1797) 
Elucidation of @ difputed Poffage in Suidas. 
the fecondary producer cof the zons.’’ Demaroon; and great-grandfather of 
“O Seog edadncev ev sw, df & war Teo aswvas 
ETONCEY’ 56 ov amavyacua tng dolne, tei ~ apa%m 
Ine tng tmocacewe aula, piewvte Ta Marla To 
enpecls tng duvapeewg avla, dec. The word 
xagextne, refers to the imprefiion made 
by a feal on wax. 
From the above, and fome other ana- 
logous paffages, it has been thought, that 
Paul could not be the author of the 
epiftie to the Hebrews, becaufe, in his 
preaching and genuine writings, he con- 
‘tantly mveighs againft the philofophy of 
the times, and its application to Chrif- 
tianity *, 
» \ The intermixture of the Oriental theo- 
logy with the Chriftian doétrine, took 
place about the latter end of the firft 
century, when the epiitle to the He- 
brews was moft probably written. It 
was, at leaft, extant before the time of 
Valentinus, whofe  doétrine, though 
founded on the principles of the gnof- 
tics, is yet very differently modified trom 
their’s. 
The author of this epittle, following 
an ancient Jewith legend, has given a 
dignity and elevation to the charaéter of 
Melchifedeck, prince and high-priet 
of Salem, which is fearcely confiftent 
with the tenets either of Judaifm or 
Chriftianity (chap. vii.) He 1s made fu- 
perior to Abraham ; and his, office is fet 
before the levitical priefthood, who are 
faid to have paid:tythes to him, while 
yet in the loins of their progenitor. 
--The Jews -could not, -furcly, confider 
Melchifedeck as a prieft of their own 
God ; at leaft fuch an idea is not autho- 
rifed by the paffaze relating to him in 
Genefis, xiv. 18, where, in our tranfla- 
tions, hevs entitled, ‘“ prieft of the moft 
high God.” . The original however, is 
pIs9 99 799 yw. NIT ND 
braky oy and exprefles, when ver- 
bally rendered, “ that Melchifedeck 
King of Salem was prieft of the god 
Elioun, or Ghelioun.” If it be afked 
who was Elioun? the anfwer may be 
given from Sanchoniatho, the ancient 
hiftorian of Pheenicia, who informs us, 
that Elioun was firft worfhipved in the 
neighbourhood of Byblus; that, he was 
the father of heayen and earth. grand- 
father of Saturn, Betylus, Dagon, At- 
las, Aftarte, Baaltis or Dione; Rhea, and 

(2 * See Acts.of the Apoftles, Epitle to 
Timothy, Philemon, &c. 
¥ 
Athena, Perfephone, Love, Defire, and 
the Titanides; of Belus, Apollo, and 
Melicartus, or Hercules. 
How the Jews, after Abraham, came 
to refpect this Canaanitifh divinity fo 
highly, as almoft to rank Elioun, and 
his priefts, f{upertor to their own GodJe- 
hua, and the Levitical priefthood, is a 
point I fhould be happy to fee uluftrated 
by fome of your ingenious readers, more 
converfant than myfelf in ancient hil- 
tory and theology. 
Camden Place, March 13. R.M. 
ee 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magaz: ne. 
SIR, 
eS following elucidation, by CHAR- 
DON LA ROCHETTE, of a difputed 
paffage in Suidas, will, I doubt not, be 
acceptable to your learned readers : 
Under the article KHP, in Suidas, the 
following line is quoted : 
“ Eivd O§ KHP TYMBOYAOZ 6 dé 
fre KogsiBoc. 
It is no wonder that this folitary, ob- 
fcure, and corrupted verfe has been the 
caufe of much embarraffment and dif- 
pute among critics. Portus and Kufter 
have both endeavoured to explain it, but 
-without fuccefs: the former Latinizes it 
in the following manner, for he cannot 
be faid to have tranflated it: ‘ Sum antem 
Cor Tymbulus ¢zz wero interfecit me 
eft Choroebus,’ adding, §* nox liquet.” 
Kufler propofes to read, TYMBOYAOY, 
tranflating the paflage, ‘* Sum vers 
anima Tymbuli,” 8c. Toup, like many 
éther commentators, takes no nctice of 
the, dificulty ; and it wouid have con- 
tinued to exercife the ingenuity of 
"{cholars, if the whole epigram had not 
been, preferved in the Vatican Manufcript, 
among the fepulchral infcriptions. In 
the year 1743, Profpero Petroni, then 
librarian of the Watican, publifhed this 
piece, without notes or tranflation, in an 
Italian periodical work, printed at Rome, 
entitled, ** Notrzze letterarie olttamuntane, 
per ufo de letierati d Italia; owing, 
however, to the {mall circulation of this 
work. beyond the baunds of Italy, the 
exiftence of the Epigram appears to 
have been unknown to Brunck, the 
learned editor. of the Anthologia, and, 
probably, | is’ equally fo to our own 
critics. “1 thal!, therefore, tranfcribe the 
whole piece : 
Eis KogorSoy § arpavnlocs Karrine s ey 
N- 
a Ailioy 
a 4 A 
HEALS 
cs 
Kotyos 
175 






i 
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