JUDEA, (anc. geog.) taken largely, either denotes all Palestine, or the greater part of it; and thus it is generally taken in the Roman history: Ptolemy, Rutilius, Jerome, Origen, and Eusebius, take it for the whole of Palestine. Here we consider it as the third part of it on this side the Jordan, and that the southern part, distinct from Samaria and Galilee; under which notion it is often taken, not only in Josephus, but also in the New Testament. It con-
tained four tribes; Judah, Benjamin, Dan, and Simeon, together with Philistia and Idumea; so as to be comprised between Samaria on the north, Arabia Petraea on the south, and to be bounded by the Mediterranean on the west, and by the Lacus Asphaltites, with part of Jordan, on the east. Josephus divides it into 11 toparchies; Pliny into 10; by which it has a greater extent than that just mentioned. See PALESTINE.