Janus, a very old Roman divinity, whose name is merely a different form of Dianus (probably the sun). The worship of this divinity held a high place in the regards of the Romans. "In every imdertaking his name was first invoked, even before that of Jupiter, which is the more singular, as Jupiter was lUKjuestiona- bly the greatest of the Roman gods. Pcrhajis it may he taken as a verification of the tradition that Janus was the oldest of them, and ruled in Italy before any of the others came thither. (See below, our reference to Romulus.) He jiresided not only over the beginning of the year, but over the beginning of each month, each day, and the commencement of all enterprises. On New Year's day peojile made each other presents of figs, dates, honey-cakes, sweetmeats, etc. ; wore a holiday-dress, sa- luted each other kindly, etc. The i)ious Romans jirayed to him every morning, whence liis name of Matulinus Puter (Father of the IMorning)." Janus is represented ■with a sceptre in his right hand and a key in his left, sit-
Coin with head of Janus.
ting on a beaming throne (probalily a relic of the original, or at least very old worship of Janus as the sun). He has also two (and sometimes even three) faces (whence the expression, applied to a deceitful person, "Janus- faced" [compare Ovid, Fasti, i, 135]), one j-outhful and the other aged ; the one looking forward, and the other backward, in which some have professed to see a sym- bol of the wisdom of the god, who beholds both the past and the future, and others simply of the return of the year. Although it is related that Romulus himself erected a temple to Janus in Rome, it seems that a spe- cial impulse to the cultus of this god was first acquired by the action in his favor of Numa, who dedicated to him the passage, close by the Fo- rum, on the road connecting the Quirinal with the Pala- tine. This passage (errone- ously called a temjjle, but which was merely a sacred gateway containing a statue of Janus) was open in times of war, and closed in times of peace. The speculations as to the origin of this Latin deity has been very extended and varied: thus some have even supposed Janus of the Romans the parallel of Noah of the Hebrews, deriving his name from '1'^^ wine, because Noah was the first planter of vines, and be- cause of his two faces, the one representing his sight of the world before, the other his sight of the world after the Deluge ! See Chambers, Cyclopicedia, s. v. ; Vollmer, Worterb^der Mythol. p. 913 sq. ; Smith, Diet, of Class. Biog.
Janvier, Levi, D.D., a Presbj-terian minister, born at Pittsgrove, N. J., April 25, 1816, graduated at Prince- ton College with the highest honors of his class in 1835, and then pursued a theological course of study at Prince- ton Seminary, teaching at the same time in Lafaj-ette College, where he so ably discharged his duties that he- was urged to accept a professorship. But Janvier pre- ferred the missionary work, and he was licensed and or- dained by the West Jersey Presbj-tery, his father, also a minister, preaching on the occasion. He went to India, and there was for several years superintendent of the mission press ; he also prepared a translation of the Pen- tateuch and Psalms into Punjabi, and aided in the prep- aration of a Punjabi dictionary and other works in this department. Impaired health obliged him to seek rec- reation, and he came on a visit to his native country in 1859. In 1860 he returned again to the missionary work, but he continued only a short time to serve his INIaster here on earth : March 25, 1864, he was murdered by a Sikh at Anandpore, India. " He was a missionary of a high order ; learned, wise, gentle, humble, winnmg ; whose loving, benevolent life preached most touchingly the Gospel of his Master," was the testimony of one of the papers of India after the assassination of Mr. Janvier. Another colaborer (the Rev. J. T. Gracey) wrote to the Methodist, New York, in April, 1864, that " great excite- ment prevailed among the jieople," and that Janvier's funeral " was attended, with marked respect, by thou- sands of natives." See Wilson, Presh. Ilist. A hi. 1866, p. 117 sq. (J. H.W.)
Janvier, Rene-Ambroi.se, a French Benedic- tine monk, was born at Sainte-Osmane, on the Main, in 1613. He was one of the most distinguished Hebraists of the 17th century, and is celebrated for his Latin trans- lations of se\'eral Jewish commentaries, among which are a translation of Kiuuhi's commentary on the Psalms entitled 7?. />«/-. Kimrhi r,,„iiiHiit(,rii in'Psalmos (Paris, 1666, 4to). He died at I'liris April 25, 1682. See Hoefer, Xuin: Biof/. (Jen. xxvi, 363 ; Haureau, Hist. Litthriire du Main, ii, 115; JJist. litter.de la Congreg. de St.Muur, p. 101.
Jao. See Jehovah ; Valentixianissi.
JAPAN
'V9
JAPAN
Japan, a country in Eastern Asia, consisting of a great number (about 3H50J of large and small islands, AV'hich are situated between 30^ 10' and 54^ 24' N. lat., and between 1-17^ 34' and l(J4r^ 30' K. long. It is di- vided into Japan ])roper, which embraces the large isl- ands Japan or Nipon (with Sado, Oki, and Awadsi), Sitkokf, and Kiusiu (with a number of adjacent islands), and the dependencies, to which belong Jeso, with adja- cent islands, the 174 Kuriles, the less known (89) Bomie, and the Lieu Kicu Islands. The population is gener- ally estimated at from 35 to 40 millions ; its area at about 150,000 square miles.