P. S. p. Handcock. OLIVET (6 Aaiiii', Ac 1'^ ; found only here and in Jos. .4??^. VII. ix. 2, 5ia rod eXaiwfos dpovs ; rd (\aiwy in Mk 11' is conlincd to B ; I..at. oliivtii in).— Olivet, called in the Gospels ' the Mount of Olives,' is the r.ange of hills facing Jerusalem on the E., beyond the ravine of the Kidron valley. It has three summits, which are now commonly known as 'Scopus' (.a misnomer, however, the real Scopus being further west), Mhich is about a mile N.E. of the Temple site, ' the Ascension,' three-i]uarters of a mile E. of the same, and ' the Mount of Oll'ence,' three-qu.arters of one mile S.E. of Ophel. The Risen Lord led His disciples not 'as far as to Bethany ' (AV), but ' until they were over against Bethany' (RV), ?w! wpla (better supported than ei's) BriOavian, and there, a Sabbath day's journey — about six furlongs — from the Holy City, His ascension is recorded to have taken place. Bethany itself was fifteen furlongs — more than twice a Sabbath day's journey — from Jerusalem (.In 11'*), and it is unlikely that He wished the solemn parting to take pl.ace in the vill.age. Not far from the scene of His agony and betray.al, 'he was taken up ' (Ac P). It was not from Bethany, therefore, but ' from the mount called Olivet,' that the disciples returned to Jerusalem (v.'-'). From early times the traditional spot from which the Lord ascended has been the central sinnmit of the range, on which now stands the Church of the Ascension, built on the ruins of a cru.sading church of the 12th cent., which itself took the |)lace of a basilica of the time of Con- stantine. More important than the identification of sites and scenes is the fact that
' . . . faith has still its Olivet, And love its Galilee '
(Whittier, Our Master, \. 61 f.).
Literature. — See Josephus, Ant. xx. viii. 0, B.J v. ii. 3; E. Robinson, Biblical Researches in Palestine^, 1850, vol. i. pp. 274 f., 604 t. ; A. P. Stanley, Sinaiand Palestine, new ed., 1877, pp. 186-195; PEFSl. 1889, pp. 174-184; W. M. Thomson, The Land and the Book, new ed., 1910, pp. 709-711; artt. in HDB and EBi. JaMES STRAHAN.
OLYMPAS ('OXuMTas, a Greek name, contracted from Olympiodorus). — Olympas is the lifth of a group of live ]ier.sons, 'and all the siiints that are with them,' saluted by St. Paul in l!o lO'", probably as forming an (KKXrjala or houseliold or district church in Rome or Ephesus. If the first two persons in the group, Philologus and Julia {nq.v.), were husband and wife, it is possible that ' Nereus and his sister and Olymjias' were their family. But there is nothing further known of any one of them. T. B. Allwoethy.
112
OMEGA
ONLY-BEGOTTEN
OMEGA See Alpha and Omega.
ONESIMUS ('Oi'7)(riMos). — Onesimus was a Col- ossiaii (Col 4'-'), the slave of I'liilenion (Pliilem '«). The name, siijnifying ' useful,' ' prolitable,' ' help- ful,' was frequently and appropriately borne by slaves (see J. B. Lijjhtfoot, Volussians and Phile- mon^, 1879, p. 310, who (motes numerous examples, chieHy from Muratori's Collection of Inscriptions). C. V. Weizsiicker (Apostolic Age, Enj,'. tr., 1804- 1895, ii. 245) regards the Epistle to Philemon as alle- gorical owing to the play on the name Onesiinus in v." ; but on similar grounds much well-auth- enticated history might be rejected. Onesi- mus, for a time, belied his name ; he absconded from his master's house, after either robbing him or otherwise doing him 'injury.' In order, prob- ably, to avoid detection and at the same time to seek his fortune, Onesimus came to Rome. (For the argument against Ctesarea as his place of refuge, see Philemon, Epistle to.) There he came into relation with the apostle Paul, the spiritual father of Philemon. At this time St. Paul had not yet visited Colossoe (Col 2') ; but Onesimus may have seen and heard the Apostle at Ephesus during the latter's three years' abode in that city, which was only 100 miles distant from Colossre. In any case, he must have heard much of St. Paul in Philemon's house ; and he may thus have been drawn to the Apostle's Roman lodging by the desire to obtain help in need or to listen to teach- ing from one who had taken a special interest in slaves (1 Co V^---, Eph B'-", Ac 16"). Epaphras of ColossiE, the Apostle's fellow-worker in Rome (Col 4'-), may have been the medium of introduc- tion. Under St. Paul's instruction and influence Onesimus became a Christian (Philem'", 'whom I have begotten in my bonds'). There must have been something very lovable about the fugitive slave, notwithstanding his blemished record ; for the Apostle not only testifies to his faithfulness and helpfulness, but calls him a 'beloved brother' (Col 4''), his other self (Philera "), ' my very heart' (lit. ' my o\vn bowels,' to. iixa (rirXayxva, Philein '-). As a Christian, Onesimus would realize more keenly his misdemeanour in absconding and per- haps stealing from Philemon ; hence he appears to have readily acquiesced in St. Paul's determina- tion not to retain him, however ' profitable,' but to restore him to his lawful master. Onesimus, accordingly, returns to Colossoe along with St. Paul's colleague in the ministry, Tychicus (Col 48. 9)^ who, as a native of the province of Asia, would probably lie known to Philemon, and would be an appropriate personal intercessor for Onesimus with Philemon on the Apostle's behalf. To render certain, however, the friendly recep- tion of Onesimus, St. Paul sends with the slave a letter to Philemon commending him as one to be received and permanently possessed {aiwinof aTr^xV^) ' no longer as a slave, but above a slave, a brother beloved.'