W. F. Adenky.
AUGUSTUS' BAND (Ac 27' aTelptx Xe^arr^, RV 'the Augustan Band'). — A similar name is the Italian Band (Ac 10' ffirtipo 'IraXiK^). In each case RVm has 'cohort' for ' band.'
The two designations have been fully discussed by E. Egli (to whom I am chiefly indebted in the fol- lowng article) in ZlVTh. xxvii. (1884) p. 10 ft". In both cases it may be said that there is no reference to Roman legionaries. Judtea from 6 A.D. to shortly before 70 A.D. was in the position of the ' inermes proinncise,' and was garrisoned only by auxiliary troops. "The bulk of these auxiliaries were pro- vincials ; thus, in the case of Ciesarea, Josephus tells us (BJ II. xiii. 7 ; cf. Ant. Xix. ix. 2) that the larger part of the garrison consisted of Syrians.
The Augustan and Italian bands (cohorts), there- fore, were not in any case legionary. The latter, no doubt, was one of the many ' cohortes civium Romanorum,' ' cohortes Italicorum voluntariorum,' which consisted of volunteers recruited in Italy, i.e. for the most part of Italians who had been unable to find 8er\-ice in the Praetorian Guard.
The Augustan band (which may or may not be identical with the Italian band) had the name ' Augustan ' as a title of honour. We read on an inscription : 'Ala Aug(usta) ob virtutem appel- lata' (Orelli's Corjrus, No. 3412). Egli, following Schiirer, is inclined to accept as proved that this title of honour was sometimes borne by auxiliary as well as by legionary troop.s. We have, how-
ever, no monumental evidence to pi^te that any Ciesarean cohort was called ' augusta.'
As regards strength, a cohort sometimes nuni bered lUOO, sometimes 500 men. As regards com- position, a cohort was sometimes made up of 7()0 infantry and 240 cavalry. Such a cohort was called a ' militaria equitata. ' See Band, Captain.
W. E. Barnes.
AUL is the spelling in mod. edd. of AV. The spellin" of 1611 was 'aule.' Wyclif (1382) has ' alle,' Ex 21" 'he shal thril his ear with an alle' (ed. 1388 'a nal,' a mistake arising from joining the n of ' an ' to ' awl,' the forms nal, nail, nalle, and nawl being found. Cf. Topsell (1607), 'The worm . . . must be pulled out by some naul or needle '). Geneva Bible has ' awle,' (Coverdale, 'botkin'), RV 'awl.' See Awl.
J. Hastings.
AUTEAS (Ai^rafos, Hodiah RVm, Hodijah AVm). — A LeWte who taught the law under Ezra (1 Es 9*»). Called Hodiah, Neh 8'.
AUTHORIZED YERSION.-See Versions.
AVARAN {Aiiapdr, Vulg. Abaron, Syr. .JQ_»j (5auran), 1 Mac 2', but in C ^avapdv A, Aipav k V, Vul". Saura, Syr. as before), surname of Eleazar, the brotlier of Judas Maccabseus. The name probablj- signifies ' pale ' (pin, from im, to be white, or pale).
H. A. White.
AYEN (JIN). — A place-name occurring in this form in Ezk 30". The LXX gives 'HXtov iriXis, the usual Gr. name of On, and it is evident that the name was intentionally distorted from On to Aven, ' idolatry' (see Oxf. Heb. Lex. ), by a punning change of vocalisation quite permissible in Heb. The slight was the more contemptuous, as On was sacerdotal ly the most important city in Egypt. With regard to the context it should be remembered that On, lying on the main road between the heart of Egj-pt (at Memphis) and Sjn-ia, has been a notable battle- field on many occasions, even since the ruin of the city. See Beth-shemesh and On.
The Plain (n^pa bikah) of Aven (Am 1», RV 'the valley of Aven') is probably the Plain of Ccele Syria, so called from the idolatrous worship of the Sun in the great temple of Baalbek.
F. Ll. Griffith.
AVENGE is found in AV both as trans, and intrans. verb. 1. As a trans, verb the object may be (1) a. person, and then the meaning is ' to vindi- cate ' by punishing the offender. Thus (a) actively, Lk 18' ' A. me of mine adversary,' Nu 31' ' a. the Lord of Midian ' (RV ' execute the Lord's ven- geance on M.') ; (6) pass., I S 14" ' that I may be a"" on mine enemies'; (c) reflex., 2 S 18" 'the Lord hath a"" him of his enemies.' The prep, that
fovems the ofi'ender is indifl'erently on or of. (2) he object may be a thing, and the meaning ' to take satisfaction for,' as Dt 32" ' he will a. the blood of his servants." 2. As an intrans. vb. it is rare, and occurs in AV once only, Lv 19" 'Thou ehalt not a. nor bear any grudge against
• Once the person <m vhom the vengeance falls is made the Hubject of the verb, Gn 4** ' If Cain shall Ite avenged seven- fold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.* Thi.s is the sense in which" the passage is taken by the Doiiay Bible, whicii translates, ' Sevenfould vengeance shall be taken of Cain,' and adds the comment, * by prolongation of his miserable life til hia seventh generation, when one of his own Issue slew him.' AV follows the Geneva, which has the niarg. note, ' He mocked at God's sufferance in Kain, Jesting as though God would suffer none to punish him, and yet give him licence to murther others.' But the Heb. means, * if Cain shall take vengeance for any wrong done him, Lamech (perhaps with the use of the new weapons) much more.' So Del. : ' Denn sieben- fach wird Kain geracht,' DUlm., etc Cf. G. W. Wade, TheBoik of Genegit (189ti), p. 214, ' The Song of Lamech celebrates the invention of weapons, and implies that the possession of them confers the power of exacting greater vengeance than tbJ>< demanded by God against anyone who might slay Kain.'