Abilene
Jump to: Hitchcock'sSmith'sATSISBEEaston'sConcordanceThesaurusGreekLibrarySubtopicsTerms
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ABILENE

a-bi-le'-ne (Abeilene, Codex Alexandrinus and Codex Vaticanus; Abilene, Codex Sinaiticus): Mentioned in Luke 3:1 as the tetrarchy of Lysanias at the time when John the Baptist began his ministry. The district derived its name from Abila, its chief town, which was situated, according to the Itinerarium Antonini, 18 Roman miles from Damascus on the way to Heliopolis (Baalbec). This places it in the neighborhood of the village of Suk Wady Barada (see ABANAH), near which there are considerable ancient remains, with an inscription in Greek stating that a "freedman of Lysanias the tetrarch" made wall and built a temple, and another in Latin recording the repair of the road "at the expense of the Abilenians." The memory of the ancient name probably survives in the Moslem legend which places the tomb of Abel in a neighboring height where there are ruins of a temple. Josephus calls this Abila, he Lusaniou, literally, "the Abilene of Lysanius," thus distinguishing it from other towns of the same name, and as late as the time of Ptolemy (circa 170 A.D.) the name of Lysanias was associated with it.

The territory of Abilene was part of the Iturean Kingdom, which was broken up when its king, Lysanias, was put to death by M. Antonius, circa 35 B.C. The circumstances in which Abilene became distinct tetrarchy are altogether obscure, and nothing further is known of the tetrarch Lysanias (Ant., XIX, v, 1; XX, ii, 1). In 37 A.D. the tetrarchy, along with other territories, was granted to Agrippa I, after whose death in 44 A.D. it was administered by procurators until 53 A.D., when Claudius conferred it again, along with neighboring territories, upon Agrippa II. On Agrippa's death, toward the close of the 1st century, his kingdom was incorporated in the province of Syria. See LYSANIAS.

C. H. Thomson

Greek
9. Abilene -- Abilene, territory northwest of Damascus
... 8, 9. Abilene. 10 . Abilene, territory northwest of Damascus. Part
of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Abilene Phonetic ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/9.htm - 6k

3078. Lusanias -- "ending sorrow," Lysanias, a governor of Abilene
... "ending sorrow," Lysanias, a governor of Abilene. Part of Speech ... From lusis and ania
(trouble); grief-dispelling; Lysanias, a governor of Abilene -- Lysanias. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3078.htm - 6k

Library

Book 17 Footnotes
... note of Grotias, on Luke 3:1, here quoted by Dr. Hudson: "When Josephus says that
some part of the house [or possession] of Zenodorus [ie Abilene] was allotted ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 17 footnotes.htm

On the Position Given to the Preaching of John the Baptist in all ...
... Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and of
the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter vi on the position given.htm

John the Baptist's Person and Preaching.
... Lebanon, who was put to death by Mark Antony, bc36, or sixty-odd years before this,
and another who was tetrarch of Abilene in the reigns of Caligula and ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xvii john the baptists person.htm

The Preaching of John. Ch. 3:1-20
... Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of
the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in ...
/.../erdman/the gospel of luke an exposition/a the preaching of john.htm

John the Preacher of Repentance
... and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and
of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2. Annas ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/john the preacher of repentance.htm

The Voice in the Wilderness.
... Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of
the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, in the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/the voice in the wilderness.htm

The Gospel.
... to Archelaus Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; to Antipas, Galilee; to Philip, Iturea,
the part beyond the Jordan; and to a Greek named Lysanias, Abilene, in the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xx the gospel.htm

The Times of Pilate.
... XVII. 8. 1; 11. 4; XVIII. 2. 1; 5 and 7; BJ II. 9. [165] The Lysanias referred
to here is mentioned in Luke 3:1 as Tetrarch of Abilene. ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter ix the times of pilate.htm

The Foundation of the Church.
... make up for his sufferings, Caligula no sooner became emperor than he set him free,
gave him a crown, made him King of Trachonitis and Abilene, and presented ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xxi the foundation of.htm

The Magi came from the East to Jerusalem,...
... and Philip his brother, one of the four rulers, in Ituræa and in the district of
Trachonitis; and [38] Lysanias, one of the four rulers, in Abilene; [277] in ...
/.../hogg/the diatessaron of tatian/section iii the magi came.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Abilene

the father of mourning

Smith's Bible Dictionary
Abilene

(land of meadows), (Luke 3:1) a city situated on the eastern slope of Antilibanus, in a district fertilized by the river Barada (Abana). The city was 18 miles from Damascus, and stood in a remarkable gorge called Suk Wady Barada .

