THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
III the reform of the monasteries, Busch, Van Hejlo, and others were fellow workers of his. It is chara' teristic of the time and significant of the final outcome of these reforming efforts that the Wilsnack pilgrimage soon after obtained papal sanction. Although his real life-work had, therefore, no lasting success, and there is no justification for setting him up as a true Catholic " reformer " against the " revolution " of the next century, no one will denyto his character the respect which belongs to his strenuous and unflagging labors for what he believed to be the right. R. Schmid.
Bibliography: There are two principal editions of the Opera of Cusanus, one by Faber Stapulensis, 3 vols., Paris, 1514, the other by Petri, 3 vols., Basel, 1565. On his life consult: F. A. Scharpff, Der Cardinal . . Nicolaus von Cusa, vol. i., Mainz, 1843; J. M. Dux, Der deutsche Cardinal Nicolaus von Cusa, 2 vols., Regensburg, 1847- 1848. For his philosophy consult: F. A. Scharpff, Nicolaus von Cusa als Reformator in Kirche, Reich und Philosophie, Tubingen, 1871; R. Falckenberg, Grundzilge der Philosophie des Nicolaus Cusanus, Breslau, 1880; M. Glossner, Nikolaus von Cusa und M. Nizolius als Vor- Idufer der neueren Philosophie, Miinster, 1891; O. Kastner, Der Begriff der Entwicklung bei Nikolaus. von Kues, Bern, 1896. On other phases of his activity consult: T. Stumpf, Die politischen Ideen des Nikolaus von Cues, Cologne, 1865; J. Uebinger, Die Gotteslehre des Nikolaus Cusanus, Paderborn, 1888; Pastor, Popes, i., passim.
CUSH, cush, CUSHITES: A tribal and place name appearing frequently in the Old Testament, in the versions generally rendered " Ethiopia," and until recently supposed always to refer to a region south of Egypt. Since the decipherment of the cuneiform inscriptions, and a more thorough examination of the historical inscriptions of Assyria, Babylonia, and Arabia, it has been discovered that the form may represent two other regions and peoples: (1) the inhabitants of a region east of central Babylonia, who were known as Kasshites or Kosshites (Gk. Kossaioi) and ruled Babylonia between the seventeenth and twelfth centuries B.C. (see Babylonia, VI., 5); (2) a land and people in northern Arabia. The discovery of the existence of the land of Muzri in Arabia and the supplementary discovery that the Hebrew text confused the country with Egypt (Heb. Mizraim) have cleared up many difficulties of exegesis.
An examination of the passages where the words Cush, Cushite, and Cushites occur reveals four classes: (1) those which indicate a region in Africa; (2) those best explained by an Arabian locus;
(3) those which point to an East- Cush Elamitic situation; and (4) those
in Africa, which are in themselves indecisive or may be satisfied with either of two interpretations. In the first class are II Kings xix. 9 (cf. Isa. xxxvii. 9); II Chron. xii. 3; Esther i. 1, viii. 9; Ps. Ixviii. 32; Isa. xviii. 1; Jer. xiii. 23, xlvi. 9; Ezek. xxix. 10, xxx. 4—5; Nah. iii. 9; Dan. xi. 43. These are so obvious as to require no discussion.
In the second group Num. xii. I, mentioning the Cushite wife of Moses, is to be compared with Ex. ii. 16, 21, where the wife of Moses is called a Midianite, a term frequently used in the Old Testament to denote Arab nomads. While the presence of an Ethiopian woman in the camp is not absolutely precluded, the probabilities are greater that by
" Cushite woman " a native of Cush in Arabia is meant, since the name is that of a district not far from the locus of the story. In II Sam. xviii. 21- 32 the R. V differs from the A. V for the better, rendering KusU "the Cushite" while the latter renders it as a proper name, though it has the gentilic ending and seven times out of Cush in eight has the article. After David's Arabia, conquest of the nomadic tribes of the border the historic probabilities greatly favor the presence in his army of an Arab rather than of an Ethiopian. II Chron. xxi. IG is quite unambiguous when once the eyes are opened to the existence of the Arabian Cush. The phrase " the Arabians who are beside the Cushites " (Ethiopians) is to be construed rather of those living in the same region than of peoples separated by the Red Sea and a stretch of desert, particularly since Ethiopia must have been beyond David's sphere of vision. II Chron. xiv. 9-15 has until recently been a passage difficult to explain. The catalogue in verse 15 of the spoil of the conquered " Ethiopians " ("tents of cattle, sheep, and camels ") suits the situation of a nomadic people such as the Cushites of Arabia were, but is incongruous in the case of a people fighting under Egyptian leadership. Moreover, no place for Zerah is found among the Pharaohs, since neither Osorkon I. nor II. fits the case. A victory by Asa over Egypt is historically improbable, but conquest of a nomadic foe is within the bounds of probability, especially as the beginnings of a new migration from Arabia took place in the period in which Asa lived. The Cushite in this passage is almost certainly Arabian. Isa. xliii. 3 must also be taken as Cush in Arabia. The three regions mentioned are Mizraim (read Mizri), Kush, and Seba (cf. xlv. 14, where read " the labor of Mizri, and merchandise of Cush and the Sabeans "). " Ebed-melech the Ethiopian " occurs in Jer. xxxviii. 7-12. The name is Semitic, and is intelligible if borne by an Arabian Cushite, not easily explained if borne by an African Ethiopian. Amos ix. 7 is to be taken in the same way. The reference in the passage is to the control by Yahweh of the migrations of the nations, and mention of the Arabian Cushites was particularly appropriate in view of the restlessness of the Arabs at the time in question. Habakkuk iii. 7 is beyond dispute; " Cushan " is a word formed from Cush like Ithran from Jether and Kenan from Kain, and is in parallelism with Midian, which can mean only Arabian tribes.
The third class of passages is more difficult. In Gen. ii. 13 the entire environment is Babylonian, and Cush is placed in connection with Eden (cf. the Sumerian name for Babylonia, Edin, " the plain," see Babylonia, I.) and the river Gihon, now generally identified with the Kerkhah. This locates the Cush of the passage where the home of the Kasshites was situated, relieves the passage of exegetical difficulties insuperable under the supposition that Ethiopia in Africa is meant, and requires no disturbance of the consonantal text. In Gen. x. 6-8 (cf. I Chron. i. 8-10) Cush is brother of Egypt (Mizraim), Put (either southeast of Egypt, or, as claimed by Glaser, in Arabia), and Canaan,