Editing Abilene (ancient)

'''Abilene''' ({{langx|grc|Ἀβιληνή}}) or simply '''Abila''' ({{langx|grc|Ἄβιλα}}) was a plain, a district in [[Coele-Syria]], of which the chief town was [[Abila Lysaniou]] (Ἄβιλα Λυσανίου). The limits of this region are nowhere exactly defined, but it seems to have included the eastern slopes of the [[Anti-Lebanon]] range, and to have extended south and southeast of [[Damascus]] as far as the borders of [[Galilee|Galilaea]], [[Batanaea]], and [[Trachonitis]].<ref name=EBD/><ref name=DGRG/> According to [[Flavius Josephus]], Abilene was a separate [[Iturea]]n kingdom until 37 AD.

==History==
Abilene, when first mentioned in history, was governed by a certain [[Ptolemy (son of Mennaeus)|Ptolemaeus]], son of [[Mennaeus]], who was succeeded, about 40 BC, by a son named [[Lysanias]]. Lysanias was put to death in 33 BC, at the instigation of [[Cleopatra]], and the principality passed, by a sort of purchase apparently, into the hands of one [[Zenodorus (son of Lysanias)|Zenodorus]], from whom it was transferred (31 BC) to [[Herod the Great]]. At the death of the latter (4 BC) one portion of it was annexed to the tetrarchy of his son [[Philip the Tetrarch|Philip]], and the remainder bestowed upon that [[Lysanias]] who is named by [[Luke the Evangelist|Luke]] ([[Luke 3]]).<ref name=DGRG/>

Immediately after the death of [[Tiberius]] (37 AD), [[Caligula]] made over to [[Herod Agrippa]], at that time a prisoner in [[Rome]], the tetrarchy of Philip and the tetrarchy of Lysanias, while [[Claudius]], upon his accession (41), not only confirmed the liberality of his predecessor towards Herod Agrippa, but added all that portion of [[Judea|Judaea]] and [[Samaria]] which had belonged to the kingdom of his grandfather Herod the Great, together (says Josephus) with Abila, which had appertained to Lysanias, and the adjoining region of [[History of ancient Lebanon|Libanus]]. Lastly, in 53, Claudius granted to [[Herod Agrippa II]] the tetrarchy of Philip with Batanaea and Trachonitis and Abila (Joseph. ''Ant.'' xiv. 4. § 4, 7. § 4, xviii. 7. § 10, xix. 5. § 1, xx. 6. § 1, ''B. J.'' i. 13. § 1, xx. 4.)<ref name=DGRG/>

Josephus, at first sight, seems to contradict himself, in so far that in one passage (''Ant.'' xviii. 7. § 10) he represents Caligula as bestowing upon Herod Agrippa the tetrarchy of Lysanias, while in another (''Ant.'' xix. 5. § 1) he states that Abila Lysaniou was added by Claudius to the former dominions of Agrippa, but, in reality, these expressions must be explained as referring to the division of Abilene which took place on the death of Herod the Great. Abila is mentioned among the places captured by Placidus, one of [[Vespasian]]'s generals, in 69 or 70 (Joseph. ''B. J.'' iv. 7. § 5), and from that time forward, it was permanently annexed to the province of [[Roman Syria|Syria]].<ref name=DGRG/>

==Biblical reference==
In [[Luke 3|chapter 3]] of the [[Gospel of Luke]], the timeframe when [[John the Baptist]] began to preach his [[baptism]] of repentance in the wilderness is indicated by noting which rulers were ruling in certain areas:
:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of [[Tiberius]] Cæsar, [[Pontius Pilate]] being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of <u>Abilene</u>,
:2 [[Annas]] and [[Caiaphas]] being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|3:1–2|9}}: [[King James Version]]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Abila (Decapolis)]], a similarly named Classical city

==References==
{{EB1911 poster|Abila}}
{{reflist |refs=
<ref name=DGRG>{{cite DGRG|wstitle=Abilene}}</ref>
<ref name=EBD>{{cite EBD|wstitle=Abilene}}</ref>
}}

[[Category:Coele-Syria]]
[[Category:Decapolis]]
[[Category:New Testament places]]
[[Category:Caiaphas]]
[[Category:Pontius Pilate]]
[[Category:Gospel of Luke]]
[[Category:Herod the Great]]
[[Category:Herod Agrippa]]
[[Category:Philip the Tetrarch]]