LASHA (yvb, A Adoa, E and Luc. Adca). — Men- tioned only in Gn 10%, as forming the boundary of the Canaanites towards the east. Jerome and Jerus. Targum identify with the famous hot springs of Callirrhoé in the Wady Zerka Ma‘in to the east of the Dead Sea; but this appears to be too far to the north, and, as Dillmann remarks, we rather expect a situation on the west side of the Dead Sea or of the Ghér. Wellh. (JBDTA xxi. 403 f.) would change yv> into ag or 0%), i.e. Laish (Dan) on the northern boundary of Canaan ; but the boundary from north to south seems to have been sufficiently given in the words ‘from Zidon . .. to Gaza,’ and we expect a boundary now in a new direction, namely, from west to east. One might think of the promontory el-Lisdn at the south end of the Dead Sea, but if this were in- tended, the art. would have been found, j¥5a, as in Jos 15%. J. A. SELBIE.
LASSHARON.—Amongst the kings subdued by Joshua, the MT (followed by AV, RY) includes the king of Lassharon (AVm Sharon). In the Onomas. (s. ‘Saron’) the name Sharon is apenas to the region between Tabor and the Lake of Tiberias, stated to be ‘still called Sarona.’ The name Saréna is at the present day ay lied to a ruin on this plateau, which is a possible site for Lassharon (SWP vol. i. sheet vi.). Sarona is mentioned on the list of Thothmes lI. See PALESTINE.
The text of Jos 1218 appears to be in some dis- order. While MT has jib 35> psx πῦρ, B of the LXX has βασιλέα ᾿Οφὲκ τῆς ᾿Αρώκ (A simply βασιλέα ᾿Αφέκ), where ᾿Αρώκ is doubtless a corruption of Σαρών. The Heb, text before B would thus appear to have been jing) pox τὸς ‘king of Aphek in Sharon,’ the Sharon being not the plain of that name on the coast, but the district in Galilee above mentioned (so Dillm. on Jos 125; ef. Wellh. Sam. p. 55). C. R. CONDER.
LASTHENES (Λασθένης), an officer of high rank under Demetrius 11. Nikator. He bears the honor- ary titles of ‘kinsman’ (συγγενής 1 Mac 11%!) and ‘father’ (πατήρ ib. 1133) of the king, the former not necessarily implying near relationship to Demetrius (ef. 1 Mae 10%), and the latter pointing to his superior age, and to the advice (cf. Gn 455 of Joseph) and protection which he afforded to the young prince (cf. Rawlinson and Zéckler). Himself a Cretan, he raised a body of Cretan mercenaries, and enabled Demetrius to land in Cilicia, and wrest the throne of Syria from Alexander Balas (Jos. Ant. x1. iv. 3, cf. 1 Mac 10%). From the new kine Lasthenes seems to have received some official position, possibly that of governor of Cele.
LATCHET
Syria (cf. 1 Mac 10%). Hence when Demetrius was endeavouring to make terms with Jonathan the Maccabean, he wrote to Lasthenes in favour of the Jews, and forwarded a copy of his letter to the Jewish prince (1 Mac 11-87, ἯΣ Ant. ΧΠΙ. iv. 9). It is probable that Lasthenes was the powerful favourite, who, by encouraging the luxury and tyranny of Demetrius, eventually brought about his overthrow by Tryphon (Diod. xxxiii. 4, and Vales. ad loc.). H. A. WHITE.
LATCHET (7\7¥, {uds).—The word refers to the leather thongs used for tying on sandals. (See Dress, vol. i. p. 6274). In Gn 14% Abram tells the king of Sodom that he had taken an oath that he would not accept at his hands ‘from a thread to a shoe-latchet’ (dysrqiy ry) wind), ie. nothing of his most worthless possessions, much less anything of value. In Is 5*’ it is stated that the army to be brought from afar against dis- obedient Israel would be of such disciplined ener that no loose girdles or broken latchets would ἯΙ seen init. J An the Baptist indicates his relation- amp of inferiority by saying that he is unworthy to loose the latchet of the shoes of Christ (Mk 1’, Lk 3%, Jn 1%). Among Orientals everything con- nected with the feet and shoes is defiled and debasing, and the stooping to unfasten the dust latchet is the most insignificant item in sue service. G. M. MACKIE.
LATIN.—In Jn 19” (Lk 23% inferior text) it is stated that the inscription on the tablet placed upon the cross by Pilate ‘ was written in Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek.’ There seems to be no clear evidence that the affixing of such a tablet to the cross was a legal requirement, or even the ordinary tsage. But a tablet or placard announcing a criminal’s offence was often carried before him on his way to execution, or hung about his neck, and sometimes he was preceded by a herald proclaim- ing his crime (ef. Sueton. Calig. 32, Domit. 10; Dion Cass. Octav. 54. 3. 7; Euseb. HE 5. 1. 44; Mishna, Sanhedr. 6. 1, 10. 6). Inscriptions and proclamations in two or more languages were not u_common (see Jos. Ant. XIV. x. 2, 3, xii. 5). The tablets set up in the temple at Jerus. forbidding any foreigner on pain of death to enter the Holy Place, were some in Latin, some in Greek; Jos. BJ v. v. 2, Vi. ii. 4 (one of the latter, unearthed about twenty-five years ago by M. Clermont- Ganneau, is reproduced and described in the Revue Archéologique tor 1872, p. 214 Εἰ; οἵ. PEF, Twenty- one Years’ Work, Ὁ. 167f.). Although Greek formed a part of the training of every educated Roman, and was the widest medium of communi- cation even in Palestine, yet Latin was especially employed as the legal, official, and military lan- guage, and Roman pride was disposed to be ten- acious of it in intercourse with provincials (see Val. Max. 2. 2. 2; Dion Cass. 57. 15. 3). The emperor Claudius, for example, who was fond of Greek learning, and an adept in the use of the language (Sueton. Claud. 42), deprived a pro- minent Greek of Roman citizenship for ignorance of Latin (ibid. 16). Abundant reff. may be found in Mayor’s note on Juvenal, xv. 110.