Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 7.djvu/222

 HEBRON

184

HEBRON

M'CAni, (London, 1871); Moulton (London, 187S); Meyer- VVei.ss (6th cd., Gottingen, 1897); Westcott (3rd edition, London, 1906). For further bibliography see Meyer-Weiss, 35-37.

Leopold Fonck.

Hebron (J nsn, x^^P'^") . an ancient royal city of Cha- naan, famous in biblical history, especially at the time of the patriarchs and under Da"\-id. During the Middle Ages it was an episcopal see — at present it is only a titular one — and was situated in Palestina Prima, -nith Ccesarea as metropolitan. Hence the division of this article into two parts: (I) BibUcal Epoch, (II) Chris- tian Epoch.

I. Biblical Epoch. — Hebron is one of the earliest towns mentioned in history. According to the Bible (Num., xiii, 23) it was founded seven years before Zoan or Tanis, the most ancient town in Lower Egypt, which means that it existed from the first half of the third millennium B.C. Joscphus (Bel. Jud., IV, ix, 7) says that in his time the town was alread\' 2.300 years old. It was origi- nally called Kiriat Arba, or Kiriat-ha- Arba (D. V., Cari- ath-Arbe, Gen., xxiii, 2; xxxv, 27; Jos.,xiv, 15, XV, 13. 54, XX, 7, xxi, 1 1 ; Judges, i, 10; II Esd., xi, 25) from the name of Arba, "the greatest among the Ena- cims"(Jos.,xiv,15:. The Vvilgate, tak- ing the common name ha-adam in this last expres- sion, i.e. the man. for the proper name Arfam, trans- lates as follows: "Adam the great- est among the Ena- cira was laid there"; whence it should not be inferred, as was the case with some ancient authors, that Hebron contains the tomb of the first man. The explanation of the name Kiriat- Arba by the Bible shows all others to be merely fanci- ful. Such, for instance, is that of St. Jerome (E)e locis et nominibus locorum Hebraicorum,s.v. Arbac, P. L., XXIII, 862; Ep. xlvi, P. L., XXII, 491; Ep. cviii, P. L., XXII, 886; Quspst. in Gen., P.L., XXIII, 978) and of some Jewish commentators who take the word Arba to mean "four", and Kiriat-Arba to be the "town of the four", i.e. the four patriarchs buried in the cave of Machpelah: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom must be added, according to various opin- ions, either Adam, Caleb, Esau, or Joseph. Accord- ing to de Saulcy (Voyage en Terre Sainte, I. 152) the name means "the town of the four quarters"; while it suits the modern town, this is not at all true of the ancient one. The Bible, however, insists over and over acain on the true origin of the name: "Cariath-Arbe the father of Enac, which is Hebron" (Jos., XV. 13; xxi. 11). The name Hebron is also very ancient. It appears under the form Cheburo on Egyptian monuments of the second millennium B.C. (Briigsch, "Geog. Inschriften altagvpt. Denkmaler", 11,76).

The earliest mention of Hel>ron in the Scriptures occurs (Gen., xiii, IS) on the occasion of Abraham's coming to the vale of Mambre; and this last name is often given to Hebron (Gen., xxiii, 10. xxxv. 27V On the death of Sara, his wife, the patriarch bought from Ephron the Hethite the cave of Machpelah to serve

as a burjang place for his family (Gen., xxiii); Abra- ham himself was buried there (Gen., xxv,9), as were also Isaac (Gen., xxxv, 27-29) and Jacob (Gen., 1, 13). Hebron thus became the second homeland of Abraham, and the centre of attraction during the wanderings of the patriarchs. Isaac and Jacob dwelt at Mambre, and it was from the "vale of Hebron" that Joseph was sent towards Sichem and Dothain to inquire after his brethren (Gen., xxxvii, 14, 17). The Hebrew sjues sent by Moses into Chanaan went as far as Hebron, and it was from the adjacent valley of Escol that they brought back a vine-branch with its cluster of grapes, and some pomegranates and figs (Num., xiii, 23-25). When the Israelites invaded Chanaan, Cham, King of Hebron, allied himself against them -WTth four other Chanaanite princes to besiege Gabaon. After Josue had defeated them, and put them to death, he went on to attack Hebron, which he took, putting all its in- habitants to death (Jos., x, 3, 23-26, 36^37; xi, 21 ; xii, 10). On the division of the Promised Land,

Hebron fell to the tribe of Juda and was given to Ca- leb (Jos., xiv, 13, 14, XV, 13, 54; Judges, i, 20). It soon afterwards became a city of refuge, falling to the lot of the chil- dren of Aaron (Jos., XX, 7, xxi, 11, 13: I Par., vi, .55, 57). After the death of Saul on Mount Gelboe, David went to Hebron with his men, and occupied ill the surround- ing villages (II Kings, ii, 1, 3). He was there anointed King of Juda; made Heb- ron his capital, and reigned there seven years and a half (II Kings, ii, 11, iii, 2, 5, v, 5.; Ill Kings, ii, 11; I Par., iii, 1, 4; and xxix, 27). Abner, the leader of Saul's army, came to Hebron to see David, was well re- ceived by him, but was afterwards killed by Joab. The king wept over Abner, gave him burial, and com- posed a lament over him (II Kings, iii, 19 — iv, 1). It was also to Hebron that Baana and Rechab, chiefs of the bands of Lsboseth, brought the head of that son of Saul whom they had traitorously slain. David or- dered the murderers to be put to death ; their hands and feet were cut off, and hanged up over the pool in Hebron (II Kings, iv, 2-12). Then all the tribes of Israel came and made submission to David (II Kings, V, 1-3; I Par., xi, 1-3). When Absalom revolted against his father, who had then become King of Jerusalem, it was Hebron he made his head(]uarters (II Kings, XV, 7-11). The town was fortified by Roboam (II Par., xi, 10). Cariath-Arbe is also men- tioned among the towns occupied by the children of Juda after the capti\-ity (II Esd., xi, 25). Under Syrian domination, it pa.ssed into the hands of the Idunieans; Judas Machabeus, who drove them out, razed the fortifications of Chebron (I Mach., v, 65). II. (^nnisTi.\N Epoch. — Some writers, following Baronius, Papebroch, Cornelius a Lapide, and Matth. Polus.have identified Hebron as the cityof Juda where the Visitation took place, and where St. John the Baptist was born. They hold that Hebron was the most important of the towns of Juda, since Jerusalem belonged to Benjamin; and that, moreover, Hebron

w OF Hebron