ANCHIALUS. This word is particularly taken notice of by the Criticks who have wrote concerning the affairs of the Jews. We meet with it in Martial1, Jura, verpe, per Anchialum, Swear thou, who art circumcised, by Anchialus. Who is this Anchialus? Is it the name of the true God, or some false Deity? And why is it demanded of the Jews that they should swear by Anchialus? This People, who were despised and hated by the Gentiles, among whom they lived, were conversant in business, and were concerned in trade; but their Honesty was much called in question; and as their Creed was very different from that of the Heathens, the latter were not contented with their taking the ordinary oaths, but obliged them to swear by their own Gods, as among us at present they oblige them to swear upon their sacred books, when they would be assured of the truth of what they affirm. The point therefore to be consider’d is, what Anchialus is, whether it be a Name or an Epithet of God.
It is certain that the most common oath in use among the Jews is, As the Lord liveth. Judg. viii. 19. Ruth iii. 23. 1 Sam. iv. 45, & passim. Num. xiv. 21. Deut. xxxii. 40. Heb. vi. 13.liveth. This we find in several places of the sacred books: God himself, whenever he thinks fit to use an oath, as there is no greater Person than himself by whom he can swear, swears by his own life. Vivo ego, dicit Dominus. Now the oath, As the Lord liveth; may be pronounced in Hebrew thus, Hachai-Elion2, By the life of the Most High; or Ana-Chi-Eloa3, Ah! may the Lord live; or simply Ha-Chi-El4, By the life of God. The Latin termination us, being nothing to the purpose, no more than the letter n, which the Poet has inserted because in pronouncing Ha-chi-el, or al, they might seem to pronounce Hanchi-al.
Some are of opinion, that the Jews were compell’d to swear by a statue of Sardanapalus erected at Anchialus a City of Cilicia; but this is too far fetch’d.
Others5 derive Anchialon from the Greek Anchialos, which signifies one near the shore; as if the Jews swore by the God who was adored there; because in effect the Jews had a custom, when they were not at Jerusalem and in their own country, to perform their devotions upon the banks of rivers, or near some waters.
Lastly, it has been believed, that this was swearing by the Temple of the Lord. v Heical-iah, and we know that the Jews sometimes did swear by the Temple; Whoso sweareth by the Temple, sweareth by it and by him that dwelleth therein, says our Saviour. But these explanations, in my opinion, are too fine spun, and too unnatural. An old manuscript copy which belonged to M. De Thou, reads, Jura verpe per Ancharium. Swear, Jew, by the Ass: for some believed, or pretended to believe, that the Jews adored this animal6.
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