Phenicia

PHENICIA, a Province of Syria, the Limits whereof have not always been the same. Sometimes its Extent has been defined from North to South, from Orthosia as far as Pelusium.¹ At other times its southern Limit has been Mount Carmel and Hieron. ad Isai. xxix. & ad Amos viii.Ptolemais. It is certain, that formerly, I mean from the Conquest of Palestine by the Hebrews, its Limits were narrow, and it had nothing of the Country of the Philistines, which took up all the Coast from Mount Carmel along the Mediterranean, as far as the Borders of Egypt. It had also very little Extent on the Land-side, because the Israelites, who had all Galilee, shut it up to the Mediterranean Sea.

Thus when we speak of Phenicia, we must have a right Notion of the Time. Before Joshua made the Conquest of Palestine, all the Country was possessed by the Canaanites, the Sons of Ham, who were divided into eleven Families, of which the most powerful was that of Canaan the Founder of Sidon, and Head of the Canaanites properly so call’d, to whom the Greeks gave the Name of Phœnicians. ‘Twas only these that preserved their Independance, not only under Joshua, but also under David, Solomon, and under the succeeding Kings. But they were subdued by the Kings of Assyria, and those of Chaldea. Then they successively obey’d the Persians, Greeks, and Romans; and at this Day Phenicia is in Subjection to the Ottomans, not having had any Kings of their own Nation, nor any independent Form of Government, for more than two thousand Years. For the Kings that the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Grecians have sometimes left them, were tributary to the Conquerors, and had but a precarious Authority.

The chief Cities of Phenicia were Sidon, Tyre, Ptolemais, Ecdippe, Sarepta, Berythe, Biblos, Tripoli, Orthosia, Simira, Aradus. The Phenicians also antiently had Possession of some Cities in Libanus. Sometimes Vide Reland. Palæst. l. 1. c. 9. p.50.the Greek Authors comprehend all Judea under the Name of Phenicia. In the antient Notitia Ecclesiastica, they distinguish Phenicia above the Sea, and Phenicia of Libanus. The first contains the Cities of Tyre, Berythus, Arca, Gegarta, Paneas, Trierii, Sidon, Biblos, Orthosia, Aradus, Gonaiticus Saltus, Ptolemais, Tripoli, Botrys, Antaradus, Politiana; and Phenicia of Libanus contains Edessa, Abila, Justinianopolis, Gonaiticus Saltus, Laodicea, Damascus, Palmyra, Salaminia, Eliopolis, the Canton of Jambrudes, the Canton of Magludes, the Eastern Canton. By this may be seen how great the Extent Lib. 4. c. 104. Vide Bochart. Chanaan. l. 1. c. 1. Matth. xv. 22.of Phenicia was then.

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