destroying distinctions of class, forbade any woman to ride to the Eleusinia in a chariot, under a penalty of GOOO drachmae. The mysteries were celebrated with the most scrupulous secrecy. No initiated person might reveal what he had seen under pain of death, and no uninitiated person could take part in the cere- monies mider the same penalty. The priests were chosen from the saci'ed family of the Eumolpidas, whose ancestor, Eumolpus, had been the special favor- ite of Ceres. The chief-priest was called the ' Hiero- phant,' or ' Mystagogue ;' next in rank to him was the Daduchus, or Torch-bearer ; after whom came the ' Hiero-Ceryx,' or Sacred Herald, and the priest at the altar. Besides these leading ministers, there was a multitude of inferior priests and servants" (Chambers, Cyclop, s. v.). It was undoubtedly one chief aim of these mysteries to spread among the educated classes of the people more elevated religious ideas than ATere held by the mass of the people, especiallj' with regard to the immortality of the soul, the punishment of the wicked, and the rewards of the good. The initiated were supposed to be especialh' protected by the gods, and to be sure of the joys of the future life. See Ou- waroflT, Essai sur ks MyMeres d' Eleusis (3d edit. Paris, 181 G; Preller, Denieter und Persephone (Hamb. 1837); jMommsen, Heortolofjie. Antiquar. Untersuchimgen uher diestiidt'scheii Eeste der A thener (Leiitz. IBG-f). (A.J. S.) Eleutlieropolis (E\ev9tpuTro\tg, free city), a place not named in Scrijiture, but which was an epis- copal city of such importance in the time of Eusebius and Jerome that they assumed it as the point whence to estimate the distances and positions of other cities in southern Palestine (Onomast. s. v. Estherne, Sephe- la, Jermus, etc. ; see Keland, Paliesi. p. 410, 411). It appeal's from these and manj^ other notices that Eleu- theropolis was the capital of a large province during the fourth and fifth centuries of our era. It was also an episcopal cit}' of Palajstina Prima (St. Paulo, Gengr. Sac. p. 30G; Xotttiai Ecclesiasticce, p. G). Its site re- mained unknown for man}' centuries, though defined bj' several ancient writers with much minuteness. Eusebius states tliat the plain of Shepheleh extends from Eleutlieropolis westward and southward {Ono- mast. s. V. Sephela), and hence it must have stood at the south-western base of the mountains of Judah. He also states that Bethshemesh was ten miles distant from it, on the road to Nicopolis ; and Jedna, six miles I on the road to Hebron ; and Sochoh, nine miles on the i road to Jerusalem. All these places are now known, and the lines of road being traced and the distances I measured, we find that the site indicated is BcitJibrin ' (Robinson, Bib. Res. ii, 348, 359, 398, 404-420, 612-G46). In the Act J. Sanctorum Martyruni, published liy Asse- mani in Syriac, Greek, and Latin, Peter Absclama the martyr is said to have been born at Anea, which lay, according to the Sj'riac version, in the district of Beth Gubrin, while both the Greek and Latin read in the district of ElcutheropoUs (ib. p. G6). This establishes the identity of Beth Gubrin and Eleutheropolis. Jo- sephus mentions a town in this neighborhood called Betaris, which some copies read Bip/alipig, and it ap- pears to be the same ]>lace ( War, iv, 8, 1). LTnder its ancient name Btetogabra (JiaiToyitpna, i. e. hovse of Gabra or Gabriel?), it is enumerated by Ptolemy among the cities of Palestine (v, IG), and it is also laid down as Betogabri in the Peutinger tables (Reland, Palcest. p. 421). The name Eleutheropolis first appears on coins of tliis city inscribed to Julia Donna, the wife of Septimius Severus, in A.D. 202-3 (Eckhel, iii, 488). The emperor had been in Syria about that time, and had conferred important privileges on various cities, among which was Bctogabris, which appears to have been then called Eleutheropolis, as being made a free city. Epiphanius, the well-known writer, was born in a village three miles from the city in the beginning of the 4th century, and is often called an Kleutheropol- itan (Reland, p. 751, 752). In the year A.D. 796, little
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more than a century and a half after the Saracenic con- quest, Eleutheropolis was razed to the ground, and left completely desolate. The Greek language now gave place to the Arabic, and this city lost its proud name and its prouder rank together (Keland, p. 987). Like so nianv other cities, the old Aramaic name, which had probably never been lost to the peasantry, was revived among writers, and we thus lind 7:>eiffelimn, or some form like it, constantly in use after the 8th century (Keland, I'ahst. p. 22'i, 227 ; Gesta Dei per Francos, p. 104-i). In the 12th century the Crusaders found it in ruins, and c:illed by the Arabs Bethrjebrim (doubt- less a Frank corruption of Beit Jibrin). They built a strong fortress on the old foundations to guard against the incursions of the Moslems, the remains of which, and the chapel connected with it, still exist. After the battle of Hattin it fell into the hands of Saladin, but was retaken by Richard of England. It was finally captured by Bibars (see Will. Tyr. xiv, 22 ; Jac. de Vit. in Gesta Dei, p. 1070, 1071 ; Bohaeddin, Vit. Salad. ]). 229). It has since crumbled to ruin under the blight of Mohammedan rule.