GAZA

gaza, theodorus (c. 1400-1475), one of the greek scholars who were the leaders of the revival of learning in the 15th century, was born at thessalonica. on the capture of his native city by the turks in 1430 he fled to italy. during a three years' residence in mantua he rapidly acquired a competent knowledge of latin under the teaching of vittorino da feltre, supporting himself meanwhile by giving lessons in greek, and by copying manuscripts of the ancient classics.[1] in 1447 he became professor of greek in the newly founded university of ferrara, to which students in great numbers from all parts of italy were soon attracted by his fame as a teacher. he had taken some part in the councils which were held in siena (1423), ferrara (1438), and florence (1439), with the object of bringing about a reconciliation between the greek and latin churches; and in 1450, at the invitation of pope nicholas v., he went to rome, where he was for some years employed by his patron in making latin translations from aristotle and other greek authors. after the death of nicholas (1455), being unable to make a living at rome, gaza removed to naples, where he enjoyed the patronage of alphonso the magnanimous for two years (1456-1458). shortly afterwards he was appointed by cardinal bessarion to a benefice in calabria, where the later years of his life were spent, and where he died about 1475. gaza stood high in the opinion of most of his learned contemporaries, but still higher in that of the scholars of the succeeding generation. his greek grammar (in four books), written in greek, first printed at venice in 1495, and afterwards partially translated by erasmus in 1521, although in many respects defective, especially in its syntax, was for a long time the leading text-book. his translations into latin were very numerous, including the _problemata_, _de partibus animalium_ and _de generatione animalium_ of aristotle; the _historia plantarum_ of theophrastus; the _problemata_ of alexander aphrodisias; the _de instruendis aciebus_ of aelian; the _de compositione verborum_ of dionysius of halicarnassus; and some of the _homilies_ of john chrysostom. he also turned into greek cicero's _de senectute_ and _somnium scipionis_--with much success, in the opinion of erasmus; with more elegance than exactitude, according to the colder judgment of modern scholars. he was the author also of two small treatises entitled _de mensibus_ and _de origine turcarum_. see g. voigt, _die wiederbelebung des klassischen altertums_ (1893), and article by c.f. bahr in ersch and gruber's _allgemeine encyklopadie_. for a complete list of his works, see fabricius, _bibliotheca graeca_ (ed. harles), x. footnote: [1] according to voigt, gaza came to italy some ten years later from constantinople, where he had been a teacher or held some clerical office. gaza (or 'azzah, mod. _ghuzzeh_), the most southerly of the five princely philistine cities, situated near the sea, at the point where the old trade routes from egypt, arabia and petra to syria met. it was always a strong border fortress and a place of commercial importance, in many respects the southern counterpart of damascus. the earliest notice of it is in the tell el-amarna tablets, in a letter from the local governor, who then held it for egypt, with which country it always stood in close connexion. it never passed for long into israelite hands, though subject for a while to hezekiah of judah; from him it passed to assyria. in amos i. 6 the city is denounced for giving up hebrew slaves to edom. to herodotus (iii. 5) the place seemed as important as sardis. the city withstood alexander the great for five months (332 b.c.), and in 96 b.c. was razed to the ground by alexander jannaeus. it was rebuilt by aulus gabinius, 57 b.c., but on a new site; the old site was remembered and spoken of as "old" or "desert gaza": compare acts viii. 26. in the 2nd and 3rd centuries gaza was a thriving greek city, with good schools and famous temples, especially one to the local god marna (i.e. "lord" or "our lord"). a statue of this god has been found near gaza; it much resembles the greek representation of zeus. the struggle with christianity here was long and intense. egyptian monks gradually won over the country folk, and in 402, under the influence of theodosius and porphyry the local bishop, the marneion was destroyed and the cross made politically supreme. in the 5th and 6th centuries gaza was held in high repute as a place of learning. but after it passed into moslem hands (635) it gradually lost all save commercial importance, and even the crusaders did little to revive its old military glory. it finally was captured by the moslems in 1244. napoleon captured it in 1799. the modern town (pop. 16,000) is divided into four quarters, one of which is built on a low hill. a magnificent grove of very ancient olives forms an avenue 4 m. long to the north. there are many lofty minarets in various parts of the town, and a fine mosque built of ancient materials. a 12th century church towards the south side of the hill has also been converted into a mosque. on the east is shown the tomb of samson (an erroneous tradition dating back to the middle ages). the ancient walls are now covered up beneath green mounds of rubbish. the water-supply is from wells sunk through the sandy soil to the rock; of these there are more than twenty--an unusual number for a syrian town. the land for the 3 m. between gaza and the sea consists principally of sand dunes. there is no natural harbour, but traces of ruins near the shore mark the site of the old maiuma gazae or port of gaza, now called el mineh, which in the 5th century was a separate town and episcopal see, under the title constantia or limena gaza. hashem, an ancestor of mahomet, lies buried in the town. on the east are remains of a race-course, the corners marked by granite shafts with greek inscriptions on them. to the south is a remarkable hill, quite isolated and bare, with a small mosque and a graveyard. it is called el muntar, "the watch tower," and is supposed to be the mountain "before (or facing) hebron," to which samson carried the gates of gaza (judg. xvi. 3). the bazaars of gaza are considered good. an extensive pottery exists in the town, and black earthenware peculiar to the place is manufactured there. the climate is dry and comparatively healthy, but the summer temperature often exceeds 110° fahr. the surrounding country is partly cornland, partly waste, and is inhabited by wandering arabs. the prosperity of ghuzzeh has partially revived through the growing trade in barley, of which the average annual export to great britain for 1897-1899 was over 30,000 tons. the dress of the people is egyptian rather than syrian. gaza is an episcopal see both of the greek and the armenian church. the church missionary society maintains a mission, with schools for both sexes, and a hospital.