SIZ 
AHA 
Species, i. Agyneia impubes: leaves fmooth on both 
Tides. 2. Agyneia pubera: leaves downy underneath. 
Both are natives of China. 
' AGYNI ANI,/i [a,priv. and yinj, woman.] Inchurch- 
hiflory, a feci, who condemned all ufe of flefh, and mar¬ 
riage, as not militated by God, but introduced at the in- 
ftigation of the devil. Thev are fometimes called Agynii, 
and Agynnenfes ; and are faid to have appeared about the 
year 654. It is no wonder they were of no long continu¬ 
ance. Their tenets coincide in a great meafure with thofe 
of tire Abelians, Gnoftics, Cerdonians, and other preach¬ 
ers of chaftity and abftincnce. 
AGYRTi£,yi [ayrplai, Gr. formed of the verb ayvpu, 
I congregate; alluding to the practice of the charlatans, 
who gather a crowd about them.] In antiquity, a kind of 
impoftors who ran about the country telling fortunes, and 
pretending to cure difeafes by charms, facrifices, and other 
religious mylleries; alfo to expiate the crimes of their 
deceafed anceftors, by virtue of certain odours and fumi¬ 
gations; or to torment their enemies, by the ufe of magi¬ 
cal verfes and the like. Among the Greeks, they amount 
to the fame with JErufcatores among the Latins, and differ 
not much from Gypjics among us. 
AH, intcrj. A word noting fometimes diflike and cen- 
fure. Sometimes contempt and exultation. Sometimes, 
and mod frequently, companion and complaint: 
Ah me! the blooming pride of May 
And that of beauty are but one : 
At morn both flouriflt bright and gay, 
Both fade at evening, pale and gone. Prior. 
When it is followed by that, it exprelfes vehement delire: 
In goodnefs, as in greatnefs, they excel; 
Ah! that we lov ! d ourfelves but half fowell. Dryden. 
AHA! AHA! interj. A word intimating triumph and 
contempt.—They opened their mouths wide againfl me, 
and faid, Aka! aha! our eye hath feenit. Pfalm xxxv. 21. 
AHAB, fori of Omri king of Ifrael, fucceeded his fa¬ 
ther, and furpalfed all his predeceffors in impiety and 
wickednefs. He married Jezebel the daughter of Eth- 
baal king of the Zidonians, who introduced the idols of 
Baal and Allarte among the Ifraelites, and engaged Ahab 
in the worfhip of thefe falfe deities. God, being provo¬ 
ked by the fins of Ahab, lent the prophet Elijah to him (1 
Kings, xvii. 1, &c.) who declared to him, that there would 
be a famine of three years continuance. The dearth ha¬ 
ving laded three years, the prophet defired Ahab to gather 
all the people to mount Carmel, and with them the pro¬ 
phets of Baal: when they were thus affembled, Elijah 
caufed fire to defcend from heaven upon his facrifice, after 
which he obtained of God that it firould rain ; and then 
the earth recovered its former fertility. Six years after 
this, Ben-hadad king of Syria laid fiege to Jerufalem. But 
God, provoked at this proud Syrian, fent a prophet to 
Ahab, not only to afifure him of victory, but to indrmSt 
him likewife in what manner he was to obtain it. Ahab 
was ordered to review the princes of the provinces, which 
he found to be a choice company confiding of 232 young 
men, who were to command the people in Samaria, amount¬ 
ing to about 7000 men: with this fmall army Ahab was 
directed to fall upon the great hod of the Syrians at noon¬ 
day, while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings that ac¬ 
companied him were drinking and making merry. Ben- 
hadad, having notice that they were marching out of the 
city, ordered them to be brought before him alive, what¬ 
ever their defigns were: but the young men, followed by 
this fmall army, advanced, and, killing all that oppofed 
them, fiich a panic feized the Syrian troops, that they be¬ 
gan to fly ; and even Ben-hadad himfelf mounted his horfe 
and fled with his cavalry ; which Ahab perceiving, pur- 
fued them, killed great numbers of them, and took a 
confiderable booty. After this the prophet came to Ahab, 
to animate him with frelh courage, and to caution him to 
keep upon his guard; alluring him that Ben-hadad would 
AHA 
return againfl him the year following. According to this 
