CEILING
CENSER
365
ornamented with its yellow staminate and purple pistillate cones. (4) It was suitable for the masts of ships (Ezk 27"). It lias been objected that the cedar has a thick, gnarled trunk, too short for a mast. This is true of the old weather-beaten veterans in the open groves of Lebanon at the present day. But in Aiuanus, where the growth IS close and forest-like, there are multitudes of tall straight trunks, every way suitable for masta. Indeed, many of the younger trees of the Besherri grove would make excellent masts for ships of the size of those in Ezekiel's time. It has been proposed to consider the Pinus Halepensis, Mill., as the 'erez here intended. It is curious that this pine is still known in some parts of Lebanon by the name 'arz, and also in the neighbourhood of AJeiipo. But it is not so well adapted to masting as tiie true cedar, and, although abundant through- out Lebanon, is also e<iually abundant in Pal., east and west of the Jordan. It is unlikely that Ezekiel would have spoken of the tree distinctively as the 'cedar from Lebanon,' if he had intended the Aleppo pine, which the TyrianB could have cut from the hill-country close to their city. (5) It was suitable for beams, pillars, and boards (1 K 6' 7'). The cedars of Amanus, where the normal erowth obtains, could furnish a board 60 to 80 ft. long, and 6 to 8 ft. wide at the bottom, and 2 or more at top. They could furnish pillars and beams of any required thickness. The timber is inde- structible by dry rot or borers. It is close-grained, sound to the heart, fraCTant, and of a pleasing colour. We have abundant testimony as to its durability. Pliny says that the cedar roof of the temple of Diana at Ephesus lasted 400 years. That of the temple of Apollo at Utica lasted 1170 years. (6) It was suitable for carved work, as images (Is 44'*-"). Cedar wood is better fitted for this purpose than almost any other wood in the land. It is hard, close-grained, and takes a high polish. (7) It must be full of sap (Ps 92"). The balsamic jojce of the cedar exudes from every pore. Lar^e beads and nodules of the fragrant resin form on the uninjured branches. An incision into the bark is followed by a copious distillation of the same. Where two Branches meet and rub together, they each pour out the life-giving sap, which cements them, so that they grow fast to one another. Numerous examples of this can be seen in the CTOve at Besherri. (8) It was the king of trees. It is placed at the head of the vegetable kingdom by Solomon (1 K 4"). Abimelech con- cedes its superiority (Jg 9"). It is perlians alluded to as ' the glory of Lebanon' (Is 35' 60''). The cedars are ' the trees of the Lord ' (Ps 104"). The Arabs still know them by the name 'arz er-nibb, 'the cedars of the Lord.' When the cedar falls, the fir, itself a noble tree, howls, as a vassal for his lord (Zee 11'-'). When Jehoash wished to express his contempt for Amaziah, he compared himself to a cedar and Amaziah to a tliistle, and said, ' there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle' (2 K 14»). The highest boast of Senna<'lierib was that he would ' cut down the tall cedars' (Is .37*'). (9) Of this tree much of the temple was built, also the palaces of David and Solomon, and many other grand buildings of Jerusalem. It was probably at that epoch that the denudation of Lebanon began.
The cedar is known by the natives of restricted localities in Lebanon by two other names. Thus the people in the neightxjurhood of 'Ain-Zehalta, BdrOk, and p!-Me'ftsir call their cedars ihhul. The people in the neighbourhood of Sir call it tniih.
U. E. Post.
CEILING See Cielinq.
CELIBAOT.— See Marriaob.
CELLAR.— In AV only (1 Ch 27"- =«) for wine or for oil. The Heb. (ijik) is common for any store or storehouse. IIV gives 'c.' for AV 'secret place' in Lk 11^, readin" /cpiJirn; 'a vault,' 'crypt,' for Kptnrrir ' hidden.' The Greek word is used by Jos. BJ V. vii. 4, 'They set the tower on lire, and leapt into the c. beneath.' See Hot;sE.
J. Hastings.
CENCHREiE.— Ccnchrese or Kenchreae (not, as AV, Cenchrea ; usually spelt Ke7x-> by T., WH Kfcx.), where St. Paul, before sailing for Sj'ria, had his hair shorn in compliance with a vow (Ac 18'"), and where Phoebe was a deaconess (Ko 16'). C. was the seaport of Corinth, on the eastern side of the isthmus (see Corinth). It doubtless had its share in the bustle, luxury, and licence of the mother -city; but, under the inilucnce of St. Paul, it early became the seat of a local church, whose deaconess had the honour of bearing the apostle's letter to the Roman Church.
WiLMAM P. Dickson.
CENDEB;EUS (KevSt^oros), a general of Anti- ochus VII. Sidetes, who was given the command of the sea - coast, and sent with an army into Palestine in order to enforce the claims of Anti- ochus against Simon Maccabaeus (comp. Atiiexo- BIUS). Cendebseus occupied Jamnia, fortified Kidron, a place not otherwise known, and then began to make raids upon Judsea. Owing to his advanced age Simon did not go out to battle himself, but placed his two sons, Judas and John, in command. The battle took place in a plain not far from Modin ; and the Jews, although obliged to cross a torrent-bed before commencing the attack, gained a complete victory over Cende- bsus, and pursued the Syrians as far as Kidron and the neighbourhood of Asbdod (1 Mao 15*" 16"; cf. Jos. Ant. XIII. vii. 3). H. A. WuiTE.