We all know of these ideas, like for example in Greece, the idea of Kronos.
Kronos was the god of time, and he had all his kids through dividing the parts of his body.
Witness these names: Nestor, alias Puith; Neptune, alias Poseidon; Oileus, alias Pendre; Priam, alias Hogath; Phoebus, alias Onewakax, alias Apollo; Pales, alias Shugansitha; Pelides, alias Peleus; Saturn, alias Kronos; Thaleia, alias Musae; Thestor, alias Suko, alias Bayrith, alias Calchas; Thetis, alias Arama, alias Mi, alias Mara, alias Achill'ya, alias Argos; Venus, alias Seinalt, alias Vishnu, alias Mira, alias Thor, alias Theo; Vulcan, alias Anawahah, alias Ir, alias Agni, alias Hefaste'yan; Calianessa, alias Vritta; Hecla, alias Jah, alias Tyronia, alias Nileus; Nemertis, alias Itra, alias Prometh'ya, alias Ari, alias Mithra; Opsendes, alias Miletus, alias Brahma, alias Ishaka, alias Davetat, alias Sakaya, alias Morototha; Pherna, alias Holasa, alias Iao, alias Crite, alias Thammus; Spieo, alias Pelides, alias Hecla, alias Vulcan; Thor, alias Padua, alias Hermes, alias Belus, alias Hiroth, alias Yossammis; Thoa, alias Thor, alias Neptune, alias Orion, alias Aph, alias Thulis; Quiurnus, alias Vishnu, alias Ahambre, alias I'isna, alias Atys, alias Etus.
Kronos goes by several names: Kronos or Cronus in Greek, Saturn in Roman myth, and El in the Phoenician account that Philo of Byblos gives.
Some readers also link Kronos with Ea, the Babylonian water god.
Kronos is the youngest child of Earth and Heaven (Gaia and Uranus), the youngest of the Titans.
Kronos then swallows his children as they are born: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.
When he is grown, Zeus makes Kronos bring up the swallowed children, and in the war of the gods against the Titans (the Titanomachy) Kronos is defeated and the Titans are held under Tartarus.
The Romans matched Kronos with Saturn, whose reign they remembered as a golden age of plenty.
He is also often called the god of time, but that idea probably comes from Kronos being mixed up with Chronos, the Greek word for time.
Kronos also turns up in the Babylonian flood story told by Berossus, a Babylonian priest who wrote in Greek.
In Berossus, Kronos warns Xisuthrus of the coming flood.
The link between Kronos and El comes mostly from Philo of Byblos, a Greek writer of the late 1st and early 2nd century CE.
In Philo, Uranus and Ge (Earth) have four sons, and the first is "Elus who is also Kronos." The followers of Elus are called the Eloim.
Philo's Kronos also castrates Uranus, as in Hesiod, and he gives the city of Byblos to the goddess Baaltis.
One of these passages tells how Kronos sacrificed his only son when war threatened the country.
Philo, as Eusebius quotes him, names Kronos as El and tells of the son's sacrifice.
Kronos, therefore, whom the Phoenicians call El, who was king of the country, and subsequently, after his decease, was deified and changed into the star Saturn, had by a nymph of the same country called Anobret an only-begotten son (whom on this account they called Jeiid, the only-begotten being still so called among the Phoenicians); and when extreme dangers from war had befallen the country, he arrayed his son in royal apparel, and prepared an altar and sacrificed him.
In Book I, chapter 10, Gifford's version of the same passage reads "Kronos then, whom the Phoenicians call Elus." The name "Israel" in this page's title comes from this passage: Greek copies of Eusebius are said to read "Israel" at this point where Gifford prints El or Elus.
That is the textual root of the idea of Kronos as "Israel." It is also why some writers compare the story with Abraham and his son, and with the patriarch Jacob, who is renamed Israel.
The page Kronos/Saturn and Jacob/Israel in Phoenician Tradition follows that thread further.
Few inscriptions name Kronos in Phoenician texts, since Kronos is a Greek name.
In Carthage, inscriptions name Baal Hammon, whom later Greeks and Romans matched with Kronos and Saturn.
