Sanchuniathon
Sanchuniathon ( ancient Greek Σαγχουνιάθων Sanchuniáthōn , Phoenician sknytn "Sakon gives") was a Phoenician on whom the historian Philon of Byblos relied in his Phoenician history .
Philo is said to have translated the original Phoenician text of Sanchuniathon into Greek and used it in Phoenician history . The work of Philo is only transmitted through quotations from the late antique church father and historian Eusebius of Caesarea , who does not quote Philo himself, but from the fourth book of Against the Christians by the Neo-Platonist Porphyrios . These breaks in tradition led to the questioning of the historicity of Sanchuniathon and the credibility of the reports based on him. After the discovery and in the 20th century increasing development of the mythical texts from Ugarit , in which similar topics are treated and which could therefore be used for verification, Sanchuniathon is considered a reliable source of Philo.
Some of the information about Sanchuniathon’s life is of a fabulous nature, so that a possibly historical core is difficult to identify. Sanchuniathon is said to have lived in Berytos , Tyros or Sidon . He is said to have lived before the Trojan War and received his knowledge from Hierombalos, a priest of the god Jeuo (ancient Greek Ἰευώ ). He supplemented this knowledge with notes from the sanctuaries, wrote it down and dedicated it to an otherwise unknown king Abibalus of Berytos.
The traditional contents give in a strongly Graecized form information about Phoenician ideas about the origin of the cosmos , animals and human culture. There are also myths about alternating generations of gods, the deification of snakes and the origin of human sacrifice .
literature
- Pedro Pablo Fuentes González: Sanchuniathon de Tyr. In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques. Volume 6, CNRS Éditions, Paris 2016, ISBN 978-2-271-08989-2 , pp. 100-120
- Wolfgang Röllig : Sanchuniathon. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 11, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01481-9 , column 30 f.
Remarks
- ↑ Eusebius of Caesarea, Praeparatio evangelica 1, 9, 20-21; 10,9,12 ff.
- ↑ a b Porphyrios, On the abstention from the ensouled 2.56.
- ↑ Suda
- ↑ Athenaios 3, 100.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sanchuniathon |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Σαγχουνιάθων |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Phoenician historian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | between 15th century BC BC and 3rd century BC Chr. |
| DATE OF DEATH | between 15th century BC BC and 3rd century BC Chr. |