Library / Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible, Complete and Unabridged

Volume II · P

Pontus

PONTUS. The Province of Pontus in Asia minor, having the Euxine Sea to the North, Cappadocia to the South, Paphlagonia and Galatia to the East, and the Lesser Armenia to the West. ‘Tis thought St. Peter preached in Pontus, because he addresses his first Epistle to the Faithful of this Province, and to those of the neighbouring Provinces. St. Jerome in Genesis, puts Arioch King of Pontus with Chedorlaomer and his Confederates, who came to make War with the Inhabitants of Pentapolis. a But the Hebrew has King of Ellazar; Jonathan, King of Thalassar; the Syriack, King of מלך אלסר Melech Ellasar. Isa. xxxvii. 12.Dalassar. Isaiah insinuates to us, that this Country of Thalassar was either in the Country of Eden, or very near it, since he speaks of the Children of Eden, that were at Thalassar, and testifies that this Province was conquer’d by the Kings of Assyria, with the other Provinces about the Tigris. The Septuagint and Onkelos have kept to the original Word Ellasar; St. Jerome has follow’d Symmachus in translating it King of Pontus. Grotius thinks he was King of the Elizarians, a People of Arabia mentioned by Ptolemy. But it is much more credible he was a King beyond the Euphrates, as well as the other Kings confederated with Chedorlaomer.

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Augustin Calmet, O.S.B., “Pontus,” in Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible, Complete and Unabridged, English translation, Mind of the Church, https://mindofthechurch.com/works/calmet-dictionary/p/pontus/.

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