Paltite, the

A native of Beth-pelet in the Negeb of Judah (Jos 15”, Neh 1155). To this town belonged Helez, one of David's thirty heroes (2S 23%), In the parallel lists (1 Ch 117 27%) Helez is described as ‘the Pelonite’ (S57), a variation which is supported by the reading of the LXX (A) in 2S. Probably, however, ‘the Pelonite’ of the Chronicler is due to a scribal error, and ‘the Paltite’ of the MT (cf. Pesh. —? Xa) is to be retained. See PELONITE. J. Ἐς STENNING.

PAMPHYLIA (Παμφυλία) was a country on the south coast of Asia, having Lycia to the west and Cilicia Tracheia (called in later times Isauria) on the east. In the earlier and classical usage, Pam- hylia included only the narrow strip of flat, ow-lying ground between the sea and the lofty front ridge of the broad belt of mountains called Taurus, which stretches from east to west alon the southern edge of the great central plateau o Asia Minor.

The Pamphylian coast-lands were entirely dominated by Mount Taurus, which forms a singularly grand and impressive feature as one sails along the coast or approaches it from the sea. On the west frontier and on the east, in the border- lands of Lycia and Tracheiotie Cilicia, Taurus a: hapa very close to the sea, and in some P aces actually rises straight out of the water with 1ardly room for a road to pass between the moun- tain wall and the sea.

But the Pamphylian strip of land is in some places as much as 15 to 20 miles broad, and its length from east to west was esti- mated by Strabo at 640 stadia or 80 miles. The Taurus ridge along almost its whole front presents an exceedingly steep and lofty face towards the south; and hence 6 ascent from the level plain of Pamphylia up the ridge of Taurus is very steep.

In one τὸς the road that ascends the precipitous face of Taurus was called Klimax, the Ladder; and it is still correctly described by that name, for the road ascends literally by a series of broad steps for more than 2000 ft. On reaching the summit there is no corresponding descent on the northern side; but the traveller finds himself on & pacts ground, containing many large open valleys as well as narrower glens, and many mountains and hills.

This high ground is distin- gauhed in the most marked way from the low plain y the sea ; and the classical nomenclature observed the distinction, Pamphylia being the name of the sea plain and Pisidia being the high country. In later time the name Pamphylia was extended over a considerable part of Pisidia owing to new political conditions, for in A.D.

74 the Romans made an enlarged province of Pamphylia, whose bounds reached north to the frontier of Asia and the lake PAMPHYLIA Askania (see Pistp1A). But in the NT times Pam- phylia had the old and narrower limits. Though many paths across Taurus connect the Pamphylian cities with the country on the north side of the mountains, they are all so long and difficult that none of them has ever been an im- portant route for trade.

It was more convenient to send the produce of the southern plateau lands either westwards to the A2gean harbours (especially Ephesus) or by the Cilician Gates to Tarsus. Thus the Pamphylian harbours served as export and import stations only for the Pamphylian strip of coast-land and for the nearer Pisidian glens and valleys ; and the Pamphylian cities never became especially important or bebe as they had 5 comparatively small country behind them.

Still the land was rich enough to attract Greek colonies at an early period; the coinage of Side and Aspendos shows that they were half-Greek cities as early as the 5th cent. B.C. ; and Sillyon appears as a partially Grecized city about 300 Β.σ. But the Greek language spoken in these Pamphylian cities was much corrupted, and in Side is said to have passed wholly out of use before the time of Alexander the Great.

The coin-legends and in- scriptions in dialects of Greek are sometimes hardly intelligible, owing to the peculiar character of the alphabet and of the words. hese facts prove that the Greek colonizing element in Pamphylia was not strong enough to maintain itself and to dominate the native element. It died out or melted into the native population.

