Homer The Phoenicians And The Jews

The Greek lyric playwright Homer is stuck between the best well-known writers to restrain ever lived in the world and absolutely is an finicky who you would at a halt be untreated to restrain heard something about even if you hadn't read a word he had on paper. Homer's work focuses on the exalted Trojan war in the company of the Greeks lead by King Agamemnon and the Trojans lead by King Priam.Now part of Homer's narrative includes oodles disposable allusions and anecdotes in fix to other peoples that his produce would restrain heard; or had even met a mediator, of in the course of their lives. At the same time as is thirst quenching to us is Homer's out of the ordinary mentions of the Phoenicians in the Iliad and the Odyssey: this is first to us since the Greeks had costume economic and cultural folio with the Phoenicians in Homer's time as in afterward centuries. (1) This was extremely so as the Phoenician traders were the earliest anarcho-capitalists of the ancient world and were interested in retail their possessions to Greek kings (who Rhodes really styles as first-class equivalent" top upper class" than kings in the general bygone fear) (2) who useful them in at all they may perhaps get their hands on: gold, silver, wine, grub stuffs, man-made goods and/or slaves. (3)You strength at this recipient deliberate what on earth Homer and the Phoenicians restrain to do with the jews, (4) but what is first to understand is that the jews; as they were became well-known to the Greeks and Romans, did not take per se, but rather were at a halt subterranean in the hodge podge of tribes and peoples that finished up the oodles kingdoms of what is today the countries of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. This can be spontaneously evinced by pointing to the fact that Herodotus surprisingly fails to message so odd a relations (i.e. in their held monotheism) as the jews as obtainable in Palestine even at the same time as he that is says he had been to the kingdom. (5) Genuinely Herodotus resiliently relations the whole of what is now Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan together as one general family, cultural and saintly affair. (6)The casing for this had been exactly loud out by Schaefer being he asserted that Judaism is a saintly tradition satisfied with serious theological and academic breaks (despite the fact that with some points of continuity) and that the jewish tradition as we understand it today is morally weird to the saintly beliefs of the persons of the jews with whom we are most recently concern. (7) This discrepancy has been exactly noted by Goldenberg to consist of saintly polytheism as antagonistic to saintly monotheism, (8) which is spontaneously backed up by noting the genuine reversion; as recorded in all the Torah and the Tanakh, of the just beginning Israelites to the idolization of gods other than Yahweh. (9) Such a go back to occurred in the exalted days of Solomon; who was continue recognized to be vigilant, and he sanctioned cults to Canaanite god and goddesses to bruise under his control. (10)At the same time as is perhaps even first-class large to the modern reader is to learn that Yahweh is actually the Canaanite "king of Fantasy" and the origin of Judaism to a brawny consequence is in a breakaway stickler cult based on worshiping Yahweh and his consort Asherah [coarse with just starting out goddess Astarte to make" 'God's Spouse": the Shekhina in Judaism]. (11) Day even goes as far as to warrant the jewish saintly belief exercise of this time a polytheistic" 'sun craze". (12)Now following once more the reader may deliberate what the viaduct is in the company of the jews and Phoenicans via the Canaanites: that relation is very simple in so far as they were the identical culture and ethnicity, but which afterward went in very weird commands. In general idea the Canaanites of history are first-class or less precise to the Phoenicians of history. (13) This papers is moreover first-class or less finished by Josephus being he points out that the jews were to pull all of the Canaanite's (i.e. their saintly opponents stuck between their own relations) state-run and that this had been brilliant to them by Yahweh (as top of all the Canaanite deities). (14)Now following we understand that being Homer discussion about the Phoenicians: he is by magnification moreover spoken communication tangentially about the jews as well. Thus we can impression at meaning what Homer says about the Phoenicians and see how it reflects on the jews.In the Iliad Homer discussion about the Phoenicians as being great merchants who trade their goods and the create of their artisans set the world (15) as well as the" go off of their women'" (i.e. cloth) being the greatest extent expensive of robes. (16) This is all well and good as Homer's clarification on the Phoenicians resiliently turn that they are great traders, but moreover that that this most probably does not training to the jews given that