for this city is the village of Et-Taiyibeh situated about four miles (6.4 kilometers) E-NE of Bethel and to the SE of the suggested location of Baal-hazor. (2 Sam. 13:23) According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Roman general Vespasian conquered Ephraim during his march against Jerusalem.—Wars of the Jews, Book IV, chap. IX, par. 9.

4. The “forest of Ephraim” was an area on the E side of the Jordan where King David’s army fought with that of his rebellious son Absalom. (2 Sam. 18:6-8) The actual site of the forest of Ephraim in the land of Gilead is unknown, but it was probably in the vicinity of Mahanaim.—2 Sam. 17:22, 24, 26.

EPHRAIM, GATE OF

See GATE, GATEWAY,

EPHRAIMITES

See EPHRAIM No. 2.

EPHRAIN

(Eʹphra·in).

A city taken by King Abijah of Judah in his battle against Jeroboam of Israel. (2 Chron. 13:19) It was evidently in the territory of the tribe of Ephraim and appears to be the same as the city of Ephraim mentioned at 2 Samuel 13:23 and also at John 11:54.—See EPHRAIM No. 3.

EPHRATH

See EPHRATHAH.

EPHRATHAH

(Ephʹra·thah) (Ephʹrath is a contraction) [fruitfulness or fertility].

1. The wife of Caleb (Chelubai) son of Hezron of the tribe of Judah. She married Caleb during the Egyptian captivity after the death of his wife Azubah. Ephrathah became the mother of Hur and in time the great-grandmother of Bezalel, the skilled craftsman so famous in the building of the tabernacle.—1 Chron. 2:9, 19, 50; 4:4; Ex. 35:30-35.

2. Evidently the earlier name of Bethlehem or a name applied to the area around it. The names of Bethlehem (house of bread) and Ephrathah (fruitfulness) are similar in meaning, and both are used jointly in several texts. The account of Rachel’s death relates that she was buried “on the way to Ephrath [Ephrathah], that is to say, Bethlehem.” (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7) Members of Elimelech’s family are called “Ephrathites from Bethlehem,” and it was to Bethlehem that his widow Naomi returned out of Moab. (Ruth 1:2, 19) The blessing pronounced on Boaz, following his marriage to Ruth, was that he might prove his “worth in Ephrathah and make a notable name in Bethlehem.” (Ruth 4:11) And finally, in the prophecy concerning the Messiah’s birth, the names are combined as “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” (Mic. 5:2) In view of this it appears that the reference to Ephrathah in Psalm 132:6, which treats of David’s concern for the ark of the covenant, also applies to this hometown of David.—See BETHLEHEM.

EPHRATHITE

(Ephʹrath·ite).

1. An inhabitant of Bethlehem or Ephrathah.—Ruth 1:2; 1 Sam. 17:12.

2. In Hebrew the same term is applied as referring to a member of the tribe of Ephraim (Judg. 12:5; 1 Ki. 11:26) or to one residing in Ephraim, as in the genealogy of the Levite Elkanah, (1 Sam. 1:1) The Authorized Version renders the Hebrew term as “Ephrathite” in two of these texts.

EPHRON

(Eʹphron) [fawn, fawnlike, strong].

1. A Hittite son of Zohar who owned a field in Machpelah in front of Mamre, that is, in Hebron. In 1881 B.C.E. Abraham purchased this field from Ephron, together with the cave located on it, as a burial place for his wife Sarah. (Gen. 23:3-20) Abraham paid 400 silver shekels ($190) for this family burial plot, yet generations thereafter it was still referred to as “the field of Ephron.”—Gen. 25:9; 49:29, 30; 50:13.

2. A mountain ridge situated between Nephtoah and Kiriath-jearim. (Josh. 15:9) It lay on the northern boundary of the tribe of Judah. Its suggested location is about six miles (9.7 kilometers) NW of Jerusalem.

3. “Ephron” appears at 2 Chronicles 13:19 in the Masoretic text as well as in the Septuagint and some other versions; however, the marginal reading of the Masoretic text gives “Ephrain.”—See EPHRAIN.

EPICUREANS

(Ep·i·cu·reʹans).

The followers of the Greek philosopher Epicurus (341 [or, 342]-270 B.C.E.).

