The other place witli which Edrei has been identi- fied is called Bera, and stands in a shallow wady in the o]ien plain of Hauran, about fourteen miles south of Ediu'a. The following reasons have been assigned in favor of the other site. 1. The name Edrei, which signifies "strength," and the fact that it was the cap- ital of an ancient and warlike nation, naturally lead to the belief that it was a very strong city. Ancient cities were always, when possible, built on the tops of hills, or in roclcy fastnesses, so as to be easily defend- ed. Edhra stands on a ridge of jagged rocks, and is so encompassed with cliffs and defiles as to be almost inaccessible. Dera, on the contrary, is in the open plain, and has no traces of old fortifications (G. Robin- son, Travels in Palestine, ii, 1G8). It is difficult to be- lieve that the warlike llephaim would have erected a royal city in such a position. 2. Dera has neither well nor fountain to attract ancient colonists to an un- defended site. Its supply of water was brought by an aqueduct from a great distance (Ritter, Palest, und Syr. ii, 834). 3. The ruins of Edhra are more ancient, more important, and much more extensive than those of Dera. The dwellings of Edhra possess all the char- acteristics of remote antiquitv — massive walls, stone roofs, stone doors. The monuments now existing seem to show that it must have been an important
town from the time the Romans took possession of Bashan ; and that it, and not Dera, was the episcopal city of Adraa, which ranked next to Bostra (Reland Pal. p. 219, 223, 548). None of the buildings in the latter seem older than the Roman period (Dr. Smith in Robinson's Bib. Res. iii, App. p. 155, 1st ed.). On the other hand, the identification of Dera and Edrei can be traced back to Eusebius and Jerome, who saj' that Edrei was then called Adara (Acapa), and was a noted city of Arabia, twenty-four miles from Bostra (Onomast. s. v. 'EaSpael, Esdrai). In another place they give the distance at twenty-five miles from Bos- tra and six from Ashtaroth (ib. s. v. 'AarapcoB, Asta- roth, where the place in question is called 'Acpda, Ader'). Adara is laid down in the Peutinger Tables as here indicated (Reland, Palcest. p. 547 ; com p. Ptole- my, V, 17-, 7). There can be no doubt that the city thus referred to is the modern Dera ; and the state- ment of Eusebius is too explicit to be set aside on the supposition that he has confounded the two sites in dispute. Moreover, it is improbable that the bounda- ries of Manasseh East extended so far as the locality of Edhra. Most modern geographers have therefore concluded that Dera marks the real site of Edrei (Re- land, Palcest. p. 547 ; Ritter, Palest, und Syr. ii, 834 ; Burckhardt, Syria, p. 241 ; Buckingham, Arab Tribes, p. 168 ; Schwarz, however, declares for the other posi- tion, Palest, p. 222). — Kitto, s. v. ; Smith, s. v.
2. A fortified town of northern Palestine, allotted to the tribe of Naphtali, and situated near Kcdesh and Hazor (Josh, xix, 37). About two miles south of Ke- desh is a conical rocky hill called Tell Khuraibeh, the "Tell of the ruin," with some remains of ancient buildings on the summit and a rock-hewn tomb in its side. It is evidently an old site, and it may be that of the long-lost Edrei. The strength of the position, and its nearness to Kedesh, give probability to the supposition. Dr. Robinson {Bibl. Res. iii, oG5) sug- gests the identity of Tell Khuraibeh with Hazor (q. v.). For the objections to tliis theory, see Porter's Handbook for Syria and Pakstine, p. 442. — Smith, s. v.
Education, Hebrew. Although nothing is more carefully inculcated in the Law than the duty of par- ents to teach their children its precepts and principles (Exod. xii, 26; xiii,8, 14; Deut. iv,5, 9, 10; vi,2, 7, 20; xi, 19, 21 ; Acts xxii, 3 ; 2 Tim. iii, 15 ; Susanna, 3 ; Josephus, Ap. ii, 16, 17, 25), yet there is little trace among the Hebrews in earlier times of education in any other subjects. The wisdom, therefore, and in- struction, of which so much is said in the book of Prov- erbs, is to be understood chiefiy of moral and religious discipline, imparted, according to the direction of the Law, by the teaching and under the example of par- ents (P'rov. i, 2, 8 ; ii, 2, 10 ; iv, 1, 7, 20 ; viii, 1 ; ix, 1, 10; xii, 1 ; xvi, 22 ; xvii, 24 ; xxxi). Implicit excep- tions to this statement may perhaps be found in the instances of Moses himself, who was brought up in all Egyptian learning (Acts vii, 22) ; of the writer of the book of Job, who was evidently well versed in natural history and in the astronomy of the day (Job xxxviii, 31 ; xxxix, xl, xii) ; of Daniel and his companions in captivity (Dan. i, 4, 17 ; and, above all, in the intellec- tual gifts and acquirements of Solomon, which were even more renowned tiian his political greatness (1 Kings iv, 29, 34 ; x, 1-9 ; 2 Chron. ix, 1-8), and the memory of which has, with much exaggeration, been widely preserved in Oriental tradition. The state- ment made above may, however, in all jirobability, be taken as representing the chief aim of ordinary He- brew education, both at the time when tlie Law was best observed, and also when, after periods of national decline from the jMosaic standard, attempts were made by monarchs, as Jehosliapliat or Josiah, or by prophets, as Elijah or Isaiali, to enforce, or at least to inculcate reform in the moral condition of the people on the basis of that standard (2 Kings xvii, 13 ; xxii, 8-20; 2 Chron. xvii, 7, 9 ; 1 Kings xix, 14 ; Isa. i sq.).