Josephus; for perfect, denies the jews had been traders at all historically! (17)Seeing that we turn to Homer's quite weird epic; the Odyssey, we register that the mentions of the Phoenicians are rather weird in tone. The eponymous hero; Odysseus, is making up a story to fix his true convergence in a dialogue with the goddess Athene and in the initiate of this story we find message of the nefarious nature of the Phoenicians. Odysseus tells Athene that he was a fugitive from his home desert island of Crete, since he had killed a man named Orsilochus who had tried to repressively rob him of the wealth that he acquired from the canvas of Troy. Having slain Orsilochus Odysseus next proceeded to snag a restart on the outdo ship he found, which meaning so happened to be a Phoenician galley footer home to the haven metropolis of Sidon. But the weather turned chary Odysseus and the Phoenicians so they had to warrant inwards an desert island haven adroit of Odysseus' destination. Odysseus being a lot spiky from the rowing he had done laid down to snooze with the group on the shore: specific for the Phoenicians to pinch all Odysseus' accumulated wealth from the Trojan war and sail back to the haven of Sidon with it neglect Odysseus stuck. (18)This still is not always the way of Phoenician cordiality given that Homer moreover describes Phaedimus; the absolute of the Phoenician city-state of Sidon, following Greek (despite the fact that not Phoenician) help brilliant Menelaus; the cuckolded spouse of Helen of Sparta/Troy and the brother of King Agamemnon, a plate for the mixing of wine with water (as wine was next standoffish lower and advantageous to be watered down to be drunk) which was finished of physical silver and edged in gold. (19) Now as this happened overdue Agamemnon and the Greek armed forces had successfully sacked Troy: it is not implausible to signal that Phaedimus was captivating in a simple bit of realpolitik by seeking to save the brother of the; for the time, large Greek armed forces that had meaning been glorious against; and had wiped out, just starting out serious complete power in the Trojans (who would restrain obviously had had vanish relatives with the Phoenicians). (20)We can previously see that the Phoenicians as Homer depicts them are intrigues traders phobic with concern wealth as antagonistic to the brave battles and combats of the Greeks and Trojans ahead of time the gates of Troy. Genuinely being Odysseus tells his cover story a-new to the steady swineherd Eumaeus on his underlying return to Ithaca: he adds that he stayed in Egypt for seven soul and that in the eighth blind date he finished the pal of a Phoenician who he describes as being a born con-artist. This anonymous Phoenician knew about all the wealth that Odysseus had gathered during his lingering block in Egypt and abstention inveigled Odysseus inwards coming back to Phoenicia with him on the inspiration that prerequisite he do so next he may perhaps bring together yet first-class wealth. This Phoenician still had other beliefs and premeditated to pinch all of Odysseus' wealth overdue having had Odysseus leave it himself; or useful others to leave it for him, and next abstention enslave him; according to Phoenician help, so that he may perhaps wad him to make even first-class sunny for himself. (21)We prerequisite register Homer's content on this point: in that he refers to the Phoenician as previously having done a lot that is evil in the world and deceived oodles relations in the way that he is now deceitful Odysseus. This can argued to signal that Homer is in vogue using an family classic theoretical at the ways of Phoenicians command brawny (in contention to the valor and plain-dealing of the Greeks and Trojans) and that the give a price of to the deceit of oodles Greeks in this way is the enter by which the Phoenician make such great sunny from their concern with the Greeks (i.e. by using their credulous and no-nonsense nature chary them).Spread we prerequisite steal caveat of the part of Homer's story wherever the Phoenician seeks to enslave and wad Odysseus all to make himself first-class sunny on top of his break-in of Odysseus' Egyptian wealth and moreover get rid of Odysseus as a make a recording and victimized group by removing his statement from him (i.e. slaves didn't be careful to end too yearn and had little to no placement in Phoenicia). Genuinely we prerequisite caveat that the Torah and Tanakh finished meaning such obvious legally recognized condition for the jewish name of; and deal in, [non-jewish] slaves as Odysseus would restrain been. (22)The vanishing message Homer makes of the Phoenicians is following once more in fix to the cover story he tells to the steady swineherd Eumaeus on his underlying return to Ithaca. Odysseus recounts a new element in fix to his cover story that his held gain Ctesius; the absolute of the desert island of Syros, had in his kin an charming Phoenician slave individual from Sidon who was one day visited by the group of a Phoenician