Philo of Byblos (Herennios Philon), (ca 64 - 141 CE) was an antiquarian writer of grammatical, lexical and historical works in Greek, whose name "Herennius" makes it appear that he was a client of the Consul suffectus Herennius Severus, through whom Philo could have achieved the status of a Roman citizen. Philo wrote a dictionary of synonyms, a collection of scientific writers and their works organized by category, a catalogue of cities with their famous citizens and a Vita of the Emperor Hadrian. Some of his work is known to us by titles only; others have survived in fragmentary quotes in Christian authors. Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus (January 24, 76–July 10, 138), known as Hadrian in English, was Roman emperor from 117–138, and a member of the gens Aelia. ...

Philo's Greek, Phoenician History was so extensively quoted by Eusebius of Caesarea in the 4th century, in his Praeparatio Evangelica, that the fragments have been assembled and translated (see References). But Eusebius' quotations have an agenda that invariably runs counter to Philo's original intentions: the sources of Phoenician religion are quoted simply in order to disparage, jumbling together in ignorant fashion Zoroastrian beliefs, with the Egyptian image of the hawk-headed god, named Taautos (Thoth), who is given, probably by Eusebius himself rather than his sources, characteristics that were much argued in 4th century Christology, "everlasting, unbegotten, undivided" and mixed up with serpent worship and the invention of writing. Eusebius of Caesarea Eusebius of Caesarea (~275 – May 30, 339) (often called Eusebius Pamphili, Eusebius [the friend] of Pamphilus) was a bishop of Caesarea in Palestine and is often referred to as the father of church history because of his work in recording the history of the early Christian church. ... Zoroaster, in a popular Parsi Zoroastrian depiction. ... Thoth (Ramesseum, Luxor) In Egyptian mythology, Thoth (also spelled Thot or Thout), pronounced Toe-th, is the Greek name given to Djehuty (also spelt Tahuti, Tehuti, Zehuti, Techu, Tetu) - the original pronunciation of his name is disputed, and may have been approximately Tee-HOW-ti -, who was originally the deification... Serpent is a word of Latin origin (serpens, serpentis) which is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit term serp, that is normally substituted for snake in a specifically mythic or religious context, in order to distinguish such creatures from the field of biology. ...

Philo, in Eusebius' account, claimed to have discovered secret mythological writings of the ancient Phoenicians assembled by an possibly fictitious "Sanchuniathon" who had transcribed the sacred lore from pillars in the temples of Byblos. Philo allegedly constructed his materials from various traditions available to him. It is alleged by some that he adapted them to suit his purpose, and conjured with the venerable-sounding name to gain credit for his narrative. The work is also known from quotations in Porphyry, who says that Sanchuniathon (here also called a native of Byblos) wrote a history of the Jews, based on information derived from Hierombal (i.e. Jeruba'al), a priest of the god Jevo (i.e. Yahveh, Jehovah), and dedicated it to Abelbal or Abibal, king of Berytus. The story is possibly a pure invention. Most historians would prefer a king-list, but that was not Eusebius' plan. Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria. ... Sanchuniathon or Sanchoniathon or Sanchoniatho is the purported Phoenician author of three works in Phoenician, surviving only in partial paraphrase and summary of a Greek translation by Philo of Byblos. ... The ruins of the Crusader castle in Byblos. ... Porphyry (c. ...

The sequence of the gods and their genealogy among the Phoenicians, as gleaned from Philo's quoted fragments, were for long recognized as supporting the general scheme in Hesiod's Theogony. Names of deities on the cuneiform tablets from Ugarit (Ras Shamra) fall into similar patterns. Compare the genealogical tables at Sanchuniathon. Hesiod (Hesiodos, ), the early Greek poet and rhapsode, presumably lived around 700 BCE. Historians have debated the priority of Hesiod or of Homer, and some authors have even brought them together in an imagined poetic contest. ... Theogony is a poem by Hesiod describing the origins of the gods of ancient Greek religion. ... Entrance to the Palace of Ugarit Ugarit (modern site Ras Shamra رأس شمرة; in Arabic) 35°35´ N; 35°45´E) was an ancient cosmopolitan port city, sited on the Mediterranean coast of northern Syria a few kilometers north of the modern city of Latakia. ... Sanchuniathon or Sanchoniathon or Sanchoniatho is the purported Phoenician author of three works in Phoenician, surviving only in partial paraphrase and summary of a Greek translation by Philo of Byblos. ...

External link

• Philo Byblius (in German)

References

• Albert I. Baumgarten, The Phoenician History of Philo of Byblos, 1981
• Harold W. Attridge and Robert A. Oden, Philo of Byblos: Phoenician History,Introduction, Critical Text, Translation, Notes, Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series, 1981