Ionia. It has been suggested that in 1 jMace. viii, 8, for tlie existing reading x'^mw ti)v 'Ivoiki)v Kai Mi'iotiaf, "Iiidiu and Media," should be read x- t- 'Iw- viav Kcii Mvaiav, "loiiit and :Mysia," on the ground that to include India and ^ledia within the domain of Antiochus III is to contradict directly the voice of his- tory, which confines that monarch's possessions to this side the Taurus range (Livy, J/ist. xxxvii, 56 ; xxxviii, 38). See India. This alteration is purely conjectural, as there is no MS. authority for it ; and it is not easy to see, supposing it to be the correct rcailing, how the error in the text could have arisen. Michaelis supposes that, by a mistake on the part of the translator, ITa was read for -^D-S, and ".in or nin for i-j:n, and that the nations intended are the Mysians and the 'Everoi (Ho- mer, //. ii, .580) of Paphlagonia; but this is still more improbable than the former conjecture; and, besides, not only was Paphlagonia not within the domain of Antio- chus, but the liinetians did not at the time exist (Strabo, XII, 8). Perhaps the conjectural emendation above mentioned miy be adopted on the ground of its internal probability, as the only alternative seems to be to sup- pose gross geographical and historical ignorance on the part of the author. It is followed by Luther (who puts "loiitfii" in the text), Dl-usius, Grotius, Houbigant, etc. Adopting the reading Ionia, the district referred to is that bordering on the /Egean Sea Irom Plioc;ca to Mi- letus. Its original inhabitants were Greeks, but in later times a large Jewish element was found in the popula- tion (.losephus, A nt. xvi, 2, 3). Ionia, with its islands was celebrated for its twelve, afterwards thirteen cities; five of which — Ephesus, Smyrna, Jliletus, Chios, and Samos— are conspicuous in the N. T. See Asia Minor. Under the Roman dominion the name Ionia remained,
but its towns were distributed politically under othei provinces. Ptolcmv ranks them in Asia Proper, while Strabo (xiv, C31), P'liny (//. iV. y, 31), and Mela (i, 17) speak of Ionia as a distinct territory'. In the account which Josephus gives (.In/, xvi, 2, 3) of the appeal of the Jews in Ionia to Agrippa for exemption from cer- tain oppressions to which they were exposed, the an- cient name of the country is retained. He speaks of iroXv TrXfiOoc 'lovcaiiov as inhabiting its cities. — Kitto, s. V. See also Javan.
Ionic Order. See Architecture,
Ionic Philosophy. See Philosophy (Greek).
Iota. See Jot.
Iperen, Josua van, a noted Dutch theologian, was born at Middelburg, Feb. 23, 1726. He was descended from an old and respectable Flemish family. His stud- ies, in which he evinced very superior mental endow- ments, were pursued first at Groningen, and afterwards at Leyden, where he was permitted to enjoy the in- structions and friendship of the celebrated professors A. Schultens and T. Hemsterhuys. In 174!) he was called to the pastoral charge of Lillo. Here he labored with zeal and fidelity for sixteen years. In 1752 he -was made doctor of philosophy, and in 1766 was called to Yeere, where he remained ten years. Several of the most noted literary, scientific, and poetic societies suc- cessively elected him to membership. Zealand also ap- pointed him a member of the commission to which was intrusted the work of preparing a new poetic version of the Book of Psalms. He took an important part in the performance of this duty. The work was approved in 1773, and still continues in use in the Reformed Church of Holland. It possesses a high degree of poetic merit. His income, both at Lillo and Veere, was small, which, with a numerous family to support, was the source of many trials and perplexities. Accepting an appoint- ment as preacher in Batavia, in the Dutch East India possessions, he went thither in 1778, accompanied by his wife and five children. He was cordially received, and an agreeable field of labor was opened to him. He labored here with redoubled zeal and fidelity, but the climate was adverse to his health, and in 1780, after the short space of two years, he rested from his labors on earth. A philological essay, dedicated to the Hol- land Society of Sciences, and published in 1755, was re- garded as highly creditable to him in a linguistic point of view, and also as evincing a philosophical spirit. His History of Church Psalmodij, published in 1777, is said to exhibit extensive historical knowledge, combined with good taste. He seems to have excelled in various departments of Icnowledge. See B. Glasius, Godgdeerd Nede7iand, ii, 190; H. Bouman, Geschiedenis utr Gel- dersche Iloogeschool, ii, 190. (J. P. W.)
Iphedei'ah (Heb. Yiphdeyah', H^'^S'i, set free by Jehovah ; Sept. 'It facia), one of the " sons" of Shashak, and a chief of the tribe of Benjamin resident at Jerusa- lem (1 Chron. viii, 25). B.C. post 1612 and ante 588,
Ir (Heb, id. T'S', a city ; Sept. "Qp v. r. 'Qpa, Vulg. Hir), the father of Shuppim (Shupham) and Huppim (Hiipham), of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chron. vii, 12) ; probably identical with one of the sons of Benjamin (Gen, xlvi, 21), and therefore not (as often supposed) the same with Iri (1 Chron, vii, 7), See Eenjajiin ; also comp, Ir-nahash, Ir-shemesii, etc.