A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume 1 (of 6)Bryant, Jacob
Religion
A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume 1 (of 6)
Bryant, Jacob
History, Ancient; Mythology
The Sun was styled by the Amonians, among other titles, Zan; as I have
before shewn: and he was worshipped under this denomination all over Syria
and Mesopotamia; especially at Emesa, Edessa, and Heliopolis. One region
was named Gauzanitis, from a city Gauzan, the Gosan of the [392]Scriptures.
Strabo calls it [393]Χαζηνη, Cha-Zene, and places it near Adiabene. Gauzan,
or Go-zan, is literally the house of the Sun. I once thought that the land
of Goshen, in Egypt, was of the same purport as Cushan; and have so
mentioned it in a former [394]treatise. So far is true: the land of Goshen
was the land of Cushan, and possessed by the sons of Chus: but the two
terms are not of the same meaning. Goshen, or Goshan, like Gauzan in
Mesopotamia, signifies the temple of the Sun: hence it was as a city,
rendered by the Greeks Heliopolis. Artapanus, as we learn from Eusebius,
expresses it Caisan, Καισαν. Go-Shan, Gau Zan, Caisan, Cazena, all denote a
place sacred to the Sun; and are such variations in rendering the same
term, as must be expected in an interval of fifteen hundred years, and from
different transcribers. This luminary was also called Abor, the parent of
light; and his temple Cha-Abor, and Cho-Abor, contracted Chabor and Chobar.
Of this name both a city and river were to be found in Gauzanitis; as well
as in Susiana, and other parts: for rivers often took their names from some
temple, or city, by which they ran. The temple at Dodona was, of old,
called Cha-On, or house of the Sun; as we may infer from the country having
the name of Chaonia; for Chaonia is the land of Chaon. The priests and
inhabitants were called [395]Chaones, from their place of worship: and the
former had also the name[396] of Selli, which signifies the priests of the
Sun. In Arcadia, near the eruption of the river Erasinus, was a mountain,
clothed with beautiful trees, and sacred to Dionusus. This, also, was
called [397]Chaon, _the place of the Sun_; and was, undoubtedly, so named
from the antient worship; for Dionusus was, of old, esteemed the same as
Osiris, the Sun. There was also a place called [398]Chaon in Media and
Syria; Chaonitis in Mesopotamia: and in all these places the same worship
prevailed. So Caballis, the city of the Solymi, was named from Ca-bal, the
place of the god Bal, or Baal. It is mentioned by Strabo. In like manner
Caballion, in Gallia Narbonensis, is a compound of Ca-Abelion, a well known
Deity, whose name is made up of titles of the Sun. The priests of this
place were styled [399]Salies; the region was called Χαουαρα; undoubtedly
from Cha-Our (אור), some temple of Ur, erected by the Amonians, who here
settled. Canoubis in Egypt was a compound of Ca-Noubis; Cabasa, in the same
country, Ca-Basa; called by many Besa, the Beseth of the Scriptures, a
Goddess well known in Egypt. She had a temple in Canaan, called [400]Beth
Besa. Cuamon, near Esdraelon, is a compound of Cu-Amon, the place or house
of Amon: [401]ἑως του Κυαμωνος.
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