A New System; or, an Analysis of Ancient Mythology. Volume II

By Jacob Bryant

PHŒNIX and PHŒNICES.

As there has been much uncertainty about the purport and extent of these terms; and they are of great consequence in the course of history; I will endeavour to state their true meaning. Phoinic, or Poinic, was an Egyptian and Canaanitish term of honour; from whence were formed Φοινιξ, Φοινικες, Φοινικοεις of the Greeks, and Phoinic, Poinicus, Poinicius of the Romans; which were afterwards changed to Phœnix, Punicus, and ^[1]Puniceus. It was originally a title, which the Greeks made use of as a provincial name: but it was never admitted as such by the people, to whom it was thus appropriated, till the Greeks were in possession of the country. And even then it was but partially received: for though mention is made of the coast of Phœnice, yet we find the natives called Sidonians, Tyrians, and ^[2]Canaanites, as late as the days of the Apostles. It was an honorary term, compounded of Anac with the Egyptian prefix; and rendered at times both Phoinic and Poinic. It signified a lord or prince: and was particularly assumed by the sons of Chus and Canaan. The Mysians seem to have kept nearest to the original pronunciation, who gave this title to the God Dionusus, and called him Ph'anac.

It was also conferred upon many things, which were esteemed princely and noble. Hence the red, or scarlet, a colour appropriated to great and honourable personages, was styled Phoinic. The palm was also styled Phoinic, Φοινιξ: and the antients always speak of it as a stately and noble tree. It was esteemed an emblem of honour; and made use of as a reward of victory. Plurimarum palmarum homo, was a proverbial expression among the Romans, for a soldier of merit. Pliny speaks of the various species of palms; and of the great repute in which they were held by the Babylonians. He says, that the noblest of them were styled the royal Palms; and supposes that they were so called from their being set apart for the king's use. But they were very early an emblem of royalty: and it is a circumstance included in their original name. We find from Apuleius, that Mercury, the ^[4]Hermes of Egypt, was represented with a palm branch in his hand: and his priests at Hermopolis used to have them stuck in their ^[5]sandals, on the outside. The Goddess ^[6]Isis was thus represented: and we may infer that Hermes had the like ornaments; which the Greeks mistook for feathers, and have in consequence of it added wings to his feet. The Jews used to carry boughs of the same tree at some of their festivals; and particularly at the celebration of their nuptials: and it was thought to have an influence at the birth. Euripides alludes to this in his Ion; where he makes Latona recline herself against a Palm tree, when she is going to produce Apollo and Diana.

In how great estimation this tree was held of old, we may learn from many passages in the sacred writings. Solomon says to his espoused, ^[8]how fair and how pleasant art thou, O Love, for delights: thy stature is like a Palm tree. And the Psalmist for an encouragement to holiness, says, ^[9]that the righteous shall flourish like the Palm tree: for the Palm was supposed to rise under a weight; and to thrive in proportion to its being ^[10]depressed. There is possibly a farther allusion in this, than may at first appear. The antients had an opinion, that the Palm was immortal: at least, if it did die, it recovered again, and obtained a second life by renewal. Hence the story of the bird, styled the Phoenix, is thought to have been borrowed from this tree. Pliny, in describing the species of Palm, styled Syagrus, says, ^[11]Mirum de eâ accepimus, cum Phœnice Ave, quæ putatur ex hujus Palmæ argumento nomen accepisse, iterum mori, et renasci ex seipsà. Hence we find it to have been an emblem of immortality among all nations, sacred and prophane. The blessed in heaven are represented in the Apocalypse by St. John, ^[12]as standing before the throne in white robes, with branches of Palm in their hands. The notion of this plant being an emblem of royalty prevailed so far, that when our Saviour made his last entrance into Jerusalem, the people took branches of Palm trees, and accosted him as a prince, crying, ^[13]Hosanna—blessed is the King of Israel.

