See ABILENE.

tetrarch of Abilene (Lu 3:1), on the eastern slope of Anti-Lebanon, near the city of Damascus.

Tetrarch of Abilene, the district round Abila, in the 15th year of Tiberius' reign. It is not the elder Lysanias, who died 34 B.C. (Josephus, B. J. 1:13, section 1; Ant. 14:7, section 4; 15:4, section 1; 18:6, section 10; 19:5, section 1; B. J. 2:12, section 8), and never ruled Abilene, but his son, who is meant by Lu 3:1. An inscription found near Baalbek on a memorial tablet to "Zenodorus, son of the tetrarch Lysanias, and to Lysanias her children" by the widow of the first and mother of the second Lysanias proves Luke's accuracy, which had been doubted because no proof was found of the existence of a second Lysanias.

This tetrarch of Abilene is mentioned only in Lu 3:1. St. Luke has been accused of gross inaccuracy here, and is said to he referring to a Lysanias who died b.c. 36. But that Lysanias was king (not tetrarch) of chalcis (not Abilene). Josephus speaks of 'Ahila of Lysanias' and of a tetrarchy of Lysanias; he is confirmed on the latter point by a medal and an inscription. Thus Luke's statement is made at least quite probable. Perhaps Lysanias was a dynastic name of the rulers of Abilene. Ahila was the capital of Abilene, and lay on the N. side of Mount Hermon. See also Abilene.

A. J. Maclean.

Lysa'nias

Tetrarch of Abilene, of whom nothing more is recorded. Lu 3:1. He is mentioned by Josephus: Ant. xv. 4, 1.

Lysa'nias

(that drives away sorrow), mentioned by St. Luke in one of his chronological passages, ch.

Lu 3:1

as being tetrarch. of Abilene (i.e. the district round Abila) in the thirteenth year of Tiberius (A.D. 26), at the time when Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee and Herod Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis.