Re: Origin of the Mansells
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Re: Origin of the Mansells
Stephen Matthews 6/07/04
Surname Mezel Roots
Zela
Related: Ancient History Middle Eastern
(zç´le) , ancient city of Pontus, NE Asia Minor. There Mithradates VI defeated Triarius c.67 BC, and in 47 BC Julius Caesar defeated Pharnaces, king of Pontus, recording the victory in his famous dispatch “Veni, vidi, vici” [I came, I saw, I conquered]. It is the modern Zile, Turkey.
Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Copyright (c) 2004.
Zela
Titular see of Asia Minor, suffragan of Amasea in the Helenopontus. In pagan times the city, which was situated on the Seylax, belonged to priests, equal in dignity to the princes of Pontus, lords of the territory. On the eminence which rises in the middle of the city stood a famous temple, consecrated by the Persian kings to their national divinities, Anahita, Vohu-Mano, and Anadates. Zela is famous for the victory of Mithridates Eupator over Valerius Trianus, lieutenant of Lucullus (67 B.C.), also for that of Caesar over Pharnaces (47 B.C.), after which he wrote his famous letter, "Veni, Vidi, Vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered). At first a mere hamlet, Zela obtained from Pompeii the title of city, and became the capital of a district allotted to Queen Pythadoris (Strabo, XI, viii, 4; XII, iii, 37; Pliny, "Hist. Nat.", VI, 8). It was finally ceded to Nero, with all Pontus Polemoniacus, by its last king, and remained part of the Greco-Roman empire until 1397, when the Turks seized it. According to a letter (72) of St. Basil, a council was held there by the Arians in the fourth century. Le Quien (Oriens christ., I, 541) mentions several bishops: Heraclius, at Nice (325); Atticus, at Chalcedon (451); Hyperechius (458), Georgius (692); Constantine (787); Paul (879). According to the "Acta Patriarchatus Constantinopolitani" of Miklosich and Muller (I, 69), there was a bishop at Zela in 1315; he was then named Metropolitan of Amasea; later the see was suppressed. Zela (now Zilch) is caza in the sandjak of Tokat and the vilayet of Silvas; the city numbers 20,000 inhabitants, 5000 of whom are Christians, the rest being nearly all schismatic Armenians.
Zela
The Karaite quarter in the tenth and eleventh centuries was outside the city walls of Jerusalem, on the hill where the original city of the Jebusites and King David had stood two thousand years earlier. It was called Haret al Masharakah (the quarter of the easterners) because the Karaites who settled there came from such eastern countries as Persia. They themselves called it "Zela Eleph", after Joshua 18:28. Their Rabbanite opponents called them accordingly "The Sect of the Zela", or, from the same Hebrew root, "The Lame Sect". We have to imagine this quarter to have been a poor locality, of crooked, narrow alleys, because of the Spartan lifestyle of its inhabitants. The existence of an important Yeshivah (academy) is reported from this quarter. It was located in the "Courtyard" (group of houses) of Joseph ben Bakhtawi, around 1000, and was named the Bakhtawi Academy. The Bakhtawi "courtyard" seems to have served also as the Karaite communal centre ("Maglis") of Jerusalem.Emphasis Added.
And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gilbeath and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages.This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.Joshua 18:28
And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father; and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that G-d was entreated for the land.2 Samuel 21:14
ZELA, ZELAH
ze'-la (tsela` (2 Samuel 21:14)):
A city in the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 18:28; the Septuagint here omits). Here was the burying-place of the family of Saul, whither the bones of the king and of Jonathan were brought for burial (2 Samuel 21:14; the Septuagint here reads en te pleura, translating tsela`, "side"). The place is not identified. It may be the Zilu of the Tell el-Amarna Letters.
NOTE:REFER TO YOUR BIBLICAL MAPS.ZELA IS JUST WEST OF JERUSALEM, SUPPOSEDLY THE ORIGINAL SITE OF OLD JERUSALEM.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Zelah = "a rib"
1. a city in Benjamin containing the family burial place of Saul
Zelzah = "shadow"
1. a place on the boundary of Benjamin, close to Rachel's tomb, 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Jerusalem
Copyright Statement
The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon is Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the "Theological Word Book of the Old Testament." These files are considered public domain.
Ezel
e'-zel (ha-'azel; Septuagint para to ergab ekeino):
As it stands, the narrative in 1 Samuel 20:19 records the tryst of Jonathan with David at the stone Ezel. The name occurs only here. There is general agreement that the text is corrupt, but there is no agreement as to how it should be restored. The Septuagint reads "this mound" (the Revised Version (British and American), margin), or "yonder cairn"; and in 1 Samuel 20:41 instead of "out of a place toward the South" it reads "from beside the mound" or "cairn." Dr. Cheyne suggests "yonder juniper tree" (Encyclopaedia Biblica, under the word).
Azel
a'-zel ('atsel, "noble"):
(1) A descendant of King Saul, through Jonathan (1 Chronicles 8:37; 9:43f).
(2) Azel, a'-zel, the King James Version Azal 'atsel; Asael; (Zechariah 14:5):
A place not far from Jerusalem.There may be an echo of the name in that of Wady Yasal, to the right of `Ain el-Loz, in Wady en-Nar.
Zel
Also Known By:Chiva, Iran Thin-tailed, Mazandarani, Persian Thin-tailed
The Zel is found in Mazandaran in northern Iran. It is a carpet-wool breed kept for both meat and milk production. Primarily white they are sometimes seen with coloration on the head and legs. Black, brown or pied animals are also found. The males are horned and the females polled or naturally hornless.
Reference:
Mason, I.L. 1996. A World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties. Fourth Edition. C.A.B International. 273 pp.
Photographs:
We are currently searching for photographs or slides of this breed. Additional submission information.
MAZANDARAN, a province of northern Persia, lying between the Caspian Sea and the Elburz range, and bounded E. and W. by the provinces of Astarabad and Gilan respectively, 220 m. in length and 60 rn. in. (tnean) breadth, with an. area of about xo,ooo sq. m. and a population estimated at from 150,000 to 200,000. Mazandaran comprises two distinct natural regions presenting the sharpest contrasts in their relief, climate and products. In the north the Caspian is encircled by the level and swampy lowlands, varying in breadth from 1o to 30 m., partly under impenetrable jungle, partly under rice, cotton, sugar and other crops. This section is fringed northwards by the sandy beach of the Caspian, here almost destitute of natural harbours, and rises somewhat abruptly inland to the second section, comprising the northern slopes and spurs of the Elburz, which approach at some points within I or 2 m. of the sea, and are almost everywhere covered with dense forest. The lowlands, rising but a few feet above the Caspian, and subject to frequent floodings, are extremely malarious, while the highlands, culminating with the magnificent Demavend (19,400 ft.), enjoy a tolerably healthy climate.
Zela
Pharnaces promised to agree and sent Caesar a gold crown. He wanted to wait Caesar out. Now it was mid May by season (late July on the calendar) and everyone knew that Caesar wanted to get back to Italy ASAP. So the enemy dragged their feet. So Caesar decided to force battle. Pharnaces camped on a hill 3 miles from the town of Zela, where his father had defeated the Romans 20 years before. A valley separated the positions of the 2 armies which were 5 miles apart. Caesar later moved his army to the position of the Roman defeat on the edge of the valley. Now the armies were sitting across valley at a miles distance. Caesar began building fortifications. The next day, August 2, 47 BC, what was actually about May 30 or a little earlier (this was a non-intercalendary year so the calendar may have drifted up to five days backward), Pharnaces moved his troops across the valley toward Caesar. Caesar thought the enemy was insane and just testing him. He kept only one line in battle order, the others were still employed in the building. Caesar laughed and didn't bother. But when he saw that Pharnaces began to march up the hill, the laughing stopped! Caesar had 4 hastily gathered legions including the 6th legion of which he brought from Egypt, and had only 1000 men left. Caesar had to get them in battle order pretty quickly. Pharnaces attacked with scythed chariots, but they were no match against the Roman javelins. In the fighting that immediately followed, it was a classic hand to hand. Caesar's right wing began to push the enemy back thanks to the 6th legion. In the center and the left the fighting lasted longer and was undecided. For the luck of Caesar his men began to win the fight and the enemy began to flee down the hill. The Romans chased them down the side of the valley and the fleeing troops dropped their weapons and many were stomped to death in the flight. When the enemy reached the other side of the valley wall they couldn't stop the pursuing Roman legions. Pharnaces left several hundred men to guard his camp and the Roman easily went through them. Almost all the enemy army was killed or captured. Since his men fought the Romans at his camp, Pharnaces was able to escape with some cavalry. He escaped to the Black Sea. Caesar gave the enemy camp as plunder for his troops and set up a monument to commemorate this victory, to erase the 20 year old defeat. The initial fight lasted 1 hour or so according to Caesar, the rounding up of prisoners another 3. He was so proud in the speed and success of this campaign that he sent his famous message to the Senate in Rome; "VENI VEDI VICI" which translates "I came, I saw, I conquered". Caesar himself set out the next day for the Bosphorus of Byzantium. The 6th legion was sent directly back to Italy. Two legions were left to guard Pontus under Caelius Vincianus. Caesar gave the title of King to Mithridates of Pergamus in return for his loyalty in Egypt and Asia. Caesar traveled to the province of Asia via Bithynia. Here he reorganized the boundaries of the Roman allies in Asia Minor. Crossing to Thrace and then through Greece, he sailed for Italy. It was now the later half of September, early July by season. He wasn't expected back in Italy so soon by those he left in charge there.
Battle of Zela, with Caesar and his army against Pharnaces of Pontus, a son of Mithridates, and his army. Famous quote veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered).
Pontus was a name applied in ancient times to extensive tracts of country in the northeast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) bordering on the Euxine (Black Sea), which was often called simply Pontos (the Main), by the Greeks. The exact signification of this purely territorial name varied greatly at different times. The Greeks used it loosely of various parts of the shores of the Euxine, and the term did not get a definite connotation till after the establishment of the kingdom founded beyond the Halys during the troubled period following the death of Alexander the Great, about 301 BC, by Mithradates I, Ktistes, son of a Persian satrap in the service of Antigonus, one of Alexander's successors, and ruled by a succession of kings, mostly bearing the same name, till 64 BC.
Zelotes—See Simon Zelotes, the Disciple
1. one burning with zeal, a zealot
2. used of God as jealous of any rival and sternly vindicating his control
3. most eagerly desirous of, zealous for, a thing
a. to acquire a thing, (zealous of)
b. to defend and uphold a thing, vehemently contending for a thing
French—Me’zel, Me’selle, Mon’selle
Re:Me’Zel, France
Me:pron., me, myself
Mon:adj. (f. ma, pl. mes) my
Z’ele’:adj., zealous, diligent
Ze’le:m., zeal
Sel:m., salt
Selle:f. saddle
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Re: Origin of the Mansells
Otis Fuller 8/16/04