Even after the victories of Alexander the Great strengthened the Greek influence in Asia, Perga in Pamphylia, a purely native priestly centre, rose to importance, and struck a variety of coins. opposition to it arose the Greek city Attalia, a Pergamenian foundation of the 2nd cent. Perhaps Ptolemais during the 3rd cent.

marks a similar attempt to establish Greek influence under the protection of the Ptolemies; but the attribution of the coins ITOAEMAIEQN to Pamphylia is far from certain, though it is quite natural that in the acme of Ptolemaic power the name may have been temporarily nee to some Pamphylian EOP which was used as a centre of the authority of the Greco-Egyptian kings. But in the 2nd and lst cents. B.C.

the greatest and wealthiest city of Pamphylia was Side, whose rich coinage at this period is attributed by numismatists to its serving as the market where the pirates of Cilicia Tracheia disposed of their booty. n these circumstances it was inevitable that the Greek, or rather Greco-Roman, element should be weak in pari fa in the period when Christi- ΒΩ first entered the country.

It was not one of the more highly civilized regions, but rather one where the native Anatolian and Oriental char- acter had proved stronger than the Western influ- ence. This fact determined its history in the Christian period. In Pamphylia Christianity played a very small part during the early cen- turies. The new religion spread most in the more civilized and τα. ἐΕ regions, and not in lands like Pamphylia.

Another feature of the country must have exercised a strong determining influence on its history.

A flat plain little ieee above sea-level, — sheltered by the lofty wall of Taurus from the cooling and invigorating northern breezes which make the climate of the central Anatolian plateau for the most part invigorating and temperate— with a soil always saturated with the waters that flow down from Taurus or rise in great springs at its feet, and therefore at once fertile and fever- laden—with an atmosphere also heavy and satu rated with the moisture from the soil and from the sea, moved only by fitful breezes setting from and to the sea,—Pamphylia was not a country likely to keep alive the vigour and energy of European colonists.

Though the soil, being more thoroughly cultivated in ancient than in modern time, would not give forth the same malaria that gives the coast so infamous a reputation, yet the natural circumstances make it necessarily and always an enervating climate. Christianity was brought to Pamphylia by Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. This was the country which naturally came next within their sphere of work after Cyprus.

Cilicia had already heard the word ; and in their progress from Cyprus they must next proceed to Pamphylia.

There seems no doubt that the plan of work for the missionaries, probably sketched out even before they started from Syrian Antioch (Ac 13*), must have contemplated the evangelization of Pamphylia next after ce Thither, then, the missionaries proceeded ; but after they had reached the count there arose a difference of opinion, and John Rese left his companions and returned to Jerusalem, while the two apostles crossed Mount Taurus and reached Pisidian Antioch.

It appears that they did not preach in Pamphylia at this time. The only reasonable interpretation of these circum- stances is that the first intention had been to preach in Femphy is (which, as we have seen, was the natural oider of evangelization); and that all three concurred in that purpose: but, when the sphere of action was removed from Pamphylia to isidian Antioch, John Mark refused to acquiesce in the change of plan.

Some time later, on their return, the eppetlesyrenshed in rere (though apparently with small success); and their action on that occasion proves that Pamphylia was in- cluded in their intended sphere of work. It seems irrational to suppose either that the plan of pro- ceeding to Antioch was formed at Paphos, or that John acquiesced in that plan until he reached Pamphyhia, and then abandoned the work (Ac 13).

As to the reason why the sphere of work had been changed from Pamphylia to Antioch, no information is given in Acts; but a plausible conjecture has m advanced that residence in the moist and enervating atmosphere of Pam- phylia, coming after the fatigue of missionary travel and the intense effort of the scene in Paphos, brought out a certain weakness in St.

Paul’s constitution, causing the illness alluded to in Gal 4", Christianity seems to have been slow and late in acquiring a strong footing in Pamphylia. When St.

Peter wrote to the Gicetias in the provinces of Asia Minor, he sent no message to Pamphylia or to Lycia, which may fairly be taken as a proof that there was no body of Christians in those districts (his omission of Cilicia, where there was a body of Christians, arose from that district being classed along with Syria, and therefore being outside the range of the Epistle). On the extine- tion of Christianity in Pamphylia see PERGA.

A long succession of travellers have visited and described the Pamphylian country: by far the most elaborate study of some Pamphylian cities is contained in the splendid folios of Lanckoronski’s Stadte Pamphyliens. W. M. Ramsay.