The Court of the Gentiles, Discourse · Part 1 · Book 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Phenician Colonies in Greece.
Cadmus firſt ſeated himſelf in Boeotia, Thebes &c. The Phenicians poſſeſſed the Cyclades, as Syra &c. The Invention of the Heliotrope taken from Ahaz's dial, and communicated to the Syrans, by the Syrians. Delos had its name, God, Temple, and Oblations from the Jews, by the Phenicians. Of Anius Apollo's Prieſt, his Name, and Oblations of Corne, Wine, and Oyl, Jewiſh: as Deut. 14.23. and 18.3,4. Phenicians at Athens, and Salamine. Phenicians in Laconia, Cythera. &c. Of the old Pelaſgi, and that they were not the ſole Authors of the Hebrew Letters, Names, Fables, and Traditions found in Greece. Phenicians in parts adjacent to Greece.
§. 1. Cadmus's building ….CAdmus firſt ſeated himſelf in Boeotia, as Euſebius, Carion, and Bochart aſſure us, and built the upper part of Thebes, which was from him called Cadmia; and the whole City of Thebes, was by the Phenicians named foreign Thebes, from dirt: for it had much dirt in it, being all watery. We read of the ſame name Judg. 9.50. Then went Abimelech to Thebez &c. which Joſephus renders foreign. And that Thebes, was really built, and peopled by the Phenicians, is evident from one of its ſeven Gates called, Oncea, i.e. from Onca, the name the Phenicians gave Minerva, to whom Cadmus erected an altar in that place. So Stephanus: foreign. The Phenicians ſtiled Minerva Onca, from foreign to move war: ſee Selden de Diis Syrûm Syntag. 2. cap. 4. From Baeotia, the name of Gadmus was transferred into Ionia, where the City Priene was called Cadme, becauſe founded by Philota the Beotian. So Bochart Canaan lib. 1. cap. 16.
§. 2. The Phenicians poſſeſſors of moſt of the Cyciades, as Cea, Naxus, Aſtypalea, Jes, Syra &c.The Phenicians poſſeſſed moſt of the Ilands in the Egean Sea, commonly called the Cyclades, as it is ſufficiently manifeſt, both from the Founders, and Names of the Places. In Cea reigned Ariſtaeus, the ſon in law of Cadmus. Bacchus the nephew of Cadmus poſſeſſed Naxus. Aſtypalaea had its name from Aſtypalaea, the daughter of Phaenix, and mother of Ancaeus, who held Samus. Oliarus was foreign a Colonie of Sidonians; as Stephanus. Who tels us alſo, that Jos was formerly called Phenice. Yea ſeveral of the names, which the Phenicians impoſed on thoſe places, continued a long time after; Phenicians in Syra where they communicated the knowledge of the Heliotrope taken from haz's dial. King. 20.11.as Syra, where the Syrians, or Phenicians arriving, planted a Colonie, and called the place from their own name. This is farther evident from the Knowledge and uſe of the Heliotrope, which is ſuppoſed to have been firſt invented by theſe Syrans, but was indeed communicated to them by the Phenicians, who who received it (as Bochart conceives) from the original patterne of Ahaz's dial 2 King. 20.11. This was improved by Pherecydes, Pythagoras's maſter, who was a Syran, not a Syrian immediately, as moſt think, but upon a miſtake; as Bochart, from his own mouth, informed me: ſee more Bochart Canaan l. 1. c. 14.
§. 3. Delos from the Phenicians.The moſt famous Iland in the Egean Sea is Delos; which received its name, with many other Fables touching Apollo, from the Phenicians, and Jews. The figment of Delos's receiving its name from foreign, becauſe Latona lying hid in the Sea, at the time of her bringing forth, was made manifeſt by Jupiter, is not more ancient, than fabulous. Bochart's conjecture, that Delus had its origination from foreign Deel (as Belus from foreign) fear, according, to that: Primus in orbe Deos timor fecit, is more probable. Thence foreign is oft uſed, in the Chaldee Paraphraſts, for the Gentile Gods: Exod. 20.23.ſo Exod. 20.23. wherefore the Phenicians called Delus foreign Deel: that is, the Iland of the God Apollo: or in the plural foreign of the Gods viz. Diana, and Apollo: for the birth of whom this place was famous. Inopu….Thence Inopus was called by the Phenicians foreign the fountain of Python; being a river in the ſame Iland, derived by ſecret paſſages under the earth from Nilus, as 'tis ſuppoſed. Cynthus.And Cynthus the mountain of Delos, where Latona brought forth Apollo, from foreign to bring forth: whence the Phenician foreign, and the Greek foreign being put for foreign, as in Cadmus's Alphabet Boch. Can. l. 1. c. 24.
§. 4. That the ſeveral names of Apollo, his Temple, and Idolatrous Worſhip at Delus, were all but corrupt degenerate derivations from Jewiſh Traditions, conveyed thither by the Phenicians will hereafter, I hope, be manifeſt. See Dickinſons Delphi Phaenizantes. Of Anius King and prieſt at Delus.I ſhall at preſent only mention the ſtorie of Anius, who is ſaid, by Virgil Aene. lib. 3. to be both King of Delos, and Prieſt of Apollo about the time of the Trojan war. This Anius, is ſuppoſed to be of the race of Cadmus: His Mother Rhaeo, from Staphulus the ſon of Bacchus. He was called Anius foreign from his Mothers ſorrow, ſaies the Etymologiſt: for being with child by Apollo, as the Fable goes, and driven from her fathers houſe, after many wandrings, ſhe brings forth Anius, in the den Eubaea. Now foreign, in the Phenician tongue, is foreign ani; which ſignifies alſo affliction: ſo that the name Anius is Phenician, as well as Grecian. And that this whole ſtorie of Anius, and his Prieſthood, was but an imitation of the Jewiſh Rites, traduced to Delus by the Phenicians, is apparent from his offerings: Anius's Offerings of corne, wine and oyl, from Jewiſh Traditione. Deut. 14.23. & 18.3,4. … 18.12.for it's ſaid, that this Anius, in the time of the Trojan war, brought to the Grecian tents, ſtore of wine, oyl, and bread corne: which were but the Reliques of thoſe Offerings he had received in Apollo's Temple. For the Devil, who delights to imitate Divine Rites, required of his worſhippers, out of all the fruits of the earth, the Tenths, and firſt fruits of wine, oyl, and corne, in imitation of Gods Inſtitution, who laid a ſpecial obligation upon Iſrael, to offer the firſt fruits, and Tenths of their wine, oyl, and corne. Deut. 18.3,4. Numb. 18.12. Deut. 14.23. See more Bochart. Can. l. 1. c. 14.
