MOST IMPORTANT WORDS. 739 



Suria, a Chaldean title of the sun, which is also 

 termed Surya in Sanscrit, that Ethiopia was 

 formerly called Atheria, from Ath and Ur, or 

 from Aythur, meaning land of the solar fire : that 

 the Greeks took their appellation of 'EAXr/vec, 

 Hellenes, or Heliada, from Helios, implying their 

 descent from the solar race. (Heathen Mytho- 

 logy, vol. i. pp. 56, 96.; vol. ii. p. 405.) 



Dr. Prichard also informs us, that one of the 

 Sanscrit names of the sun is Hailigh or Hailis, 

 and is doubtless the same word as Helios or 

 Helion, which is one of the titles employed in 

 the Hebrew Bible to designate the supreme Deity, 

 according to the very learned Jerome, who is re- 

 presented by Parkhurst as the most skilful He- 

 bracian among the Fathers. Another title of the 

 supreme Creator in Hebrew is Adonai, which, ac- 

 cording to Bryant, is compounded of three Phoe- 

 nician words, Ad, On, and Ai, all of which 

 designated the sun, who was worshipped as the 

 creative and formative God in ancient Tyre, 

 Sidon, Canaan, and Carthage. Another and still 

 more common title of the supreme Deity in 

 Hebrew, is the word btf, Al, El, Eli, mElion, all 

 of which are modifications of the same word, which 

 we have already seen was a Phoenician, Sanscrit, 

 and Greek name of the sun. We also read in the 

 first chapter of Genesis, that in the beginning, 

 D'btf , Elohim, created the heavens and the earth. 



The ablest Hebrew scholars differ in opinion 

 as to whether the word Elohim is singular or 



