the One was really only put prominently forward as an introduction to a geognostic survey, or at least as a reminiscence of the volcanic eruptions of some of the high mountains which are mentioned in the land of Kanaan? But these mountains are not volcanic. Or is the whole of this physical description merely a later interpolation between the highest metaphysical God and the God made manifest? I think that a closer examination of the powers represented as Light, Fire, and Flame, will give us a clue to the solution.

Our second fragment begins with Eon and Protogonos, and concludes with the Hunter and Fisherman. For these clearly bring us to the end of all kosmogonies. We are arrived at Man, and evidently the indigenous man. The kosmogony ends with Man, and a new kosmogony commences. This will appear more clearly

In proceeding to the explanation we have no difficulty in clearing the tradition from this supposed mention of the first man who discovers the art of kindling fire. In like manner we discard the giant sons, who owe their existence to the names of the mountains.

But what are the names of the three deities who are comprised under the designation of Light, Fire, and Flame? Light is in Hebrew 'or and 'ur, identical with Hûr, or the Horus of the Egyptians. In almost all the Semitic languages its radical meaning can be shown to be" to lighten ;" in Egyptian, on the contrary, it has none. It is of the masculine gender, and the deities here mentioned are clearly masculine. The word is also used in the plural: the Urim was one of the precious stones worn by the high priests: Urim and

Tummim, light and truth, a plural form, like Elohim, Kerubim, Seraphim, Teraphim.

And are not the other two, which are translated Fire and Flame, the KERUBIM ('Herubim in Phoenician) and the SERAPHIM?

Kerub, generally used in the plural Kerubim, in spite of all the attempts, has not yet been satisfactorily explained. It being now admitted by most commentators, that the details in the vision of Ezekiel are to be considered as due to the free play of the seer's imagination, it is the safest course not to go beyond what is said about the representation of the animal and human figures which covered the mercy seat of the Ark with their wings, and of the Kerubim with two faces which were embroidered in the curtains. But we may get at the meaning from the Kerubim (or, as many read it, the Kerub) being mentioned as the guardians at the east of the garden of God (Gen. iii. 24.), where it is said: "And God drove Adam out, and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Kerubims and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep the way to the tree of life." The Kerubim are described as guardians, and as a flaming sword constantly turning round. Commentators have generally been satisfied with describing them as erect figures with flaming swords. The most natural thing is to consider them both as one visible object, and merely as representing the Divine Power in the revolving flame. We may, therefore, regard it as the emblem of volcanoes vomiting forth fire, which rendered the garden of God uninhabitable to the eastward, as it was to the westward owing to the destructive floods, accompanied by fissures in the ground. Our views on this subject have been given at length in another work. Here it will be sufficient to call attention to the fact of Ezekiel, in announcing to the King of Tyre the judgment of God, having

understood the passage in this sense: "I have made thee the wide-covering Kerub, thou wast upon the holy mountain of God, thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire." (xxviii. 14.) This would imply that the Kerub and the fire were one, that is, the former the Divine Power, the latter its manifestation, according to the prevailing mode of expression in all the mythologico-theogonistic representations. The root of the word must consequently be looked for and explained on the same principle. The usual derivation of 'harab (n), "to lay waste," is, even in Hebrew, from "to dry up, to scorch," whence the word 'harabon, "heat, burning fire;" but the ordinary expression for sword, hereb, can only be explained by this root, which is used in Genesis in the same sentence with Kerub, i. e. as "the glowing consuming fire;" like the expression, "the sword ate," which is used of it precisely as it is of fire.

,(חרב)

Here again, therefore, the difference is merely orthographical, k instead of 'h, which however has the effect of making the original meaning obscure. Kerub, understood as 'Herub, would signify "the glowing," that is fiery, or fire. Pyr, fire, is consequently a faithful translation of Kerub, though intentionally applied in a material sense.

In the same manner phlox, flame, conflagration, is a translation of Seraphim, Saraph. The only objection to the oldest and most general interpretation of this word from its well-known root saraph was the fact of its not signifying to "lighten," but to burn, to burn up, whence also comes "to destroy by poison;" and hence the name of poisonous snakes. But the very thing we are looking for is a word connected with light and fire, such as flame, conflagration. This passage in Philo shows that there must have been such a word in Phoenician tradition, and it was doubtless this very ancient Semitic word.

WE find also a very satisfactory explanation of these three great Divine Powers and kosmic phenomena, Light, Fire or heat, and Flame or conflagration.

The highest and holiest mountain-tops are mentioned. Libanon and Antilibanon are well known. The former is pure Semitic, and signifies the mountain whose peaks are covered with eternal snow, accordingly the "white, the clear." Antilibanon of course is a Greek name. Its Hebrew equivalent is Hermon ('Hermon) i. e. termination, spur, interpreted in later times as consecration. But we know from Deut. iii. 9., iv. 48., that the Phoenicians called Hermon Siryon, a name signifying that the mountain is a breast or breastplate. Kasion must either be the mountain of that name between Seleucia and Antiochia on the Orontes, or else the distant promontory in Egypt at the farthest extremity of Kanaan towards Pelusium. The name seems to imply that it was "high, steep" (qazaz, qasas, Hebr., to cut off).

The fourth name is read "Bathry," a word however which does not mean any mountain, but a plant of the cypress kind (herba sabina). It would be singular should Tabor, which is mentioned, together with Libanon, Hermon, and Carmel, among the oldest spots where the Kanaanites worshipped, be omitted from this list of mountains. The Hebrew form is Tabbur, which signifies the peak. The U-sound in the final syllable is represented by Y in the Greek transcript of the Septuagint, Itabyrion; and in Polybius, Atabyrion. We have, therefore, merely to read Thabry instead of Bathry26, or to suppose either that a transposition took place in the popular language, or that rò Bálpu

26 This struck Ewald also; but he abandoned the idea.

is a corruption of Tábup, which seems the correct

view.

In the following synopsis we have enclosed the Phonician names which are not mentioned within brackets.

These two scions of the holy mountains are the most intricate, and at the same time the most interesting, points in the descriptions of Sankhuniathon. SAMIN-RUM, the name of one of the brothers, alone is an intimation that we are here in an elevated sphere, and have entered upon the real series of Gods who were worshipped by the Phoenician people. But our sympathies will be raised still higher, when we convince ourselves that the Highest Celestial, agreeably to all the known analogies which Movers has collected with great learning, can only mean, according to the genius of Semitic mythology, in a plane