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The most ancient account of the Phenician or Canaanitish 

 worship, can be learned only from the books of the old 

 Testament, and a fragment of Sanchoniatho, a very early 

 Phenician writer; for he is supposed to have been contem- 

 porary with Gideon, one of the judges of Israel, who flourished 

 1313 years B C. In the former we find frequent mention 

 of the Canaanitish idols, to whose worship the Israelites 

 were strongly addicted ; but of their cosmogony or theogony 

 no mention is made : in the latter both are detailed. 

 Unfortunately, the original work of Sanchoniatho does not 

 now exist ; it was translated from the Phenician into Greek 

 by TJdlo Byblius ; but this translation also has long since 

 disappeared. Nothing more than a fragment of it, but a 

 pretty long one, now remains. It is found in the first book 

 of Eusebius's Evang. Prepar. of which I have taken the 

 following extract. 



" In the beginning of all things, there existed a dark air, 

 •' replete with spirit, and a confused chaos covered over 

 " with darkness ; both were infinite, and had subsisted many 

 " ages: but when the spirit, struck with love, for its own 

 " principles had united to them, this union was called 

 " Cupid, or Desire, and was the origin of the production of 

 " all things; but the spirit itself was unproduced, and 

 " acknowledged no beginning. From this conjunction arose 

 " Mot, or an earthy slime or mud, impregnated with the 

 '* seeds of all things ; froni it the sun, moon, and stars burst 

 " forth, and shone. There were also some animals, but 



" they 



