21

near springs and rivers. where Ouranos was consecrated, and his spirit was separated, and the blood of his genitals dripped into the springs and the waters of the rivers, and to this day the place is shown.” 1.10.30 Such then are the deeds of Kronos, and such the venerable character of the life famed among the Greeks in the time of Kronos, of whom they say that they were “the first golden race of mortal men,” of that lauded happiness of the ancients. Again the writer, after other matters, adds to these things, saying: 1.10.31 “Astarte the greatest, and Zeus Demarous, and Adodos, king of gods, reigned over the country by the consent of Kronos. And Astarte placed upon her own head as a mark of royalty a bull’s head; and travelling about the inhabited world she found a star that fell from the air, which she took up and consecrated in the holy island of Tyre. 1.10.32 And the Phoenicians say that Astarte is Aphrodite. And Kronos also, going about the inhabited world, gives to his own daughter Athena the kingdom of Attica. 1.10.33 And when a plague and mortality occurred, Kronos offers his only-begotten son as a whole burnt-offering to his father Ouranos, and circumcises his own genitals, 1.10.34 forcing his allies with him to do the same. And not long after he consecrates another of his sons by Rhea, named Mouth, who had died; 1.10.35 him the Phoenicians call both Death and Plouton. And upon this Kronos gives the city of Byblos to the goddess Baaltis, who is also Dione, and Berytus to Poseidon and to the Kabeiroi and to the Agrotæ and Halieis, who also consecrated the remains of Pontos at Berytus. 1.10.36 But before these things the god Tautos, having imitated the countenances of the assembled gods, of Kronos, and Dagon, and the rest, formed the sacred characters of the elements. He contrived also for Kronos as insignia of royalty four eyes in front and behind, <two of them looking intently>, and two quietly closing, and upon his shoulders four wings, two as flying, and two as let down. 1.10.37 The symbol was, that Kronos when asleep was watching, and when awake was sleeping. And in like manner on his wings, that he flew while at rest, and was at rest when flying. But to the other gods two wings each upon their shoulders, as meaning that they flew with Kronos. And to Kronos himself again upon his head two wings, 1.10.38 one upon the most ruling mind, and one upon the sense. And Kronos having come into the land of the South, gave all Egypt to the god Tautos, that it might be his kingdom. These things, he says, the seven sons of Sydyk, the Kabeiroi, and their eighth brother Asklepios, first of all recorded, 1.10.39 as the god Tautos commanded them. All this the son of Thabion, the very first 1.10.39 hierophant of the Phoenicians from the beginning, allegorized and mixed up with the physical and cosmical phenomena, and delivered to the prophets who celebrated the orgies and presided over the mysteries: and they, seeking by every means to increase the delusion, handed it on to their successors and to the new-comers; among whom was Eisirios, the inventor of the three letters, the brother of Chna who was afterwards called Phoenix.” 