prediction, at the end of the year he returned and en¬ 
camped at Aphek, with a refolution to give the Ifraelites 
battle. Both armies being ranged in order of battle for 
feven days fucceflively, at length, upon the feventh day, 
a battle enfued, wherein the Ifraelites killed 100,000 of 
the Syrians, and the reft fled to Aphek ; but, as they were 
prefllng to get into the city, the walls of Aphek fell upon 
them and killed 27,000 more. Ben-hadad throwing him¬ 
felf upon the mercy of Ahab, this prince received him 
into his own chariot, and made an alliance with him. The 
year following, Ahab defiring to make a kitchen-garden 
near his palace, requelted of Naboth, a citizen of Jezreel, 
that he would fell him his vineyard, becaufe it lay conve¬ 
nient for him. But, being refufed, he returned in great 
difeontentment to his houfe, threw himfelf upon the bed, 
turned towards the wall, and would eat nothing. Jezebel 
his wife, coming in, alked the reafonof his great concern ; 
of which being informed, fhe procured tiie deqth of Na¬ 
both, and Ahab took polfeffion of his vineyard. As hi 
returned from jezreel to Samaria, the prophet Elijah met 
him, and faid, “ Halt thou killed, and alio taken polfef- 
fion ? Now faith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked 
up the blood of Naboth, fhall dogs lick thy blood, even 
thine. As for Jezebel, of her the Lord fpake, faying, 
The dogs fhall eat Jezebel by the way of Jezreel.” Thefe 
prophecies were literally fulfilled upon both. 
AHzETULA, f. the trivial name of a fpecies of the 
coluber. See Coluber. 
AHASUERUS, or Artaxerxes, the hufband of Eit¬ 
her; and, according to archbifhop Ufher and F. Calmet, 
the feripture name for Darius, the fon of Hyllafpes, king 
of Perfia; though Scaliger will have Xerxes to be the' 
hufband of Either, or the Ahafuerus of feripture; and 
Dr. Prideaux believes him to be Artaxerxes Longimanus. 
See Hiltory of Persia. 
AHAZ, king of Judah, the fon of Jotham, remarka¬ 
ble for his vices and impieties. One of his fons he con- 
fecrated, by making him pafs through and peri fit by the 
fire, in honour of the falfe god Moloch ; and he offered 
facrifices and incenfe upon the high places, upon hills, and 
in groves. Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah king of If¬ 
rael, invaded Judea in the beginning of the reign of Ahaz; 
and, having defeated his army, laid fiege to Jerufalem. 
When they found that they could not make themfelves 
matters of that city, they divided their army, plundered 
the country, and made the inhabitants prifoners of war. 
Rezin and his part of the confederate army marched with 
all their fpoil to Damafcus; but Pekah with his divifion 
of the army having attacked Ahaz, killed 120,000 men 
of his army in one battle, and carried away men, women, 
and children, without diflindlion, to the number of 20.0.000. 
But, as they were carrying thofe captives to Samaria, the 
prophet Oded, with the principal inhabitants of the city, 
came out to meet them; and by their remonllrances pre¬ 
vailed with them to fet their prifoners at liberty. At the 
fame time the Philiftines and Edomites invaded other parts 
of his land, killed multitudes of the people, and carried 
offmuch booty. In this diftreffed condition, Ahaz, find¬ 
ing no other remedy for his affairs, fent ambaffadors to 
Tiglath-pilefer king of the Affyrians ; and, to engage him 
in his intereft, he ftripped the temple and city of all the 
gold which he could meet with, and fent it as a prefent. 
Accordingly Tiglath-pilefer marched to the afliftance of 
Ahaz, attacked Rezin and killed him, took his capital 
Damafcus, deftroyed it, and removed the inhabitants 
thereof to Cyrene. 
AHAZIAII, the fon and fucceffor of Ahab king of 
Ifrael, reigned two years, part of the time alone, and 
part with his father Ahab, who ordained him his aflbci - 
ate in the kingdom a year before his death. Ahaziah 
imitated his father’s impieties, (1 Kings xxii. 32.) and 
paid his adoration to Baal and Allarte, the worfhip of 
■whom had been introduced in Ifrael by Jezebel his mo¬ 
ther. 
Ahaziah 
