TRACHONITIS . Mentioned in Luke 3:1 as the name of the tetrarchy of Philip. It is to be identified with the lava region S.E. of Damascus, known to the Greeks as Trachon , and to modern Arabs as the Lejâ . An inscription discovered by Burckhardt in 1810 at Mismiyeh dispels all doubt as to the identity of this region with Trachon. It has ever been regarded as a refuge from invaders. Josephus frequently speaks of the inhabitants of these parts as predatory ( Ant. XVI. ix. 1, x. 1). Philip’s rule, on the other hand, he describes as just and gentle ( Ib . XVIII. iv. 6). Trajan in a.d. 106 transformed Trachonitis into a new province, which he called ‘Arabia,’ making Bosra its capital.

George L. Robinson.

A rugged region, corresponds to the Heb. Argob (q.v.), the Greek name of a region on the east of Jordan (Luke 3:1 ); one of the five Roman provinces into which that district was divided. It was in the tetrarchy of Philip, and is now called the Lejah.

The region of Trachonitis lay to the north-east of Palestine, between Lake Galilee and Damascus. It was on the northern edge of the territory known in Old Testament times as Bashan (Numbers 32:33; Deuteronomy 32:14; see BASHAN). At the time Jesus began his public ministry, the governor of Trachonitis was Philip, a son of Herod the Great (Luke 3:1). (For map and other details see HEROD.)

Luke 3:1. The Trachonite region (the old Bashan) included parrs of Auranitis, Gaulanitis, and Batanaea besides Trachonitis proper, which lay S. of Damascus and E. of Gaulanitis. (Josephus Ant. 17:8, section 1; 11, section 4). Philip was tetrarch of Trachonitis and Ituraea. (See PHILIP.) Trachonitis is the Greek for the Aramaic Αrgob ("heap of stones"), "the rugged region," abounding in caves, some of vast extent. Jerome places Trachonitis rightly between Damascus and Bostra; having Kenath among its chief towns. Trachonitis included el Lejah and part of the western slopes of jebel Hauran. (See ARGOB.)

On the northern border of Trachonitis are the large ruins of Musmeih, which an inscription on a temple door identifies with Phocus (Phoeno) the old capital (Burckhardt, Trav. Syriac 117). The Lejah is bounded on the E. by the mountains of Batanaea (jebel Ηauran ) whereon lie the ruins of Kenath, on the S. by Auranitis (Hauran) whereon are the ruins of Bostra, on the N. by Ituraea (Jedur) and Damascus. Josephus (Ant. 15:10, section 1) says "the inhabitants dwelt in caves that served as a refuge for themselves and their flocks; they had cisterns of water, and stored granaries, and so were able to defy their enemies. The cave doors are so narrow that but one can enter at a time, while within they are incredibly large; the ground above abounds in rugged rocks with many windings, and difficult of access except with a guide." From Josephus' time until the present day it has been the haunt and asylum of robbers.

TRACHONITIS.—A Roman province of Eastern Palestine over which Herod Philip held rule when John the Baptist entered upon his public ministry (Luke 3:1). The Greek word τραχωνῖτις or τράχων signifies a ‘rough or stony place,’ and its identification with the wild and rugged volcanic region within the limits of ancient Bashan, which the Arabs designate el-Lejâ (‘the refuge’), is unquestioned. This was the heart, as well as the most notable portion, of the province, and gave to it its distinctive name. The phrase τραχωνίτιδος χώρας (‘the Trachonite region,’ Luke 3:1) implies an extent of territory beyond the limits of the Trachon, or lava-bed section. The name does not occur elsewhere in the NT, but the boundaries of the province can be approximately defined, from statements concerning it in the works of Josephus, Ptolemy, Strabo, and other writers. Josephus informs us that its N.W. limit extended to the districts of Ulatha and Paneas, at the southern base of Mount Hermon; and also that it bordered on Auranitis (en-Nukra) and Batanaea (Ant. xv. x. 3, xvii. ii. 1; BJ i. xx. 4). The line of the western border is not definitely given, but it probably extended to the eastern limit of Gaulanitis (Jaulan), which is frequently alluded to as a separate district of Herod Philip’s dominion.

Literature.—Burckhardt, Travels in Syria, 110 ff.; Wetzstein, Reisebericht über Hauran, etc., 110 ff.; de Vogüé, Syrie Centrale, 89 ff.; Schumacher, Across the Jordan; Porter, Damascus, ii. 268–272, Giant Cities of Bashan, 24–97: Graham in Jour. Royal Geog. Soc. 1858, p. 256 ff.; Ewing in PEFSt [Note: EFSt Quarterly Statement of the same.] , pp. 41 ff., 60 ff., 131 ff., etc.; Merrill, East of the Jordan; Stewart, Land of Israel; G. A. Smith, HGHL [Note: GHL Historical Geog. of Holy Land.] ; Tristram, Topog. of the Holy Lund; Baedeker’s Pal. [Note: Palestine, Palestinian.] 5 [Note: designates the particular edition of the work referred] pp. 193–194; Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible , articles ‘Argob’ and ‘Trachonitis.’

R. L. Stewart.

Stony

A district forming part of the tetrarchy of Philip. Luke 3:1 . It was beyond the Jordan on the north-east, its centre being about 32 50' N, 36 30' E . The district is now called el Lejah.

Trachonitis (trăk'o-nî'tis), a rugged region. One of the five Roman provinces into which the district northeast of the Jordan was divided in New Testament times. It lay to the east of Ituræa and Gaulonitis and to the south of Damascus, and included the remarkable region of the modern Lejah (see Argob) and part of the western slopes of Jebel Hauran. The emperor Augustus entrusted it to Herod the Great on the condition that he should clear it of robbers. Herod Philip succeeded to the tetrarchy. Luke 3:1. He died a.d. 33, and the emperor Caligula bestowed the province of Trachonitis upon Herod Agrippa I. Later it was part of the dominions of Herod Agrippa II., a.d. 63.

Luke 3:1 . This province had Arabia Deserta to the east, Batanea to the west, Iturea to the south, and the country of Damascus to the north. It belonged rather to Arabia than Palestine; was a rocky province, and served as a shelter for thieves and depredators.

In the time of Christ, was, as its name imports, a rugged province, lying on the northeast border of Palestine, south of Damascus, between the mountains of Arabia Deserta on the east, and Iturea, Auranitis, and Batania on the west and south, Luke 3:1 . Herod the Great subdued the robbers that infested it; and after his death it was governed by Philip his son, and then by Herod Agrippa.