Dart (in Prov. vii, 28, yri, chets^ an arrow, as else- where; in Job xli, 26, 5©p, massa', an arrow; in 2 Sam. xvii, 14, Id^l^, sherbet, a rod or staff, as else- where ; in 2 Chron. xxxii, 6, nitj, she'lach, any mit- site weapon ; in Job xli, 29, Hlnin, tothach', a bludgeon; in the New. Test. pkXog, Eph. vi, 16, or /SoX^c, Heb. xii, 20, a javelin), an instrument of war similar to an arrow or light spear. It is thought that the Hebrews were in the habit of discharging darts firom the bow while on fire. These fiery darts were made of the shrub rothem or Spanish broom (the Spartitm juncettm of Linn.), which grows abundantly in the Arabian des- ert. It is probably in reference to this fact that ar- rows are sometimes compared to lightnings (Deut xxxii, 28, 42; Psa. vii, 18; cxx,4; Zech.ix,14). The fiery darts among the Romans, according to Ammia* nus Marcellinus, consisted of a hollow reed, to the low- er part of which, under the point or barb, was fastened a round receptacle, made of iron, for combustible mate- rials, so that such an arrow had the form of a distaff. This was filled witfi burning naphtha, and when the ar- row or dart was shot from a slack bow (for if dis- charged from a tight bow the fire went out) it struck the enemies' ranks and remained fixed, the flame con- suming whatever it met with ; water poured on it in- creased its violence, and there were no other means to extinguish it but by throwing earth upon it. Similar darts or arrows, which were twined round with tar and pitch and set fire to, are described by Livy as having been made use of by the inhabitants of the city of Sa- guntum when besieged by the Romans (Hist, xxi, 9). The apostle alludes to these fieiy darts in Eph. vi, 11- 16. See Arms.
DatarinB (datafg), a chancellor in the papal court His title is derived h'om datum, usually prefixed to the date of the documents issued (e. g. datum, given, August 20). He is always a prelate, and sometimes a cardinal, and receives his name fh>m his ofiice, which is to date certain petitions for benefices that have been presented and registered : he writes upon them Datum Roma apud, etc. He is empowered to grant, without acquainting the pope therewith, all benefices which do not produce upwards of twenty-four ducats annually ; for such as amount to more he is obliged to get the provisions signed by the pope, who admits him to au- dience every day. If there be several candidates for the same benefice, he has the liberty of bestowing it en any whom he may select His salaiy is two thou- sand crowns, exclusive of perquisites. When the pope's consent has been obtained, the datary sub- scribes the petition with the words Annuit sanctissi- mus. The pope's assent is subscribed in these words,
DATHE
682
DATE
Fiat vi petUur, **B6 It accarding to the petition.** The pope's bull granting the benefice ii then dispatch^ •d by the dataiy, and paases through the hands of many persons, bek»nging to different offices, who hare •11 their stated fees. It b yery expensire to procure the pope's bull for a benefice, and very large sums go into the office ot the datary, especially when the pro- | visions are for bishoprics, or other rich benefices. — , Buck, TheoL DicL s. v. ; Farrar, s. r. {
Dathe, Johahu Auoubt, an eminent Oriental ' ■cholar and Biblical critic, was bom at Weissenfels July 4, 1781, became professor of Oriental literature at Leipsic in 1762, and died March 17, 1791, at Leipeic. His chief work is JJbri Vet. Test, ex receniione iexhu Heb, notiBjM phUohg, et erit. iUuMtraH (HaUs, 1791, 6 I Tols. 8vo). He also edited Glasdua, PhUologia So- 1 era, and the ProUgomena to Walton's Polyglot (Lips. 1777) ; a Syriac Pioiter, with the translation and notes I of Erpenius (Halle, 1768) ; and (posthumous) Opuicula \ ad Criem et interp. Vet. Ted, tpectatUia (ed. by Rosen- mQller, Jun., Lips. 1795).
Date (2 Chron. xxxi, 5, margin, for 0^*1, dAaMh\ ** Aofwy," Sept. /uXi,yulg. mel), the fruit of one spe- cies of the palm C^^PI [Talm. Pj^*!, oomp. SaxrvXc^f date], ^otvt^, PhcBitix daetiliferd of Linn.). This tree formerly grew abundantly in Palestine (Joel i, 12 ; Neh. yiii, 16 ; Judg. iy, 6 ; Mishna, Biceurim, i, 10; comp. Pliny, xiii, 6; Tacitus, Hist, t, 6, 2; Theoph. Plauf. ii, 8 ; Pausan. ix, 19, 5), especially in certain warm localities (Schubert, i^m, p. 105), namely, around Jericho (which hence was called the Palm City, Josephus, Ant. xv, 4, 2 ; Pliny, t, 15 ; xiii, 9 ; Strabo, xvi, 768 ; Philostr. ApoUon. ▼!, 69), En-gedi (SoUn. xxxviii, 12), and the Dead Sea ^ (Diod. Sic. ii, 48 ; xix, 98) ; also at the Sea of Gali- lee (Josephus, WoTj ill, 10, 8) ; as a stotely tree (es- ^ '' pecially fine at Jericho, Strabo xrii, 800; Galen, FacuU. alim. ii, 26; Bnxtorf, Lex. Chald. coL 1109; Pliny, xiii, 9), so that on Jewish and Roman coins {also Phoenician, Spanheim, Prcettant. et tu. num. p. 272) it was even employed as the symbol of the country (Froelich, Ann, Syr. tab. 18; see the praises of Idumiean palms in Virgil, Georg. iii, 12 ; Sil. Ital. iU, 600; yii, 456; Lucan, iii, 216;, Martial, x, 50, 1). At present it is seldom to be met with there (Shaw, Travels J p. 297; Schubert, iii, 114; at Jericho there exists but a solitary one, Robinson, JUsearcheSj ii, 537; at En-gedi none whaterer, Robinson, ii, 441); they are abundant, howeyer, and eren grow wild in Arabia (in Arabia Petrea they were anciently found here and there, Exod. xv, 27 ; Num. xxxiii, 9 ; oomp. Burckhardt, Reiseny ii, 815 ; Robinson, i, 256, 264), in Egypt (Strabo, xrii, p. 818 ; Gellius, vii, 16, 5 ; Prosp. Alpin. Plantt. jEg. c. 7) and Persia (K&mpfer, Atnoen, p. 669 : on the extent of the date-palm, see Link, Ur- weliy i, 847 sq. ; Arago, in the Anmunre du Bureau des Lofgitudes, 1834), in which countries it has from an- tiquity been regarded as the choicest of fhiit-trees (Strabo, xvi, 742 ; Plato, Sympos. viii, 4-5 ; compare Hasselquist, p. 541). It loves a light, sandy, warm soil (Josephus, War^ iii, 10, 8), yet not one deficient in moisture (Sirach xxiv, 14; Strabo, xvi, 776; Pallad. R. R. xi, 12), attains a height of 80 to 40 (in some instances 60 and even 100) feet, and lives till about 200 years old (Pliny, xvi, 89; Plutarch, Sympos.yViiy 4, 2 ; Shaw, p. 128 ; comp. [in the Sept] Job xxix, 18) ; it has a slim (Cant, vii, 7), straight, single trunk of 10 to 18 inches' diameter, covered rather with the scaly remains of the boughs that have fallen or broken off than with a proper bark. At its sunomit only the palm bears a large number (40 to 80) slender branches, which, growing shorter and shorter towards the top (the bottom ones being some 20 feet long), and bend- ing at the ends in a curve towards the ground, inclose a considerable extent of shade (Wellsted, i, 70). The boughs generally surround the body in a circle six in