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. These few fragments comprise the most extended literary source concerning Phoenician religion in either Greek or Latin. 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. ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

The author

The compilers of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica warned that Sanchuniathon "belongs more to legend than to history." All our knowledge of Sanchuniathon and his work comes from Eusebius of Caesarea's Praeparatio, (1.10) which contains some information about him along with the only surviving excerpts from his writing, as summarized and quoted from his supposed translator Philo of Byblos. 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. ... The more famous Philo of Alexandria (20 BCE - 40 CE) was an educated Hellenized Jewish philosopher. ...

Eusebius also quotes the anti-Christian writer Porphyry as stating that Sanchuniathon of Berytus (Beirut) wrote the truest history about the Jews because he obtained records from "Hierombalus" ("Jeruba'al"?) priest of the god Ieuo (Yahweh), that Sanchuniathon dedicated his history to Abibalus king of Berytus (Beirut), and that it was approved by the king and other investigators, the date of this writing being before the Trojan war approaching close to the time of Moses, "when Semiramis was queen of the Assyrians." Thus Sanchuniathon is placed firmly in the mythic context of the pre-Homeric heroic age, an antiquity from which no other writings are known to have survived to the time of Philo. (For other meanings of Porphyr, see Porphyry) Porphyry (c. ... Central Beirut (2004) Beirut (Arabic: , transliterated Bayrūt - the French name, Beyrouth, was also commonly used in English in the past) is the capital, largest city and chief seaport of Lebanon. ... The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to 300 CE), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts. ... Central Beirut (2004) Beirut (Arabic: , transliterated Bayrūt - the French name, Beyrouth, was also commonly used in English in the past) is the capital, largest city and chief seaport of Lebanon. ... The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of the Acheans, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... Moses or Móshe (מֹשֶׁה, Standard Hebrew Móše, Tiberian Hebrew Mōšeh, Arabic موسى Musa), son of Amram and his wife, Jochebed, a Levite. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Assyria in earliest historical times referred to a region on the Upper Tigris river, named for its original capital, the city of Ashur. ...

The supposed Sanchuniathon claimed to have based his work on "secret writings of the Ammouneis discovered in the shrines", sacred lore deciphered from mystic inscriptions on the pillars which stood in the Phoenician temples, lore which exposed the truth—later covered up by invented allegories and myths—that the gods were originally human beings who came to be worshipped after their deaths and that the Phoenicians had taken what were originally names of their kings and applied them to elements of the cosmos as well as also worshipping forces of nature and the sun, moon, and stars.

This rationalizing euhemeristic slant and the emphasis on Beirut, a city of great importance in the late classical period but of very little importance in ancient times, suggests that the work itself is not nearly as old as it claims to be. Some have suggested it was forged by Philo of Byblos himself, or assembled from various traditions and presented within an authenticating format, in order to give the material more believable weight. Or Philo may have translated genuine Phoenician works ascribed to an ancient writer Sanchuniathon, but in fact written in more recent times. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

However that may be, much of what has been preserved in this writing, despite the euhemeristic interpretation, turned out to be supported by the Ugaritic mythological texts excavated at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) in Syria since 1929, indicating that it does incorporate genuine Semitic elements, some which had remained unchanged since the 2nd millennium BC. The Ugaritic language is known to us only in the form of writings found in the lost city of Ugarit since its discovery by French archaeologists in 1928. ... Ugarit (modern site Ras Shamra 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. ... 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. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... (3rd millennium BC – 2nd millennium BC – 1st millennium BC – other millennia) // Events Second dynasty of Babylon First Bantu migrations from west Africa The Cushites drive the original inhabitants from Ethiopia, and establish trade relations with Egypt. ...

It is sometimes difficult to tell whether Eusebius is citing Sanchuniathon or citing Philo of Byblus or speaking in his own voice. Another difficulty is the use of Greek proper names instead of Phoenician ones and possible corruption of some of the Phoenician names that do appear. There may be other garblings.

The Work

The fragments that come down to us contain:

Philosphical Creation Story

A philosphical creation story traced to "the cosomogony of Taautus (Thoth)" which begins with Erebus and Wind between which Eros 'Desire' came to be. From this was produced Môt which seems to be the Phoenician/Hebrew word for 'Death' but which the account says may mean 'mud'. In a mixed confusion, the germs of life appear, and intelligent animals called Zophasemin (explained probably correctly as 'observers of heaven') formed together as an egg, perhaps. The account is not clear. Then Môt burst forth into light and the heavens were created and the various elements found their stations. Thoth (Ramesseum, Luxor) In Egyptian mythology, Thoth (also spelled Thot), pronounced tot, 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 of the moon... In Greek mythology, Erebus, or Érebos was a primordial god, personification of darkness, offspring of Chaos alone. ... In Greek mythology, Eros was the god responsible for lust, love, and sex; he was also worshipped as a fertility deity. ...

