[ ?oo ] 
the gods, or rather to the Supreme Deity, either in 
confequence of vows formerly made, on account of 
recoveries from dangerous fits of ficknefs - } or for the 
future health, fafety, and prefervation of the perform 
therein mentioned. This fufficiently appears, not only 
from the Greek infcription, which in fome meafure 
expreffes the fenfe of the hi ft of them, but likewile 
from the tenor of them all. Nor can any thing 
be more clear and explicit, than the terms of which 
they are compofed. 
2. The aforefaid Greek infcription only informs 
us, that J VLIVS AVRELIVS, therein alfo mentioned, 
dedicated an altar, on his father’s account, after he had 
prayed to the deity, for whom that altar was defigned. 
But the Palmyrene one anfwering to it has preferved 
the very form of this fhort prayer, or ejaculation ; 
which pretty nearly correfponds with that ufed by 
the prophet Daniel, in chap. ii. ver. 20. as well as a 
very noted one of the Rabbins. Nor is it altogether 
remote from a (a) fcriptural expreffion, that now and 
then occurs. Nay, that the antient Syrians, or rather 
the Syrian Jews, applied the word HOI?. NAME, 
to GOD, or the Supreme Being, we learn from fome 
\b) good authors. This opens a large field for re- 
flections, and fuggefts to us feveral remarkable par- 
ticulars relating to the religion, or rather religions, 
that prevailed at Tadmor, about the middle of the 
third century. 
3. Thofe particulars are likewife very clearly 
pointed out to us by the fecond Palmyrene infcrip- 
tion, which contains a fort of fhort prayer, or eja- 
(a) Val. Schind. Lex. Pcntaglot. p. 247 — 250, 1886, &c\ 
(b) Edm. Cartel. Lex. Hept. p. 3772. 
dilation, 