Greek and Roman writers said that Kronos received child sacrifices at Carthage, and the burial ground archaeologists call the Tophet is often linked to that practice.
This helps explain how Kronos came to be matched with older Semitic gods such as El.
Some later Classical and Rabbinic writers also matched Canaanite gods with known Classical ones, and this helped the idea that Kronos could be seen as the Semitic El.
Philo of Byblos, through Eusebius, plainly equates Kronos with El.
Carthage shows Kronos matched with Baal Hammon.
The name "Israel" for Kronos rests on a single manuscript reading of one passage, so it is better treated as a reading to test than as a settled fact.
In specific Phoenician texts, the deity Kronos was referred to as “El.” Kronos was a significant deity in Phoenician mythology. The Greeks equated Kronos with their Titan, who ruled before Zeus, while the Romans later called him Saturn.
The connection of Kronos to biblical Jacob (Israel) as suggested by Phoenician tradition is an intriguing aspect of comparative mythology that hints at the syncretism and reinterpretation of ancient deities across different cultures.
In Phoenician mythology, Kronos was a significant deity.
The Greeks equated Kronos with their Titan who ruled before Zeus, while the Romans later called him Saturn.
Kronos in Phoenician tradition, as described by Philo of Byblos (a 1st-century AD Phoenician historian whose works largely come from Sanchuniathon’s now-lost writings), was a father figure akin to the ruling deity over the world during a primordial time, just as he was in Greek tradition.
In certain Phoenician texts, the deity Kronos was referred to as “El” or "Israel." This association likely comes from an ancient reinterpretation of figures and their roles in myth.
It suggests that the Phoenicians saw a parallel between their god Kronos and the biblical patriarch Jacob/Israel, particularly in terms of authority and the foundational role they played for their respective people.
Kronos was the ruler of a bygone era, much like how Jacob/Israel was the patriarch of the Israelites.
This conceptual similarity—being a progenitor or "father figure" of an era or people—may have led to the Phoenician association of Kronos with Israel.
Kronos, as a figure of authority before the Olympians, mirrors Jacob's role as a central patriarch before the establishment of the Israelite nation in Canaan.
Both figures embody the theme of transition—Kronos being overthrown by Zeus, and Jacob fathering the 12 tribes who would form the Israelite identity.
According to his accounts, Kronos (whom he called “El” or occasionally “Israel”) was seen as having established foundational principles, similar to Jacob/Israel’s role in the Hebrew Bible as the father of the tribes.
Philo's writings indicate that Kronos was also associated with a form of sacrifice.
The willingness of patriarchs in the Bible to make sacrifices to establish a covenant with God could have resonated with the Phoenician understanding of Kronos’ sacrificial elements, thus facilitating this equation.
The equation of Kronos with Israel could be seen as an attempt to reconcile and reinterpret myths as Mediterranean cultures came into contact with each other.
Shared Archetypes: Jacob as the patriarch of the tribes of Israel and Kronos as a deity overseeing an earlier age of gods may share archetypal qualities—both represent origins, fatherhood, and transitions in the divine order or familial lineage.
Sanchuniathon and Philo of Byblos: The idea that Kronos was called "Israel" comes primarily from Philo of Byblos, who is one of our main sources for Phoenician mythology.
This blending is part of why Kronos (Greek) and El or Israel (Canaanite/Phoenician) might have been equated in Philo’s writings.
The claim that "in certain Phoenician texts, the deity Kronos was referred to as 'El' or 'Israel'" largely stems from the writings of Philo of Byblos, who, in the 1st-2nd century CE, translated and interpreted the earlier works of the Phoenician historian Sanchuniathon.
In Philo's accounts, Kronos is mentioned as one of the primary gods of the Phoenicians.
Kronos is sometimes equated with "El," who was one of the primary gods of the Canaanite pantheon.
El was the chief deity, the creator god, and a figure of great authority, similar in some ways to the Greek Kronos.
Philo’s writings suggest that Kronos held a name or title associated with "Israel," possibly pointing to an understanding of this figure as the patriarch or foundational entity of a group or people—akin to Jacob, who was renamed Israel and was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.
