structure of the kind that ever existed. Theatres, as places of amusement,
were unknown to the Jews.
- THEBEZ brightness, a place some 11 miles north-east of Shechem, on the
road to Scythopolis, the modern Tabas. Abimelech led his army against
this place, because of its participation in the conspiracy of the men of
Shechem; but as he drew near to the strong tower to which its inhabitants
had fled for safety, and was about to set fire to it, a woman cast a fragment
of millstone at him, and “all to brake his skull” i.e., “altogether brake,” etc.
His armourbearer thereupon “thrust him through, and he died” (Judges
9:50-55). - THEFT Punished by restitution, the proportions of which are noted in 2
Samuel 12:6. If the thief could not pay the fine, he was to be sold to a
Hebrew master till he could pay (Exodus 22:1-4). A night-thief might be
smitten till he died, and there would be no blood-guiltiness for him (22:2).
A man-stealer was to be put to death (21:16). All theft is forbidden
(Exodus 20:15; 21:16; Leviticus 19:11; Deuteronomy 5:19; 24:7; Psalm
50:18; Zechariah 5:3; Matthew 19:18; Romans 13:9; Ephesians 4:28; 1
Peter 4:15). - THEOCRACY a word first used by Josephus to denote that the Jews
were under the direct government of God himself. The nation was in all
things subject to the will of their invisible King. All the people were the
servants of Jehovah, who ruled over their public and private affairs,
communicating to them his will through the medium of the prophets. They
were the subjects of a heavenly, not of an earthly, king. They were
Jehovah’s own subjects, ruled directly by him (comp. 1 Samuel 8:6-9). - THEOPHILUS lover of God, a Christian, probably a Roman, to whom
Luke dedicated both his Gospel (Luke 1:3) and the Acts of the Apostles
(1:1). Nothing beyond this is known of him. From the fact that Luke
applies to him the title “most excellent”, the same title Paul uses in
addressing Felix (Acts 23:26; 24:3) and Festus (26:25), it has been
concluded that Theophilus was a person of rank, perhaps a Roman officer. - THESSALONIANS, EPISTLES TO THE The first epistle to the
Thessalonians was the first of all Paul’s epistles. It was in all probability
written from Corinth, where he abode a “long time” (Acts 18:11, 18), early
in the period of his residence there, about the end of A.D. 52.