TRACHONITIS . Mentioned in Luke 3:1 as the name of the tetrarchy of Philip. It is to be identified with the lava region S.E. of Damascus, known to the Greeks as Trachon , and to modern Arabs as the Lejâ . An inscription discovered by Burckhardt in 1810 at Mismiyeh dispels all doubt as to the identity of this region with Trachon. It has ever been regarded as a refuge from invaders. Josephus frequently speaks of the inhabitants of these parts as predatory ( Ant. XVI. ix. 1, x. 1). Philip’s rule, on the other hand, he describes as just and gentle ( Ib . XVIII. iv. 6). Trajan in a.d. 106 transformed Trachonitis into a new province, which he called ‘Arabia,’ making Bosra its capital.
George L. Robinson.