Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/279

AGUIRRE. the expedition was derived from members of the party. Consult also Bandelier, The Gilded Man (New York, 1893).

AGUJA, u-iiixr'na (Ciiliaii. probably corruplod from Portu;j. uflnlha. nriulhno. spear-fish). A large, voracious garfish {Ti/htisiirus foflialnr) of the coasl of western Me.^ieo, held in preat dread by fishenm-ii. The iian«> (also sjielled a-eivjon) is extended to various related species of the West Indies and iiei<;hboiing coasts. Sec KEEnt.EFlSH.

AGULHAS, ii-s^T^yas (rVirJtijr. needles >, C^fE, Tlio most southern ]>oin1 of Africa, alvml 100 miles psstsoutheast of llie Ca^»e of Oood Hcipc, in lat. 34° 51' S.. loufr. lfl° -VV K.. with a lijrhthonse <>iyvtod in IS+lt at an elevation of "li f^'t (Map: Cajx' fVilony. F 1M, The Asntlhas Bank extends along the whole southern coast of Africa. It is:!W»0 miles in lenirth. and opposite the O^qie of <TOod Hope as ninch as 2Wl in breadth.

AGUSTIN, a'gftos-ten'. Spe Imuai)E, A(il STIX KC.

AGUSTINA, H'swis-t^'na (?-lfl.~). The "Maid i)f Sarapiss;)." A iira»dirrr in the Span- ish arniy. She distinsrtiished herself during the siege of Sarajrossa, 180S-09, by heroic parti to S53 B-C-, tlw son and succes- sor of Omri (I, Kings xri: 2J>^xxii: ■^^^). The story of his rciga is told at greater length than that of any other monarch. Intt the narrative, in the opinion of many Bible critics, is deriv<>d from two different scnuecs, which dill'er as to the point of view frimi which the events in .Xhab's reign are viewed. The one ix-presents the attitude of tile Yalnveh purists, the other a i>atriotic ad- miration of Ahab's Itravery and vigorous policy, by means of which Ahab succ«'ded in checking the adanee . This Syrian State, which could easily combine witJi the enemies of the Hebrews — Moab and Kdom more ]iar1icularly — was the great danger that thrcateiie<i tin' ver_' existence of the Israelitish kingdom. Ahab not only held Menhadad at bay, but ictaincd contnd over Moab, to which the inscription of King Mesha of Moab (see Mo.MtlTE Stoxk) Wars witTOSs. Xo less than tliree campaigns were waged against STia. In llu' first two, Ahab was snccessful; and in the interval between the second and third, Renhadad and .hab joinwl forces to withstand an att^ick of the .Assyrian king, Shalmanesn^r 11. Tlic lat- U-r in his inscription mentions Ahab, and plac<'s the size of the force furnished by him a1 1200 chariflts, liOO hois*>men, and i;0,000 soldiers. The Assyrian kings were fond of exaggerating, after a victory, the strengtli of their oppcmcnts, and the figures mentioned are jirohably too liigh. Shalmaneser met the combination of PaV-stinian and Syrian forces at Karkar, near the river Orontes. and claims to have gained a great vic- tory. If this be so. the eonseqtiences do not appear to have been of any moment, for shortly aftiTwaril Assyrian armies are again obliged to undertake' an expedition to the west. .Shortly after the battle of Karkar, Ahab's relations with Henhadad are. again hostile, and he combines with .Tehoshaphat, Kingof .Indah, in a mov<-mcnt to cru>ii Aram. The Hebrews, however, are de- feated, and .hali himself is slain. Ahab. while a follower of Yahwi'h, did not hesitate, in ac- cordance with the tenib-ncy showii by vigorous rulers, to seek the helo of other powers. His marriage to .le-zebel, daughter of Ethbaal. the King of Tyre (sc^e .1ose]]hus, Antiq., viii. KM), led to the introdtiction of the worship of Mel- kart, the Raal of Tvre, as part of the official cttlt- That .hal) did not regard such an act as hostik- to "ahwch is shown by the fact that his chiMren liear namet. in which Yahweb appears as an element (.Ichoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah), but in the eyes of a 7x-alous Yahwist, like the prophet Elijah, such conduct was reprchensiltle, and a conllil. It must Ix' admitted, however, that his ptdiey was a purely sivular one. and that he was guided by political and not religious considera- tions ill his various acts. So. the severest charge brmight against him. his a^juiescence in the judicial murder of aboth, which was brought about by Jezebel, apjiears in a less opprobrious liglit if we ixK-all that the questicm of royal au- thority was at stake, and that Ahab could not alTord to risk his position among his people as their lord and master by yiidding (o any opposi- tioti. however justified, against a rinal request. (See Jk/ebeu) The story that the blixid of Ahab's ixidy was licked up by dogs is an illustra- tion of the uncompromising attitude towanl him by the prophetical writers.

AHANTA, a-hiin'ta. A i>ortioii of the Tiiitish colon,'*- of G<ild Coast in West .friea, fomierly belonging to the Dutch, who founded the settle- ment <if .xii]i.

AHASUERUS,;ih.=j:'fi-e'n1s. The name by which two kings of Media and Persia arc mentioned in the ]?ibh'. One and the best known is the monarch in Esther's days (sec Esther), who is the same as the Persian king Khshayarsha, corresponding as is now generally recognized to Xerxes (48.V'iKi5 B.C.); the identity of the other, referred to as the father of Darius the Mede in the IJook of Daniel (chapter ix: 1 ). can- not he determined. The Hebrew form of the nami' is Acba-iverosJi, See Xekxes.

AHASUERUS. ( 1 ) The name of the H'niirfcrhici .Ictr I q.v.), according tn one legend. (2) The title of a drama by Edgar (>)uinet (published 1SS31 based on thip same story.

A'HAZ (neb., he has taken hold). Son of Jolhani, and eb'veuth king of .Indah. who ruled from 731; to T'JS, though, acciu'iling to some scholars, his reign lasted till Tl.'i n.c. His rule was marked by disturbances, conlliets with surronnding nations, and innovations in religious rites. Early in his reign Pekah, King of Israel, and Reziii. King of Syria, undertook to conquer the kingdom of .ludah, and besieged .lerusalem, but did not take the city ( Isaiali vii: 1). though they carried away many ea]>tives (II. (Mironicles xxviii: 5) . Incursions were made by the Edomites