140 On the Ancient HELLENES. 
that from them were defcended the Theffalian Hellenes, whofe 
name was, in procefs of time, adopted by all the nations of 
Greece.—Let us now try if we cannot produce fomething ftill 
more plaufible in confirmation of this hypothefis. 
Tue original term He/ fignifies light, brightnefs, /plendour. 
Perhaps it is the fame with the word £/, without the afpiration, 
which is one of the epithets of the true Gop among the He- 
brews; for ‘“‘ Gop is light, and in him is no darknefs at all.” 
When the luminaries of heaven became the objects of religious 
worthip among the ancient Pagans, moft of the names, titles 
and epithets which had originally belonged to the true Gop, 
were transferred to the folar light ; confequently E/ or Hel 
became a title of the fun. Among the heathens, it was a pre- 
vailing practice to denominate the feveral claffes of priefts from 
the title of that deity to whom they refpectively miniftered. 
This point needs no confirmation. If then the Helli in que- 
{tion were originally priefts of JupiTer, that is, the Sun, they 
were of courfe denominated from that deity. Another oriental 
word now prefents itfelf, which, if admitted into the compofi- 
tion, will naturally produce the word we are endeavouring to 
inveftigate. In Hebrew, En, or perhaps Ein, fignifies both an 
eye and a fountain. From a combination of the words He/ and 
En, (doubling the / in order to ftrengthen the found), we have 
Hellen, which may fignify, either the fountain of light, or the 
eye of light, both terms naturally applicable to the fun. The 
original import of the word He//en was then, according to this 
etymology, @ worfbipper or votary of the fountain of light, 
i.e. the Sun. As a collateral proof of the juftnefs of this ety- 
mology, it may be obferved, that among the ancient Greeks, 
the word Helena was actually a name of the moon *, and, by a 
parity 
* The Greek word Esanm feems to be the very fame with ‘Exm, only changing 
the fpiritus afper into =, according to the folic dialect, Ziaev@ was allo a name 
of the fun. 
ama 
i 
ED ye wa: 
i ee 
Siri 
