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TowerAid to Bible Understanding
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(Neh. 3:25-27) Some think this latter tower was the one referred to in The Song of Solomon as “the tower of David, built in courses of stone, upon which are hung a thousand shields, all the circular shields of the mighty men.” (Song of Sol. 4:4) This tower should not be confused with the more modern so-called “Tower of David,” which incorporates the tower of Phasael, partly destroyed by Titus in 70 C.E. This Phasael tower was one of the three built by Herod the Great for the protection of his new palace erected near the site of the ancient Corner Gate on the W side of the city.
The Tower in Siloam was probably in the vicinity of the pool by that name in the BE sector of Jerusalem. Jesus mentioned that this tower collapsed, killing eighteen men, an event that must have been fresh in the memory of his audience.—Luke 13:4; see ANTONIA, CASTLE OF.
FIGURATIVE USE
Those who look in faith and obedience to Jehovah have great security, as David sang: “You [Jehovah] have proved to be a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy.” (Ps. 61:3) Those who recognize what his name stands for, and who trust in and faithfully represent that name, have nothing to fear, for: “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower. Into it the righteous runs and is given protection.”—Prov. 18:10; compare 1 Samuel 17:45-47.
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Tower of BabelAid to Bible Understanding
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TOWER OF BABEL
See BABEL.
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TownAid to Bible Understanding
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TOWN
See CITY.
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TrachonitisAid to Bible Understanding
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TRACHONITIS
(Trach·o·niʹtis) [rough, stony region].
That region which, together with Ituraea, was under the administration of Philip, the Roman district ruler during the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. (Luke 3:1) The northern limits of Trachonitis were some twenty-five miles (40 kilometers) SE of Damascus in the northeastern part of Bashan. In size, it embraced a pear-shaped area of about 350 square miles (906 square kilometers).
For the most part exposed lava deposits with their deep fissures and holes cover the central portion of this country, leaving little land suitable for the cultivation of more than vineyards. It is a wild, inhospitable and foreboding country, known today by the Arabic name el Leja (meaning “the Refuge”), for it affords a suitable hideout for fugitives from justice.
At one time the population of Trachonitis was much greater than at present, judging from the ruins of its ancient cities. The absence of wood in the construction of these cities indicates that even in ancient times the country was probably as devoid of timber as it is today. Sufficient rainfall and the presence of springs make sheep- and goat-raising possible.
Trachonitis is mentioned only once in the Bible, though Strabo and Josephus make several references to this region. From such secular sources it is learned that Roman Emperor Augustus included Trachonitis in the kingdom territory given to Herod the Great. Upon Herod’s death his son Philip received Trachonitis as part of his tetrarchy over which he ruled down to his death.
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TraditionAid to Bible Understanding
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TRADITION
Information, doctrines or practices that have been handed down from parents to children or that have become the established way of thinking or acting. The Greek word pa·raʹdo·sis means, basically, “a giving over, giving up” and hence tradition in the sense of “a giving over which is done by word of mouth or in writing.” The word as used in the Christian Greek Scriptures is applied to traditions that were proper or acceptable aspects of true worship, as well as to those that were in error or were followed or viewed in a way that made them harmful and objectionable.
Over the centuries the Jews acquired many traditions. These included ways of dress and handling social matters such as weddings and burials. (John 2:1, 2; 19:40) Also, some aspects of Jewish worship in the first century C.E. were customary or traditional, like using wine in the Passover meal and celebrating the rededication of the temple. (Luke 22:14-18; John 10:22) Jesus and his apostles did not object to such, though they knew that those things were not required by the Law. When the synagogue became a common place of Jewish worship it was custom or tradition to worship there each sabbath. Luke says that Jesus also attended, “according to his custom.”—Luke 4:16.
DISAPPROVED TRADITIONS
The Jewish religious leaders, though, had added to the written Word many verbal traditions that they viewed as indispensable to true worship. Paul (Saul), as a Pharisee before his conversion to Christianity, was unusually zealous to follow the traditions of Judaism. These would, of course, include the unobjectionable ones and the bad ones. By following the “commands of men as doctrines,” he was led to be a persecutor of Christians. (Matt. 15:9) For instance, they ‘did not eat unless they washed their hands up to the elbow, holding fast the tradition of the men of former times.’ (Mark 7:3) Among those men this practice was not for hygienic purposes, but was a ceremonious ritual that supposedly had religious merit. (See WASHING OF HANDS.) Christ showed that they had no basis for criticizing his disciples for not following that and other unnecessary “commands of men.” (Matt. 15:1, 2, 7-11; Mark 7:4-8; Isa. 29:13) Furthermore, by their tradition regarding “corban” (a gift dedicated to God) the religious leaders had made God’s Word invalid, overstepping the commandment of God.—Ex. 20:12; 21:17; Matt. 15:3-6; Mark 7:9-15; see CORBAN.
Neither Jesus nor his disciples ever quoted oral Jewish tradition to support their teachings, but, rather, appealed to the written Word of God. (Matt. 4:4-10; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:15-17) Once the Christian congregation was established, observance of the unscriptural Jewish traditions amounted to a “fruitless form of conduct” that Jewish persons had ‘received by tradition from their forefathers [Gr., pa·tro·pa·raʹdo·tos, meaning “delivered down from one’s fathers, ancestral”].’ (1 Pet. 1:18) Upon becoming Christians, those Jews abandoned such traditions. When some false teachers in Colossae urged taking up that form of worship, Paul warned against “the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men.” Evidently he meant, especially, the traditions of Judaism.—Col. 2:8, 13-17.
CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS
Viewing tradition in the sense of information handed down orally or by example, the information that the apostle Paul received directly from Jesus could properly be passed on to the Christian congregations as acceptable Christian tradition. This was so, for example, regarding the celebration of the Lord’s Evening Meal. (1 Cor. 11:2, 23) The teachings and example set by the apostles constituted valid tradition. Thus, Paul, who had personally toiled with his hands so as not to be a financial burden on his brothers (Acts 18:3; 20:34; 1 Cor. 9:15; 1 Thess. 2:9), could urge the Thessalonian Christians “to withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition [pa·raʹdo·sis]” they had received. One who would not work was plainly not following the fine example or tradition of the apostles.—2 Thess. 3:6-11.
The “traditions” that are necessary for worship of God that is clean and undefiled were in time included as part of the inspired Scriptures. Hence, the traditions or precepts that were transmitted by Jesus and the apostles and that were vital for life were not left in oral form to be distorted by the passage of
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