The philosophy originated by Epicurus flourished for seven centuries. It centered around the idea that the pleasure of the individual was the sole or chief good in life. Hence, Epicurus advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure during one’s lifetime, yet doing so moderately in order to avoid the suffering incurred by overindulgence in such pleasure. But the emphasis was placed on pleasures of the mind rather than on physical pleasures. Therefore, according to Epicurus, with whom a person eats is of greater importance than what is eaten. Unnecessary and, especially, artificially produced desires were to be suppressed. Since learning, culture and civilization as well as social and political involvements could give rise to desires that are difficult to satisfy and thus result in disturbing one’s peace of mind, they were discouraged. Knowledge was sought only to rid oneself of religious fears and superstitions, the two primary fears to be eliminated being fear of the gods and of death. Viewing marriage and what attends it as a threat to one’s peace of mind, Epicurus lived a celibate life but did not impose this restriction on his followers.

The philosophy was characterized by a complete absence of principle. Lawbreaking was counseled against simply because of the shame associated with detection and the punishment it might bring. Living in fear of being found out and/or punished would take away from pleasure, and this made even secret wrongdoing inadvisable. To the Epicureans, virtue in itself had no value and was only beneficial when it served as a means to gain happiness. Reciprocity was recommended, not because it was right and noble, but because it paid off. Friendships rested on the same selfish basis, that is, the pleasure resulting to the possessor. While the pursuit of pleasure formed the focal point of the philosophy, paradoxically Epicurus referred to life as a “bitter gift.”

The Epicureans believed in the existence of gods, but that they, just like everything else, were made of atoms, though of finer texture. It was thought that the gods were too far away from the earth to have any interest in what man was doing, so it did not do any good to pray or to sacrifice to them. The gods, they believed, did not create the universe, nor did they inflict punishment or bestow blessings on anyone, but they were supremely happy, and this was the goal to strive for during one’s life. However, the Epicureans contended that the gods were in no position to aid anyone in this, that life came into existence by accident in a mechanical universe, and that death ends everything, liberating the individual from the nightmare of life. Although it was believed that man has a soul, the soul was thought to be composed of atoms that dissolved at the death of the body, just as water spills out of a pitcher that breaks.

In the light of the foregoing it can well be appreciated why Epicurean philosophers were among those who took to conversing controversially with Paul in the marketplace at Athens and who said: “What is it this chatterer would like to tell? . . . He seems to be a publisher of foreign deities.” (Acts 17:17, 18) So the philosophy of the Epicureans, with its idea of “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die,” denied the resurrection hope taught by Christians in their ministry. (1 Cor. 15:32) Though Epicureanism no longer exists as a cult, many of its tenets are reflected in the religious thought and philosophies of men to this day. Evidence of it is seen in the thinking of the deist, who believes that God exists but that He has remained indifferent toward his creation. Also, materialism and the never-ending quest for pleasure are imbued with the very spirit of Epicureanism. Moreover, the notion that “God is dead” and thus far removed from mankind and in no position to assist them mirrors the teaching of Epicurus.

EPILEPSY

A chronic disease of the central nervous system manifested in convulsions or in impairment or loss of consciousness, and perhaps both. This disorder is linked with abnormal electrical activities of the brain. A severely convulsive epileptic fit accompanied by unconsciousness is called grand mal, whereas the mild form, attacks of which are of very brief duration, is termed petit mal, these being two principal types of epilepsy. An epileptic is a person afflicted with epilepsy.

On the day following the transfiguration, Jesus Christ healed an epileptic that his disciples had been unable to cure. (Matt. 17:14-20) This boy had a “speechless and deaf spirit” that, among other things, periodically from childhood threw the victim into convulsions accompanied by foaming at the mouth. Jesus rebuked the demon, it came out, and the boy was thus healed.—Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43.

Though demon activity was associated with epileptic symptoms in this particular case, epilepsy normally has natural causes and the Scriptures do not infer that it is generally caused by demon possession. Rather, Matthew (4:24) reports that people brought Jesus ailing ones including “demon-possessed and epileptic” persons, drawing a distinction between these two types of individuals cured by Christ.

The English term “epilepsy” is derived from the Greek word e·pi·le·psiʹa, meaning “a seizure.” However, e·pi·le·psiʹa is not used in the Bible. Rather, for this disorder Matthew (4:24; 17:15) employed forms of the Greek word se·le·ni·aʹzo·mai, meaning, literally, “to be moonstruck.” Whereas AV uses “lunatick,” certain modern translations employ “epileptic(s)” at Matthew 4:24; 17:15.—AS; NW; RS.

