deft. ended from the fame Arkite anceftors, theHonim 
of Baby Ionia land Syria ; as the Phoenician women in 
Euripides acknowledge. \Pkceniff. v. 256.) 
Koitpv clipa, y.oira rexset 
Toe; XEpuerf opou meCpvxev louj. 
The term Hellen was originally a facred title : and 
feems to hive been confined to thofe priefts who firft 
came from Egypt, and introduced the rites of the Ark 
and Dove at .Dodona. They were called alfo Elli and 
Selli. This country was therefore the firfl Hellas; and 
here were the original Hellenes; and from them the 
title was derived to all of the Grecian name. 
From Babylonia the Hellenes came into Egypt; they 
were the fame as the Aurifae, or Cuthite Shepherds; 
they introduced into that country their arts and learn¬ 
ing, by which it was greatly benefited. Hence the 
learning of Egypt was ftyled Hellenic, from the Hellenic 
Shepherds : and the ancient theology of the country was 
laid to have been deferibed in the Hellenic character 
and language. This had no relation to the Hellenes 
of Greece ; being far prior to that nation. The Gre¬ 
cians, it is true, were both Ionim and Hellenes ; but by 
a long defeent, being the pofterity of the people here 
fpoke'n of. This theology was laid to be derived from 
Agathodaemon, (the fame as Cneph,) that benign deity, 
•the benefactor of all mankind. He was fiippofed to have 
had a renewal of life ; and on that account was repre. 
fenced under the figure of a ferpent crowned with the 
lotus, and ftyled Noe Agathodaemon; (the Greeks tranf- 
pofed, and expreffed it Nso Ayudo&Ktponi.) The Grecians 
fiippofed, that by' the Hellenic tongue was meant the 
language of Greece; and that the Hellenic characters 
were the letters of their own country. But thefe writ-' 
ings were in reality fculptures of great antiquity : ‘ and 
the language was the Cuthite, ftyled by Manethon the 
facred language of Egypt. 
HELLE'NI A, f. in botany, a genus of the clafs mp- 
nandria, order monogynia. Eflential generic charabtcrs— 
Corolla with a double border, the exterior mo.ftty three- 
cleft ; .nectary two-leaved, or bifid ; capfule three-celled, 
coriaceous, inflated, fubglobular; calyx fpatlie-like, 
campanulate, bifid. 
Species. 1. Hellenia allughas : nedtaries-two-leaved ; 
■capfules fomewhat fpongy ; leaves very entire, oblong, 
ac'ute, glabrous each fide, with a very entire whitifh 
nfaf'gin; flowers red. Inhabits Ceylon. 
2. Hellenia alba : nedtaries two-leaved; capfules ftri- 
ate; leaves very entire, oblong, acute, glabrous each 
fide, with a Whitifh flightly ciliate margin; flowers white. 
Inhabits China. 
3. Hellenia Cni'nenfis: nedtaries two-leaved; leaves 
ciliate, oblong, acute, glabrous each fide, recurved at 
the tip, with a whitifh fubciliate margin very finely den¬ 
ticulate towards the tip; flowers yellowilh. Inhabits 
China. 
4. Helleniaaquatica: nectaries onecleafed, bifid ; leaves 
denticulate at the margin, oblong, acute, glabrous each 
fide, with a villous denticulate margin ; flowers reddifh. 
Inhabits India. 
HEL'LENISM, f [lA^picnzci';, Gr.] A Greek idiom. 
HELLENIS/MUS, f. A name or term given to the 
firft innovation in religion. It had no relation whatever 
to Greece, being far prior to Hellas, and to the people 
denominated frorn it. Though, fays Mr. Bryant, it be¬ 
gan among the Cuthites, in Chaldea; yet it is thought 
to have arifen from fome of the family of Shem, who 
refided among that people. Epiphanius accordingly 
tells (is, thatRagem, or Ragau, had for his fon Serucli, 
when idolatry and Hellenifmus firft began, among men. 
But Eufebius and other writers mention, that he was 
•the author of this apoftacy : “ Serucli was the firft who 
introduced the falfe worfhip called Hellenifmus. ” Some 
attribute alfo to him the introduction of images;, but 
H E L 
mod give this innovation to his grandfon Terah.-- 
Epiphan. 1. 1. p. 7. 
