Re? regard to t e religion of the Phenicians, its. real character has yet been imperfectly expiscated. Deprived of all original and direct information on the subject, we have to cull what scanty notices we may from the works of Greek and Latin writers, or to gather knowledge from some vague allusions contained in the Bible. Not a scrap of native literature has been allowed to survive; and Hie supposed extracts from a Greek version by Philo of Simchnniatho's Phenician works, which we find in Elise blue—hitherto our chief source of information—must be used with more than an ordi nary degree of caution. See SANCIIUNIATHO. We shall, therefore, without entering into futile speculations, confine ourselves to a few general 'and well-ascertained facts; premis ing, however, that Phenician theology is far from being a hopeless province, whatever it may appear now. Excavations are on foot in all directions, both in the mother-country and in the colonies, and new discoveries are hieing brought to light constantly.
The religion of the Phenicians was, like all ancient Semitic religions—except that of the Hebrews—a kind of pantheistic worship of nature. While monotheism, with the descendants of Abraham, assumed a supreme power within nature, which, according to its own free will, creates and destroys, the rest of the east assumed a dualism: two elements, a male and female; or two highest deities, one of whom begets, and power to destroy, and the other conceives and bears. These two supreme beings were sometimes merged in one deity, with male and female. attributes, which spread out into immense ramifications: representatives now of the general powers of nature, now of the i,articular phenomena in nature, or the life of men. They had deities who ruled over the stars, the elements, the seasons; over special localities, or over certain phases of life. No nation of antiquity perhaps possessed a more endless pantheon than the Phenicians: a circumstance easily explained by their peculiar position and relations. Consisting originally of a variety of tribes, each of whom had had their own special deities— although the supreme nu men, or the principle of their chief deity, was probably the same with all—those Pheniehths who dwelt in•the n. differed in some respects, such as the names and attributes of certain gods, from those of the south. Besides this, it must not be forgotten that the period of Phenician history ranges over 2,000 years, and their political career, as well as their commerce, brought them in close and constant contact with nearly all the civilized nations of the then known world; and being both superstitious (as sailors and traders are prone to be), and possessed of an adaptibility to which partly they owed their success in other respects, they easily, if not greedily, received into their wide pantheon those who, albeit the special national gods of others, or because of this very reason, could either harm or benefit them. It may be also that a certain easy nonchal
ance about these things, such as the wealthy and aristocratic classes displayed in ancient Rome and elsewhere, and the interests of the priests, who received very considerable tithes of every sacrifice (oddly enough fair information on that point leaves nothing to be desired), what hand in hand to favor the gradual introduction of as many gods and god desses as pleased the herd. Their proper divisions, however, their real names and derivations, and the history and time of their nationalization, are things which will for ever continue to puzzle investigators.
Setting aside such more or less vague and undefined names of deities as were cons. moll to the whole Semitic stock, and as they arc found in the Hebrew records—like El (mighty one), or (in plural) UltDWirn [El§on] (the most high); Adon (lord); 31clech. [Moloch] (king); etc.—we find in the first rank of gods (of Tyre and Sidon) Baal (q.v.) and Astarte (q.v.). Baal again oceetrs in two different characters, as it were—as Ba«leamin (lord of heavens), the highest god ruling over the universe, the Zeus Olympios, and Jupiter Optimus 3laxitnus; and as Baal ..11el•a•th, the special national nurnen. Baaissmin is originally identical with the Babylonian Bel or Baal. The third supreme Tyrian goddess was Astarte, worshiped as the very counterpart of the Sidenian Astarte. While the latter was considered a pure virgin, whose emblem was the moon, the former (the biblical Ashera) was propitiated (as Venus; goddess and planet) by prostitution. The Tyrian Astarte was principally known tinder the name of Tanis (q:v.), I he Assyro-Persian Tanais, and was married to Banlsamin, and also to Adonis, and bore altogether the character of a goddess who delighted in chastity.
The principal deities of northern Phenicia—the non Sidonian trihes—eensisted of a different trins—El, Baal/is, and Adonis. The first was the supposed founder of the two oldest Phenician cities of Byblus and Berytus, and corresponded to (being fa iginaliy. perhaps, identical with) both Baalsamin, as the highest deity, and Neikarth, as the special god of Tyre. Befall's, Bends (my lady—Aphrodite), worship«1 at 13:.blus, Berytus, Aphaka, Arke (Architis), etc., was joined to.Adonis (q.v.), .whose coitus had been imported from Assyria, and is therefore unknown in the more ancient Phenician colonies, in Africa and Spain. Byblus called him Adonis Games, or Gamin (perhaps Gaavan, the exalted); near Byblus,–we find him worshiped as Elyon (the highest); as Esmun in Bertyus, and perhaps also under the name of Memnon, at Apemen. where an annual morning-festival was celebrated in his honor; further, near the river Bemdas at Paltos; and at the river Belt's. As Serach (the .brilliant) in Phenician, and Kharush (the sun) in Persian, he appeals to have had some relation to the star-and-planet worship which became, under Assyrian influence, a prominent feature of the Phenician religion.