§. 5. Phenicians at AtheusThat the Athenians were, originally, Phenicians, Bochart Can. l. 1. c. 21. Thus proves; Ariſtogiton, and Harmodius, who killing Hipparchus, delivered the Athenians from Tyranny, were of the ſtock of the Gephyreans: Now the Gephyreans, according to the teſtimonie of Herodotus, were Phenicians, of thoſe who came into Boeotia, with Cadmus, and firſt ſeated themſelves at Tanagra: but being beaten thence by the Beotians, they turned away to Athens, where, upon certain conditions, having obtained the power of the City, they built Temples to Ceres &c. The Phenicians, which were in Boeotia, near Aſopus, betook themſelves unto Salamin the Attack Iland, as we may gather (ſaies Bochart) from this, that the Iland foreign Salamin, is the Iland foreign. The Arab. foreign, which, from the biting of the Serpent was thence called Salamis, anciently poſſeſsed by the Dragon which Cycraeus killed &c.
§. 6. Phenicians in Laconia.Although that Fable, of the Spartans being brethren to the Jews, and of the poſterity of Abraham, be of little credit; yet are we not without probable conjectures that Laconia was frequented by the Phenicians. Cythera.That Cithera, a Laconick Iland, was poſſeſſed by them, Bochart makes evident: whence Venus, the Phenician Goddeſse, was called Cytherea: becauſe paſſing from Phenicia, ſhe landed here at Cythera: thence that poetick figment, of Venus's ariſing out of the ſea, and landing at Cythera, Stephanus takes the origination of Cythera foreign, from Cytherus the Phenician: but Bochart will have it derived from foreign Cethare i.e. ſtones: for, as the Beotian Citheron, ſo this Iland Cithera abounded much with rocks. And hence, as Pliny lib. 14. c. 15. telsus, it was alſo called Porphyris, or Porphyruſa, by reaſon of the many Purples (which delight moſtly in rocky places) hereabouts. Boch. Can. l. 1. c. 22.
§. 7. But here we may not paſſe over an objection, which a learned perſon of this age and Countrey, has caſt in our way: Stillingf. Orig Sacr. lib. 3. chap. 4. Sect. 11. Of the old Pelaſgi.namely, that the ground of the affinity between the Jews and La cedemonians, was from the Pelaſgi, whoſe chief ſeat was in Arcadia; to which adjoynes Laconia. That theſe Pelaſgi ſprang from Phaleg the ſon of Eber, from whom Abraham and the Jews came. Gen. 11.17,20. That the Hellenes were not the firſt inhabitants of Greece, but theſe Pelaſgi, who ſpread themſelves over Greece, and brought with them the Hebrew language; whence an account may be given of many Hebrew words in the Greek tongue, which came not from the Phenicians, as Bochartus, but the old Pelaſgi. This is the objection.
The old Pelaſgi not the ſole Authors of the Hebrew letters and names found in Greece.Anſw. 1. How far the Pelaſgi prevailed in Greece, is not material as to our preſent deſigne. 2. Neither do I ſee how it would overthrow Bocharts Aſſertion, ſhould it be granted, that many Greek words owe their origination to them. 3. Yet cannot I ſee ſufficient ground to make any reaſonable conjecture, that theſe old Pelaſgi brought the Hebrew tongue, or left any conſiderable footſteps thereof in Greece. 4. Whether they did, or did not; yet this is certain, that many, if not all thoſe names of places, mentioned by Bochart, will not admit of any but a Phenician origination: as Oncea, Cadmia, Cadme, Aſtypalaea, Phaenice, Syra &c. are manifeſt Derivations from the Phenician tongue. 5. We have the common conſent of learned Antiquity, for the Tranſportation of Phenician Colonies, Letters, and Words, into Greece by Cadmus, and others. But of this more hereafter.
§. 8. Phenician Colonies in Cilicia, Piſidia, Caria, Rhodes &c.That the Phenicians ſent Colonies into, or at leaſt frequented Cilicia, Piſidia, Caria, Rhodes and Samus ſee learned Bochart Can. lib. 1. cap. 5, 6, 7, 8. Alſo that the Iland Icarus, or Icaria, received its name from foreign Icar, an Iland for paſture, not from that fabulous Icarus. And Patmos from the Syrian foreign. That Phaenix led a Colonie into Bithynia; and that Thracia, Thaſus, and Samothracia were all frequented by Phenicians, Bochart Can. lib. 1. cap. 10, 11, 12. proves. Alſo that the Phenicians proceeded Northward ſo far as Illyricum, ſee the ſame Bochart Can. lib. 1. cap. 23. By all which, we may eaſily gueſſe, how the Jewiſh Myſteries, and Traditions were traduced into Greece and the parts adjacent, by theſe Phenicians.