MACEDONLA. (rnac'e-do'ni-a), (Gr. Marce5ovia, mak-cd-on-ee'ah, from the mythical founder Mace don). A country lying to the north of Greece Proper, having on the east Thrace and the iEgwan Sea, on the west the Adriatic and Illyria, on the north Dardania and Mwsia, and on the south Thessaly and Epirus.
The country is supposed to have been first peo pled by Chittim or Kittim, a son of Javan (Gen. x:4), (see NATIONS, DISPERSION OF) ; and in that case it.is probable that thc Macedonians are some times intended when the word Chittim occurs in the Old Testament. Macedonia was thc orig inal kingdom of Philip and Alexander, by means of whose victories the name of the Mat, donians became celebrated throughout' the East, and is often used for the Greeks in Asia gener ally (Esth. Apoc. xviii:to, 14; 2 Mace. viii :2o). The rise of the great empire formed by Alex ander is described by the prophet Daniel under the emblem of a goat with one horn (Dan. viii: 3-8). As the horn was a general symbol of power, and as the oneness of the horn im plies merely the unity of that power, we are not prepared to go the lengths of some over-zealous illustrators of scripture, who ar gue that if a one-horned goat wcre not a recog nized symbol of Macedonia we should not bc en titled to conclude that Macedonia was intended. We hold that there could be no mistake in the mateer, whatever may have been the usual sym bol of Macedonia. It is, however, curious and interesting to know that Daniel did describe Mac edonia under its usual symbol, as coins still ex ist in which that country is represented under the figure of a one-horned goat. There has
been much discussion on this subject—more curi ous than valuable—but the kernel of it lies in this fact.
(1) Subdued and Divided. When subdued by the Romans under Paulus rEmilius (B. C. 168), Macedonia was divided into four provinces; but afterwards (B. C. 142) the whole of Greece was divided into two great provinces, Mace donia and Achaia. (See GREECE ; ACHAIA.) Macedonia therefore constituted a Roman prov ince, governed by a proconsul (provincia pro consularis; Tacit. Annal. 76; Suet. Claus 26), in the time of Christ and his apostles.
(2) Paul's Mission. The Apostle Paul be ing summoned in a vision while at Troas, to preach the gospel in Macedonia, proceeded thither, and founded the churchcs of Thessalonica and Philippi (Acts xvi :9), A. D. 55. This occasions repeat'ed mention of the name, either alone (Acts xviii :5 ; xix:2r ; Rom. xv:26; 2 COT. I:16; XI:9; Phil. iv:15), or along with Achaia (2 Cor. ix : 2; Thess. i :8). The principal cities of donia were Amphipolis, Thessalonica, Pella, and Pelagonia (Liv. xlv :2o) : the towns of the prov ince named in the Ncw Testament, and noticed in the present work, are Amphipolis, Thessalonica, Ncapolis, Apollonia, and Berea. (See PAui..)