industrial galley during their find out to Syros to hawk their possessions to the frequent sour yokels.The Phoenicians aboard this galley struck up a dialogue with her and discovered that she was the lass of a unfair Phoenician trader named Arybas, but that one day she had been abducted by Taphian pirates, feverish to Syros and sold as a slave to Ctesius. The Phoenician woman; who was Odysseus' nursemaid in his cover story, on being told by the Phoenician traders that her gain Arybas was in the flesh and at a halt enormously wealthy: makes a apportion with the Phoenician traders that if they chi release her back to him. She chi see to it that he makes them unfair for having rescued her.Area of this concord was that on the chosen signal of a Phoenician find out to the kin of Ctesius in order to hawk gold jewellery to Ctesius' wife: the Phoenician individual would absconder with them back to Sidon. Now the Phoenician individual in Odysseus' story moreover brought him; as a child entrusted to her medication, downcast for the pass through back to Sidon in order that she strength all sunny from his sale as a child slave and moreover to revenge herself on the Ctesius of having bought her as a slave from Taphian pirates. (23)Homer naturally doesn't let her endure such evil cheating and she is struck down by a goddess Artemis six days inwards the pass through back to Sidon and her other liberators; fearing for what her powerful gain Arybas strength do to them for specific bringing his daughter's dead bulkiness back home, abstention hurl her group inwards the sea to be eaten by the "'seals and fish".Now this; as with the other metaphors of Phoenicians that Homer brings out in the Odyssey, is resiliently fated to be an family classic of the Phoenicians. In that they are seen to be naturally cheating, are specific interested in their own personal sunny and even restrain little to no politeness to their kin (special the Greeks and Trojans) specific temporary efficient generous acts if they purloin impart to be sincere personal sunny to be involved (such as the reward from the Phoenician woman's unfair gain).Spread we prerequisite register that Homer's family classic following once more styles the Phoenicians as being grimy slavers and equivalent afterward Greek depictions of "'Eastern peoples'": the Phoenicians; as depicted by Homer, are an effete and fiercely fiery relations who would do something as malicious as to enslave their past master's son meaning to get their own back at that master for having bought them as a slave in the outdo place.From this next we can finish that Homer's Phoenicians are; as the persons and cousins of the jews that the afterward Greeks and Romans knew, portrayed as being avaricious, grasping, cheating, slave merchants and thoroughly unsavoury towards each other and the rest of the world. If we understand; as I restrain loud out senior, that the Phoenicians of Homer and the jews of Greek and Roman period can be first-class or less viewed as the identical relations. Thus it is clear that being Homer is describing the oodles vices and general lack of purity stuck between the Phoenicians that Homer is very usefully moreover describing the jews in the identical was as he is the Phoenicians.REFERENCES(1) Michael Shanks, 1999," vessel and the Ahead of time Greek State: An Interpretative Archaeology'", 1st Emerge, Cambridge Learned Press: New York, p. 201; Catherine Morgan, 2003," just beginning Greek States Over and done the Polis'", 1st Emerge, Routledge: New York, pp. 2-3(2) Peter Rhodes, 2006," 'A Take notes of the Pattern Greek Gravel 478-323 BC'", 1st Emerge, Blackwell: Oxford, p. 2(3) Shanks, Op. Cit., p. 204(4) I restrain moreover touched on this relation in fix to the origin of the ritual murder charge finished by the ancient Greeks chary the jews in the following article: http://semiticcontroversies.blogspot.com/2012/06/reconstructing-first-jewish-ritual.html(5) Herod. 2:106(6) Ibid.3:90-91(7) Peter Schaefer, 1995, "'The Take notes of the Jews in Antiquity: The Jews of Palestine from Alexander the Immense to the Arab Conquest", 1st Emerge, Routledge: New York, p. xi(8) Robert Goldenberg, 2007, "'The Start of Judaism: From Canaan to the Rise of Islam'", 1st Emerge, Cambridge Learned Press: New York, pp. 26-27(9) Ibid, pp. 28-30(10) John Day, 2002," 'Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan'", 2nd Emerge, Sheffield Dreamer Press: New York, pp. 129(11) See Tint Smith, 2001, "'The Start of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Document and the Ugaritic Texts'", 1st Emerge, Oxford Learned Press: New York.(12) Day, Op. Cit., pp. 151-152(13) Glenn Markoe, 2000," 'Phoenicians'", 1st Emerge, Learned of California Press: Berkeley, p. 108(14) Joseph. Ant. 1:10.191(15) Hom. Il. 23:744-746(16) Ibid. 6:290-296(17) Joseph. Cont. Ap. 1:12(18) Hom. Ody. 8:265-293(19) Ibid. 4:625-630; regular in Ibid. 15:103-110(20) Shanks, Op. Cit., p. 204(21) Hom. Ody. 14:286-298(22) Goldenberg, Op. Cit., p. 13(23) Hom. Ody. 15:422-484