On the Ancient HELLENES. 141 



parity of reafon, Helenus muft have denoted the fun. The 

 difference between Helenus, if you cut off the affix us, is next 

 to nothing. But that the original word Hellenes actually im- 

 ported worjhippers of the fun, or at lead of the hojl of heaven, 

 will, it is hoped, appear obvious from the following obferva- 

 tions. 



It is a well known fact, that the fathers of the Chriftian 

 church have divided the early ages of the world into th:ee 

 epochs, which they have diftinguiihed by the names of Ba^jSa- 

 gurpog, 1,>cv0i<r{Ao$ and "EhX-zivitrpog, Barharifm, Scythifm and Helle- 

 nifm. The two firft we omit as foreign to our purpofe ; the 

 laft is a point of great importance towards eftablilhing our po- 

 fltion, 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 exiitence. But thefe holy men 

 were ignorant of the import of the name. They did not know, 

 that the term Hellen imported a votary of the fun, the Hel-En 

 or fountain of light, and intimated the very fame thing with 

 Zabians, or worjhippers of the hojl of heaven. Epiphanius 

 fixes the rife of Hellenifm to the age of Seruch. " Ragam 

 " begat Seruch, and then idolatry and Hellenifm began 

 " among men *." Hellenifm was then coeval with Seruch, 

 many ages before the Hellenes of Greece. Indeed, Eusebu s 

 and Syncellus make Seruch the author of the firft apoftacy 

 from the true religion f. Cedren s makes Hellenifm only as 

 ancient as Tharra. " And Nachor begat Tharra ; then 

 *' was introduced the fabrication of images by the fkill of 

 " Th4RRa|." Here then we have the origin of Hellenifm 

 fixed to a very early period. This apoftacy confided in wor- 

 fhipping the hoft of heaven, the Hel En, the fountain of light. 

 1 Thofe 



* Vol. i Her. i. cap. 6. p. 7. J Vol. i. p. 15. 



f Chron. p. 15. Syncel. p. 34, 