Allegorical culture heroes

Copias and his wife Baau (translated as Nyx 'Night') give birth to Aeon and Protogonus who are mortal men. Various descendents are listed, many of whom have allegorical names but are described here as mortals who first made partucular discoveries or who established particular customs. This article is about the Greek goddess. ...

The history of the gods

Then comes a genealogy and history of various northwest Semitic gods who were widely worshipped, sometimes hidden under Greek names. (Greek names appear below in parentheses and italics.) Only equations made in the text appear here but many of the links point to the northwest Semitic deity that is probably intended.

 Elioun = Beruth (Hypsistus)| | +-------+------+ | | | | (Uranus)/(Epigeius) = (Ge) (Autochthon) | | +-----------+------------------------------+-----------+--------+----------------+-------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Elus Baetylus (Uranus) = ? = Dagon/(Siton) (Atlas) Astarte = Elus = (Rhea) Baaltis (Cronus) | (Zeus Arotrios) (Aphrodite)| | (Dione) | | | | +------------+--------+ | +++++++-------+-------+-+ +++++++----+ | | | | ||||||| | | ||||||| | | | | | ||||||| | | ||||||| | (Persephone) (Athena) Sadidus Demarûs Sydyc = (Titanides) (Pothos) (Eros) 7 sons Muth Adodus/(Zeus) | | (Artemides) (Thanatos) | | | (Pluto) +------+ +++++++ +------+ | ||||||| | | ||||||| | Melcarthus (Cabeiri) (Asclepius) (Heracles) (Corybantes) (Samothraces) (Dioscuri)
 

 Elus = Anobret (Nereus) born in Peraea | | | | | | +---------------+------------+ +----+ | | | | | | | | | | | (Cronus II) (Zeus) Belus (Apollo) Iedud (Pontus) | | | | | Sidon 

