C. R. Conder.
DORCAS.—' Tabitha, which is by interpretation called Dorcas ' (Ac 9*") ; Kn'jo is Aram, for Heb. "5:;, by regular interchange of D for s (see Driver, Hebrew Tennes', y. 225 f. ). When occurring as the name of an animal, it is tr"* in AV ' roebuck ' or 'roe,' in RV 'gazelle.' Aop/cds is the Gr. equivalent, used in LXX. Both the Aramaic and the Greek were, also, not uncommon names for women: the former denoting 'beauty,' the latter the animal's gaze (fr. SipKoimi). For instances see Wetstein's Comm. on Ac 9** ; Job. BJ IV. iii. 6 may be mentioned as one.
The raising of Dorcas of Joppa Is the second of three narra- tives (Ac 932 3S 3(M3 10-1118) connected with St. Peter's visit to the towns of the Maritime I'lain on the W. cooj^t of l*al., whither he came in the course of a Journey un<]iTtaken l>y him after the Church at Jerus. was 8catt«re<l tiirough 'the persecution which arose about Stephen.' The first of the.se narratives, like the second, relates a miracle ; they are told to illustrate the supernatural powen* granted to St. Peter, whose miracles in Jems, have alreatly been described Ao 311' 51-11.10. TheChurehes in Lydda and Joppa were not founded by St. Peter (Ac 9^*2. aa). but on this occasion his presence and his miracles served to strengthen an<i extend them. Ue does not seem to have visited Joppa till the Ciiurch there, In its distress on account of Dorcas death, sent to fetch him from Lydda (»'■■<).
Dorcas was a 'disciple' {ftaff-Zirpta, this fern, form occurs in NT only here). She must have been a person of some worldly substance so as to have had leisure for the 'good works' and means for the 'alms- deeds' of which she was 'full.' The former term is more cominehensive tlian the latter. Nevertheless, by it also in all probability, according to Jewish associations, works of charity are more especially <lonoted (cf. the Talm. expression d'dio □■s'VD, and see on it Weber, Tkcol. d. Hynnfjaqe, § 61 ; sue also Td iyaOi p.ov at Sir 20'", and c/. 16. 18'° and To 12'^). Dorea.s' labours for the good of others were instances. We may note that they weie the
618
DORYMEXES
DOUBT
more creditalile in one who was able to give alms, and niifjlit have contented herself with doing this. The garments which the widows showed to St. Peter may most naturally be supposed to be those which she had previously given to them. The widows are thus seen here, as in 6', to form a recog- nized class, dependent upon bounty. The account of the actual raising of Dorcas (vv.*'-*') bears a close resemblance to that of the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mt 9", Mk 5*)- ", Lk 8").
V. H. Stantox. DORYMENES (lopvufftis), the father of Ptolemy Macron, who was a trusted friend of Antiochus Epiphanes (2 Mac i*^), and was chosen by Lysias to command the Syrian array in Pal. in conjunction with Nicauor and Gorgias (1 Mac S'**). Ptolemy had formerly been in the service of the Kgyp. king Ptiilemy vi. Philometor (2 Mac 10"); and his father, Dorymenes, may perhaps be identified with the ^Ktolian Dorymenes who fought for Ptolemy IV. against Antiochus the Great (Polybius, v. 01).
H. A. White.
DOSITHEUS (AoffWeos)— !• The priest who, ac- cording to a note in one of the Greek recensions of Esther, brought the book to Alexandria in the 4th year of Ptolemy Philometor (?) and Cleopatra, c. BX. 178 (Ad. Est 11'). 2. A soldier of Judas Mac- cabfeus, who (2 Mac 12^°) laid hold, in the heat of battle, of Gorgias the general of the enemy, and sought to take him alive. T'he attempt was frus- trated by a Thracian horseman, who cut off the arm of Dositheus. 3. A renegade .lew who frustrated the plot of Theodotus to assassinate king I'toleray Philopator (3 Mac 1^). 4. An officer of Judas Maccabsius (2 Mac 12i9- ay j. a. SliLlilK.
DOTJEA (AwTala). — Another form of Dotiian (which see). AV has incorrectly Judiea.
DOTE. — The orig. meaning of to ' dote ' is to be foolish (cf. 'dotage,' and Scotch 'doited'), as in Chaucer, Legend of Good Women, 201 —
' Wei wot I ther-by thou beginnest dote As olde tbles, whan hir spirit fayleth ' ;
and Piers Plowman, i. 138 —
' Thow doted daffe, quod she, dull arne thi wlttes.*
In this .sense occurs ' dote ' in Jer 50*> ' A sword is upon the liars, and they shall dote ' (Gov. ' they shall become fooles,' Heb. i^si, the vb. ["^.x-] is only found in Niph., and always = be fooli.sh, or act foolishly, whether innocently as Jer 5', or not as Is 19>') ; Sir 25- ' an old adulterer that dotelh ' {iXar- Toviumv <!vvi<T(i., RV ' lacking understanding') ; and 1 Ti 0* ' doting about questions and strifes of words ' (AVm 'a fool,' R\^m 'sick,' Gr. voaSiv, only here in NT, and v6<!rit/.a only .In S'' TR ; but the sense is clearly ' unsound,' ' mad,' a common meaning of the word ; Tind. tr. freely ' wasteth his braynes ' ; 'doteth' is the (Jeneva word of 1560). Elsewhere ■ ' dote ' occurs only in the sense of ' be (foolishly) fond,' Ezk 235- '• 9- 12- 1«- "-'> (^J?). J. HASTINGS.