ATS Bible Dictionary
Abilene

The name of a district of country on the eastern declivity of Anti-Lebanon, from twelve to twenty miles north-west of Damascus, towards Heliopolis, or Baalbek; so called from the city of ABILA, and also called Abilene of Lysanias, to distinguish it from others. This territory, in the fifteenth year of Tiberius emperor of Rome, was governed as a tetrarchate by a certain Lysanias, Luke 3:1.

Easton's Bible Dictionary
A plain, a district lying on the east slope of the Anti-Lebanon range; so called from its chief town, Abila (Luke 3:1), which stood in the Suk Wady Barada, between Heliopolis (Baalbec) and Damascus, 38 miles from the former and 18 from the latter. Lysanias was governor or tetrarch of this province.
Thesaurus
Abilene (1 Occurrence)
... Lysanias was governor or tetrarch of this province. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. ABILENE. a-bi-le'-ne (Abeilene, Codex Alexandrinus ...
/a/abilene.htm - 9k

Lysanias (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Tetrarch of Abilene (Luke 3:1), on the eastern slope of
Anti-Lebanon, near the city of Damascus. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ...
/l/lysanias.htm - 7k

Tetrarch (5 Occurrences)
... at least the Romans made a distinction between Herod "tetrarch" of Galilee, Philip
"tetrarch" of Trachonitis, Lysanias "tetrarch" of Abilene, and Archelaius ...
/t/tetrarch.htm - 9k

Abile'ne (1 Occurrence)
Abile'ne. Abilene, Abile'ne. Ability . Multi-Version Concordance Abile'ne
(1 Occurrence). ... Abilene, Abile'ne. Ability . Reference Bible.
/a/abile'ne.htm - 6k

Lysanius (1 Occurrence)
... and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and
of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanius the tetrarch of Abilene, (WBS). ...
/l/lysanius.htm - 6k

Lysa'ni-as (1 Occurrence)
... Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother, tetrarch of Ituraea
and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene -- (See RSV ...
/l/lysa'ni-as.htm - 6k

Iturea (1 Occurrence)
... and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and
of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanius the tetrarch of Abilene, (WBS NIV ...
/i/iturea.htm - 6k

Iturae'a (1 Occurrence)
... Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother, tetrarch of Ituraea
and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene -- (See RSV ...
/i/iturae'a.htm - 6k

Ituraea (1 Occurrence)
... and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, (WEB KJV WEY ...
/i/ituraea.htm - 10k

Fifteenth (18 Occurrences)
... and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, (WEB KJV WEY ...
/f/fifteenth.htm - 13k

Bible Concordance
Abilene (1 Occurrence)

Luke 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Subtopics

Abilene

Abilene: A Roman Province in Palestine

Related Terms

Lysanias (1 Occurrence)

Tetrarch (5 Occurrences)

Abile'ne (1 Occurrence)

Lysanius (1 Occurrence)

Lysa'ni-as (1 Occurrence)

Iturea (1 Occurrence)

Iturae'a (1 Occurrence)

Ituraea (1 Occurrence)

Fifteenth (18 Occurrences)

Judea (50 Occurrences)

Traconitis (1 Occurrence)

Tiber'i-us (1 Occurrence)

Trachoni'tis (1 Occurrence)

Cesar (20 Occurrences)

Caesar (25 Occurrences)

Abila

Abanah (1 Occurrence)

Rule (291 Occurrences)

Region (96 Occurrences)

Trachonitis (1 Occurrence)

Judaea (45 Occurrences)

Tiberius (1 Occurrence)

Palestine (1 Occurrence)

Governor (78 Occurrences)

Brother (402 Occurrences)

Philip (37 Occurrences)

Ruler (329 Occurrences)

Reign (468 Occurrences)

Pontius (4 Occurrences)

Government (20 Occurrences)

Pilate (60 Occurrences)

Herod (45 Occurrences)

Galilee (73 Occurrences)

Links
Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Abila
Top of Page
Top of Page