[ 7 11 1 
extremely well agrees. Such ellipfes as this were 
antiently not uncommon, according to Noldius (a). 
f . From the feventh infeription it appears not im- 
probable, that fome eminent Jewiffi merchants, 
about the middle of the third century, refided at 
Tadmor. That infeription therefore may perhaps 
be allowed to fupport the authority of Photius j who 
has not fcrupled to aflert, that the famous Zenobia 
herfelf profefled the Jewifh religion ( b ). 
6. From the two inferiptions now before us, and 
the others written in the fame character, we may 
fairly infer, that the ufe of the Chaldee letters (be- 
tween which and the Palmyrene there is fo furpriz- 
ing an affinity, that they may not improperly be con- 
lidered as the fame) prevailed at Tadmor, and in all 
the neighbouring parts of Syria, that were at no 
great diftance from the confines of Chaldsea, or 
Irak, in the firft, fecond, and third centuries after 
Christ. For the oldeft of them was drawn out in 
the month Elul , or September , and the year of Seleu- 
cus 360 , nearly coincident with the 49th of Christ ; 
the thirteenth of them in the month Nifan ) or Aprils 
of the year of Seleucus 447, anfwering to the year 
of Christ 136; the fifth, that I have been juft at- 
tempting to explain, in the month c Iifri i and the 
year of Seleucus 563, or of Christ 2f2, when Tre- 
bonianus Gallus directed the Roman affairs ; the 
feventh, that I have been likewife now endeavour- 
(a) Chriftian. Nold. Concordant. Particular. Ebrao-Chaldaic, 
&c. p. 164, &c. Jense, 1734. 
(b) Phot. Cod. 7 $i, p. 1469, 1470. Rothomagi, 1653. 
mg 
