Tyre

TYRE, or Tyrus, a famous City of Phœnicia. Its Hebrew Name is Tsor, or Zor,¹ which signifies a Rock. Aulus Gellius says,² that its ancient Name was Sarra. Plautus³ calls it Sara: Purpuram tibi ex Sara attuli. And Silius Italicus⁴ puts Sarranus murex for Tyrius: Sarrano murice fulgens. The City of Tyre was allotted to the Tribe of Asher,⁵ as also the other Maritime Cities of the same Canton; but it does not appear that the Asherites ever drove out the Canaanites that possessed them. Yet there are very learned Men that maintain, that in Joshua’s time Tyre was not yet built, and that Mibzar-zor, which the Author of the Vulgate translates by Urbem munitissimam Tyrum, is not the City of Tyre. Isaiah⁶ calls Sidon the Daughter of Tyre, that is, a Colony derived from it. Homer never speaks of Tyre, but only of Sidon. Josephus says,⁷ that Tyre was built not above two hundred and forty Years before the Temple of Solomon; which falls in with the Year of the World 2760, two hundred Years after Joshua. Herodotus says,⁸ that it was affirmed by the Priests of Tyre, that the Temple of Hercules in this City was built at the same time as the City itself, which was two thousand three hundred Years before the time of his Writing; that is, before the Year 3596.⁹ By which Account Tyre must have been built 656 Years before the Deluge; which by no means can be admitted.

But there seems to be a way of reconciling these Variations, by allowing two Cities of Tyre; the old one known to the Ancients by the Name of Palæ-Tyrus; the other a more modern City, called only Tzor, or Tyre. The first was built upon the Continent, and there stood the Temple of Hercules, of the Antiquity of which the Priests of Tyre made such an extravagant Boasting to Herodotus. ‘Twas to this Temple the Tyrians would have sent Alexander to sacrifice, when he sent them word he had a Desire to come into their City, under Pretence of offering Sacrifices to Hercules.¹⁰ Tyrum se ire velle ad vota Herculi reddenda dixit. Legati responderunt, esse Templum Herculis extra urbem, in ea sede quam Palæ-tyron, sive vete-

Vol. III. rem Tyrum ipsi vocant, ibique in antiquiore templo rectius id eum esse facturum, &c. The other Tyre was in an Island, over-against the old one, from which it was divided but by a narrow Slip of the Sea. Pliny says,¹¹ that the Distance of the Island from the main Land was not above seven hundred Paces. Alexander the Great filled up all this Space, in order to take the City; and the Island was still joined to the Continent in Pliny’s time: Tyrus quondam Insula præalto mari septingentis passibus divisa; nunc verò Alexandri oppugnantis operibus continens.

‘Twas therefore of the ancient Tyre that Joshua must be understood. The new one was not yet built, even in the time of Solomon; there was only a Temple in the Island, dedicated to Jupiter Olympius. Dius, and Menander the Ephesian,¹² who wrote the Phœnician History, relate, that Hiram, the Friend of Solomon, joined to the City of Tyre the Temple of Hercules, which stood by itself in the Island, by a Mole that he made, by throwing Earth and other Materials into the Sea. It is true, that when Hiram wrote to Solomon, he asked Corn of him; because, says he, we have need of it, living in an Island wherein our City is built. But there is great Probability that this Circumstance was added by Josephus,¹³ since we read the same Letters in Eupolemus¹⁴ in a very different Style, and where this Circumstance is not to be found. There are still seen to this Day many Footsteps of the ancient Tyre, as large Cisterns, and the Remains of an Aquaduct, which conveyed the Water from the main Land into the Island. This Island was 22 Stadia, or 3190 Paces in Circumference, and the old Tyre was 19000 Paces.

Menander of Ephesus relates,¹⁵ that Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, subdued all Phœnicia. For the Inhabitants of Sidon, of Ace, and of some other Cities of this Country, having renounced their Alliance with the Tyrians, and having surrender’d themselves to the King of Assyria, Shalmaneser made War against the Tyrians, who refused to submit to his Government, with a Fleet of sixty Ships, and eight hundred Rowers. The Tyrians had but twelve Ships, yet they gave him Battel, and obtained the Victory, dispersing the King’s Fleet, and taking five hundred Prisoners. Shalmaneser was then obliged to return to Nineveh, but he left his Land Forces before F f fore Tyre, who took possession of the Waters of the River, and of the Aqueducts. This continuing for five Years, the Tyrians were forced to dig Wells in their own City. Usher places this Expedition of Shalmaneser in the Year of the World 3287, under the Reign of Hezekiah King of Judah, before Christ 713, before the Vulgar Æra 717.

Ezekiel describes at length the Siege of Ezek. xxvii, xxviii.Tyre, formed by Nebuchadnezzar in the Year of the World 3419, before Christ 381, before the Vulgar Æra 385. The Learned are not agreed, whether he speaks of old or new Tyre. St. Jerome¹⁶ thinks it to be new Tyre, because he says Nebuchadnezzar joined the Isle to the Continent, by Earth, Stones, and Wood, which he cast into the Water. Marsham,¹⁷ Perisonius,¹⁸ and some others, think, on the contrary, that it was old Tyre. It must be owned that there are Expressions in Ezekiel that will favour either Opinion, for which reason we shall not Genesis xxvii. 22take upon us to decide any thing in this matter. But, however this be, Nebuchadnezzar ruined the City of Tyre; and the Prophets shew clearly enough¹⁹ that it was never rebuilt. This cannot be strictly understood of any other but of old Tyre; for it is known that new Tyre flourished afterwards, long since the time of Nebuchadnezzar. It even raised itself up again, after its Fall by Alexander.

Isa. xxiii. 15,17,18.Isaiah says, that It shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king; after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot. And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. And her merchandize, and her hire shall be holiness to Matth. xi. xxiii. 23. Luke xi. 42.the Lord, it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandize shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable cloathing. It is not easy to fix either the Beginning or the End of these seventy Years of Oblivion of the City of Tyre. For if we put its Beginning at the taking of this City by Nebuchadnezzar, or by Alexander the Great, we must take the Word Oblivion, in an unusual Sense, since we read that Nebuchadnezzar left Ithobal²⁰ for King of Tyre, and that Alexander left therein Abdalonymus, or Ballonymus, or Strato; for all these Names are found in the Ancients:²¹ And that these Princes and their Successors reigned there for a long time. And we do not perceive that the Tyrians, before the time of Jesus Christ, shewed any Zeal for the Lord, or for his Worship. Therefore, to reconcile these Prophecies together, it must be supposed, that when the Prophets speak of the total Destruction of Tyre, they mean the ancient Tyre, which was never rebuilt. And that when they foretel the Re-establishment of the same City, they must be understood of the New one, which became very flourishing, and always extricated itself out of its Misfortunes. And that when finally it embraced the Christian Religion, it offered to the Lord the Fruits of its Labours and Traffick. Even in the time of St. Paul, there were already a great number Acts xxi. 3, 4, &c.of Believers in Tyre; and afterwards the Church of Tyre became very famous. It afforded a great number of Martyrs for the Christian Faith, and several illustrious Bishops; and also Councils have been held there.

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