Gog – Gospel

Gog

1. The ‘prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal,’ from the laud of Magog (Ezekiel 38:2, and often in chs. 38. 39), whom Ezk. pictiu’es as leading a great host of nations from the far North against the restored Israel, and as being ignominiously defeated, by J"‘s intervention, upon the mountains of Canaan. Whence the name’ Gog’ was derived we do not certainly know: the name reminds us of that of Gyges (Gr. Guges, Assyr. Gugu), the famous king of Lydia, of whom Hdt.(i. 8-14) tells us, and who, Ashurbanipal states (K/B ii. 173-5), when his country was invaded by the Gimirrft (Cimmerians), expelled them with Assyrian help (c. B.C. 665); and it has been conjectured (Sayce) that this name might have reached Palestine as that of a distant and successful king, who might be made a typical leader of a horde of invaders from the North. That Gomer (=the Cimmerian), who was really his foe, appears in Ezk. among his allies, might be explained either from the vagueness of the knowledge which reached Pal., or because Ezk. had in view, not the historical ‘Gog’ but merely an ideal figure suggested by the historical ‘Gog.’

Upon the basis of Ezekiel 38. 39, ‘Gog’ and ‘Magog’ appear often in the later Jewish eschatology as leading the final, but abortive, assault of the powers of the world upon the Kingdom of God. Cf. Rev. 20; in the Mishna, Eduyoth 2. 10; Sib. Orac. iii. 319-322; and see further reff. in SchUrer, § 29. in. 4; Weber, Altsynag. Theol. (Index); Volz, Jud. Eschat. p. 176 (and index). 2. The eponym of a Reubenite family (1 Chronicles 5:4).

S. R. Drives.

Goibs

Goibs is the Heb. word which in EV is variously rendered ‘Gentiles,’ ‘nations,’ ‘heathen’ (see Preface to RV of OT). In the obscure expression in Genesis 14:1, where AV has ‘king of nations,’ RV retains Goiim (possibly a corruption from Oull [a people living to the E. of the little Zab]) as a proper name, although RVm offers the alternative rendering ‘nations.’ The same difference in rendering between AV and RV is found also in Joshua 12. Possibly in Genesis 14:1 the reference may be to the Vmman-manda, or ‘hordes’ of northern peoples, who from time to time invaded Assyria (so Sayce).

Golan

One of the three cities of refuge E. of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 4:43. Joshua 20:8). assigned to the sons of Gershon (Joshua 21:27, 1 Chronicles 6:71), in the territory belonging to the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. Both the town, Golan, and a district, Gaulanitis, were known to Josephus (,Ant. XIII. XV. 3, xvii, viii. 1). The latter is called by the Arabs JavMn. The name seems to have been applied first to a city, and then to the district round about; etymologically, however, the root, meaning ‘circuit,’ would point to the opposite conclusion. The exact site of the city is very uncertain. Schumacher {Across the Jordan, 92) somewhat hesitatingly identifies it with the ruins of Sahem el-JaiMn, 17 miles E. of the Sea of Galilee. Georoe L. Robinson.

Gold

See Mining and Metalb.

Golgotha

Golgotha (Matthew 27:33. Mark 15:22. John 19:17, from the Aram. Gvlgalta. In Luke 23:33 the place is called Kranion (RV ‘theskull,’ AV Calvary ‘)).—The situation was evidently outside the city (Hebrews 13:12). but near it (John 19:20) it was a site visible afar off (Mark 15:40, Luke 23:49), and was probably near a high road (Matthew 27:39).

Four reasons have been suggested for the name. (1 ) That it was a place where skulls were to be found, perhaps a place of public execution. This is impiobable. (2) ‘That the ‘hill was skull-shaped. This is a popular modem view. Against it may be urged that there is no evidence that Golgotha was a hill at all. See also below. (3) That the name ia due to an ancient, and probably pre-Christian, tradition that the skull of Adam was found there. This tradition is quoted by Origen, Athanasius, Epiphanius, etc., and its survival to-day is marked by the skull shown in the Chapel of Adam under the’ Calvary’ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. (4) There is the highly improbable theory that the legend of the skull of Adam, and even the name Golgotha, really have their origin in the capitoUum of ^ha Capitolina, which stood on the site now covered by the Church of the Sepulchre.