1.10.40 Then he next adds again: “But the Greeks, surpassing all in genius, appropriated most of the earliest stories, and then with various embellishments of diction set them forth in tragic style, and, seeking to charm with the pleasures of their fables, they diversified them in all kinds of ways. Hence Hesiod and the cyclic poets, being dinned with these stories, fabricated Theogonies and Gigantomachies and Titanomachies of their own, and stories of castrations; and by their influence they prevailed over the truth. 1.10.41 But our ears having been brought up with their fictions, and preoccupied for many ages, keep as a deposit the mythology which we received, just as I said at the beginning, which, being aided by time, has made its hold difficult to escape, so that the truth seems to be nonsense, and the spurious part of the narrative truth.” 1.10.42 Let these things be set forth from the writing of Sanchuniathon, which was translated by Philo of Byblos, but approved as true by the testimony of Porphyry the

21

σύνεγγυς πηγῶν τε καὶ ποταμῶν. ἔνθα ἀφιερώθη Οὐρανὸς καὶ ἀπηρτίσθη αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἀπέσταξεν αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα τῶν αἰδοίων εἰς τὰς πηγὰς καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν τὰ ὕδατα, καὶ μέχρι τούτου δείκνυται τὸ χωρίον.» 1.10.30 Τοσαῦτα μὲν δὴ τὰ τοῦ Κρόνου, καὶ τοιαῦτά γε τὰ σεμνὰ τοῦ παρ' Ἕλλησι βοωμένου βίου τῶν ἐπὶ Κρόνου, οὓς καί φασι γεγονέναι «πρῶτον χρύσεόν τε γένος μερόπων ἀνθρώπων», τῆς μακαριζομένης ἐκείνης τῶν παλαιῶν εὐδαιμονίας. πάλιν δὲ ὁ συγγραφεὺς τούτοις μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιφέρει λέγων· 1.10.31 «Ἀστάρτη δὲ ἡ μεγίστη καὶ Ζεὺς ∆ημαροῦς καὶ Ἄδωδος, βασιλεὺς θεῶν, ἐβασίλευον τῆς χώρας Κρόνου γνώμῃ. ἡ δὲ Ἀστάρτη ἐπέθηκεν τῇ ἰδίᾳ κεφαλῇ βασιλείας παράσημον κεφαλὴν ταύρου· περινοστοῦσα δὲ τὴν οἰκουμένην εὗρεν ἀεροπετῆ ἀστέρα, ὃν καὶ ἀνελομένη ἐν Τύρῳ τῇ ἁγίᾳ νήσῳ 1.10.32 ἀφιέρωσεν. τὴν δὲ Ἀστάρτην Φοίνικες τὴν Ἀφροδίτην εἶναι λέγουσιν. καὶ ὁ Κρόνος δὲ περιιὼν τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἀθηνᾷ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ θυγατρὶ δίδωσι 1.10.33 τῆς Ἀττικῆς τὴν βασιλείαν. λοιμοῦ δὲ γενομένου καὶ φθορᾶς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μονογενῆ υἱὸν ὁ Κρόνος Οὐρανῷ τῷ πατρὶ ὁλοκαρποῖ καὶ τὰ αἰδοῖα περιτέμνε1.10.34 ται, ταὐτὸν ποιῆσαι καὶ τοὺς ἅμ' αὐτῷ συμμάχους ἐξαναγκάσας. καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ ἕτερον αὐτοῦ παῖδα ἀπὸ Ῥέας ὀνομαζόμενον Μοὺθ ἀποθανόντα 1.10.35 ἱεροῖ· Θάνατον δὲ τοῦτον καὶ Πλούτωνα Φοίνικες ὀνομάζουσιν. καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ Κρόνος Βύβλον μὲν τὴν πόλιν θεᾷ Βααλτίδι, τῇ καὶ ∆ιώνῃ, δίδωσι, Βηρυτὸν δὲ Ποσειδῶνι καὶ Καβείροις Ἀγρόταις τε καὶ Ἁλιεῦσιν, οἳ καὶ τὰ1.10.36 τοῦ Πόντου λείψανα εἰς τὴν Βηρυτὸν ἀφιέρωσαν. πρὸ δὲ τούτων θεὸς Τάαυτος μιμησάμενος τῶν συνόντων θεῶν ὄψεις, Κρόνου τε καὶ ∆αγῶνος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, διετύπωσεν τοὺς ἱεροὺς τῶν στοιχείων χαρακτῆρας. ἐπενόησεν δὲ καὶ τῷ Κρόνῳ παράσημα βασιλείας ὄμματα τέσσαρα ἐκ τῶν ἐμπροσθίων καὶ ὀπισθίων μερῶν, <δύο μὲν ἀτενὲς βλέποντα>, δύο δὲ ἡσυχῆ μύοντα, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων πτερὰ τέσσαρα, δύο μὲν ὡς ἱπτάμενα, δύο δὲ ὡς ὑφειμένα. 1.10.37 τὸ δὲ σύμβολον ἦν, ἐπειδὴ Κρόνος κοιμώμενος ἔβλεπεν καὶ ἐγρηγορὼς ἐκοιμᾶτο· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πτερῶν ὁμοίως, ὅτι ἀναπαυόμενος ἵπτατο καὶ ἱπτάμενος ἀνεπαύετο. τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς θεοῖς δύο ἑκάστῳ πτερώματα ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων, ὡς ὅτι δὴ συνίπταντο τῷ Κρόνῳ. καὶ αὐτῷ δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς πτερὰ δύο, 1.10.38 ἓν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμονικωτάτου νοῦ καὶ ἓν ἐπὶ τῆς αἰσθήσεως. ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Κρόνος εἰς Νότου χώραν ἅπασαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον παρέδωκεν θεῷ Τααύτῳ, ὅπως βασίλειον αὐτῷ γένηται. ταῦτα δὲ φησί πρῶτοι πάντων ὑπεμνηματίσαντο οἱ ἑπτὰ Συδύκου παῖδες Κάβειροι καὶ ὁ ὄγδοος αὐτῶν ἀδελφὸς Ἀσκληπιός, 1.10.39 ὡς αὐτοῖς ἐνετείλατο θεὸς Τάαυτος. ταῦτα πάντα ὁ Θαβίωνος, πάμπρω1.10.39 τος τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος γεγονότων Φοινίκων ἱεροφάντης ἀλληγορήσας τοῖς τε φυσικοῖς καὶ κοσμικοῖς πάθεσιν ἀναμίξας, παρέδωκεν τοῖς ὀργεῶσι καὶ τελετῶν κατάρχουσι προφήταις· οἱ δὲ τὸν τῦφον αὔξειν ἐκ παντὸς ἐπινοοῦντες ταῖς αὐτῶν διαδοχαῖς παρέδοσαν καὶ τοῖς ἐπεισάκτοις· ὧν ἦν καὶ Εἰσίριος, τῶν τριῶν γραμμάτων εὑρετής, ἀδελφὸς Χνᾶ τοῦ μετονομασθέντος Φοίνικος.» 1.10.40 Εἶθ' ἑξῆς αὖθις ἐπιλέγει· «Οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες εὐφυΐᾳ πάντας ὑπερβαλλόμενοι τὰ μὲν πρῶτα πλεῖστα ἐξιδιώσαντο, εἶτα τοῖς προ<σ>κοσμήμασι ποικίλως ἐξετραγῴδησαν ταῖς τε τῶν μύθων ἡδοναῖς θέλγειν ἐπινοοῦντες παντοίως ἐποίκιλλον· ἔνθεν Ἡσίοδος οἵ τε κυκλικοὶ περιηχημένοι Θεογονίας καὶ Γιγαντομαχίας καὶ Τιτανομαχίας ἔπλασαν ἰδίας καὶ ἐκτομάς· οἷς συμπεριφερόμενοι ἐξενίκησαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. 1.10.41 σύντροφοι δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνων πλάσμασιν αἱ ἀκοαὶ ἡμῶν γενόμεναι καὶ προληφθεῖσαι πολλοῖς αἰῶσιν ὡς παρακαταθήκην φυλάσσουσιν ἥνπερ ἐδέξαντο μυθοποιίαν, καθάπερ καὶ ἀρχόμενος εἶπον, ἥτις συνεργηθεῖσα χρόνῳ δυσεξίτητον αὐτῆς τὴν κατοχὴν ἀπείργασται, ὥστε τὴν μὲν ἀλήθειαν δοκεῖν λῆρον, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀφηγήσεως νόθον ἀλήθειαν.» 1.10.42 Ταῦτα ἀπὸ τῆς Σαγχουνιάθωνος προκείσθω γραφῆς, ἑρμηνευθείσης μὲν ὑπὸ Φίλωνος τοῦ Βυβλίου, δοκιμασθείσης δὲ ὡς ἀληθοῦς ὑπὸ τῆς Πορφυρίου τοῦ