ount Naphtali. It is a mistake in either case to translate ‘hill-country’ (see, however, Driver in art. HILL-CouNTRY). The rendering ‘mount’ or ‘mountain’ is in accordance with immemorial usage in these lands. The modern Jebel Safed corresponds generally with the ancient Har Naph- tali, and Jebel Nablus with Har Ephraim: the name in each case is taken from the seat of government in the district. No one thinks of translating Jebel Libndn (Mount Lebanon) by ‘the hill-country of Lebanon,’ although the scenery there is as diversified as in any district in the southern range.
Lrrerature.—Thomson, Land and Book, ii. passim ; Merrill, Galilee in the Time of Christ; G. A. Smith, a
W. EwIna.
NAPHTUHIM (θ᾽ πῇ}, Νεφθαλ(ηείμ, Nephtuim, Nephthuim) is given in Gn 10% and 1 Ch 1) as the fourth ‘son’ of Mizraim. Nothing definite is known of a place or people bearing this name. One view, as old as Targ. Jon., transposes the first two consonants, reads Pentaschenum, identi- fies with Νέφθυς, and puts the situation N.E. of Eayrt. An attempt to find an Egyptian etymolo takes na as the plural article si Ptah as the god’s name, thus yielding naptah, with a meaning ‘ they of Ptah,’ an appropriate name for the district about Memphis, the centre of the Ptah cult. This name, however, does not seem to have been in actual use, in native documents, to denote a place or people. The Ethiopian capital, Napata, mentioned by Eioleny τ’ 7, 19) is a tempting parallel, but would more likely to be assigned to Cush. The certainty of Pathrusim being the Egyptian petersi or ‘southern land’ led Erman to suggest a corruption from onona for petemhi ‘northern land.’ If we are to admit corruptions, we may compare the Assyrian form Nathu, given in Assur- banipal’s Annals (Col. i. 94, 99), as a district, prob- ably in Lower Egypt. This seems to represent the Egyptian n-idhw, ‘the marshes,’ and is used in opposition to Patrusi. Herodotus (ii. 165) gives
this name as Ναθῶ, and indicates that there were
two such districts. The disappearance of p may be compensated by the change from ¢ to ¢ in the Assyrian spelling. For other suggestions see Dillmann and Holzinger on Gen. and the references there; Steindorff, Beitr. zwr Assyr. i. p. 600 f. C. H. W. Jouns.
NAPKIN is the EV tr® in Lk 19”, Jn 11 207 (in Ac 19” [the only other occurrence of the Gr. word] ‘handkerchief’) of σουδάριον, which is really a Lat. word sudarium* (from sudor, ‘sweat’). The name refers to the use of this article to wipe off perspira- tion from the hands and face (cf. Quintil. vi. 3). In Lk 19” the man who had received the one pound, wrapped his lord’s money in a sudariwm, which may here mean either a species of head-dress like the Arab. kifiyeh, or a towel or the like (the reader will recall instances in the Arabian Nights Tales of the wrapping up of money in a linen cloth and then concealing it, and also of the carrying of it in the folds of one’s turban). The same uncer- tainty attaches to the meaning of the handker- chiefs (σουδάρια) which are said to have been brought in contact with the person of St. Paul and then used for the healing of the sick, Ac 1913. The face of the dead was bound up with a napkin, Jn 11“ (Lazarus) 207 (Jesus). See, also, art. DREss in vol. i. p. 627%, J. A. SELBIE.
NARCISSUS (Ndpxiccos).—In Ro 16" St. Paul
salutes, among other Roman Christians, those ‘ of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.’ The name was common, especially among slaves and freedmen ; ef. CZL vi. 4123 (in the household of Livia), 4346, 5206 HELICONIS NARCISSI AVGYS- TIANI: 22875 NARCISSVS + AVG + LIB.; but it is best known as that of the notorious freedman of Claudius, who had been put to death by Agrip- pina shortly after the accession of Nero, some three or four years before this letter was written (Tac. Ann. xill. 1; Dio Cass. Ix. 34). It was an obvious suggestion that the reference was to members of his household, but the fact that he was already dead when the letter was written seemed to make this impossible. Bishop Lightfoot has, however, suggested that the identification is still possible. When Narcissus was put to death, his property would be confiscated and become the property of the emperor, and his slaves would swell the imperial household, but be distinguished as the Narcissiani. We find servants of Livia called Mecenatiani, as having come from the household of Mecenas (CJL vi. 4016, 4032); we find also Amyntiani (4035 ; οἵ. 8738), Agrippiani, German- tciani. The same explanation is given for the household of ARISTOBULUS (wh. see). The form Narcissianus occurs, but apparently not necessarily with this meaning, Murat. p. 1150, 4: ΤΙ - CLAVDIO + SP +F+NARCISSIANO. The following inscription is later, CJL vi.: D.M|T. FLAVIVS - AVG. LIB | NARCISSVS - FECIT - - -, and lower down : T. FLAVIVS : AVG - LIB + FIRMYS + NARCISSIANVS - + + REFECIT. It may be possible to work this point out more completely when vol. vi. of the Berlin Corpus of Inscriptions is finished. An inscription quoted by Plumptre (Biblical Studies, p. 428) is of doubt- ul genuineness. The later traditions about Narcissus are quite valueless. He is made by Pseudo-Hippolytus (de LXYX Apostolis, p. 955, ed. Migne), ration of Athens, and is commemorated on Oct. 31.