Fig. 312—Macacus Arabicus
There is much to suggest the probability that the 'satyr' of; , if not also the 'hairy ones' (rendered 'devils') of , were no other than a species of ape or baboon. The only species of ape of the baboon form known in Arabia is the Macacus Arabicus, remarkable for stature and aspect, having the doglike nose and approximating eyes of baboons; the skin of the face of a reddish color; the snout, lips, and chin black; the forehead low, and the sides of the head furnished with bushy, long, white hair; the breast, arms and shoulders similarly covered, but the loins and lower extremities of a fine chestnut; the tail of the same color, of no great length, tufted at the end, and all the hands black. It is found from the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, through Southern Arabia to the Euphrates, and even beyond the junction of that river with the Tigris. Like other large and formidable Simiadæ, it is less solicitous about the vicinity of trees, because it is armed with powerful canines; holds its enemy firmly grasped, and fights, not singly, but assisted by the whole troop: it frequents scrubby underwood near water, but becomes more rare eastward of Yemen. Comparing the characters of this species, we find it by configuration, colors, and manners peculiarly adapted to the purposes of idolatry in its grossest and most debasing aspect. The Hebrew people, already familiar with a similar worship in Egypt, may have copied the native tribes in the wilderness, and thus drawn upon themselves the remonstrance in , where the allusion to these animals is very descriptive, as is that in; and again, , where the image is perfect, when we picture to ourselves the 'hairy ones' lurking about the river in the juniper and liquorice jungle, as described by Mr. Rich in his Memoir on the Ruins of Babylon.
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John Kitto was an English biblical scholar of Cornish descent.Born in Plymouth, John Kitto was a sickly child, son of a Cornish stonemason. The drunkenness of his father and the poverty of his family meant that much of his childhood was spent in the workhouse. He had no more than three years of erratic and interrupted education. At the age of twelve John Kitto fell on his head from a rooftop, and became totally and permanently deaf. As a young man he suffered further tragedies, disappointments and much loneliness. His height was 4 ft 8 in, and his accident left him with an impaired sense of balance. He found consolation in browsing at bookstalls and reading any books that came his way.
From these hardships he was rescued by friends who became aware of his mental abilities and encouraged him to write topical articles for local newspapers, arranging eventually for him to work as an assistant in a local library. Here he continued to educate himself.
One of his benefactors was the Exeter dentist Anthony Norris Groves, who in 1824 offered him employment as a dental assistant. Living with the Groves family, Kitto was profoundly influenced by the practical Christian faith of his employer. In 1829 he accompanied Groves on his pioneering mission to Baghdad and served as tutor to Groves's two sons. In 1833 Kitto returned to England via Constantinople, accompanied by another member of the Groves mission, Francis William Newman. Shortly afterwards he married, and in due course had several children.
A London publisher asked Kitto to write up his travel journals for a series of articles in the Penny Magazine, a publication read at that time by a million people in Britain, reprinted in America and translated into French, German and Dutch. Other writing projects followed as readers enquired about his experiences in the East amidst people living in circumstances closely resembling those of Bible times.
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