eral, the diocese of any bishop, archbishop, or metro* politan). In Russia the eparchies are divided into three classes, the first of which comprised in 18G6 the four metropolitan sees of Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, and Novgorod ; the second twentj' sees, the incum- bents of which, with the exception of one, had the title archbishop ; the third twenty-nine sees, six of which had the title archljishop, while the others were merely bishops. Eparchies can be transferred at the pleasure of the czar from one class to the other. — Her- zog, Real-Encyklop. iv, 80 ; Wetzer u. Welte, Kii-chen- Lex. iii, G04 ; Churchman's Calendar for 1868. See Greek Church and Ru.ssia. (A. J. S.)
Epee, Charles Michel de L', born in Versailles Nov. 25, 1712, was distinguished for his labors in be- half of the deaf and dumb. He entered into orders as a Roman Catholic priest, but, having been interdicted from the exercise of his functions, he devoted himself to the care of deaf mutes. Two young girls, mutes, had been under the care of father Vanin, at whose death L'Epee took charge of them. From this time his talents, time, and propert_y were all consecrated to this cause. He framed a series of signs (the basis of the system now in use), and his success induced the due de Penthievre and others to aid him. He organ- ized an asvlum, which, after his death, was taken un- der the patronage of the French government, and placed under Sicard (q. v.), the worth}' successor of L'Epee. He died at Paris Dec. 23, 1789. His writings give full accounts of his method ; among them are Institu- tion des Soiirds et des Muets, 1774, 12mo ; enlarged edition, 177G, 12mo ; and again improved, 1784, 12mo. See especiall}' his Art d'enseigner a. pirler mix Sourds- Muets, with notes by Sicard, and the eloge of L'Epee by M. Bebian (Paris, 1820, 8vo).— Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gener. xxx, 82'J-.
Epefanoftschins, a Russian sect, followers of a monk of Kiev, who was ordained bishop through forged letters of recommendation. He died in prison, but is esteemed a martyr liy his followers. Their sentiments are nearly the same as the Starohredd, or Old Ceremonialists. — Pinkerton's Greek Church, p. 304 ; Williams, cited by Buck, Theological Dictionary. See Russia; Russian Sects.
Epen'etus. See Ep.enetus.
E'phah (Heb. Eyphuh' , i^E''", gloom), the name of a tribe (including that of the founder), also of a woman and of a man.
1. (Sept. r£0«jO v. r. in Chron. rai0f/p,lsa. Vai(pa.) The first in order of the five sons of Midian (Gen. xxv, 4^ 1 Chron. i, 33), B.C. cir. 1988; afterwards men- tioned by Isaiah in the following words: "The mul- titude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of ]Midian and Ephah ; all they from Sheba shall come : they shall bring gold and incense ; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Ne- baioth shall minister unto thee : they shall come np with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorif}' the house of my glory" (Isa. Ix, 6, 7). This passage clearly connects the descendants of Ephah with the ]\Iidianites, the Keturahite Sheba, and the Ishmael- ites, both in the posiJon of their settlements and in their wandering habits, and shows that, as usual, they formed a tribe bearing his name. But no satisfactory identification of this tribe has been discovered. The Arabic word (ihryfh, whicli has been supposed to be the same as Ephah, is the name of a town, or village, near Pelusium, or Bull)eys (the modern Bilbeys), a place in Egypt, in the province of Sharkiyeh, not far from Cairo; but the tradition that Ephah settled in Africa does not rest on sufficient authority. — Smith, s. V. See Midian.
2. (Sept. Y(n<pd.) A concubine of Caleb, of the tribe of Judah, bv whom she had several sons (1 Chron. ii, 46). B.C. post 1856.
EPHAH
237
EPHESIANS
3. (Sept. ratcpa.^ A son of Jahdai, who was ap- parently the grandson of the oldest of the foregoing sons (1 Chron. ii, 47). B.C. long post 1S5G.
Ephah (nS'^X, eyphah', rarely i^SN, ephah'), a measure of grain, containing '■'three seahs or ten omers," and equivalent in capacity to the bath for liquids (Exod. xvi, 36; 1 Sam. xvii, 17; Zech. v, G; Judg. vi, 19; Ruth ii, 17 ; the " double ephah," Prov. xx, 10 ; Deut. XXV, 14 ; Amos viii, 5, means two ephahs, the one just, the other false). According to Josephus (Ant. viii, 2, 9), the ephah contained 72 scxtarii, equal to the Attic (liquid) metretes, or 1933.95 Paris cubic inches, about Ij^n bushels English (see Bockh, Metro- Idf). Untersuch. p. 259, 278). This is also confirmed by other testimony ; so that there is doubtless an error in another passage of Josephus (Ant. xv, 9, 2), where the ephah seems to be equal to 9G sextarii, or the At- tic medimnus. The origin of this word is to be sought in the Egyptian language, wliere it signifies a measure, especially of corn, from which comes the Sept. render- ing 01 (pi (see Rodiger, in All/;/. EncyUop. s. v. ; Gese- nius, Thes. Ling. Ileh. in Append.). Sec Meas0Res.
E'phai (Hcb. Eyphay', '^S'lr [text "^S^"^; for isis", Ophny''\, languid, hence f/loomy ; Sept. 'Iwfe v. r. 'Qfi-, 'ilrpil, and 'il^sT, Vulg. Ophi), a Netophathite, whose sons were among the " captains (D'^'^w) of the forces" left in Judah after the deportation to Baliylon, and who warned the Bal)ylonian governor of the plots against him (Jer. xl, H). B.C. 588. They submitted themselves to Gedaliah, the Balnlonian governor, and were apparently massacred with him by Ishmael (xli, 3 ; conip. xl, 13).