But differently as the NT writers do, in some respects, conceive the (jreat exi)erience whereliy the mural centre of gravity in a man's life changes from self to God, they are unanimous on one car- dinal point. And that is the constant relation of the ' word of God,' made vital to the conscience and heart, as the means, and of faith aa the con- dition of the change.
LiT«KiTCR».— Tho special literature of this subject Is rather scanty. Considerable sections on It exist In the larger works
• Philo represents Ood and the Logos as sowing In the womb of the soul the seed of virtues, and so maltirig it preg- nant_ and boar : e.g. Ley. atUg. ill. 61. heivtwnt ykp rirt t^
on biblical theoIog>' (e.p. Weiss and Iloltzmann in particular), as also in systems ol I)oginatic (e.g. Itothe, Thomosius, Marteuscn, Uorner). But attempts at a strictly historical aud genetic account of the biblical doctrine, on the basis of an adequate literary criticism, are singularly few : J. Kostlin'a art. ' Wicder- geburt,' in /*/iA'2 xvii. 75 ff., seems the best available, but is no longer sullicient. The Angus Lecture on 'Regeneration' (1S97), so fur as it deals with the biblical material, is quite uncritical and conventional. Much matter bearing on our doctrine is to be found in studies of the doctrine of the .-leveral NT writers, often under other, but kindred, headings, e.g. Adoption, Converyion, Faith, Justilication, Repentance, Son- ship. As examples may be cited, J. B. Mayor, Kintitle of Jaines, appended Conunent on ' Regeneration,' pp. l.sO-189 ; A. B. Bruce, St. Paul's Conception of Christianity^ chs. x.-xiii., and esp. ch. xvii., 'The Christian Life' (though it unduly uiinimizes St. Paul's recognition of growth in the new life) ; Westcott, El'isHet of St. John, added Note on 'Children of Ood,' p. 123 a. J. V. B,UITLET.
REGISTER.— See GENEALOGY, vol. ii. p. 121.
REHABIAH (••i;?Tl and >ri-2n-\ 'Jah is wide'). — The eponym of a Levitical family, said to be descended from Eliezer, one of the sons of Moses, 1 Ch 23" 24" (LXX 'Paapid) 2G'» (B 'Po;3ias, A
'Paa^iat).
REHOB (3'im and nn-j).— 1, (B 'Paci/S [2 S'Poiii?], A ■Pou)^) A town at the northern end of the valley of the Jordan, most probably the same as Betii- REHOB (which see), of which the exact site is un- known. In P's narrative of the spies Kehob is mentioned (Nu IS'") as the most northerly limit of their explorations, and is further delined as ' at the entering in of llamatli,' i.e. at the entrance of the great depression between the mountains of Lebanon and Hermon, which connects Palestine and Coele- Syria. P's i)hrase, therefore, ' from the wilder- ness of Zin unto Kehob,' is merely a variation of the more usual formula ' from Dan to Beersheha.' With this agrees the notice in J" IS-""-, where the new settlement of the Danitesat Laish (or Leshem, Jos ID'") is described as situated ' in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob.' In the reign of David the valley of Beth-rehob (2 S 10«) or Kehob (v.») was the seat of a petty Arama\an kingdom (cf. I S 14", LXX Lag.), like the neighbouring Beth-maacah or Abel of Beth-maacah. Kobinson {BliP'^ iii. p. 371) identified the town with the ruins of Hunin in the valley of Hiileli ; but this site is too far south. More probable is the view of liiilil (6-',lPp. 240), who suggests that it correspomled to the later Paneas (Banias). It is true tliat many writers have identified this town with the ancient Dan (Reland, Palicstina, p. 918 f.; Thomson, Land and Book, ii. 547 ; and recently G. A. Smith, HUIIL pp. 473, 480 f.) ; hut, in view of the explicit statement of Eusebius (0S^' 275. 33, 249. 32, cf. Jerome, ib. 136. 11) that Dan was four miles distant from Paneas, we should probably identify Dan with the modern 'Tel el-ljaili (/.«(/»= 'judge ' = Z>n;i).
2. (B 'Pod,3, A'Poui/3) A town belonging to the tribe of Asher, the exact site of which is unknown. It was pre.suinalily near to great Ziilon (Jos 19^), and was afterwards assigned, together with its suburbs, to the Gershonile Levites (Jos 21*', 1 Ch G"). It is therefore to be distinguished from —
3. (B'Paaii, A'l'aii^), which is al.so mentioned aa belonging to Asher, and was apparently near the seacoast (Jos lO**). According to Jg 1" Kehob was one of the cities which were still retained by their Canaanite inhabitants. Very possibly it is the city referred to in the Egyptian lists cited by Miillcr (Askn u. Europa, p. 153).
LiTKRATi'RB. — Thomson, Land and Honk, 11. 647 ; Robinson, BUI-' iii. p. 371 ; .SH7' i. p. 130B. ; Baedeker», p. iOit. ; O. A. Smith. IIGIIL, I.e.: Hulll, OAP pp. U5f., 112f., 237-2.10; Stanley, Sinai and Palrttine, p. 400; Moore, Judgei, p. 888 f. and p. 61 f.
4. (PodjS) The father of Hat'adezer, king of Zobab (2 S 8»- '••').
222
REHOBOAM
KEHOBOAM
5. (N ■Po6|3, A'Poii^, B om.) One of tliose who scaled the covenant (Neh 10").
J. F. Stenning.
BEHOBOAM (oy^rj-j 'the people is enlarged,' or perhaps ' 'Am is wide,' cf. Eciuibiah [see Gray, IIPN 52, note 1, 59 f.] ; 'Po/3oa/i, Roboam). — The narrative of this reign is contained in 1 K 11«-12=^ U-'-^', 2 Ch g3i_j2. ' Ample in foolishness (nSiN nm) and lack- ing understanding, Kelioboam by [his counjsel let loose [the peojple ' (Sir 47^, Cowley and Neubauer's translation). Such is the judgment of the son of •Sir.ach, as he pauses in his 'praise of famous men ' fur the inevitable notice of the collapse of Israel as a world power, and the frustration of the proud hojies of Solomon that had found expression in tlie name he had bestowed on his heir. The Cliristian historian, who recognizes that the function of the chosen race was to be the custodian of the oracles of God and source, according to the flesh, of the Saviour of the world, can easily perceive that this prceparatio Evangdii was, humanly speaking, ren- dered possible only by that checking of the material development of the nation of Israel which resulted from the disruption of Solomon's empire. But to the Jewish patriot the maiming of his country's life must always have seemed an unmixed evil. The api)arent immediate cause — Rehoboam's fatuous insolence— was merely the pretext for the revolu- tion that took place on his accession. As is the case in every other turning-point of history, the true cause of the issue must be sought for beneath the surface, in social and religious forces which had been at work long before.