PiLein Gernald tha,1867); Theol and J it. Journal,
April. 1861. Hase, in his /.,/„„ Jesu, p. 203, 205 (third ed.), affords valuable literary references on this, as on so
main other N.-'l. subjects. See also the t graphs
referred to by Volbeding, Index Programmatum, p. 58, 59. See Jesds ( hrxst.
Pilate's Staircase. This celebrated staircase is contained within a little chape] near the church of St. John l.atcran, at Rome. It consists of twenty-eighl white marble steps, and it is alleged by Romanists that
this i- the holy staircase which Christ several times a— cended and descended when he appeared before Pilate, and that it was carried by angels from Jerusalem to Rome. Multitudes of pilgrims at certain periods crawl tip the Bteps of this staircase on their knees, with rosa- ries in their hands, and kissing each step as they as- cend. On reaching the top, the pilgrim must repeat a short prayer. The performance of this ceremony is re- garded as peculiarly meritorious, and entitling the de- vout pilgrim to a plenary indulgence. It was during tin- acl of devotion thai Martin Luther, then a monk. was startled by the remembrance of the text. -The just shall live by faith." He instantly saw the folly of such performances; and fleeing in Bhame from the place, be- came from that time a zealous reformer. By the Ro- manists this staircase is called Scala Simla, or holy staircase.
Pil'daslKlIel,. PUdash', -"'". according to Furst, for :'X -r.-.jhun, of fire; Sept. $a\6ec), the sixth named of the eight sons of Xahor. Abraham's brother, by his niece and wife, Milcah | Gen. xxii, 22). B.C. eir. 2046. "The settlement of his descendants has not been identified with any degree of probability. Bunsen i Bibelwerk, Gen. xxii, 22) compare- Ripalthas, a place in the north-east of Mesopotamia ; hut the resemblance of the two names is probably accidental" (Smith).
Pil'eha (Heb. PUcha', KH!?B, tin slice, or worship; Sept. $a\ff£u), the head of one of the Jewish families who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah (Neh. x, 24 [Heb. 25]). B.C.445.
Piles. See Hemorrhoids.
Pile'ser. See Tiglath-Pileser.
Pile-tower, or Pele-4ower, an architectural term. seems to have signified a small Portress, dwelling, or tower, capable of being defended againsl any sudden marauding expedition. Church towers appear to have been sometimes used for the same purpose. Some ol these towel's, which were used lor habitations, have had additions made to them subsequent to their erection.
Heifer-haw tower, near Alnwick, and a tower in Cor- bridge churchyard, were probably pele-towers only. Pile, a fortress, occurs only in names of places in the Me of Man. Lancashire, and the neighboring parts, but it is an archaic term not exclusively northern.
Pilgrim is used in the A. V. only in the old sense of sojourner, for iraptiridnpoc. (Heb. xi. 13; 1 Pet. ii. 11 : "stranger," 1 Pet i. 1). Similarly in the ( ). T. "pil- grimage" occurs as a rendering of ~".v:. magur, which
signifies a Stay, or an abode in a foreign country, travels
(Gen. xvii, 8). Metaphorically, it is applied to the so- journing on earth: thus the patriarch Jacob says to Pharaob, "The day- of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years (Gen. xlvii, 9). 1'he Psalm- ist likewise says. •• Thy statutes have been m\ SOngS iu
the house of my pilgrimage" (Psa. cxix, 54 .
Pilgrim Fathers, a nan ften givi n to the i arly
settlers of New England. The ship "Mayflower," thai bore the first of them, lift Plymouth Sept, 6, L620, and on Dec. »'■ the passengers landed on a rock in Cape Cod harbor. The men engaged in the formation of the Xew England colonies have seldom been -ur- passed in sagacity and prowess, in piety and benevo- lent exertion. Many of them were men of education and rank; they were eminently tree from I he low and
degrading vices of the statesmen of that age. The po- litical trust committed to them was felt to be an awful
deposit. Ii was their con-taut aim. one which they
carried with them to the council - chamber, and bore
back with them to the closet in their religious exercises,
thai each colonist should exhibit the loftj mien of a
freeman, and wear the dignity of an heir to beaven;
that be should bow tin- knee i, ne but God, and bear
no yoke but his who is meek and lowly in heart. The grief of bidding farewell to friends, country, and home
PILGRIM
205
PILGRIMAGES
did not produce in them a sentimental lethargy, but was borne with manly courage and Christian heroism. In the long and tedious voyage their hearts sank not. Their spirit did not fail them in the midst of those difficulties and dangers with which foreign adventure abounds. The sultry climate, the swamp and the for- est, the solitary encampment, and the whoop of the sav- age, were calmly and successfully encountered. Like their leaders, the majority of them were men of God. The men that landed from the " Mayflower" on the rock of Plymouth felt themselves to be " chosen vessels," and the consciousness of their solemn consecration was the deepest sensation of their religious experience. The preservation of the ordinances of religion was a princi- pal endeavor with them. The first trees of the virgin forest were felled for the sanctuary—" a man was fa- mous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees." Truly did they vow, "If I forget thee, O Jeru- salem, let my hand forget her cunning." Their inner life nourished itself by frequent days of fasting and prayer. These were seasons of coveted enjoyment. Their firmness might be somewhat stern, their rigidness of observance might generate formality, yet their heart was with God, his law their guide, his glory their aim. In every crisis they inquired at the oracle of Jehovah ; in seasons of deliverance they entered his courts with praise — "a multitude that kept holiday;" in times of impending danger they placed themselves under the protection of him to whom the shields of the earth be- long. They were a people worthy of those high-souled patriots who were their leaders, both in civil polity and religion. Few statesmen of that day had the purity of Winthrop, few ministers the learning of Cotton, the en- dowments of Hooker, or the self-sacrificing spirit of Rog- er Williams.— Eadie, Eccl. Cycl. s. v. See Puritans.