THYME WOOD (thi'fn wood), (Gr. E6Xop 06Dov, xu'lon thoo'ee-non, fragrant wood), is mentioned as one of the articles of merchandise which would cease to be purchased in consequence of the fall of Babylon (Rev. xviii:12).
This wood was in considerable demand by the Romans, being much employed by them in the ornamental woodwork of their villas, and also for tables, bowls, and vessels of different kinds. It is noticed by most ancient authors, from the time of Theophrastus. It was the citron wood of the Romans, and was produced only in Africa, in the neighborhood of Mount Atlas, and in Gran seph. Vita, sec. 65). In the last Jewish war the fortifications of Tiberias were an important mili tary station (De Bell. Jud. ii. 20, 6; iii. to, i ; Vita, sec. 8, sq.).
According to Josephus (Vita, sec. 12), the in habitants of Tiberias derived their maintenance chiefly from the navigation of the lake of Gen nesaret, and from its fisheries. After the de struction of Jerusalem Tiberias was celebrated during several centuries for its famous Rabbinical academy (see Lightfoot's Ilcb. p. 140, sq.) Not far from Tiberias, in the immediate neigh borhood of the town of Emmaus, were warm mineral springs, whose celebrated baths are some times spoken of as belonging to Tiberias itself (Joseph. De Bell. Ind. ii. 21, sec. 6; Antiq. xviii. 2. 3; Vita, sec. 16; I'Iishna, Sabb. iii. 4 ; and other Talmudical passages in Lightfoot's flora' Ilcb. p.
133, sq.). These springs contain sulphur, salt, and iron; and are still employed for medicinal pur poses. The temperature ranges from 131° to 142° Fahr.
The houses are mostly of black basalt. On January i, 1837,it suffered severely from an earth ada. It grew to a great size. This cedar or citron wood was most likely produced by Callitris quad rivalvis, the Thuja articulate of Linnaeus, which is a native of Mount Atlas, and of other un cultivated hills on the coast of Africa. J. F. R.
a small town situated about the middle of the western bank of the lake of Gennesaret (John v :23).
Tiberias was chiefly built by the tetrarch Herod Antipas, and called by him after the Em peror Tiberius (Joseph. Antiq, xviii:2, 3). Ac cording to Joliffe it is nearly twenty English miles from Nazareth and ninety miles from Jerusalem. Others find it above two days' journey from Ptolemais. It is mentioned in John vi :1, 23; xxi From the time of Herod Antipas to the com mencement of the reign of Herod Agrippa II,. Tiberias was the principal city of the province (see Joseph. Vita, sec. 9). It was one of the four cities which Nero added to the kingdom of Agrippa (De Bell. Ind. xx. 13. 2). Sepphoris and Tiberias were the largest cities of Galilee (Jo quake, but has since in a large measure been re built. The Jewish quarter is near the lake.