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has taken pains to compose three books having the title "Paradoxical History."» 1.9.29 And again after other things he adds: «But it is necessary to articulate beforehand for the sake of future clarity and the understanding of the details, that the most ancient of the barbarians, and especially the Phoenicians and Egyptians, from whom the rest of mankind also received these things, considered as the greatest gods those who had discovered things for the needs of life, or had in some way benefited the nations; and considering these to be benefactors and causes of many good things, they worshipped them as gods even when they had passed away, and having built temples for them, they dedicated pillars and staves in their name, and revering these greatly the Phoenicians also assigned to them the greatest festivals; and especially from their own kings they applied their names to the cosmic elements and to some of the recognized gods; but they knew as gods only the natural ones, the sun and moon and the rest of the wandering stars and the elements and things connected with them, so that for them some gods were mortal, and others immortal.» 1.9.30 Philo, having laid down these things in the preface, next begins the interpretation of Sanchuniathon, setting forth the Phoenician theology in this way: 1.10.1 11. SUMMARY OF THE ANCIENTLY DISCUSSED PHOENICIAN THEOLOGY AND CONCERNING THOSE WHO WROTE IT AND HOW WE HAVE RIGHTLY

REJECTED IT WITH CONTEMPT «He supposes the beginning of all things to be a dark and windy air, or a breath of dark air, and a turbid, gloomy chaos. And that these were infinite and for a long age had no limit. But when, he says, the spirit fell in love with its own principles and a mixture occurred, that entanglement was called Desire. This was the beginning of the creation of all things. But it did not know its own creation, and from its 1.10.2 entanglement with the spirit Mōt came into being. Some say this is slime, others a putrefaction of a watery mixture. And out of this came every seed of creation and the origin of all things. And there were certain living beings without sensation, from which came intelligent beings, and they were called Zophasemin, that is, 'watchers of heaven.' And it was shaped like the form of an egg, and Mōt shone forth as the sun and moon and stars and great constellations.» 1.10.3 Such is their cosmogony, openly introducing atheism; but let us see next how he says the generation of animals also came about. He says then: 1.10.4 «And when the air shone through, by the heat of both the sea and the land there came winds and clouds and very great downpours and effusions of heavenly waters. And when they were separated and were parted from their own place because of the sun's heat, and all met again in an instant, these with those, and clashed together, thunder and lightning were produced, and at the crash of the thunder the aforementioned intelligent beings awoke, and at the sound were startled and moved, both on land and in the sea, male and female.» 1.10.5 Such is their generation of animals also. Next to these things the same writer adds, saying: «These things were found written in the cosmogony of Taautus and in his commentaries, from both conjectures and evidences which his mind saw and discovered and enlightened for us.» 1.10.6 Next to these things, after giving the names of the winds, South and North and the rest, he adds: «But these were the first to consecrate the products of the earth, and they considered them gods and worshipped these things, from which they themselves lived and their successors and all those before them, and they made libations and offerings.» 1.10.7 And he adds: «And these were the conceptions of worship, similar to their own weakness and want of courage in soul. Then he says that from the wind Colpias and his wife Baau (which means night) were born Aeon and Protogonus, mortal men, so called; and that they found

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τρία πεφιλοτίμηται βιβλία τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχοντα Παραδόξου ἱστορίας.» 1.9.29 Καὶ αὖθις μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει· «Προδιαρθρῶσαι δὲ ἀναγκαῖον πρὸς τὴν αὖθις σαφήνειαν καὶ τὴν τῶν κατὰ μέρος διάγνωσιν, ὅτι οἱ παλαίτατοι τῶν βαρβάρων, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ Φοίνικές τε καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι, παρ' ὧν καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ παρέλαβον ἄνθρωποι, θεοὺς ἐνόμιζον μεγίστους τοὺς τὰ πρὸς τὴν βιωτικὴν χρείαν εὑρόντας ἢ καὶ κατά τι εὖ ποιήσαντας τὰ ἔθνη εὐεργέτας τε τούτους καὶ πολλῶν αἰτίους ἀγαθῶν ἡγούμενοι ὡς θεοὺς προσεκύνουν καὶ εἰς τὸ χρεὼν μεταστάντας, ναοὺς κατασκευασάμενοι, στήλας τε καὶ ῥάβδους ἀφιέρουν ἐξ ὀνόματος αὐτῶν καὶ ταῦτα μεγάλως σεβόμενοι καὶ ἑορτὰς ἔνεμον αὐτοῖς τὰς μεγίστας Φοίνικες· ἐξαιρέτως δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σφετέρων βασιλέων τοῖς κοσμικοῖς στοιχείοις καί τισι τῶν νομιζομένων θεῶν τὰς ὀνομασίας προσέθηκαν· φυσικοὺς δὲ ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς πλανήτας ἀστέρας καὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα καὶ τὰ τούτοις συναφῆ θεοὺς μόνους ἐγίνωσκον, ὥστε αὐτοῖς τοὺς μὲν θνητούς, τοὺς δὲ ἀθανάτους θεοὺς εἶναι.» 1.9.30 Ταῦτα κατὰ τὸ προοίμιον ὁ Φίλων διαστειλάμενος ἑξῆς ἀπάρχεται τῆς τοῦ Σαγχουνιάθωνος ἑρμηνείας, ὧδέ πως τὴν Φοινικικὴν ἐκτιθέμενος θεολογίαν· 1.10.1 ιαʹ. ΕΠΙΤΟΜΗ ΤΗΣ ΦΟΙΝΙΚΩΝ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΟΥΜΕΝΗΣ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΤΑΥΤΗΝ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΨΑΜΕΝΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΩΣ ∆ΙΚΑΙΩΣ ΑΥΤΗΣ

