Contrary to common perception, Phoenicia was never a country or nation, but a loose conglomerate of several city-states sharing the commonality of occupying the littoral region on the north-east Mediterranean and being largely maritime and oriented in terms of trade and culture towards the west. The principal cities, and city-states, are Tyre, Sidon, Zeraphath, Arvad, Beirut and Byblos.
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The name is Greek, meaning "dark red," referring to the dye for which the Phoenicians were famous in ancient times. The word 'Phoenicia' is, in fact, not found in the Old Testament; the land was simply Canaan and its people as Canaanites (where we do find it in some English translation, it is the translators' hands at work). The origins of the Phoenicias is obscured by uncertainties, though Herodotus reports that they originated in the Persian Gulf and first founded Sidon. Archaeological evidences demonstrate that they were already major trading partners with Egypt by c.18th Cent BC. Byblos, e.g., was known as supplier of the best papyrus in the ancient world, and it is from the name of the city that we derive the word byblos, and hence, bible, for a book.
If ancient Israel was undisturbed, relatively speaking, by Phoenician politics, her polytheistic religions played havoc in Israel, especially when it gained royal approval with Ahab's marriage to Jezebel. It would draw condemnation and a series of highly dramatic engagements between their prophets and Elijah.
Though it had a long history and was involved at different times in the affairs of ancient Israel, Phoenicia is not mentioned in the Old Testament (NIV's 'Phoenicia' at Isa 23:11 translates 'Canaan' in the Hebrew). It is, however, referred to four times in the New Testament. Jesus healed a Greek woman who was of Syro-Phoenician origin (Mk 7:26). The other three mentions come in the book of Acts. First, it was one of the places to which the Christians scattered as a result of the persecution in connection with Stephen headed to spread the gospel (11:19). When Paul and Barnabas were appointed, together with a few others, by the leadership of the church in Antioch to journey to Jerusalem to resolve the question of how Gentile Christians were to be treated ( see Jerusalem Council), they travelled through Phoenicia, sharing the news of the conversions of the Gentiles to the gospel (15:3). Finally, during Paul's last journey to Jerusalem from Asia, his entourage found "a ship crossing over to Phoenicia" at Patara, from which they embarked for Tyre (21:2).
The territory that was once Phoenicia is now divided between Syria and Lebanon.
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