The association of Kronos with "Israel" could imply that the Phoenicians viewed Kronos as having a role analogous to that of Jacob (Israel) in the Hebrew tradition—a patriarch or significant founder figure.
Kronos being called "El" suggests that he embodied similar characteristics to the Canaanite supreme deity—a god of creation, authority, and fatherhood.
By attributing the name "Israel" to Kronos, the Phoenicians or Philo might have been emphasizing his role as a ruling patriarch—a position analogous to that of Jacob in the Israelite tradition.
The Greeks equated Kronos with the Roman Saturn, and Philo, in turn, equated Kronos with the Phoenician El, adding the association with "Israel." This reflects the syncretic practices of identifying different cultural myths with similar archetypes to create cohesion in the ancient Mediterranean world.
It's also possible that the connection between Kronos and Israel is a result of later interpretation or conflation.
The claim that Kronos was referred to as "El" or "Israel" comes primarily from the writings of Philo of Byblos, who translated and interpreted earlier Phoenician sources.
Kronos was likely equated with "El," the supreme god of the Canaanite pantheon, and possibly associated with "Israel" to symbolize a patriarchal or foundational role similar to that of Jacob (renamed Israel) in Hebrew tradition.
The speaker delves into texts and sources to explore the idea that many mythological figures are based on real people and places, with a particular focus on Kronos, Judah, and the connections to Israel and the Phoenicians.
Kronos, also known as Saturn in Roman mythology, is equated with Jacob (Israel) in Phoenician tradition.
The Phoenicians referred to Kronos as "Israel," connecting him to biblical Jacob.
Kronos had a son named Judah (spelled differently in various sources as Jud, Yud, or Yood).
Kronos is noted for circumcising himself and compelling others to do the same, linking him to Israelite practices.
The video references "Cory's Ancient Fragments," which quotes historians like Sanchuniathon, supporting the identification of Kronos with Israel.
The Phoenicians called Kronos "El," which aligns with Israel's connection to Jacob.
Schott sees in the orbicular wheel-like plates of this statue the wheel symbol of Kronos
and Saturn; and, in turn, it may be supposed that the wheel of Kronos was simply the cross of Atlantis, surrounded by its encircling ring.
Hall referenced a statue of Kronos in Greece, which depicted two kinds of time: the ever-passing time and the eternal "now."
This was the work of Hephaistos, who gave it to Zeus, the son of Kronos.
"My friends," he said, "heroes, squires of Ares, Zeus, the son of Kronos, has tied me down with atê.
The story centers on Kronos' rebellion against his tyrannical father, Ouranos.
After Ouranos attempts to kill his children, Kronos, with Hermes' help, overthrows him, establishing his rule and founding the city of Byblos.
C) History of Kronos (PE 1.10.
“Ouranos inherited his father’s dominion and married his sister Ge, and from her produced four children: Elos, who is also Kronos, Baetylos, Dagon, who is Grain, and Atlas.
“When Kronos reached manhood, he punished his father Ouranos and thus avenged his mother, utilizing Hermes Trismegistos—for he was his secretary—as counselor and helper.
The children of Kronos were Persephone and Athena.
The former died in early maidenhood; with the advice of the latter, Athena, as well as of Hermes, Kronos made a sickle and spear of iron.
Then Hermes used magic spells on the allies of Kronos and instilled in them a desire to fight against Ouranos on behalf of Ge.
Thus, Kronos waged war against Ouranos expelled him from his dominion, and took up his kingdom.
Ouranos' favorite mistress, who was pregnant, was also captured in the battle and Kronos gave her in marriage to Dagon.
“Furthermore, Kronos surrounded his own dwelling with a wall, and founded the first city, Byblos in Phoenicia.
Afterwards, Kronos began to suspect his own brother Atlas, and on the advice of Hermes, he cast him down and buried him in the depths of the earth.
Now the allies of Elos, i.e., Kronos, were called ‘Eloim,’ as the ones named after Kronos would be ‘Kronians.’
“Kronos had a son Sadidos whom he destroyed with his own weapon because he was suspicious of him.
