from Philippi '
in Actr206). Probably alro Pauh pssage through
Seleucia is implied in such places nr Actsl5j9, and
1590 (with which contrast the land journey summavised
in 15,). In this conllection it ia interesting to note
that two piers of the old harbour bear the names of
Paul and Barnabas, with whose work they are probably
coeval. W. J. W.
SELEUCIDE
ALPHABETICAL~ST OF KINGS
Antiochur IX.
(0 ~9).
Antiochus X. (B
31).
Antiochus XIII.
0 13):
Demelrlur 1. (5
'Seleucida,' is the general name applied to the kings
of Svrin. , . who were so called from Seleucus 1.. the
Origin, f0""der "or the monarchy. This empire ir
alluded to as 'the kingdom of the Greeks'
in I Macc. 110818. and in the ohrare &the diadem of
Asia' in I Mace. 111% The ~irian kings claimed to
rule over the Asiatic portion of Alexander's empire.
and to interfere in the affairs of ever" countrv from the
Hellespont to India; but the teGtorial 1;mits were
gradually reduced, the border-lands of India being first
I Hence the town war called EcArdxc~o ncepim, or E~Anirecm
iu nlcpq, to distingu=h it from other towns of the same name
?str=ho, 749).
SELEUCIDA
lost, and then Aria Minor and Egypt effecting their
withdrawal from Seleucid sway. Egypt under the
Ptolemvic dynasty kame in fact a standing rival, disputing
with the Seleucidie the possession of Palestine.
The hold of the Seleucidu: upon Asia Minor war precarious,
owing to the peculiar characteristics of the
Greek cities there, and the rise of new powers (r.g,
Pergarnos and the Attalid dynasty). Here nothing can
be attempted more than a few general remarks upon
salient features of the monarchy. Syria was its intellectual
centre ; for Seleucu. abandoned his capital at
Babylon (which was in truth suitable only for the
undivided world-wide empire dreamed of by Alexander).
and transferred his permanent abode to Antioch on the
Oronfes (see ANTLOCH, 2). This wansferenee also calls
attention to theconrtantstrivina, asconstantly thwarted.
. . .
and partly alro upon keeping open the old trade router
leading into inner Asia The latter condition was
found to be more easily realired than the former, for
the rise of Egypt and of Rhoder, with other powers.
prevented the realisation of the designs of the Syrian
dynasty. Ar regards its internal characteristics, the
Seleucid empire is well described by Holm (Ck. Hisf.
ET~I~Z) as an artificial creation-in its essence an
attempt to found in the E. a state based on Greek
views. (That Seleucus tried to promote the Helleniring
of Asia in therpirit of Alexaider appears from thc many
citier (about 75) which he founded' : and the progress
of Greek life is seen from the fact that eventitally Syria
proper breaks up into a number of city communities
almost entirely. It is precisely through their continuation
of Alexandeis work on this line, of controlling
Asia by a policy based upou a preference given to the
Graeco-Macedonia" civilirarion. that the Seleucidz
come info violent contact with the pemdiar inrtit!~tionr
of the Jews. It was espinlly in Seleucia on the Tigris
that the Greek life of Meroootamia and Babvloeia
centred, to such an extent that this city completely
overshadows the other Greek communities in these
regions.
Seleucus I.. Nicator (312-280 B.c.), one of the best
of Alexander's generals, was made chiliarch by Perdiccas
2. Seleucus I "PO" Alexander's dealh. Perdiccas
~nvaded Egypt, and being checked
S12 -280 B,C. upon the Nile by Ptolenly was murdered
by his own officers, among them being Seleucur.
Subsequently Babylon was assigned to Seleucus ; but he
was soon compelled to flee for his life from his satrapy,
to avoid Antigonur, and twk refuge with Ptolemy (316
B.c.. cp App. Syr. 53). In the war with Antigonus
that followed, seleucus bore a distinguished pan, at
first as commander of Ptolemy'r fleet, and afterwards
in the ~perati~~~ in Syria which culminated in the
battle of Gaze (312 B.c.), in which Demetrinr, the son
of Antigonus, war completely defeated. Seleucus in
consequence with a small force recovered his ratrapy,
and the era of the Seleucids dated from the capture of
Babylon (1st Oct. 312 B.C.).
The career of Seleusur is reryobicmre during the ten years
which followed: his name is nor even mentioned m the eace
concluded in ;.. B.". between Ptolemy Carsander ="d eysim~chur
on the one ride, and Anrigonus on the other; but the
record of ihnt peace may be incomplete. It seems cI~?~, at any
rate that SFI~U~U~ war lefr to extend h~r conquests inthe E.
undbturbed, and that in a rericr of ruccerrful -mpalgnr he
recovered all the eartern provincer of Alcxandcr'r empire between
the Euphrates the Oxui and the Indus. He wz obliged,
however, to &"ieScr io ;he cesion of the t~milorier beyold
the lndur lo king Tchnndmwptn (Snndracottur, Strabo, izd 1"
rmturn for fire hvndred wrr-elephmtr.
In 306 s.c. Seleucus followed the example of Antigonus
and Uemetriur in adopting the title of 'king' :
and from that date his coins are $0 inscribed, whilst
Alexander's types are gradually abandoned in favour of
new devices, such as his own hend with bu1Ys horn-
4348