Interestingly, The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Vol. III, p. 1941) states: “The original meaning of the term selēniazomai, ‘moon-struck,’ is connected with the popular belief, widespread and of strange persistency, that the moon, in certain of its phases, is injurious to human beings, esp[ecially] in the case of diseases of a periodic or remittent character. There are no data by which to determine whether, in the N[ew] T[estament] times, this particular word represented a living and active belief or had passed into the state of usage in which the original metaphor disappears, and the word simply indicates the fact signified without reference to the idea embodied in the etymology. We still use the word ‘lunatic’ to signify a person mentally diseased, although we have long since ceased to believe in the moon’s influence in such cases.”

Hence, Matthew’s use of forms of se·le·ni·aʹzo·mai does not mean that he held any superstitious views associating such a disease with certain phases of the moon. Evidently, he was merely employing the Greek term that was then commonly used to denote an epileptic. Also, the symptoms Matthew, Mark and Luke describe as present in the boy’s case are certainly those associated with epilepsy.

EPSILON

[Ε, ε] (epʹsi·lon).

The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the koi·neʹ Greek there were two sounds for the vowel “e”; and eʹpsi·lon had the short sound of “e,” as in the English “met.”—See ETA.

Eʹpsi·lon, as to its numerical value, represents five when it has the acute accent (εʹ), and 5,000 when it has the subscript (====ε).—See ALPHABET.

ER

[watching].

1. Judah’s firstborn son by his Canaanite wife. His father took Tamar as a wife for him, but, because Er proved to be wicked in the eyes of God, Jehovah put him to death before he was able to father any offspring.—Gen. 38:1-7; 46:12.

2. A son of Shelah the third son of Judah by his Canaanite wife.—Gen. 38:2-5; 1 Chron. 4:21.

3. An ancestor of Jesus Christ; the son of Jesus [Jose(s)] and the father of Elmadam.—Luke 3:28.

ERAN

(Eʹran) [watchful], Eranites (Eʹran·ites).

Eran was the son of Ephraim’s son Shuthelah and the forefather of the Eranites.—Num. 26:35, 36.

ERASTUS

(E·rasʹtus) [beloved].

1. A Christian who ministered to Paul on his third missionary tour and whom Paul sent from Asia to Macedonia along with Timothy. (Acts 19:22) Likely he is the Erastus who remained in Corinth at the time Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy.—2 Tim. 4:20.

2. The city steward of Corinth whose greetings Paul includes in his letter to the Romans. (Rom. 16:23) During excavations in Corinth in 1929 Professor T. L. Shear discovered a pavement with the Latin inscription: “ERASTVS. PHO. AED. S. P. STRAVIT” (“Erastus, procurator and aedile, laid this pavement at his own expense”). Although it is not known whether this is the Erastus mentioned by Paul, interestingly, the pavement is believed to have existed in the first century C.E. It has been suggested that the city steward was also Paul’s traveling companion (see No. 1, above). However, since it would have been difficult for Erastus to accompany Paul and at the same time care for his duties as city steward, those who favor this identification generally conclude that Erastus held this official position at an earlier time and therefore Paul refers to him by this title.

[Picture on page 528]

Inscription bearing the name Erastus, from Corinth

ERECH

(Eʹrech).

One of the four cities constituting the “beginning of [Nimrod’s] kingdom” in the land of Shinar. (Gen. 10:10) Erech is today represented by a cluster of mounds at the site called Warka by the Arabs and known as Uruk to the ancient Akkadians of Mesopotamia. It is situated about a hundred and ten miles (177 kilometers) SE of Babylon on the W bank of the old bed of the Euphrates (the Shattek-Kar), or some four miles (6.4 kilometers) E of the present course of that river. An ancient ziggurat has been uncovered here, along with many mounds and coffins that seem to indicate that Erech was once a burial ground of the Assyrian kings.

Inhabitants of Erech (“Archevites,” AV) were among those peoples transported to Samaria by Assyrian Emperor Asenappar.—Ezra 4:9, 10.

ERI

(Eʹri) [watchful, vigilant], Erites (Eʹrites).

The fifth-named son of Gad, Eri, was the forefather of the Erites.—Gen. 46:16; Num. 26:16.

ESAR-HADDON

(Eʹsar-hadʹdon) [Asshur has given brother(s)].

A younger son and successor of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. In one of his inscriptions Esar-haddon confirms the Scriptural account of his father’s death (Isa. 37:37, 38), saying: “A firm determination fell upon my brothers. They forsook the gods and turned to their deeds of violence, plotting evil. . . . To gain the kingship they slew Sennacherib their father.”