light which cometh from above." This, and his tract L>e Aciione Missaruni, and De electionibus Episcopoium, may be found in Bib. Mux. Pair. torn, xv; the Opusc. adc. Ainalarium in Martcne et Durand, collect, ix, p. 577. He compiled, chiefly from Augustine, a Comm. in Omnes Panli Epidolas, which was ]iublished as Beda's until Mabillon showed it to be Florus's. All his extant writings are given in Migne, Patrol. Lat. cxix, 1-123. — Mosheim, Ch. Hist. cent, ix, pt. ii, ch. ii, n. 45 ; Hook, Eccl. Biog. v, 153 ; Hist. Litt. de la France, tom. V ; Neander, Ch. Hist. (Torrey), iii, 489 ; Ceillier, Auteurs Sacris (Paris, 1862), xii, 478 sq.
Florus, Gessius (Grsecized T'iaaioQ ^Xmqoq \>y Josephus), sometimes with the prajnomen Festus or Ces- tius, a native of Clazomenae, appointed procurator of Judsca, A.D. 64, in place of Albinus, bj' Nero, through the influence of his wife Cleopatra with Poppasa, the empress. His rule was marked with such unprece- dented rapine and violence as to drive the Jews into their final rebellion (Tacit. Hist, v, 10), a result appar- entlj' intended by him in order to cover his own enor- mities (Josephus, Ant. xviii, 1, G ; xx, 11, 1 ; War, ii, 14). He took a bribe at Cresarea fiom the Jews for protecting them in their synagogue worship, and then abandoned them to the fuiy of the Greeks, imprisoning those who came to supplicate his promised protection. He massacred and impaled Jewish citizens of rank at pleasure, and publich- derided their efforts to secure the intervention of Cestius Gallus, proconsul of Sj'ria, in their favor. His term ended with the Jewish in- surrection, A.D. 65, in which he was superseded by Vespasian, or perhaps perished (Josephus, Li/e, 0 ; Ant. xiv, 9, 2; xx, 9, 5; War, ii, 15; Suetonius, Vesp. iv ; Orosius, vii, 9 ; Sulpic. Sev. Sacr. Hist, ii, 42 ; Eu- sebius, Chron. Ixvi). — Smith, Diet, of Class. Biorj. s. v. See Governor.
Flote. Sec Float.
Flour stands in the Auth.Vers. as the representa- tive of the following Heb. words: n^J? (he'mach, lit- erally marrou- [see Fat], Judg. vi, 19; 1 Sam. i, 24; xxviii, 24; 2 Sam. xvii, 28, meal, as it is elsewhere rendered), rVo (so'leth, from slrippinff off the hull, the finest and purest part of the meal, usualh* rendered "fine flour," Sept. and N. Test. aepicaXig, Eev. xviii, 13), and pilS (batsel/, from its swelling in rising, 2 Sam. xiii, 18, dovrjh as it is elsewhere rendered). See Meal.
In early times corn Avas often eaten whole without any preparation .at all (Deut. xxiii, 25), and the cus- tom was not entirel}' disused in the time of our Sav- iour (Matt, xii, 1). Parching it afterwards became so general that the words wliich properlj' mean parched were also used for corn or meal (Ruth ii, 14; 2 Sam, xvii, 28). See Parched Corn. IMortars were used in the time of Moses for bruising corn, as was also the mill (Numb, xi, 8). See Mortar. Fine meal, that is, corn or grain ground or beaten fine, is sjxiken of as far back as the time of Abraham (Gen. xviii, 6). At first, barlej- alone was ground, but afterwards wheat, as only the poor used barley. Barley-bread appears to have been more suitable in the warm climate of the East than in a colder climate. See Bread. On the second day, however, it becomes insipid and rough to the palate, as is likewise the case with wheaten bread ; hence the necessitj' of baking ever}' day, and hence also the dail}' grinding at the mills about evening al- luded to b}' the prophet Jeremiah (xxv, 10). See Mill. The flour, being mingled with water, was re- duced to a solid mass in a sort of wooden tray or kneading-trough (q. v.) ; this, after remaining a little time, was kneaded, some leaven being also added to it (Exod. xii, 34). See Leaven. In case it was nec- essary to prepare the bread very hastily, the leaven
FLOWER
605
FLOY
was left out (Gen. xviii, 6 ; xix, 3). The cakes, when made were round, and nine or ten inches in diameter, anil often not thicker than a knife. — Jahn, A?cha;ol. § 137-140. See Cake. Fine flour was especiallj' oti'er- ed by the poor as a sin-ofFerinij; (Lev. v, 11-13), and in connection with other sacrifices in general (Numb, xv, 3.12'; ffxviii, 7-29). Sec Offeking.
Flo^wer (usually some form of the kindred roots ■j'^jj and Y'4'^, to f/litter, and hence to blossom; Sept. and N. T. dj'.jof), a generic term, not designating any particular species. Flowers grow in great variety and abundance in Palestine, and from the month of January to May the groves and meadows are adorned with the blossoms of different species of wild plants. Travellers have noticed different species of anemone, ranunculus, crocus, tulip, narcissus, hyacinth, lily, vi- olet, aster, pink, iris, asphodel, daffodil, crowfoot, wind-flower, willow-herb, hyssop, dragon-wort, peri- winkle, squill, the spiked veronica, white clover, and a flower resembling the holljdiock, and several others, which, by their varietj- and multitude, perfume the air, and yield a very loveh^ prospect. The rose of Sharon, which is not properly a rose, but a cistus, white or red, grows abundantly; also the rose of Jeri- cho, though not properly so, grows spontaneouslj', par- ticularly near the Dead Sea and the Jordan. The cel- ebrated henna plant abounds in several places. With the jasmine, as well as with the vine, the people orna- ment the alleys and the arbors of their gardens. Burckhardt noticed the pretty red flower of the nomen plant, wliich abounds in all the vallej's of Sinai, and is also seen among the most barren granitic rocks of tlic mountains (see Tyas, Flowers of Ilohj Land^ Lond. n. (1.). See Palestine,