POTTER. The potter, and the produce of his labours, are often alluded to in the Scriptures. The fragility of his wares, and the ease with which they are destroyed, supply apt emblems of the facility with which human life and power may be broken and destroyed. It is in this figurative use that the potter's vessels are most frequently noticed in Scripture (Ps. ii. 9 ; Is. xxx. 1˘ ; Jer. xix. I I ; Rev. ii. 27). In one place, the power of the potter to form with his clay, by the impulse of his will and hand, vessels either for honourable or for mean uses, is employed with great force by the apostle to illustrate the absolute power of God in moulding the destinies of men according to his pleasure (Rom. ix. 21). The first distinct men tion of earthenware vessels is in the case of the pitchers in which Gideon's men concealed their lamps, and which they broke in pieces when they withdrew their lamps from them (Judg. vii. 16, 19). Pitchers and bottles are indeed mentioned earlier ; but the bottle' which contained Hagar's water (Gen. xxi. 14, 15) was undoubtedly of skin ; and although Rebckah's pitcher was possibly of earthenware (Gen. xxiv. 14, 15), we cannot be certain that it was so.
The potter's wheel is mentioned only once in the Bible (Jer. xviii. 2) ; but it must have been in use among the Hebrews long before the time of that allusion ; for we now know that it existed in Egypt before the Israelites took refuge in that country (Wilkinson, Aye. Egypt., iii. i65). The processes employed by the Hebrews were probably not in any way dissimilar to those of the Egyptians, from whom the use of the wheel may be supposed to have been adopted. There is the greater pro
bability in this, as the materials, forms, and manu facture of earthenware vessels are still very similar throughout Western Asia, and are also the same which were anciently in use. This we know from the comparison of ancient paintings and sculptures with modern manufactures, as well as from the vast quantities of broken pottery which are found upon the sites of ancient cities. The ancient pot ters frequently kneaded the clay with their feet, and after it had been properly worked up, they formed it into a mass of convenient size with the hand, and placed it on the wheel, which, to judge from that represented in the paintings, was of very simple construction, and turned with the hand. The various forms of the vases were made out by the finger during the revolution ; the handles, if they had any, were afterwards affixed to them ; and the devices and other ornamental parts were traced with a wooden or metal instrument, pre viously to their being baked. They were then suffered to dry, and for this purpose were placed on planks of wood ; they were afterwards arranged with great care on trays, and carried, by means of the usual yoke, borne on men's shoulders, to the oven' (Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptians, iii. 163-167).— J. K.