The people of Midian lived upon the upper and eaft- 
ern recefs of the Red Sea ; where was a city called El- 
Ain, the Elana of Ptolemy, and Allane of Jofephus. It 
happens, that there are in the oppofite recefs fountains, 
which retain the name of El-Ain at this day ; and they 
are likewife called by the Arabs Ain-Mojk , or the Foun¬ 
tains of Mofes. Hence each bay has been at times called 
Sinus Elanitcs ; which has caufed fome confufion in the 
accounts given of thefe parts. The nether recefs had 
certainly its name from the celebrated fountains of 
Mofes, which ran into it: but the bay on the other fide 
was denominated from the people, who there fettled. 
They were Cuthites, of the fame race as the Ionim and 
Hellenes of Babylonia, from which country they came. 
They built the city Elana, and were called Hellenes (rhe 
people ftill retain their primitive name Ellancs: Dr. Pc- 
cock calls them Allauni,) from the great luminary, which 
they worfliipped ; and to which their city was facred. 
In the days of Mofes the whole world feems to have 
been infected with the rites of the Zabians : and Jethro 
the Cuthite was probably high-prieft of this order, whofe 
daughter Mofes married. The very firft idolatry con¬ 
fided in worthipping the luminary El-Ain ; which wor¬ 
fhip was ftyled Hellenifmus. El-Ain fignifies Sol Fons, 
thefountain of light. The Grecians, juft as they ftyled 
the Bay of Fountains on the Red Sea Elanites from El- 
Ain, might have called this chaYadteriftic of the times 
EAceno-^o?. But fuch a change would not fatisfy them: 
they made fome farther alteration; and rendered, it 
Ionice 'EAAijiicqoio; with an afpirate; and made it by thefe 
.means relate to their own country. 
HELLENIS'TIC Dialect, that ufed by the Gre¬ 
cian Jews who lived in Egypt and other pairts where 
the Greek tongue prevailed. In this dialect it is faid 
the Septuagint was written, and alfo the books of the 
New Teftament; and that it was thus denominated to 
Ihow that it was Greek filled with Hebfaifms and Sy- 
riacifms. 
HEL'LENISTS, f. [ Hellenijhe , Eat.] A term occur¬ 
ring in the Greek, text of the New Teftament, and 
which in the Englifti verfion is rendered Grecians. The 
critics are divided as to the fignification of the word. 
CEcumenius, in his Scholia on Adtsvi. 1. obferves, that 
it is not tq be'rinderftood as fignifying thofe of the reli 
gion of the Greeks, but thofe who fpoke Greek. The 
authors of the Vulgate verfion, indeed, render it like 
ours, Greed; but Meilieurs Du.Port Royal more accu¬ 
rately, Juifs Grecs, “ Greek or Grecian Jews ;” it being 
.the Jews who- fpoke Greek that are here treated of, and 
who are hereby diftinguftied from the Jews called He¬ 
brews, that is, who fpoke the Hebrew tongue of that 
time. The Hellenifts, or Grecian Jews, were thofe who 
lived in Egypt arid other parts where the Greek tongue 
prevailed. It is to them we owe the Greek verfion of 
the Old Teftament, commonly called the Septuagint, or 
that of the Seventy. Scaliger reprefents the Hellenifts 
to be the Jews who lived in Greece and other places, 
and who read the .Greek Bible in their fynagogue, and 
ufed the Greek language ft? facris; and thus they were 
oppofed to the Hebrew Jews, who performed their pub¬ 
lic worfhip in the Hebrew tongue ; and in this fehf'e St. 
Paul fpeaks of himfelf as a Hebrew of the Hebrews 
Phil. iii. 5. that is to fay, a Hebrew both by nation and 
language. The Hellenifts are thus properly diftinguifh- 
ed from the Hellenes, or Greeks, mentioned John xii. 
20. who were Greeks by birth and nation, and yet pro- 
felytes to the Jewifh religion. 
To HEL'LENIZE, v.n. To imitate the idioms of the 
Greek language. Cole. Not much ufed. 
HELLENODTCHU,/ Gr.] In antiquity, 
the diredtors of the Olympian games. . At firft there 
was only one, afterwards the number increafed to two 
f and 
