Gopatata. See Jotapata.
Go'pher (Heb. id. "lEJ; according to Gesenius, i. q. ^titi, pitch; acc. to Fiirst, connected with r"'1Ea, brimstone, i. e. resin ; Sept. TETpajiovoc, Vulg. levirja- tus), a kind of tree, the wood of which is mentioned only once in Scripture, as the material of which Noah was directed to build the ark (Gen. vi, 14): "jMake thee an ark of gophfr wood ; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch" (probablj'^ bitumen). In endeavoring to ascertain the particular kind of wood which is mentioned in the above passage, we can get assistance only from the name, the countrj' where the wood was supposed to have been procured, or the traditional interpretations. The Sept. renders it ^'■squared timbers," and the Vul- gate '■^planed wood'' (apparently understanding C|"i3). Some have adopted the opinion that a kind of ^Mne-tree is intended ; and others that several species may be included, as they all j'icld resin, tar, and pitch. The Persian translator has also adopted the pine ; but Cel- sius objects that this was never common in Assyria and Babj-lonia. The Chaldee version and others give the cedar, because it was always plentiful in Asia, and was distinguished by the incorruptible nature of its wood. But cedar is a very general term, and correctly applied onl)' to different kinds of juniper. These, though j'ielding excellent wood, remarkable for its fragrance, never grow to a large size in any warm country. Eu^ tychius, patriarch of Alexandria, relates in his Annals (p. 34), as quoted by Celsius (Hierobot. i, 331), that the ark (q. v.) was made of a wood called sag or saj, which is the teal; and not likely to have been the wood em- plo3'ed. The Chaldee Samaritan translator, for gopher, gives, as a synonym, sisani, of whicli Celsius says (Hierobot. \, 332), " Vocem obscuram, sive referas ad Ei'Xa ni]a(tjtii'a, qua? ex Indiis adferri scribit Arrianus (Perip!. Mar. Erythr. p. 162), et Ebeno similia perhi- bent alii (Salmasius, in Solin. p. 727)." The sisam is probably the sissu, mentioned by Forskal as import-
GOPHNA
927
GORGIAS
ed in his time into Arabia, and is a highly-valued, dark-colored wood, of which one kind is called black- wood {Dalbergia latifolia). The greatest nnmber of writers have been of opinion that by the gopher wood we are to understand the cypress ; and this oj)inion is supported by such authorities as Fuller (^Sacred Mis- cellanies, iv, 5), Bochart (Geogr. Sacra, i, 4), as well as by Celsius {Ilierobot. i, 3"i8). It has been stated that gopher is the Greek KinrdpiaaoQ, with a mere addition to the root. It is argued, further, that the wood of the cypress, being almost incorruptible, was liliely to be preferred; that it was fre(iuently employed in later ages in the construction of temples, bridges, and even ships ; and that it was very abundant in the countries where, according to these authors, the ark is supposed to have been built, that is, in Assyria, where other woods are scarce. — Kitto, s. v. Ets-Gopher. See Tkee. Gophna (Fo^va in Josephus ; Fof'^i^rt in Ptolemy ; see Reland, Puliest. p. 4G1), a town of Palestine, which gave its name to one of the ten toparchies, Gophnitica (t'l rofpi'LTiKi) 7-07r«f)\'io, Josephus, IFa?', iii, 3,5; " to- parchia Gophnitica," Pliny, v, 14). Josephus reckons it second in importance to Jerusalem, and usually joins it with Arcaballa. It was one of the four cities taken bj' Cassius ( War, i, 11, 2) and reduced to slavery (^Aiit. xiv, 11, 2), but restored to freedom by a decree of Marc Antony after the battle of Philippi (ib. 12, 2 and 3). It was taken by Vespasian in his last campaign in Pal- estine {\Var,iv, 9, 9), and, as Titus marched on Jeru- salem bj' way of Cresarea and Samaria, he passed through Gophna (ib. v, 2, 1). It was to this place that the latter allowed certain important Jewish refugees to retire temporarily during the siege of Jerusalem (vi, 2, 2, 3). Eusebius probably gives the true origin of the name (from "iSS, ge'p)hen, a vine, from the vine- j'ards in the vicinity), although he errs (or is, rather, himself uncertain) in identifying it M'ith the Eshcol of the spies (Onomast. p. 157, ed. Clericus) ; and he states that it lay (// To(pva) fifteen miles from Jerusalem to- wards Neapolis, in near agreement with the Peutinger Table, which makes it sixteen miles. It was identi- fied by Dr. Robinson with Jiifiia, a small Christian village, rather more than one hour north-west of Bei- tina (Bethel), with many ruins of the Middle Ages, and situated in a very fertile valley {Bib. Res. iii, 77-9). It is probably the Ophm (q. v.) of Benjamin (Josh, xviii, 24).
Gophrith. See Brimstone. Gor. See Whelp.
Gordianus, the name of three Roman emperors. Marcus Antoniu^Gordianus I, descended from a noble family, and distinguished for his literary education, was twice consul, under Caracalla and Severus. By the latter he was appointed proconsul of the province of Africa, in which position he gained the affection of the i)eople of the province to so high a degree, that on the assassination of the emperor Maximinus, he was, at the age of 80 years, proclaimed emperor in 238, togeth- er with his son, who assumed the name of Marcus An- tonius Gordianus II. The Roman Senate recognised them ; but after a reign of only a few weeks Gordia- nus II fell in a battle at Carthage against Capellianus, the governor of Mauritania, and Gordianus I, on learn- ing the news, killed himself. At the demand of the Roman people, a minor grandson of Gordianus I was placed as Cffisar by the side of Pupienus Maximus and Balbinus, who liad been elected emperors against Max- iminus ; and when all these three emperors were killed by their own soldiers, he was still in tlie same year (238) proclaimed as Augustus by the Prtetorians. He car- ried on a successful war against the Persians, and had an excellent adviser in his father-in-law Misitheus. He reigned until 244, when Philippus the Arabian, who for some time had been his colleague, caused him to be assassinated. The Christian Church during the reign of Gordianus was undisturbed. (A. J. S.)