Translations of Greek forms: arotrios, 'of husbandry, farming'; autochthon (for autokhthon) 'produced from the ground', epigeius (for epigeios) 'from the earth', eros 'desire', ge 'earth', hypsistos 'most high', pluto (for plouton) 'wealthy', pontus (for pontos) 'sea', pothos 'longing', siton 'grain', thanatos 'death', uranus (for ouranos) 'sky'. Elyon: The name or epithet or word ‘Elyôn (Masoretic pronunciation of Hebrew עליון), is traditionally rendered in Samaritan Hebrew as illiyyon, and means something like higher, upper. It derives from the Hebrew root ‘lh, Semitic root ‘ly go up, ascend. ‘Elyôn when is means God or is applied to... Ouranos is the Greek name of the sky, latinized as Uranus. ... Gaia (land or earth, from the Greek ; variant spelling Gaea—see also also Ge from is a Greek goddess personifying the Earth. ... Ä’l is a northwest Semitic word and name translated into English as either god or God or left untranslated as El, depending on the context. ... Bethel meaning in Hebrew and Phoenician and Aramaic House of El or House of God is seemingly the name of a god or an aspect of a god in some ancient middle-eastern texts dating to the Assyrian, Persian and Hellenistic periods. ... Ouranos is the Greek name of the sky, latinized as Uranus. ... // The ancient god Dagon Dagon was a major northwest Semitic god, the god of grain and agriculture according to the few sources to speak of the matter, worshipped by the early Amorites, by the people of Ebla, by the people of Ugarit and a chief god (perhaps the chief god... In Greek mythology, Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the nymph Clymene, and brother of Prometheus. ... ‘Ashtart, commonly known as Astarte (also Hebrew or Phoenician עשתרת, Ugaritic ‘ttrt (also ‘Attart or ‘Athtart), Akkadian dAs_tar_tú (also Astartu), Greek Αστάρτη (Astártê)), was a major northwest_Semitic goddess, cognate in name, origin, and functions with the east-Semitic goddess Ishtar. ... Ä’l is a northwest Semitic word and name translated into English as either god or God or left untranslated as El, depending on the context. ... For the small research submarine, see Asherah (submarine). ... Ba‘alat Gebal, Lady of Byblos, was the goddess of the of the city of Byblos, sometimes known to the Greeks as Baaltis. ... Rhea tricking Cronus with a wrapped stone. ... Statue of Zeus The Greek sculptor Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall Statue of Zeus in about 435 bc. ... Aphrodite (Αφροδίτη, risen from sea-foam) is the Greek goddess of love and beauty. ... Dione in Greek mythology is a vague goddess presence who has her most concrete form in Book V of Homers Iliad as the mother of Aphrodite: Aphrodite journeys to Diones side after she has been wounded in battle while protecting her favorite son Aeneas. ... Bust of Persephone In Greek mythology, Persephone (Greek Περσεφόνη, Classical Greek PersephónÄ“, Modern Greek Persefóni) was the queen of the Underworld, the Kore or young maiden, and the daughter of Demeter. ... Anat, also ‘Anat (in ASCII spelling `Anat and often simplified to Anat), Hebrew or Phoenician ענת (‘Anāt), Ugaritic ‘nt, Greek Αναθ (Englished as Anath), in Egyptian rendered as Antit, Anit, Anti, or Anant, is a major northwest Semitic goddess. ... Haddad - בעל הדד (in Ugaritic Haddu) was a very important northwest Semitic storm god and rain god, cognate in name and origin with the Akkadian god Adad. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Kotharat or Kotharot or Kathirat (various suggested pronunciations of Ugaritic ktrt) the skilful ones were a group of northwest Semitic goddesses apearing in the Ugartic texts as divine midwives. ... In Greek mythology, Eros was the god responsible for lust, love, and sex; he was also worshipped as a fertility deity. ... In Ugaritic Mot Death (spelled mt) is personified as a god of death. ... Haddad - בעל הדד (in Ugaritic Haddu) was a very important northwest Semitic storm god and rain god, cognate in name and origin with the Akkadian god Adad. ... Statue of Zeus The Greek sculptor Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall Statue of Zeus in about 435 bc. ... Thanatos, a creature of darkness and death In Greek mythology, Thanatos (θάνατος, death) was the personification of death (Roman equivalent: Mors). ... Pluto is an alternate name for the Greek god Hades, but was more often used in Roman mythology in their presentation of the god of the underworld, also known as Dis. ... Melqart (less accurately Melkart, Melkarth or Melgart (greek disposed of the letter Q (Qoppa) replacing it with additional use of K (Kappa) and G (Gamma)), Akkadian Milqartu, was the tutelary god of the Phoenician city of Tyre, as Eshmun protected Sidon. ... Cabeiri in Greek mythology, were a group of minor deities, of whose character and worship nothing certain is known. ... Eshmun (or Eshmoun, less accurately Esmun or Esmoun) was a northwestern Semitic god of healing and the tutelary god of Sidon. ... Statue of Heracles In Greek mythology, Heracles, or Heraklês (glory of Hera, Ἡρακλῆς) was the demigod son of Zeus and Alcmene, the grand-daughter of Perseus and the wife of Amphitryon. ... The Korybantes, called the Kurbantes in (Phrygia), are the crested dancers who worship the Phrygian goddess Cybele with drumming and dancing. ... Samothrace Samothrace (in Greek: Σαμοθρακη, Samothraki) is an island in Greece, in the northern Aegean Sea. ... Castor (or Kastor) and Polydeuces (sometimes called Pollux), were in Greek mythology the twin sons of Leda and the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. ... Ä’l is a northwest Semitic word and name translated into English as either god or God or left untranslated as El, depending on the context. ... Nereus: in Greek Mythology, eldest son of Pontus and Gaia, the Sea and the Earth. ... Rhea tricking Cronus with a wrapped stone. ... Statue of Zeus The Greek sculptor Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall Statue of Zeus in about 435 bc. ... Belus in Latin or Belos in accurate Greek transliteration is one of: Persons Ba‘al: a title (lord) in northwest Semitic languages, often applied to particular gods. ... In north Semitic mythology, Resheph was a god of plague and war. ... Pontus was a name applied in ancient times to extensive tracts of country in the northeast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) bordering on the Euxine (Black Sea), which was often called simply Pontos (the Main), by the Greeks. ... Sidon, also written Saida in English (transliterated from the Arabic صيدا ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. ...

As in the Greek and Hittite theogonies, Sanchuniathon's Elus/Cronus overthrows his father Sky or Uranus and castrates him. However Zeus Demarûs, that is Hadad Ramman, purported son of Dagon but actually son of Uranus, eventually joins with Uranus and wars against Cronus. To El/Cronus is attributed the practice of circumcision. Twice we are told that El/Cronus sacrificed his own son. At some point peace is made and Zeus Adados (Hadad) and Astarte reign over the land with Cronus' permission. An account of the events is written by the Cabeiri and Asclepius under Thoth's direction. Relief of Suppiluliuma II, last known king of the Hittite Empire Hittites is the conventional English-language term for an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language and established a kingdom centered in Hattusa (the modern village of BoÄŸazköy in north-central Turkey), through most of the... Haddad - בעל הדד (in Ugaritic Haddu) was a very important northwest Semitic storm god and rain god, cognate in name and origin with the Akkadian god Adad. ... Circumcision is the removal of some or all of the prepuce (foreskin). ...

About Serpents

A passage about serpent worship follows in which it is not clear what part is from Sanchuniathon and what part from Philo of Byblus. Serpent is a word of Latin origin (serpens, serpentis) that is normally substituted for snake in a specifically mythic or religious context, in order to distinguish such creatures from the field of biology. ...

External links to English translations

• Tertullian.org: Eusebius Praeparatio, Book 1 (Search on Sanchuniathon).
• Sacred Texts: Ancient Fragments, ed. and trans. I. P. Cory, 1832: "The Theology of the Phœnicians from Sanchoniatho"
• 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica - Sanchuniathon