Arabia; in which laft was fituated Heliopolis and it's nome; as Cercefoura on the other fide was in Libya. The author marks out the fituation of Cercefoura, by faying it was near the obfervatory of Eudoxus: which obfervatory stood before Heliopolis, the city of the fun, and in the nome of Litopolis. Here is a city in Libya described by an object in Arabia; which could not well determine it, as it lay at a distance, though represented and applied to as near: and this object is said to stand before Heliopolis, the capital of a very confiderable nome: and yet the author concludes that this is the nome of Litapolis: which is abfurd and impoffible; for no fuch nome existed. This paffage has been corrected by fome unfkilful hand; and the order of things has been inverted. A change of place in two words, and a very flight alteration in one of them will reduce every thing to it's original state, and clear up all this perplexity. The names Heliopolites and Latopolites, being pretty much alike, have been transposed; and fhould be made to change place again. But ftill there will remain this difficulty, that no fuch nome as 4Litopolites was ever heard of. Befides, what is the meaning of AITOTOXING? it is neither sense nor grammar; no more than 'HλOTOλT15, was before. The paffage is ftill depraved: but this feminine article, that is here retained, will lead us to the true reading as it was originally, which was 5ATOONS. The text then will n 4 There was νομος Λητοπολίτης towards the lower part of Delta to the weft, called fo from Antus modis, the city of Latona: but that was quite a different place from this. And there was Aaronous high up in Thebais, likewife far removed from this city. H 5 Ἡ μεν εν Ἡλιοπολιτις: it fhould have been & Ηλιοπολιτης, if Heliopolis had been here meant: but the corrector, who changed the text from Litopolis, did not know that the nome was mafculine, though the city had been feminine: nor, though it was Airowols with a fingle letter, yet it was 'HATs with a diphthong: he therefore left these remains of the original reading, which in fome measure lead us to the truth and confirm it. Out of ἡ λιτοπολις. they formed Ηλιοπολις. and Ἡλιοπολιτης. Cafaubon, in a fhort note upon this paffage, would have the place called Latopolis, ac I cording will fand thus: τα μεν δεξια καλεσι Λιβύην -τα δ' εν αριστερα Aραβιαν' ή μεν εν Λιτοπολις εν τη Αραβια εςιν, εν δε τη Λιβύη Κερκέσερα πολις κατα τας Ευδοξε κειμενη σκοπας· δείκνυται γαρ σκοπη τις προ της Ήλια πολεως, καθαπερ και προ της Κνιδες, καθ' ήν εσημειετο εκει νος των ερανίων τινας κινήσεις· ὃ δε νομος Ηλιοπολιτης δυτος. "On the right hand of the Nile is Libya, as you fail up; on the left "Arabia. Therefore the city Litopolis must be esteemed in "Arabia; as Cercefoura, a place on the other fide, is adjudged "to Libya. Cercefoura ftands near the obfervatory of Eudoxus: "for they fhew you in the front of Heliopolis an obfervatory * &c, that Eudoxus made ufe of. Here then is the nome of "Heliopolis:" between which city and Cercefoura this edifice stood. By this fmall change every thing becomes clear and intelligible: so that Strabo's account agrees with that of Herodotus, which it illuftrates; and he is no longer at variance with himfelf. cording to Ptolemy. But the city, which he speaks of, was not fituated here; but, as I have above mentioned, in the Thebäis. Whatever this city was called, it was a tranflation of the Egyptian name, which was taken from the nature and situation of the place near the quarries. Latopolis, if it was fo called, was named from the Latomie, quafi λατομων πολις, from λας, lapis : and Litopolis, which is the fame as Λιθοπολις, is of the like original. It must be owned that Stephanus Byzant. calls this city urbs Latone: Λητους πολις, πολις Αιγυπτο· επι δε μοιρα Μεμφίδος : but he is certainly mistaken. It was Litopolis, that was in this province. Strabo's authority muft be valid: he was an eye-witnefs of what he fpeaks of here; and feems to have been very inquifitive and exact. Harpocration mentions the fame place by the name of Litepolis: which is ftill a miftake for Litopolis, but nearer to the reading in Strabo. OF THE TEMPLE OF ONIAS, CALLED HELIOPOLIS. T is IT is very manifeft from what I have said, that not only the nome of Arabia and Bubaftus were within the limits of Delta; but that Heliopolis, which is fo generally referred to Arabia, was really a mediterranean city. Hence it is wonderful that fo many learned men have determined it another way: who fell into this mistake by not observing, that there were two cities of the fame name: the one as Pliny terms it, interior; 1intus, et Arabiæ conterminum, claritatis magnæ, Solis oppidum; the other without, of less note, really situated in Arabia, and modern in comparison with the former. It lay to the east of the Nile, and to the fouth of the Arabian canal; at the distance of XII M.P. from Babylon, and XXIV from Memphis. Hence Harduin is unjust in his animadverfion on Stephanus Byzantinus: —— Hinc Stephani error duas effe Heliopoles exiftimantis: for there were two cities of this name, though different from what Stephanus fuppofes. It is mentioned by several writers under the name of Heliopolis: but it's true name was Onium; which it received from Onias the fon 1 Nat. Hift. Lib. 5. Cap. 9. of of Onias a few, who built it. The general history of this affair is attended with some mistakes. It is 3 faid that Onias, having fled from his own country, had a great inclination to build a temple in Egypt in imitation of that at Jerufalem; or rather in oppofition to it. In effecting this he found much difficulty: and, before he could gain the affent and affiftance of his brethren in that part of the world, he was forced to have recourse to a prophecy, which he pretended was originally uttered in favour of his fcheme. 4" In that day fhall "five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts: one shall be called, "the city of destruction. In that day shall there be an altar " to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar " at the border thereof to the Lord." The learned 5 Scaliger has a very ingenious conjecture, that Onias was led to the choice of this prefecture of Heliopolis for erecting his temple by this prophecy: but at the fame time making use of an alteration, that rendered it more in his favour. Inftead of 6 Air haberes yeamer leachath, one shall be called the city of "destruction;" it is imagined that he read it, Air bacheres yeamer leachath, "one fhall be called the city of the fun." This is a happy conjecture, and feems to be well grounded: but still must be admitted with fome limitation. For first, Onias could not be led to the choice of that prefecture by this paffage: "the city of the fun" not being the place where he took up his residence; nor was his temple founded in the nome of Heliopolis. It was certainly diftinct from it; as I have shewn, and will farther prove. The name of Heliopolis was 3 See the Connection of the Old and New Teftament by Dr. Prideaux. Part. II. Book. IV. 4 Ifaiah.19. v.18,19. 5 Animadverf. ad Eufeb. Chron. p. 144. fub numero MDCCCLVI. 6 Aquila and Theodotion render this paffage Civitas Ares. Symmachus and St. Jerome tranflate it the city of the fun. The Chaldee Paraphraft retains both; civitas folis quæ deftruetur. was given to it by a mistake resulting from a fimilitude that fubfifted between the true name Onion, and the antient On or Heliopolis. This he availed himself of; and endeavoured to make the paffage in Ifaiah accord with this lucky circumstance, and be prophetic of the establishment of his temple. The name was certainly given to it after it was built; and the prophecy was made use of to fupport what was done, rather than to promote it. There feems to have been a collufion between Onias and those of his party, to impose this name pon the place; in order that it might be intitled to the benefit of the prediction. This is plain from the Seventy: where, to give it a proper antiquity, they have supposed it to have been built by their ancestors when in Egypt; and, that what Onias had done, was only a renewal of the antient place and name. For where it is faid in the original that the Ifraelites 7" built for Pharaoh treasure-cities, Pithom and Raamfes;" the paffage has been tampered with, and has been rendered thus; Και ᾠκοδομησαν πολεις οχυρας τῳ Φαραω, την τε Πειθώ, και Ραμεσση, και Ών, ἡ εςιν Ἡλιεπολις: fomebody fhrewdly foifting in On, which is the city of the fun," to support the pretenfions of Onias; and to prove that this was the original name of the place which he had new founded. I make no doubt but this was the reafon of the interpolation: and I think it a confirmation of Scaliger's conjecture. Yet this paffage fhould prove that it was a different place from the antient Heliopolis; or elfe the tranflators must be inconfiftent with themselves. The city of Onias, according to this account, is faid to have been built when the Ifraelites had refided some time in Egypt: for they are prefumed to be the builders. But there was another of the fame name, the antient On, that is previously mentioned in the same translation; and was prior to their coming into these parts. It is faid that Jofeph, before the coming of his brethren, had married the daugh 7 Exod. 1. V.II. |