This I posted before, but somehow it won't show up in a search:
WHO WERE THE PHOENICIANS ACCORDING TO HERODOTUS AND DIODORUS SICULUS?
We have seen that Aziru mentioned in the el–Amarna tablets is the
Israelite tribe of Asher, and that this tribe conquered the region of Sidon. We
have shown that the Exodus occurred in c. 1446 B. C. Therefore the invasion
of Canaan by the Israelites (the destruction of Jericho) began c. 1406 B. C.,
while the beginning of the separate tribal wars was c. 1376 B. C., namely in
the period of the el–Amarna tablets. The region of Sidon, which is considered
a Canaanite–Phoenician region, since the Israelites had supposedly not
succeeded in conquering it, became in fact an Israelite region during the
el–Amarna period. Hence, if the Greeks called this region "Phoenicia", and
as seen above, this must have been after the conquest of Aziru.
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In another paragraph14 Herodotus tells us that: "This is a sea by itself (i.
e. the Caspian sea –N. G.) not joined to the other sea. For that whereon the
Greeks sail, and the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles, which they call the
Atlantic, and the Red Sea are all one.". We have already noted the paragraph:
". the second (peninsula–N. G.) beginning with Persia stretches to the Red
Sea..." (Iv 39).
It is evident from the above paragraphs that by "Red Sea" or "Southern
Sea" (Rawlinson translates "Erythraean Sea") Herodotus means the sea
around the Arabian peninsula, i. e. today's Persian Gulf and Red Sea. If,
according to him, the Phoenicians came from the Red Sea, we may assume
that they could have come from any place along it, i. e. from Egypt to the
Persian Gulf.15
As already noted, if Herodotus includes the Israelites under another name
(and this must be assumed since he specifies the nations living in th entire
region) then it could only be under that of Phoenicians. According to him,
the Phoenicians came from the Red Sea area which we have seen he includes
both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf areas of today, whereas the Bible
clearly states the Israelites came to Canaan from the desert of Sinai where
they had gone after the Exodus. These statements taken together appear to
corroborate our assumption that Herodotus refers to the Israelites by the
term Phoenicians.16
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In an interesting aside Herodotus (II, 104) notes that: "The Colchians
and Egyptians and Ethiopians are the only nations that have from the
first practised circumcision. The Phoenicians and the Syrians of Palestine
acknowledge of themselves that they learnt the custom from the Egyptians...
Those Phoenicians who hold intercourse with Hellas cease to imitate the
Egyptians in this matter and do not circumcise their children".
We may conclude therefore, that Herodotus envisaged two kinds of
Phoenicians 1. Those who hold intercourse with the Greeks and do not imitate
the Egyptians. 2. The other Phoenicians who do imitate the Egyptians, but
do not hold intercourse with the Greeks.
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In this account he draws our attention in fact to his statement (XI, 3)
about the group of aliens who left Egypt (not Phoenicia) with Cadmus. By
stressing that "these Phoenicians are those who sailed..."etc. he differentiates
them from those Phoenicians who did not sail with Cadmus and remained
behind in Egypt (not Phoenicia). As Diodorus tells it those Phoenicians who
sailed with Cadmus were "the most outstanding and active among them..."
(i. e. the aliens – N. G.). It is obvious, therefore, that the Phoenicians who
did not sail with Cadmus and remained in Egypt were "the greater number"
of the aliens who according to Diodorus were led by Moses to Judaea. Let
us not forget that Diodorus tells us this as a "summary account of the
establishment of the nation (Jewish –N. G) from the origins".
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We have now seen that if Herodotus tells us anything about
the Israelites it must be looked for under the term "Phoenicians". When
Diodorus gives a summary account of the Jewish origins, he describes them
as aliens in Egypt, of whom "the most outstanding and active among them"
are referred to as Phoenicians. We may therefore definitely conclude that the
term "Phoenicians" is the Greek name for the nation of Israel.
http://www.whowerethephoenicians.com/wp-content/uploads/book/phenicos_new%20(2)_p175-p180.pdf
http://www.whowerethephoenicians.com/
http://www.whowereth.../free-chapters/
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THE PHILISTINES AND THE "SEA PEOPLES" NOT
THE SAME ENTITY
http://www.whowereth...SAME ENTITY.pdf
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Edited by Abramelin, 12 November 2012 - 04:16 PM.