PONTIITS PILATE (pOn' shI -us pilate), (Gr. Ildprios, pon'tee-os). See PILATE, PONTIUS. PONTUS (pon'tus), (Gr.116vros, pon'tos, the sea), the northeastern province of Asia Minor, which took its name from the sea (Pontus Euxinus) that formed its northern frontier.
On the east it was bounded by Colchis, on the south by Cappadocia and part of Armenia, and on the west by Paphlagonia and Galatia. Ptol emy (Geog. v. 5) and Pliny (Hist. Nat. vi. 4) regard Pontus and Cappadocia as one province; but Strabo (Geog. xii. p. 541) rightly distin guishes them, seeing that each formed a distinct government with its own ruler or prince. The family of Mithridates reigned in Pontus, and that of Ariarathes in Cappadocia. The two countries were also separated naturally from each other by the Lithrus and Ophlimus mountains. The king dom of Pontus became celebrated under Mithri dates the Great, who waged a long war with the Romans, in which he was at length defeated, and his kingdom annexed to the Roman empire by Pompey. That Jews had settled in Pontus, previ ous to the time of Christ, is evident from the fact that strangers from Pontus were among those as sembled at Jerusalem at the Feast of Pentecost (Acts ii :9). Christianity also became early known in this country, as the strangers 'in Pon tus' are among those to whom Peter addressed his first epistle (I Pet. i:t). Of this proVince Paul's friend, Aquila, was a native (Acts xviii: 2). The principal towns of Pontus were Amasia, the ancient metropolis, and the birthplace of the geographer Strabo. Themiscyra, Cerasus, and Trapezus; which last is still an important town under the name of Trebizond (Cellarius, Notit.
ii. 287; Mannert. vi. 35o; Rosenmtiller, BM/. Geog.
iii. 5-9; Eneyclop. Method. Sect. Geog. Ancienne, art, 'Pontos').
POOL (pool). 1. Ag-awm' (Heb. a pond, a pool).
2. Ber-aw-kaw' (Heb. benediction and so prosperity), a gift or favor sent from God (Ps. lxxxiv:6).
3. Mik-veh' (Heb. collection of water, Exod. vii:19), a gathering of water, and so trans lated in Gen, i:io.
4. Kol-oom-hay'thrah (Gr. tcoXvu13-40pa, a diving place, found only in John v:2, 4, 7; ix:7, it).
In general it denotes a reservoir for water, from which it was often conducted by pipes into towns (2 Kings xx:2o; Eccles. ii:6). The pools of Si loam, Bethesda, and (Awn were in Jerusalem.
There were also pools at Hebron, Gibeon. Sa maria and Heshbon (2 Sam. ii :13 ; iv :12 ; i Kings xxii :38).
The following are the principal pools (reser voirs) mentioned in Scripture: (1) Pool of Hezekiah (2 Kings xx :20). It was a pond opened by King Hezekiah in the city and fed by a watercourse. In 2 Chron. xxxii : 3o it is stated that "this same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David." (2) The Upper and Lower Pool. The "up per" pool (Is. vii :3 ; XXXV1:2; 2 Kings xviii :17) lying near the fuller's field, and on the road to it, outside the city. The lower pool is mentioned in Is. xxii :g. They are usually known as the up per and lower pools of Gihon.
(3) The Old Pool (Is. xxii :it), not far from the double wall ("two walls"). This double wall was contiguous to the royal garden (2 Kings xxv : 4; Jer. xxxix :4), somewhere near the southeast of the city, close by the fountain of Siloam ( Neh. iii:15).
(4) The King's Pool (Neh. ii :14) is perhaps to be found in the fountain of the virgin Mary on the east of Ophel (Robinson, ii. 102, 149), and is perhaps the same as the pool of Solomon. (Mc. & Str. Bib. Cyc.) (See GIBEON, HEBRON, SAMARIA, SOLOMON, BETHESDA, and SILOAM for the pools under those names.) Figurative. (t) Nineveh was of old like a Pool of water; her bustling inhabitants swarmed in her like multitudes of fish, nor, for a long time, was she troubled with distress and com motions (Nah. ii :8). (2) God dried up the herbs and pools, and made the rivers islands, when Cyrus diverted the stream of the Euphrates, and marching his army along the channel, entered Babylon ; or when he cut off the common people, and their supporters; or when he removed every hindrance of the return of the Jews to their own country (Is. xlii :15; Jer. 1:38). (3) Babylon was made like a pool of water, when the very place where the city stood was partly turned into a fen or marsh (Is. xiv :23). (4) He makes the parched ground, or wilderness, pools of water, when the Gentile world, so long barren of good ness, are abundantly blessed with the doctrines and influences of the gospel (Is. xxxv :7, and xli: 18).