3. To bishops exempt from the ecclesiastical jurisdic- tion of their patriarch. 4. To the Flagellants (q. v.).
Acesius, a Novatian bishop, present at NicaBa, in 325, who agreed with the decisions of the council con- cerning the time for celebrating Easter, and the doc- trine of the consubstantiality of the Son, but never- theless refused to communicate with the other bish- ops. When the emperor asked of him his reason for so doing, he replied (according to the heresy of Nova- tian) that he could not communicate with those who had fallen after baptism. "Then, Acesius," answer- ed Constantino, "set up a ladder for yourself, and
mount up to heaven alone." — Soc. Eccl. Hist. lib. i, cap. 10 ; Soz. Eccl. Hist. lib. i, cap. 22.
Achabara (Axdfiapa), a name designating a cer- tain rock ('Aya/Sapiuv ir'trpa) mentioned by Josephus (War, ii, 20, 6) as one of the spots in Upper Galilee fortified by him on the approach of the Romans under Cestius ; probably the same place with the Chabare (Xafiapt}, prob. by erroneously annexing the initial a to the preceding word, see Reland, Palcest. p. 705, a suggestion followed by Hudson and Havercamp, who write 'Axafidpii), mentioned likewise bj- Josephus (Life, 37) as a place of naturally great strength. Re- land (ib. p. 542) thinks it is identical with a place called Akbara (X""iaD3>) by Hottinger, situated be- tween Tiberias and Zephath (Sepphoris ?), and perhaps also the residence of the Akbarites (N^iSS? "C5l) mentioned in the Gemara (Baba Metsia, lxxxiv, 2). But the place named by Hottinger would be in Loner Galilee. The cliff in question (associated in both pas- sages of Josephus with Jamnia, or Jamnith, and Me- roth) appears to have been some eminence of Middle Galilee ; probably (as suggested by Schwarz, Palest. p. 188) the Tell Akhbarah (Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 281), about two miles south-east of Safed, having a fine spring (Ritter, Erdk. xvi, 687, 771).
A'chad (Heb. Achad' , 1HX, the "constr." of llnS, one, v. v.Achath', HPIX, id.), thought by some to be the name of a heathen deity mentioned in the diffi- cult phrase,' Isa. lxvi, 17, Tj'Pl? IHX ^HX, after one (of them) in the midst, Sept. icai iv role 7rpoSri/poic, Vulg. post januam intrinsecus, Auth. Vers, "behind one (tree) in the midst." According to Gesenius (Commentar, in loc.) the phraseology is susceptible of three interpretations: («) "One after another in the midst ;" (6) " After Achad in the midst ;" (c) "After one (of their number) [i. e. a priest leading the idola- trous rites] in the midst," a rendering which he pre- fers (comp. Rosenmuller, Scholia in loc). In favor of the allusion to a heathen deity is only the slender analogy with the name Adad, as a Syrian divinity. See Hadad. (See Mill, De Idolo 1HX, in his Dissert. Sdect. Lugd. Bat. 1743, p. 137-1GG ; Doderlein, Pkilol. Abhandl. v. d. Gott Achad, in his Verm. Abhandl. Halle, 1755, pt. iii). See Idolatry.
Achai'a (Axa'ia, derivation uncertain), a region of Greece, which in the restricted sense occupied the north-western portion of the Peloponnesus, including Corinth and its isthmus (Strabo, vii, p. 438 sq.). By the poets it was often put for the whole of Greece, whence 'AYCtioi, A chazans, i. e. Greeks. The cities of the narrow slip of county, originally called Achaia, were confederated ?n an ancient league, which was renewed in B.C. 280 for the purpose of resisting the Macedonians. This league subsequently included several of the other Grecian states, and became the most powerful political bod}' in Gree/:e ; and hence it was natural for the Romans to apply the name of Achaia to the Peloponnesus and the south of Greece, when they took Corinth and destroyed the league in B.C. 146 "(Pausan. vii, 16, 10). Under the Romans, Greece was divided into two provinces, Macedonia and Achaia, the former of which included Macedonia prop- er, with Illyricum, Epirus, and Thessaly; and the lat- ter, all that lay southward of the former (Cellar, i, p. 1170, 1022). It is in this latter acceptation that the name of Achaia is always employed in the New Tes- tament (Acts xviii, 12, 16 ; xix, 21 ; Rom. xv, 26; xvi, 25 ; 1 Cor. xvi, 15 ; 2 Cor. i, 1 ; ix, 2 ; xi, 10 ; 1 Thess. i, 7, 8). In the division of the provinces by Augustus between the emperor and the senate in B.C. 27, Achaia was made a senatorial province (Strabo, xvii, p. 840), and, as such, was governed by proconsuls (Dion. Cass. liii, p. 704). In A.D. 16 Tiberius changed the two into one imperial province under procurators (Tacit. Annal. i, 76) ; but Claudius restored them to the senate
ACHAICUS
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and to the proconsular form of government (Suet. ) whom Josiah sent to Huldah to inquire the course to Claud. 25). Hence the exact and minute propriety \ be pursued respecting the newly-discovered book of with which Luke expresses himself in giving the title the law (2 Kings xxii, 12, 14), B.C. 623. In the paral
of proconsul (avSvirctTog, "deputy") to Gall'io (q. v.), who was appointed to the province (see Smith's Diet, of Class. Ant. s. v.) in the time of Claudius (Acts xviii, 12). (See generally Smith's Diet, of Class. Geog. s. v.)
Acha'icus (Axa'iicoc, an Achaean), a Christian of Corinth, who, with Fortunatus, was the bearer of Paul's first epistle to the Church there, to whom he kindly commends them as having rendered him personal as- sistance (1 Cor. xvi, 17, subscription ; comp. ver. 15, 1G), A.D. 54.