Of the many proposed sites for Golgotha it may be briefly said that there is no side of the city which has not been suggested by some authority for ‘the place of a skull’; but, practically speaking, there are only two worth considering, the traditional site and the ‘green hill’ or ‘Gordon’s Calvary.’ The traditional site included in the Church of the Sepulchre and in close proximity to the tomb itself has a continuous tradition attaching to it from the days of Constantine. In favour of this site it may be argued with great plausibility that it is very unlikely that all tradition of a spot so important in the eyes of Christians should have been lost, even allowing all consideration for the vicissitudes that the city passed through between the Crucifixion and the days of Constantine. The topographical difficulties are dealt with in the discussion of the site of the second wall [see Jerusalem], but it may safely be said that investigations have certainly tended in recent years to reduce them. With regard to the ‘green hill’ outside the Damascus gate, which has secured so much support in some quarters, its claims are based upon the four presuppositions that Golgotha was shaped like a skull, that the present skull-shaped hill had such an appearance at the time of the Crucifixion, that the ancient road and wall ran as they do to-day, and that the Crucifixion was near the Jewish ‘place of stoning’ (which is said by an unreliable local Jewish tradition to be situated here). All these hypotheses are extremely doubtful. E. W. G. Mastehman.

Goliath

A giant, said to have been a descendant of the early race of Anakim. He was slain, in single combat, by David (or, according to another tradition, by Eliianan) at Epiies-dammim, before an impending battle between the Philistines and the Israelites. That this ‘duel’ was of a religious character comes out clearly in 1 Samuel 17:43, 45. where we are told that the Philistine cursed David by his gods, while David replies: ‘And I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts.’ The fact that David brings the giant’s sword as an offering into the sanctuary at Nob points in the same direction. Goliath is described as being ‘six cubits and a span’ in height, i.e. over nine feet, at the likeliest reckoning; his armour and weapons were proportionate to his great height. Human skeletons have been found of equal height, so that there is nothing improbable in the Biblical account of his stature. The flight of the Philistines on the death of their champion could be accounted for by their belief that the Israelite God had shown Himself superior to their god (but see 2 Samuel 23:9–12. 1 Ch 11:12 ff.) see, further, David, Elhanan.

W. O. E. Oesterley.

Gomer

1. One of the sons of Japheth and the father of Ashkeuaz, Riphath, and Togarmah (Genesis 10:2 f.: 1 Chronicles 1:5 f.). who along with Togarmah is included by Ezekiel in the army of Gog (Ezekiel 38:6). Gomer represents the people termed Gimirr& by the Assyrians, and Cimmerians by the Greeks. Their original home appears to have been north of the Euxine, but by the 7th cent. B.C. they had completely conquered Cappadocia and settled there.

2; Daughter of Diblaim, wife of the prophet Hosea (wh. see). L. W. King.

Gomorrah

See Plain [Cities op the].

Goodman

The only occurrence of this Eng. word in the OT is Proverbs 7:19 ‘the goodman is not at home.’ The Heb. is simply ‘the man’; but as the reference is to the woman’s husband, ‘goodman,’ still used in Scotland for ‘husband,’ was in 1611 an accurate rendering. In the NT the word occurs 12 times (always in the Synop. Gospels) as the trans, of oikodespotes, ‘master of the house.’ The same Gr. word is translated ‘householder’ in Matthew 13:27, 52 20:1 21:33, and ‘master of the house’ in Mt 10:25. Luke 13:25.

Gopher Wood

Gopher wood (Genesis 6:14), of which the ark was constructed, was by tradition cypress wood, and this, or else the cedar, may be inferred as probable.

E. W. G. Mastehman.

Gorgias

A general of Antiochus Epiphanes, who is described as ‘a mighty man of the king’s friends’ (1 Maccabees 3:38). and a captain who ‘had experience in matters of war’ (2 Maccabees 8:9). When Antiochus set out on his Parthian campaign (b.c. 166’or 16S), his chancellor, Lysias, who was charged with the suppression of the revolt in Pal., despatched a large army to Judaea, under the command of Ptolemy, Nicanor, and Gorgias. The fortunes of the war are described in 1 Maccabees 3:40 i^ S165. Esff., 2 Maccabees 8 10:14 ff. 12:32 ff.; Jos. Ant. xii. vii. 4, viii. 6.

