PTOLEMY (ptol'e-n4) (-tol'-). This common name of the Greek kings of Egypt dues not occur in the canonical Scripture, but is frequent in the books of Maccabees and in Josephus.
(1) Ptolemy I, Soter (B. C. 323-285), the founder of the dynasty ; probably an illegitimate son of Philip by his concubine Arsenoe; served as a general in the army of Alexander ; seized Egypt (B. C. 323), and maintained himself there against Perdiecas (B. C. 321), Demetrius (B. C. 312), and Antigonus (B. C. 3o1). When invading Syria (B. C. 32o), he swept down upon Jerusalem on a Sabbath-day, occupied the city, and carried away a number of Jews as prisoners to Egypt. But he treated them well, and founded a flourishing Jew ish colony in his kingdom. It is commonly sup posed he is meant, in Dan.xi:5,by "the king of the south." He fostered literature, science and art, and founded the famous museum and library of Alex andria. (See ALEXANDRIA.) Two years before his death he abdicated in fa vor of his son Ptolemy Philadelphus.
(2) Ptolemy II, Philadelphus (B. C. 285 247), son of the preceding; reigned in peace after the marriage of his daughter, Berenice, with Antiochus II. of Syria (Dan. xi:6). He enriched the library of Alexandria which his father had furnished with innumerable literary treasures. He drew to that city such men as the poet Theoeritus and Philetas, the geometrician Euclid, the astron omers Aristarehus and Aratus, etc.; is said to have given the first impulse to the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament ; and was promi nent in bringing about that amalgamation of East and West, of Jewish wisdom and Greek phi losophy, which left so deep traces in the history of both Judaism and Christianity. Under him Egypt rose to a high rank among the nations in power and wealth.
(3) Ptolemy III, Euergetes (B. C. 247-222), son of the preceding; invaded Syria to avenge the repudiation and murder of his sister Berenice; conquered the country as far north as Antioch and as far east as Babylon ; offered sacrifices in the temple of Jerusalem. according to the custom of the law ; and brought back to Egypt immense treasures, including the gods and their molten images, which Cambyses had carried to Babylon (Dan. xi He added so largely to the library at Alexandria that he has sometimes been called its founder. In his reign Egypt reached the high est point of military glory, prosperity and wealth.
(4) Ptolemy IV, Philopator (B. C. 222-25), son of the preceding; defeated the army of Antiochus the Great at Raphia, near Gaza, 215 (Dan. xi:to-12) ; offered sacrifices of thanksgiv ing in the temple of Jerusalem; but when he at tempted to penetrate into the sanctuary, he was suddenly struck by paralysis, the legitimate re sult of his life of debauchery.
(5) Ptolemy VI, Epiphanes (B. C. 2ob-181), son of the preceding; was only five years old when his father died. During his minority Antiochus the Great conquered Ccele-Syria, Phcenicia, and Judxa, and a great number of Jews who remained true to the Ptolemxan dy nasty fled to Egypt, where the high priest, Onias, founded the temple at Leontopolis. By the media tion of the Romans, Ptolemy and Antiochus were afterward reconciled, but the Egyptian power was now rapidly decreasing (Dan. xi :13-17). The de cree published on his coronation forms the in scription on the far-famed Rosetta Stone. (See cut on page 568.) (6) Ptolemy VI, Philometor (B. C. 181 r46), son of the preceding; was a mere infant when his father died. Up to her death (B. C. 173), his mother, Cleopatra, reigned in his stead, and she kept peace with Syria. But (B. C. 171) Antiochus Epiphanes sought and found an oc casion to attack Egypt, defeated Ptolemy VI, and carried him away a prisoner. Again it was the interference of the Romans which saved Egypt (B. C. 168) ; but the power of the country was now really broken, and it gradually glided into the position of a Roman province (Dan. xi : 25-3o). Under the reign of Ptolemy VI the Jewish temple at Leontopolis was completed; and thus there existed a Judaism independent of Jeru salem and in intimate contact with the classical civilization.
Besides these, there are several Ptolemies of less note—as, for example PTOLEMY IX, or SOTER II, otherwise called LATH YRUS or LArnvaus, who reigned first from 117 to 107 B. C., and again from 89 to 81 B. C.; also PTOLEMY X, or ALEX ANDER I, youngest son of Ptolemy VIII, who reigned from to7 to go B. C.; PTOLEMY XI, or ALEXANDER II, son of Alexander I, 81-8o B. C.; PTOLEMY XII, Or DIONYSUS, Or AULETES, an il legitimate son of Ptolemy Lathyrus, who reigned from 8o to 51 B. C.; PTOLEMY XIII, who reigned for some time in conjunction with his sister Cleo patra, and who was ultimately drowned in the Nile, after being defeated by Cxsar ; and lastly, PTOLEMY XIV, younger brother of the preceding. Cxsar appointed him joint ruler with Cleopatra, his sister and intended wife. He died by vio lence in 43 B. C.. at the instigation of Cleopatra. (See EGYPT.) PUAH (pii'ah).
1. (Heb. a blast, I Chron. vii:I).
(See PHUVAII).
2. (Heb. fioo-aw', probably splendid), one of the midwives instructed by Pharaoh to kill the male children of the Hebrews at birth (Exod. i:t5), B. C. about 174o.
3. (Heb. rQc, fioov-vaw', a blast, t Chron. vii:I), a man of Issachar, the father of Tola (Judg. x:t), B. C. before 1319.