Phoenician Encyclopedia: A Bequest Unearthed, Phoenicia and the Phoenicians, Punic, Canaanites -- Encyclopedia Phoeniciana

Phoenicia Died Out Misinformation
A number of historians ignorantly claim that Phoenicia ceased to exist in 64 BC, when it became part of the Roman world. However, official records indicate that in 425 AD Phoenicia Prima was subdivided into two provinces, Phoenicia Maritima and Phoenicia Libanensis by the Romans. Further, excavations of at Tel Kadesh (158 BC) in Israel as well as the witness of Saint Augustine (400 AD), Church Councils of Tyre (449 & 515 AD), the Fall of Phoenicia to the Arabs (640 AD) and the honorary living title "Metropolitan Archbishop of Phoenicia Maritima" which Lebanese bishops continue to carry today (see page with translation -- MP3 Byzantine psaltica chants: Bishop of Beirut & Bishop of Tripoli) are a few of many solid proofs that Phoenicia and its people live on despite the misinformation.

Religious books & history
There is some history in the Bible, Torah, apocrypha & other religious writings, but using any of these books for historical research and discussions is unacceptable. I am a Christian and do respect the Bible as a book of faith not history. Holy books and their mythological stories are unreliable historical sources; however, some historical outlines may be used in very limited terms. So-called proofs of historical or genealogical significance based on all books of faith are respectfully rejected. Those who are displeased with my statements on these books are invited to leave this site immediately -- no discussions. Heretical Evangelicals a.k.a. Fundamentalist Christians, conservative Catholics, Jews or Muslims, consider yourselves duly warned that you will be severely dealt with, if you do not stop badgering me with your related impudent e-mails. You may not question my opinion on the didactic but non-literal interpretation of holy books.

The Semites
Bible fanatics continue to shamefully write to me on the Phoenicians being the "cursed" descendent of Shem using the Bible as supporting "evidence." This claim is completely unfounded. The term Semites is applied to a group of people who inhabited the Levant and spoke similar languages but were not necessarily of the same or identical ethnic origin -- Arabs, Israelis, Phoenicians, Arameans, Syriac ...etc. The expression is derived from the mythical Biblical "table" of nations & the descendants of the fictional character Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham or Japheth. The term Semite does not have any historical origin. It came into use at the end of the 18th century* & thereafter became a standard technical term. Like many other common mistakes -- such as lumping all the peoples of the Middle East into one pan-Arab group -- the term Semite was adopted & used without denoting true ethnicity. The same applies to Hamites & Japhethites.
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* The term Semite was proposed at first for the languages related to the Hebrew by Ludwig Schlözer, in Eichhorn's "Repertorium", vol. VIII (Leipzig, 1781), p. 161. Through Eichhorn the name then came into general usage (cf. his "Einleitung in das Alte Testament" (Leipzig, 1787), I, p. 45. In his "Gesch. der neuen Sprachenkunde", pt. I (Göttingen, 1807) it had already become a fixed technical term. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII

For Stifling Phoenician History, I Accuse:
Eurocentrism, Judeocentrism, Arabists and Fundamentalist Christians
It became evident to me during my research that various forces impacted almost all Phoenician/Canaanite subjects. In short, I found that historians and archaeologists were predominantly inclined to Eurocentrism (especially Hellenistic supremacist who think that the Greeks had exclusive access to knowledge) or Judeocentrism. Specifically, Phoenician thinkers were ignored and their work credited to the Greeks, Romans or Israelites.

N.B. The red-highlighted "formulae" are to be applied to all the paragraphs that follow though they don't negate racial intermarriages. Comments or correspondence regarding these points are regretfully not open for discussion. ABUSE of open dialogue has made this measure necessary. All other subjects are, of course, open for discussions.

Phoenicians are not Arabs, Israelis, or sub-Saharan (black) Africans;
Canaanites are Phoenician Canaanites, Punic (North African & Spain Phoenicians)

Arab nationalists' antagonism of Phoeniciology & their "Phoenician Complex"
Many of various religious backgrounds from Arab countries, especially Lebanon and Levant pan-Arabists or fanatical pan-Islamists simply cannot tolerate the mention of the Phoenicians or their descendent in the modern world. They assume such a mention has political and religious overtones. However, Phoenician blood runs through their own veins themselves and most people in the region -- Phoenician does not mean Maronite Christian only, something which nobody claims but which Arabists assume. Further, there is no reason for those aforementioned who suffer from this Phoenician Complex to deny their heritage. Such people have no shame and are fools to ignore their great heritage. Many other people from the Lebanon, Levant and western Mediterranean, including European and North African Muslim, Arab countries proudly accept Phoenician as their heritage and ancestry. (my witnesses testify to this effect on the Tunisia and the Am I? testimonial pages). Canaanite Phoenicians pre-date the Arabs, anyway. For a resounding answer "No; we are not Arabs!" follow the link.