60RTYNA.— The most important city in Crete, after Gnossus, situated about midway between the two ends of the island. It is named (1 Maccabees 15:23) among the autonomous States and communes to which were sent copies of the decree of the Roman Senate in favour of the Jews.

Goshen

1. An unknown city in Judah (Joshua 15:51) 2. An unknown territory in S. Palestine, probably the environs of No. 1 (Joshua 10:41). 3. A division of Egypt in which the children of Israel were settled between Jacob’s entry and the Exodus. It was a place of good pasture, on or near the frontier of Palestine, and plentiful in vegetables and fish (Numbers 11:5). It cannot with exactness be defined. Judith 1:9, 10 is probably wrong in including the nomes of Tanis and Memphis in Goshen. The LXX reads ‘Gesem of Arabia’ in Genesis 45:10 46:34, elsewhere ‘Gesem.’ Now Arabia is defined by Ptolemy, the geographer, as an Egyptian nome on the East border of the Delta of the Nile, and this seems to be the locality most probably contemplated by the narrator. It runs eastwards from opposite the modern Zagazig (Bubastis) to the Bitter Lakes. ‘There seems to be no Egyptian origin for the name, unless it represented Kesem, the Egyptian equivalent of Phacussa (the chief town of the nome of Arabia according to Ptolemy). It may be of Semitic origin, as is suggested by the occurrence of the name, as noticed above, outside Egyptian territory.

R. A. S. Macalisteh.

Gospel

This word (lit. ‘God-story’) represents Greek euangelion, which reappears in one form or another in ecclesiastical Latin and in most modern languages. In classical Greek the word means the reward given to a bearer of good tidings (so 2 Samuel 4:10 LXX in pi.), but afterwards it came to mean the message itself, and so in 2 Samuel 18:20, 22, 2 [LXX] a derived word is used in this sense. In NT the word means ‘good tidings’ about the salvation of the world by the coming of Jesus Christ. It is not there used of the written record. A genitive case or a possessive pronoun accompanying it denotes: (a) the person or the thing preached (the gospel of Christ, or of peace, or of salvation, or of the grace of God, or of God, or of the Kingdom, Matthew 4:23 9:35 24:14, Mark 1:14. Acts 20:24. Romans 15:19. Ephesians 1:13 6:15 etc.); or sometimes (6) the preacher (Mark 1:1 (7), Romans 2:16 la^s, 2 Corinthians 4:3 etc.); or rarely (c) the persons preached to (Galatians 2:7). ‘The gospel’ is often used in NT absolutely, as in Mark 1:15 8:35 14:9 RV, 16:15. Acts 15:7. Romans 11:28. 2 Corinthians 8:18 (where the idea must not be entertained that the reference is to Luke as an Evangelisl), and so ‘this gospel,’ Mt. 26; but English readers should bear in mind that usually (though not in Mark 16:15) the EV phrase ‘to preach the gospel’ represents a simple verb of the Greek. The noun is not found in Lk., Heb., or the Catholic Epistles, and only once in the Johannine writings (Revelation 14:6. ‘an eternal gospel’ — an angelic message). In Romans 10:16 ‘the gospel’ is used absolutely of the message of the OT prophets.

The written record was not called ‘the Gospel’ till a later age. By the earliest generation of Christians the oral teaching was the main thing regarded; men told what they had heard and seen, or what they had received from eye-witnesses. As these died out and the written record alone remained, the perspective altered. The earliest certain use of the word in this sense is in Justin Martyr (c. a.d. 150: ‘The Apostles in the Memoirs written by themselves, which are called Gospels,’ Apol. i. 66; cf. ‘the Memoirs which were drawn up by His Apostles and those who followed them,’ Diai. 103), though some find it in Ignatius and the Didache. The earliest known titles of the Evangelic records (which, however, we cannot assert to be contemporary with the records themselves) are simply ‘According to Matthew,’ etc. A. J. Maclean.