On the Ancient HEL LENES, 141 
parity of reafon, Helenus muft have denoted the /uz. The 
difference between Helenus, if you cut off the affix us, is next 
to nothing. But that the original word Hellenes atually im- 
ported wor/bippers of the fun, or at leaft of the hoff of heaven, 
will, it is hoped, appear obvious from the following obferva- 
tions. 
Ir is a well known fact, that the fathers of the Chriftian 
church have divided the early ages of the world into three 
epochs, which they have diftinguithed by the names of BagGa- 
ero0s, Lavbiowos and “EAAguopos, Barbarifin, Scythifm and Helie- 
nifm, The two firft we omit as foreign to our purpofe; the 
laft is a point of great importance towards eftablifhing our po- 
fition, and therefore its purport muft be fully elucidated. It 
muft indeed appear fomewhat extraordinary, to find people talk 
of a Hellenic period as exifting many centuries before the Hel- 
lenes of Greece had rifen into exiftence. But thefe holy men 
_were ignorant of the import of the name. They did not know, 
that the term Hed/en imported a votary of the fun, the Hel-En 
or fountain of light, and intimated the very fame thing with 
Zabians, or worfbippers of the hoft of heaven. EpipuHanius 
fixes the rife of Hellenifm to the age of SErucnH. ‘ Racam 
“ begat Serucn, and then idolatry and Hellenifm began 
““ among men *.””  Hellenifm was then coeval with SErucu, 
many ages before the Hellenes of Greece. Indeed, Eusesii's 
and SyncELLus make Serucu the author of the firft apoftacy 
from the true religion +. CEDREN' s makes Hellenifm only as 
ancient as THARRA. “ And Nacuor begat THarRA; then 
** was introduced the fabrication of images by the {kill of 
“ Tarra f.”’ Here then we have the origin of Hellenifm 
fixed to a very early period. ‘This apoftacy confifted in wor- 
fhipping the hoft of heaven, the Hel-En, the fountain of light. 
I Thofe. 
* Wolsi Heri. cap... p..47. $ Vole. ps x5. 
+ Chron, p. 15. SYNCEL. p. 34, 
