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ON.—A Reubenite associated with Dathan and Abiram (Num_16:1) [text doubtful].
ON.—The city of Heliopolis, On also in Egyptian, Gen_41:45; Gen_41:50; Gen_46:20. The same name in Eze_30:17 has been intentionally misvocalized as Aven, i.e. ‘idolatry’; in Jer_43:13 it is called Beth-shemesh, meaning ‘House of the Sun,’ like its Egyp. sacred name P-Rç, and the Gr. Heliopolis. The city lay on the east border of the Delta, a little below the fork of the river. As the centre of sun-worship in Egypt, its temple was of the highest importance: it was favoured by the kings and served by the most learned priesthood in the land. Tradition makes Plato and other Greek philosophers study in Heliopolis; later, the foundation of the Alexandrian library, on the one hand, deprived Heliopolis of the glory of learning, and, on the other, the old traditions of royal descent from the Sun-god had little weight with the Ptolemys. Early in the Roman period Heliopolis is described by Strabo as almost deserted. Besides enclosure walls of crude brick and mounds of rubbish, the site of the temple is now marked by one conspicuous monument, an obelisk set up by Senwosri i. about b.c. 2000.
F. Ll. Griffith.