Ashdowne, William, an English Unitarian, who wrote a number of controversial pieces toward the close of the 18th century, viz. An Essay Concerning the true Meaning of Jesus in his Parables (Canterbury, 1780, 8vo): — The, Unitarian, Arian,and Trinitarian Opinions respecting Christ tried by Scripture (Canterbury, 1789, 8vo) : — The Doctrine of Satan, as Tempter, etc. not founded in Scripture (1791, 8vo) : — Proofs that Adults only are included in the New Covenant (1792, 8vo). — Gentleman's Magazine, 1790, 1800, 1805 ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generate, iii, 435.
Ashe. See Asser.
Ashe, Simeon, a Nonconformist and Presbj'teri- an, was educated at Emanuel College, Cambridge, and afterward settled in Staffordshire, from whence he removed to London, where he exercised his ministry twenty-three years. He was one of the deputies who went to congratulate Charles II on his restoration at Breda. He died in 1662 ; "a man of holy life, cheer- ful mind, and fluent elegancy" (Baxter). He pub- lished a treatise on the Power of Godliness, and sever- al single sermons. — Hook, Eccl. Biog. s. v. ; Orme, Life of Baiter, i, 217.
Ashe. See Asser.
Asher Ben-Jechiel, called Magister Asher, a Jewish writer, was born at Rothenburg toward the end of the 13th century, and died in 1327. He was con- sidered one of the most learned of the Spanish Jews, and taught with high repute at Toledo ; but he did not escape the persecuting spirit of the time, and was driven from Toledo. He published chiefly (1.) vari- ous commentaries or special tracts of the Talmud (print- ed at different times and places, especially Prague, 1725, and Leghorn, Berlin, Amst. etc. later); (2.) a general collection of decisions relating to the entire Talmud, entitled Pl'SSil "^pE (usually contained in extended editions of the Talmud), more commonly de- nominated, from him, "H'^Xri, the Asheri, abstracts
ASHEK
458
ASHER
of which, under the title of tB&htt 1J205^2|3 (Con- stantinople, 1520, fol. ond later), r.iEpin i^CE, etc. have been made; (3.) m'^XttJ, etc. questions and an- swers on Jewish ceremonies (Venice, 1552, fol. and Since) ; (4.) i~!.".n:n, moral precepts or institutes (Ven. 1579, Ito, and often since). — Bartolocci, Bibl. Magn. Rabbin, i. 493; Hoefer, Xouv. Biog. Generate, iii, 437; Fiirst, Bib. Jxtd. i, 57 sq.
Ash'er (Heb. Asher', "'1'X, happiness; Sept. and New Test. 'A<rij|o), the name of a man (and the tribe descended from him), and of one or two places.
1. The eleventh of the sons of Jacob, and his third by Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah (Gen. xxxv, 26), and founder of one of the twelves tribes (Num. xxvi, 44- 47). Born B.C. 1914. The name is interpreted in a passage full of the paronomastic turns which distin- guish these very ancient records: "And Leah said, 'In my happiness am I (^"rrxa), for the daughters have called me happy' ("^"I'i'X), and she called his name Asher" ("112518), i. c. "happy" (Gen. xxx, 13). A similar play occurs in the blessing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii, 24). Gad was Zilpah's other and elder son, but the fortunes of the brothers were not at all con- nected. Asher had four sons and one daughter (Gen. xlix, 20 ; Deut, xxxiii, 24).
Tbibe of Asher.— Of the tribe descended from Asher no action is recorded during the whole course of the sacred history. Its name is found in the various lists of the tribes which occur throughout the earlier books, as Gen. xxxv, xlvi, Exod. i, Num. i, ii, xiii, etc., and like the rest, Asher sent his chief as one of the spies from Kadesh-barnea (Num. xiii). During the march through the desert his place was between Dan and Naphtali, on the north side of the tabernacle (Num. ii, 27) ; and after the conquest he took up his allotted position without any special mention. On quitting Egypt th" number of adult males in the tribe of Asher was 41,500, which made it the ninth of the tribes (excluding Levi) in numbers — Ephraim, Manas- seh, and Benjamin only being below it. But before entering Canaan an increase of 11,900 — an addition exceeded only by Manasseh — raised the number to 53,400, and made it the fifth of the tribes in population (comp. Num. i, 40, 41 ; xxvi, 47). The genealogy of the tribe appears in some instances to have been pre- served till the time of Christ (Luke ii, 36, "Aser").
The limits of the territory assigned to Asher are, like those of all the tribes, and especially of the north- ern tribes, extremely difficult to trace. This is partly owing tn our ignorance of the principle on which these ancient boundaries were drawn and recorded, and part- ly from the absence of identification of the majority of the places named.' The general position of the tribe was on the sea-shore from Carmel northward, with Manasseh on the south, Zebulun and Issachar on the south-east, and Naphtali on the north-cast (Josephus, An/, v, 1, 22). The boundaries and towns are given in Josh. xix. 24-31; xvii, Id, 11; and Judg. i, 31, 32. From a comparison of these passages it seems plain that Dor (Tantura) must have been just without the limit- of the tribe, in which case the southern boun- dary wa- probably on.' of the streams which enter the Mediterranean north of that place, apparently the em- bouchure of Wady Milium. Crossing the promontory of Carmel, the tribe then possessed the maritime con- tinuation of tin' rich plain of Esdraelon, probably for