2. There are two or three other places mentioned in ancient authorities (Reland, PaUest. p. 523 sq.) by the general name of Abel, A beta, or Abila (once Abida, 'Aftica, apparently by error, Reland, ib. p. 459), as fol- lows :
(a.) Abela of Phoenicia (Jerome, Onomast. s. v.), situated between Damascus and Paneas (Csesarea Philippi), and therefore different from the Abila of Lysanias, which was between Damascus and Heliop- olis (Baalbek). It is probably the same as Abel-
BETH-MAACIIAH (q. v.).
(6.) Abila of Per.ea, mentioned by Josephus {War, ii, 13, 2) as being in the vicinity of Julias (Bethsaida) and Besimoth (Bethjeshimoth) {ib. iv, 7, G). It is probably the same as Abel-siiittim (q. v.).
(c.) Abila of Batan.ea, mentioned by Jerome {Onomast. s. v. Astaroth Carnaini) as situated north of Adara, and by Josephus (quoting Polybius) as be- ing taken with Gadara by Antiochus {Ant. xii, 3, 3). It is apparently the same with the "Abila of the De- capolis" (comp. Pliny, v, 18), named on certain Palmy- rene inscriptions (Reland, Paloest. p. 525 sq.), and probably is the Abel ('AjSfXa) of Eusebius (Onomast. s. v.), situated 12 miles E. of Gadara, now Abil. See under Abel-ceramim.
Abilene {'AfiiSrjvri sc. xi''Pai Luke, iii, 1), the small district or territory in the region of Lebanon which took its name from the chief town, Abila (Po- lyb. v, 71, 2 ; Josephus, War, ii, 13, 2 ; iv, 7, 5 ; Heb. Abel', h^at, a, plain), which was situated in Coele-Syria (Ptolom. v, IS), and (according to the Antonine Itin.) 18 miles N. of Damascus, and 38 S. of Heliopolis (lat. 68° 45', long. 33° 20') ; but which must not be con- founded with Abila of the Decapolis (Burckhardt, p. 269; Bitter, xv, 1059). SeeAniLA. Northward it must have reached beyond the upper Barada, in order to
include Abila; and it is probable that its southern border ma)r have extended to Mount Hermon (Jebel es-Sheikh). It seems to have included the eastern de- clivities of Anti-Libanus, and the fine valleys between its base and the hills which front the eastern plains. This is a very beautiful and fertile region, well wood- ed, and watered by numerous springs from Anti-Leb- anon. It also affords fine pastures; and in most re- spects contrasts with the stern and barren western slopes of Anti-Lebanon.
This territory had been governed as a tetrarchatc by Lysanias, son of Ptolemy and grandson of Men- nanis (Josephus, A nt. xiv, 13, 3) ; but he was put to death, B.C. 33, through the intrigues of Cleopatra, who then took possession of the province (Ant. xv, 4, 1). After her death it fell to Augustus, who rented it out to one Zenodorus ; but as he did not keep it clear of robbers, it was taken from him, and given to Herod the Great (Ant. xv, 10, 1; War, i, 20, 4). At his death a part (the southern, doubtless) of the territory was added to Trachonitis and Iturrca to form a tet- rarchy for his son Philip ; but by far the larger por- tion, including the city of Abila, was then, or shoitly afterward, bestowed on another Lysanias, mentioned by Luke (iii, 1), who is supposed to have been a de- scendant of the former Lysanias, but who is nowhere mentioned by Josephus. See Lysanias. Indeed, noth- ing is said by him or any other profane writer respecting this part of Abilene until several years after the time referred to by Luke, when the Emperor Caligula gave it to Agrippa I as "the tetrarchy of Lysanias" (Jo- sephus, Ant. xviii, 6, 10), to whom it was afterward con- firmed by Claudius. At his death it was included in that part of his possessions which went to his son Agrippa II. (See Josephus, Ant. xiii, 10, 3; xiv, 12, 1 ; 3, 2 ; 7, 4 ; xv, 10, 3; xvii, 11, 4 ; xix, 5, 1 ; x, 7, 1 ; War, i, 13, 1; ii, G, 3; 11, 5 ; Dio Cass, xlix, 32; liv, 9.) This explanation as to the division of Abilene between Lysanias and Philip removes the apparent discrepancy in Luke, who calls Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene at the very time that, according to Josephus (a part of) Abilene was in the possession of Phil- ip (see Noldii Hist. Idum. p. 279 sq. ; Krebs, Observ. Flav. p. 110 sq. ; Siisskind, Symbol, ad Illustr. Quas- dam Evany. Loca, i, 21 ; iii, 23 sq. ; also in Pott, Syl- log. viii, 90 sq. ; also in the Stud. u. Krit. 183G, ii, 431 sq. ; Mi'inter, Be Rebus Iturceor. Hafn. 1824, p. 22 sq.; Wieseler, Chronol. Synopsis, p. 174 sq.; Ebrard, Wissenschaftl. Kritik, p. 181 sq. ; Hug, Gutachten iib. Strauss, p. 119 sq.). In fact, as Herod never actual- ly possessed Abilene (Josephus, Ant. xix, 5, 1 ; War, ii, 11, 5), and Zenodorus only had the farming of it, this region never could have descended to Herod's heirs, and therefore properly did not belong to Philip's tetrarchy. The same division of the territory in ques- tion is implied in the exclusion of Chalcis from the government of the later Lysanias, although included in that of the older (Josephus, .1 nt. xx, 7, 1). We find Abila mentioned among the places captured by Placi- dus, one of Vespasian's generals, in A.D. 69-70 (Jo- sephus, War, iv, 7, 5) ; and from that time it was per- manently annexed to the province of Syria (Smith's Diet, of Class. Geog. s. v.). The metropolis Abila is mentioned in the lists of the Christian councils as the seat of an episcopal see down to A.D. 634 (Reland, Palast. p. 529). — Winer, s. v.