AGUTAINO, ii'g'57-1.ilra$. A Malay people on Agttaino Island. See PHILIPPINES.
A'HAB (Tick father's brother). King of Israel front Si,) to S5:1 me„, the son and Slleves ROI' of Omri (1. Kings xvi 40). The story of his reign is told at greater length than that of any other monarch. but the narrative. in the opinion of Many "Wile •rities, is derived from two different sonreess which differ as to the point of view from which the events in Ahab's rein are viewed. The one represents the attitude of the Yahweh purists. the other a patriotic ad miration of Almb's bravery and rigorous policy, by means of which Ahab succeeded in checking the advance of the Aramaic kinrdom. whose seat was at Damascus. This Syrian State, which could easily combine with the enemies of the Hebrews —Moah and Edom more particularly—was the great danger that threatened the very existence of the Isnoditish kingdom. Ahab not only held Ilenhadad at bay, but retained control over Moab, to which the inscription of King Mesh ti of 'Moult (see MOABITE Sroxli) bears witness. No less than three campaigns were waged against Syria. In the first two, Ahab was suecessful: and in the interval bet tveen the second and third, llenhadad and Ahab joined forces to withstand an attack of the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser 11. The lat ter in his inscription mentions Ahab, and places the size of the force furnished by hint at 1200 chariots, 1200 horsemen. and 20,000 soldiers. The Assyrian kings were fond of exaggerating, after a Nie1 OTC, the strength of their opponents. and the fignres mentioned are probably too high. Shalmaneser met the combination of Palestinian and Syrian forces at Karkar, near the river Orontes. and claims to have rained a great vic tory. If this be so, the consequences do not appear to have been of any moment, for shortly afterward Assyrian armies are again obliged to undertake an expedition to the west. Shortly after the battle of Karkar, Abah's relat' with Benhadad arc again hostile, and he combines with dehosha pha I, King of Judah, in a movement to crush Aram. The Hebrews, however, are de
feated, and Ahab himself is slain. Ahab. while a follower of Yahweh, did not hesitate, in ae on-dance with the tignItme; shown by xigorons rulers, to seek the ludo of other powers. His marriage to Jezebel, daughter of I.thbaal. the Tyre ls(r.loserhus, viii. led to the introduction of the worship of Mel kart, the Baal of Tvre, as part of the ouficfAl cult. That Ahab did not regard such an act as hostile to Yahweh is shown by the fact that his children bear in which Yahweh :Anwar: as an clement (Jeliorant lint in the eyes of a Valnri,t, like the prophet Elijah, such vonduct was reprehensible. and a conflict ensues between the Icing and the prophet. The story of the covers xvii-xix. of 1. Kings. is embellished with forceful incidents, all intended to bring out t he superior ity of Elijah and to show Ahab in the light of a wicked and sinful king. widish he assuredly was not, It must be admitted, however, that his Pcliey was a Intrel• secular one. and that be was by political and not religious itugsidem lions.; in his various acts. So. the severest charge brought against Ili; acquiescence in the judicial murder of Naboth. which was about by :Jezebel. appears in a less opprobri light if we recall that the question of royal au thority was at stake, and that Ahab could not afford to risk his position among his people as their lord ;incl master by yielding to any 0111104 however against a royal request (See 31:zEltta..) Tho story that the blood of Ahab's body was Iiekoil up by dogs is an illustra tion of the uncompromising attiinde toward. hint by the prophetical writers.