Tlie whole of this region is at present occupied by various tribes of Bedouin Arabs. The chief tribe in the Jebal is the Hejaya, with a brancli of the Kaabineh, while in esk-Sherah they are all of the numerous and powerful tribe of tlie Haweitat, with a few independent allies. The Bedouins in Idumrea have of late years been partially subject to the pacha of Egypt, paying an annual triblite, which, in the case of the Beni Sukhr, is one camel for two tents. The fellahin, or peasants, are half Bedouin, inhabiting the few villages, but dwelling also in tents ; they too pay tribute to the Egyptian gov- ernment, and furnish supplies of grain.
6. The character of the Edomites was dra^^^l by Isaac in his prophetic blessing to Esau—" By thy sword shalt thou live" (Gen. xx\-ii, 40). War and rapine were the only professions of the Edomites. By the sword they got Mount Seir— by the sword they exterminated tlie Horites— by the sword they long battled with their brethren of Israel, and finally broke off their yoke— by the sword they won Southern Palestine — and by the sword they performed the last act in their long historic drama, massacred tlic guards in the Temple, and pillaged tlie cit}' of Jerusalem.
Little is known of their religion, but that little shows them to have been idolatrous. It is probable that Esau's marriage with the " daughters of Canaan," who " were a grief of mind" to his father and motlier (Gen. xxvi, 34, 35), induced him to embrace their religion ; antl when Esau and his followers took possession of Mount Seir, they seem to liave followed the practice common among ancient nations of adopting the country's gods, for we
read that Amaziah, king of Judah, after his conquest of the Edomites, " brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods" (2 Chron. xxv, 14, 15, 20). Josephus also refers both to the idols (one of which he named Koze) and priests of the Idumajans (/I w^ XV, 17, 9).
7. Literature. — With respect to the striking fulfilment of the prophetic denunciations upon Edom, we need only refer the reader to the well-known work of Keith, who frequently errs, however, in straining the sense of prophecy beyond its legitimate import, as well as in seek- ing out too literally minute an accomplishment. On Idunifea generally, see C. B. IMichaelis, Dis. De Antiquiss. Idumceor. Hist, in Pott and Ruperti's Syllor/e Comment. Theologic. part vi, p. 121 ; J. D. Michaelis, Comment, de Troglodyiis Sdritis, in the Syntagma Commentt., part i, p. 194. For the ancient geography, 'RAa.nS'&Palmstina ; Eorster's Geograjihy of Arabia; Hitter's Palastina iind Syrien. For the history and commerce, Nolde, Hist. IdumcecB, Frank. 1726; Vincent's Commerce and Navi- gation of the Ancients, yo\.i\. For modem geography, the travels of Burckhardt, Laborde, Wilson, Stanlej^, and Porter's Handb.for Syria and Pal. ; but especially, Sketches of Idumea and its present Inhabitants, by Dr.E. Robinson, in the A mer. Bib. Repository for April, 1833, p. 247, and his Bib. Resea7-ches, ii, 551.— Kitto; Smith. See Edojiite, etc.
Idumae'an ('I^o7//L<atoc),an inhabitant of the land of Iduma?a (q. v.) (2 Mace, x, 15, 16).
I'gal (Heb. Yigul', ^N5^, avenger), the name of three men.
1. (Sept. 'lyaA, Yulg. Igal, Eng. Vers. "Igal.") Son of Joseph, and commissioner on the part of Issachar to explore the land of Canaan (Numb, xiii, 7). He of course perished with his nine falsehearted companions on their return (Numb, xiv, 37). B.C. 1657.
2. (Sept. 'lyac'iX, Vulg. Igaal, A. V. " Igal.") Son of Nathan of Zobah, and one of David's famous warriors (2 Sam. xxiii, 36). B.C. 1046. In the parallel list of 1 Chron. the name is given as "Joe/ the brotlicr of Na- than" (xi, 38, 'Iwi]X). Kennicott, after a minute exam- ination of the passage, both in the original and in the ancient versions, decides in favor of the latter as most likely to be the genuine text {Disserii Hon, p. 212-214),
3. (Sept. 'I (u)) A, Vulg. J(?yH«/, A. V. "Igeal.") One of the sons of Shemaiah, of the descendants of Zerubba- bel (1 Chron. iii, 22). The number " six" there given is that of the grandchildren of Shechaniah (see Strong's Harm, and Exjws. of the Gosp. p. 17). B.C. ante 406.
Igdali'ah (Heb. Yigdalynh', but only in the pro- longed form, Yigdalya'hu, ^H^b^J';', whom Jehovah kUI make great ; Sept. ro^oA/ac, Vulg. Jegedcdla), the father of Ilanan, into tlie chamber of which latter Jeremiah brought the Rechabitos to propose the test of their tem- perance (Jer. xxxv, 4). B.C. ante 606.
Ig'eal (1 Chron. iii, 22). See Igal 3.
Ignatian Epistles. See Ignatius of Axtioch.
Ignatius of Antioch, one of the apostolical fathers (q. v.), called also Theophorus (o Qtofopoc), a title which he explained to the emperor Trajan as meaning "one who has Christ in his heart." We have no trustworthy accounts of the life and ministrj' of Ignatius. The chief authority is the Marty riumJgnatii (see below), but even those who assert the genuineness of that work admit that it is greatly interpolated. There are several un- supported stories in the fathers, e. g. that Ignatius was the child whom Christ took into liis arms (Mark ix, 36), that he had seen Christ, etc. Abulpharagins (Dynasc. vii, 75, ed. Pocockc, 1663) was understood to assert that Ignatius was born at Nura. in Sardinia or Cappadocia. but JMr. Cureton (see belo-»-) shows that the words used have no such reference. The Mai-tyrium (c. 3) asserts that he was, along with Pol3'carp, a hearer of St. John. Chrysostom says that he was nominal bishop of Antioch by the laying on of the hands of the apostles themselves.