The title of Phoinic seems at first to have been given to persons of great stature: but, in process of time, it was conferred upon people of power and eminence, like αναξ and ανακτες among the Greeks. The Cuthites in Egypt were styled Royal Shepherds, Βασιλεις Ποιμενες, and had therefore the title of Phœnices. A colony of them went from thence to Tyre and Syria: hence it is said by many writers that Phœnix came from Egypt to Tyre. People, not considering this, have been led to look for the shepherd's origin in Canaan, because they were sometimes called Phœnices. They might as well have looked for them in Greece; for they were equally styled ^[14]Ἑλληνες, Hellenes. Phœnicia, which the Greeks called Φοινικη, was but a small part of Canaan. It was properly a slip of sea coast, which lay within the jurisdiction of the Tyrians and Sidonians, and signifies Ora Regia; or, according to the language of the country, the coast of the Anakim. It was a lordly title, and derived from a stately and august people. All the natives of Canaan seem to have assumed to themselves great honour. The Philistines are spoken of as ^[15]Lords, and the merchants of Tyre as Princes; whose grandeur and magnificence are often alluded to in the Scriptures. The prophet Ezekiel calls them the princes of the sea. ^[16]Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments. And Isaiah speaks to the same purpose. ^[17]Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, that crowning city, whose merchants are princes; whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth? The scripture term by which they are here distinguished is שרים, Sarim: but the title which they assumed to themselves was Ph'anac, or Ph'oinac, the Phœnix of the Greeks and Romans. And as it was a mere title, the sacred writers of the old testament never make use of it to distinguish either the people or country. This part of Canaan is never by them called Phœnicia: yet others did call it so; and the natives were styled Phœnices before the birth of Homer. But this was through mistake; for it was never used by the natives as a provincial appellation. I have shewn that it was a title of another sort, a mark of rank and pre-eminence: on this account it was assumed by other people, and conferred upon other places. For this reason it is never mentioned by any of the sacred writers before the captivity, in order to avoid ambiguity. The Gentile writers made use of it; and we see what mistakes have ensued. There were Phœnicians of various countries. They were to be found upon the Sinus ^[18]Persicus, upon the Sinus ^[19]Arabicus, in Egypt, in ^[20]Crete, in ^[21]Africa, in ^[22]Epirus, and even in Attica. ^[23]Φοινικες—γενος τι Αθηνῃσι. There is a race of people called Phœnicians among the ^[24]Athenians. In short, it was a title introduced at Sidon, and the coast adjoining, by people from Egypt: and who the people were that brought it may be known from several passages in antient history; but particularly from an extract in Eusebius, ^[25]Φοινιξ και Καδμος, απο Θηβων των Αιγυπτιων εξελθοντες εις την Συριαν, Τυρου και Σιδωνος εβασιλευον. Phœnix and Cadmus, retiring from Thebes, in Egypt, towards the coast of Syria, settled at Tyre and Sidon, and reigned there. It is said, that ^[26]Belus carried a colony to the same parts: and from what part of the world ^[27]Belus must be supposed to have come, needs not to be explained. Euripides styles Cepheus the king of Ethiopia, the son of Phœnix: and Apollodorus makes him the son of Belus: hence we may infer, that Belus and Phœnix were the same. Not that there were any such persons as Phœnix and Belus, for they were certainly titles: and, under the characters of those two personages, Colonies, named Belidæ and Phœnices, went abroad, and settled in different parts. Their history and appellation may be traced from Babylonia to Arabia and Egypt; and from thence to Canaan, and to the regions in the west. It were therefore to be wished, that the terms Phœnix and Phœnicia had never been used in the common acceptation; at least when the discourse turns upon the more antient history of Canaan. When the Greeks got possession of the coast of Tyre, they called it Phœnicia: and from that time it may be admitted as a provincial name. In consequence of this, the writers of the New Testament do not scruple to make use of it, but always with a proper limitation; for the geography of the Scriptures is wonderfully exact. But the Greek and Roman writers often speak of it with a greater latitude, and include Judea and Palestina within its borders; and sometimes add Syria and Idume. But these countries were all separate and distinct; among which Phœnicia bore but a small proportion. Yet, small as it may have been, many learned men have thought, that all the colonies, which at times settled upon the coast of the Mediterranean, were from this quarter; and that all science was of Phœnician original. But this is not true according to their acceptation of the term. Colonies did settle; and science came from the east: but not merely from the Sidonian. I shall shew, that it was principally owing to a prior and superior branch of the family.

ADDENDA.

OF THE PALM TREE.

Phœnix was a colour among horses. They were styled Phœnices, and ^[28]Phœniciati, from the colour of the Palm tree, which they resembled; and upon the same account had the name of Spadices. This, according to Aulus Gellius, was a term synonymous with the former. ^[29]Rutilus, et Spadix Phœnicii συνωνυμος, exuberantiam splendoremque significant ruboris, quales sunt fructus Palmæ arboris, nondum sole incocti: unde spadicis et Phœnicei nomen est. ^[30]Spadix, σπαδιξ, avulsus est a Palmâ termes cum fructu. Homer, describing the horses of Diomedes, says, that the one was Phœnix, or of a bright Palm colour, with a white spot in his forehead like a moon.

Upon this the Scholiast observes, Φοινικες το χρωμα, ητοι πυῤῥος. The horse was of a Palm colour, which is a bright red. We call such horses bays, which probably is a term of the same original. The branch of a Palm tree was called Bai in Egypt; and it had the same name in other places. Baia, Βαια, are used for Palm-branches by St. John. ^[32]Τα βαια των Φοινικων. And it is mentioned by the author of the book of Maccabees, that the Jews, upon a solemn occasion, entered the temple. ^[33]Μετα αινεσεως και βαιων. And Demetrius writes to the high priest, Simon, ^[34]Τον στεφανον τον χρυσουν και την Βαϊνην, ἁ απεστειλατε, κεκομισμεθα. Coronam auream et Bainem, quæ misistis, accepimus. The Greeks formed the word βαϊνη from the Egyptian Bai. The Romans called the same colour Badius. ^[35]Varro, speaking of horses, mentions,

As the Palm tree was supposed to be immortal; or, at least, if it did die, to revive, and enjoy a second life, the Egyptians gave the name of Bai to the soul: ^[36]Εστι μεν γαρ το βαι ψυχη.