Similarly, he beheaded his own daughter, so that all the gods were astounded at the disposition of Kronos.
“Some time later, while Ouranos was in exile, he secretly sent his maiden daughter Astarte together with two other sisters of hers, Rhea and Dione, to kill Kronos by stealth.
Kronos, however, caught the lasses and made the sisters his wives.
When Ouranos found out, he sent Destiny, Hour, and other allies into battle against Kronos.
These too Kronos won over and kept at his side.
"Kronos had seven daughters, Titanids or Artemids, by Astarte, and again by Rhea he had seven sons, the youngest of whom was made an object of worship at the time of his birth.
"Three more children were born to Kronos in (or ‘by’) Peraea, Kronos, named after his father, Zeus Belos, and Apollo.
"In the thirty-second year of his own assumption of royal authority Elos, i.e., Kronos, trapped his father Ouranos in a certain inland place.
Such are the things told about Kronos; and such are the solemn tales about the life of the contemporaries of Kronos as that is celebrated by the Greeks.
"Greatest Astarte and Zeus, called both Demarous and Adodos, king of gods, were ruling over the land with the consent of Kronos.
"Also when Kronos was traveling around the world, he gave the kingdom of Attica to his own daughter Athena.
At the occurrence of a fatal plague, Kronos immolated his only son to his father Ouranos, and circumcised himself, forcing the allies who were with him to do the same.
In addition, Kronos gave the city Byblos to the goddess Baaltis who is also Dione, and the city Beirut to Poseidon and to the Kabeiri, the Hunters and the Fishers, who made the relics of Pontos an object of worship in Beirut.
"Before this, the god Taautos, imitating the visages of his fellow gods, Kronos, Dagon and the rest, engraved the sacred forms of the letters.
He also invented as royal emblems for Kronos four eyes, on the front and in the rear, two awake, and two closed restfully; and upon the shoulders, four wings, two as if fluttering, and two as if relaxed.
This a symbol, since Kronos was watchful even when in repose, and was in repose even when awake; similarly the wings were symbolic because he flew while at rest, and was at rest while flying.
Each of the other gods had two feathers upon his shoulders, since they in fact flew with Kronos.
When he went to the southern land, Kronos transferred all of Egypt to the god Taautos, so that it might become his kingdom.
Now Kronos, whom the Phoenicians call El, who was in their land and who was later divinized after his death as the star of Kronos, had an only son by a local bride named Anobret, and therefore they called him Ieoud.—Even now among the Phoenicians the only son is given this name.—When war’s gravest dangers gripped the land, Kronos dressed his son in royal attire, prepared an altar and sacrificed him.”
The Phoenicians understand Kronos according to the interpretation of a similar name or according to some allegory, as one may gather from the second book of the work on Phoenicia by Herennius Philo.
Cronus (Kronos): The youngest of the Titans, leader of the first generation of Titans, and father of the first generation of Olympians (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter, and Hades).
From him proceeded Helius (Ra, another god); afterwards Agathodæmon; then, Kronos, (Seb, another god); then Osiris; then came Typhon, the brother of Osiris; then came Horus, the son of Osiris by Isis, his wife.
Geb (Kronos): The earth god, Geb, ruled for 500 years.
The orbicular wheel-like plates of these statues may be linked to the wheel symbol of Kronos and Saturn, or the cross of Atlantis surrounded by a ring.
Note: this connection appears in Philo of Byblos (1st–2nd century CE), who reports that the Phoenician god El/Elus was equated with Kronos.
Kronos was, in turn, associated with Saturn by the Greeks and Romans.
Only in later Greco-Roman reinterpretations was El (through Kronos) linked with Saturn.
Saturn, Kronos, and Colosseum symbolism come last on this page, as modern interpretation, not as ancient identity proof.
Kronos devouring children and Saturn allegory ride that same interpretive trail.
I keep Saturn / Kronos / Colosseum readings as labeled modern symbolism, not as Biblical identity.
Through their division, they generate diverse races, species, and realities, akin to the Greek myth of Kronos birthing offspring from his body parts.