ΚΑΤΕΠΤΥΣΑΜΕΝ «Τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἀρχὴν ὑποτίθεται ἀέρα ζοφώδη καὶ πνευματώδη ἢ πνοὴν ἀέρος ζοφώδους, καὶ χάος θολερόν, ἐρεβῶδες. ταῦτα δὲ εἶναι ἄπειρα καὶ διὰ πολὺν αἰῶνα μὴ ἔχειν πέρας. ὅτε δέ, φησίν, ἠράσθη τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν ἰδίων ἀρχῶν καὶ ἐγένετο σύγκρασις, ἡ πλοκὴ ἐκείνη ἐκλήθη πόθος. αὕτη δ' ἀρχὴ κτίσεως ἁπάντων. αὐτὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκε τὴν αὑτοῦ κτίσιν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ 1.10.2 συμπλοκῆς τοῦ πνεύματος ἐγένετο Μώτ. τοῦτό τινές φασιν ἰλύν, οἱ δὲ ὑδατώδους μίξεως σῆψιν. καὶ ἐκ ταύτης ἐγένετο πᾶσα σπορὰ κτίσεως καὶ γένεσις τῶν ὅλων. ἦν δέ τινα ζῷα οὐκ ἔχοντα αἴσθησιν, ἐξ ὧν ἐγένετο ζῷα νοερά, καὶ ἐκλήθη Ζοφασημίν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν οὐρανοῦ κατόπται. καὶ ἀνεπλάσθη ὁμοίως ᾠοῦ σχήματι, καὶ ἐξέλαμψε Μὼτ ἥλιός τε καὶ σελήνη ἀστέρες τε καὶ ἄστρα μεγάλα.» 1.10.3 Τοιαύτη μὲν αὐτῶν ἡ κοσμογονία, ἄντικρυς ἀθεότητα εἰσάγουσα· ἴδωμεν δὲ ἑξῆς ὡς καὶ τὴν ζῳογονίαν ὑποστῆναι λέγει. φησὶν οὖν· 1.10.4 «Καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος διαυγάσαντος, διὰ πύρωσιν καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῆς γῆς ἐγένετο πνεύματα καὶ νέφη καὶ οὐρανίων ὑδάτων μέγισται καταφοραὶ καὶ χύσεις. καὶ ἐπειδὴ διεκρίθη καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου τόπου ἐχωρίσθη διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου πύρωσιν καὶ πάλιν συνήντησεν πάντα ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τάδε τοῖσδε καὶ συνέρραξαν, βρονταί τε ἀπετελέσθησαν καὶ ἀστραπαί, καὶ πρὸς τὸν πάταγον τῶν βροντῶν τὰ προγεγραμμένα νοερὰ ζῷα ἐγρηγόρησεν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἦχον ἐπτύρη καὶ ἐκινήθη ἔν τε γῇ καὶ θαλάσσῃ ἄρρεν καὶ θῆλυ.» 1.10.5 Τοιαύτη αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡ ζῳογονία. τούτοις ἑξῆς ὁ αὐτὸς συγγραφεὺς ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «Ταῦθ' ηὑρέθη ἐν τῇ κοσμογονίᾳ γεγραμμένα Τααύτου καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνου ὑπομνήμασιν, ἔκ τε στοχασμῶν καὶ τεκμηρίων ὧν ἑώρακεν αὐτοῦ ἡ διάνοια καὶ εὗρεν καὶ ἡμῖν ἐφώτισεν.» 1.10.6 Ἑξῆς τούτοις ὀνόματα τῶν ἀνέμων εἰπὼν Νότου καὶ Βορέα καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπιλέγει· «Ἀλλ' οὗτοί γε πρῶτοι ἀφιέρωσαν τὰ τῆς γῆς βλαστήματα, καὶ θεοὺς ἐνόμισαν καὶ προσεκύνουν ταῦτα, ἀφ' ὧν αὐτοί τε διεγίνοντο καὶ οἱ ἑπόμενοι καὶ οἱ πρὸ αὐτῶν πάντες, καὶ χοὰς καὶ ἐπιθύσεις ἐποίουν.» 1.10.7 Καὶ ἐπιλέγει· «Αὗται δὲ ἦσαν αἱ ἐπίνοιαι τῆς προσκυνήσεως ὅμοιαι τῇ αὐτῶν ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ ψυχῆς ἀτολμίᾳ. εἶτά φησιν γεγενῆσθαι ἐκ τοῦ Κολπία ἀνέμου καὶ γυναικὸς Βάαυ τοῦτο δὲ νύκτα ἑρμηνεύει Αἰῶνα καὶ Πρωτόγονον, θνητοὺς ἄνδρας, οὕτω καλουμένους· εὑρεῖν δὲ