Philo of Byblos: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Greek author (c. 64 – 141)}}

{{For|the Hellenized Jewish philosopher|Philo}}

{{Other uses|Philo (disambiguation)}}

'''Philo of Byblos''' ({{lang-grc|Φίλων Βύβλιος}}, ''Phílōn Býblios''; {{lang-la|Philo Byblius}}; {{circa|lk=no|64}}&nbsp;– 141), also known as '''Herennius Philon''', was an antiquarian writer of [[grammatical]], [[lexicon|lexical]] and [[historical]] works in [[Greek language|Greek]]. He is chiefly known for his [[Phoenicia]]n history assembled from the writings of [[Sanchuniathon]].<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Philo, Herennius |volume=21 |page=413 |inline=1}}</ref>

Philo was born in the 1st century in [[Byblos]] in what is now [[Lebanon]]. "He lived into the reign of [[Hadrian]], of which he wrote a history, now lost."<ref name=EB1911/> His name "Herennius" suggests that he was a client of the ''[[consul suffectus]]'' Herennius Severus through whom Philo may have achieved the status of a [[Roman citizen]].

[[File:Sacred_ibis_(Threskiornis_aethiopicus).jpg|thumb|alt=The ibis species that represents Thoth|[[Thoth]] appears with the head of the [[African sacred ibis]] and is mentioned frequently by Philo.]]

*''On Synonyms'', of which there is extant an [[epitome]] by [[Ammonius Grammaticus]].<ref name=EB1911/>

{{quote|[H]e is chiefly known for his translation of the [[Phoenicia]]n history of [[Sanchuniathon]], who was said to have lived before the [[Trojan war]]. Of this work considerable fragments have been preserved, chiefly by [[Eusebius]] in the ''Praeparatio evangelica'' (i.9; iv.16). They present a [[Euhemerism|euhemeristic]] ''réchauffé'' of [[Canaanite religion|Phoenician theology and mythology]], which is represented as translated from the original [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]].<ref name=EB1911/>}}

Sanchuniathon was thought by some scholars to be "an imaginary personage, whose name is formed from that of the Phoenician god [[Sakkun|Sanchon]]".<ref name=EB1911/> However, Edinburgh Professor P. B. R. Forbes wrote that 14th century BC documents from [[Ugarit]], published since 1929, have "proved conclusively that Sanchuniathon is doubtless a verity because of the many correspondences between him and these fresh texts".<ref>Forbes, Peter Barr Reid, "Philon of Byblos" in ''The Oxford Classical Dictionary'', New York, New York.: Oxford University Press, 1991, p.823.</ref>

Philo's Greek ''Phoenician History'' was so extensively quoted by [[Eusebius]] in his 4th-century work ''[[Praeparatio evangelica]]'' that the fragments have been assembled and translated. Eusebius's quotations often have an agenda contrary to Philo's original intentions: the sources of Phoenician religion are quoted to disparage. Philo's passages show a jumbling together of Phoenician lore with [[Greek mythology]], [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] beliefs {{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} and [[ancient Egypt]]ian beliefs concerning the [[African sacred ibis|ibis]]-headed god [[Thoth]], who in Philo is called ''Taautos'' or ''Tauthos''. In Philo, as among the ancient Egyptians, Taautos/Thoth is given characteristics that were much argued in the 4th century [[Christology]]: "everlasting, unbegotten, undivided". Allusions to [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpent veneration]] mingled with the cult of Thoth are also found.

According to Eusebius, Philo discovered secret mythological writings of the ancient [[Phoenicians]] assembled by the Phoenician writer [[Sanchuniathon]] who, according to Eusebius/Philo, transcribed the sacred lore from pillars in the temples of [[Byblos]]. Philo also translated all (or some) of the work in his ''Phoenician History''. According to Porphyry, Sanchuniathon wrote a history of the [[Jews]] based on information derived from [[Hierombalus]] (i.e. Jeruba'al), a [[Yahwism|Yahwist]] priest, and dedicated it to Abelbal or Abibal, king of [[Berytus]].

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]] (modern Ras Shamra, Syria) fall into similar patterns. Compare the genealogical tables at Sanchuniathon.

[[Category:Greek-language historians from the Roman Empire]]

[[Category:Historians of Phoenicia|Byblos]]

[[Category:Phoenician writers]]

[[Category:1st-century Greek writers]]

[[Category:2nd-century Greek writers]]

[[Category:1st-century Romans]]

[[Category:2nd-century Romans]]

[[Category:2nd-century historians]]

[[Category:1st-century Phoenician people]]

[[Category:2nd-century Phoenician people]]