Lampe's "Synopsis of Biblical History"
- Dr. Dilday
- Jul 21
- 9 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
This Biblical History covers all the major eras and topics, giving an overview of the whole. But, here and there, there is a rare and choice morsel!
Consider this from the era of the Judges:
The Kingdom of Satan among the nations cast outside the communion of the people of God grew by degrees. Among the idols of the Phœnicians, besides those just now mentioned, in the Book of Judges are found Baal-berith,[1] Chemosh,[2] and Dagon.[3] One may draw a more abundant knowledge of the religion of the Phœnicians from fragments of Sanchuniathon in Eusebius.[4] The superstition of the Greeks also gained more and more strength with the widespread and diverse Kingdom founded in Greece. The principal supports of idolatry were the frauds of the Priests: pretended oracles, among which the Delphic Oracle excelled: Pseudo-prophets, among which the Sibyl herself[5] was to be numbered according to some: the Poets, among whom are Orpheus,[6] Musæus,[7] and Linus:[8] finally, the Philosophers, cloaking the worship of dæmons with greater splendor, Hermes Trismegistus,[9] and others. The κακοζηλία/ affectation of Satan is added, studiously imitating the sacred rites of the Hebrews in idolatrous worship, of which matter there is a clear example in the sacred rites of the Syrian Goddess[10] and other mysteries of the Pythian Apollo.[11]
[1] Judges 8:33; 9:4, 46. Baal-berith (literally, Lord of the covenant) was one of the Baalim of Canaan, apparently associated with covenants. Later Rabbinic tradition equates him with Beelzebub.
[2] Judges 11:24. See also Numbers 21:29; 1 Kings 11:7, 33; 2 Kings 23:13; Jeremiah 48:7, 13, 46. Chemosh appears to have been the supreme patron deity of the Moabites, associated particularly with war.
[3] Judges 16:23-31. See also 1 Samuel 5; 1 Chronicles 10:10. Dagon was worshipped in Mesopotamia and Syria as the god of grain/agriculture and fertility. His worship was adopted by the Philistines.
[4] Sanchuniathon is a Phœnician author, almost as old as Moses. His works, including material on creation and the history of the gods, survive only in fragments. His history of Phœnicia was translated by Philo of Byblos circa 100 AD, fragments of which are preserved in Eusebius’ Preparation of the Gospel.
[5] The Sibylline Oracles claim to be the work of ten pre-Christian Sibyls, prophesying of the coming of Christ and the spread of Christianity. They appear to have been the work of multiple authors of differing dates, and modified later by Jewish and Christian scribes.
[6] In Greek mythology, Orpheus was the son of the Thracian river god Oiagros and the Muse Calliope. He is reckoned as the chief of the poets and musicians, and a pioneer in a great many aspects of civilization, including theology. The Orphic Hymns are traditionally ascribed to the mythical Orpheus, but they were likely composed by a multiplicity of authors, possibly as late as the early centuries of the Christian Era.
[7] Musæus of Athens was a semi-legendary poet, musician, philosopher, historian, prophet, and priest, said to have been the son/disciple of Orpheus. Herodotus alleges that one Onomacritus gathered and arranged Musæus’ oracles, but with some interpolations.
[8] Linus was an ancient Greek poet. It is said that he was the son of Amphimarus, son of Poseidon, and Ourania, the Muse.
[9] Hermes Trismegistus is a legendary figure, a composite of the Greek Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth. There is a body of literature attributed to him, the Hermetica, which includes material on philosophy and religion, astrology, medicine, alchemy, and magic. The oldest material comes from the second century AD.
[10] Atargatis was the chief fertility and maternal goddess of Syria during the Greco-Roman period. Like Jehovah of Israel, Atargatis had a central Sanctuary (located in Hierapolis), with inner chambers accessible to priests only, and a sacred pool (1 Kings 7:23-27). Pilgrimages were made to the central shrine (Deuteronomy 16:16), bringing offerings, tithes, and animal sacrifices (with swine prohibited [Leviticus 11:7; Isaiah 66:3]).
[11] The Pythian Apollo had a principal shrine at Delphi, which attracted pilgrims from across the Greek world. In the interior of the temple, the Pythia, the Delphic priestess, would enter into an ecstatic state and receive prophetic oracles (Exodus 25:22; 30:6; Numbers 7:89). Pilgrims, seeking guidance from the Oracle, would bring animal sacrifices and undergo ritual purifications. Worship at Delphi included hymns of praise to the Apollo, the god of music.
Consider this from the Mosaic era:
"But, when the fame of such portents and victories was spread throughout the world by those fleeing, principally from this history arose the great many fables concerning Mercury,[1] Apollo,[2] Hercules,[3] and Typhon.[4]
[1] In the Euhemeristic tradition, Mercury, the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, is related to the historical figure of Canaan, the son of Ham. מָכַר/machar, to sell, in Chaldean has a signification similar to כְּנָעַן/Canaan/merchant; through the Phœnicians, descendants of Canaan, both goods and information were carried throughout the Mediterranean world.
[2] In Greek mythology, Apollo is associated with the Sun; he was a warrior, and the slayer of Python, the massive serpent guarding the Oracle of Delphi. Joshua likewise has an important association with the Sun (Joshua 10:11-14), was a great warrior, and did much to drive pagan religion and divination out of the Promised Land.
[3] Hercules played a pivotal role in the Gigantomachy. It was prophesied that the Olympians would not be able to defeat the Giants without the help of a mortal hero. Many of the Giants, having been wounded by an Olympian, were finished off by Hercules, using his club and poisoned arrows; and without him, the Olympians would have been defeated. Likewise, in the days of the Conquest, the Promised Land was full of Giants, over whom Joshua prevailed (see Numbers 13:22-33; Joshua 11:21, 22; 14:6-15; 15:13, 14).
[4] In Egyptian mythology, Typhon (צוּף/Tsuph to the Hebrews, תוף/Tuph to the Syrians, signifying inundation [Exodus 14]) was the brother of King Osiris, sharing the same mother (Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:22). He formed a conspiracy of seventy-two men (Numbers 11:16-29) and the Queen of Ethiopia (Numbers 12:1) against Osiris. Cutting Osiris into pieces, and shutting him up in an ark, Typhon cast him into the Nile (Exodus 2:1-4). In making war on Egypt and the Egyptian gods, Typhon brought noxious animals and darkness (Exodus 7-12). The many associations with Moses are unmistakable."
Again, it is hardly able to be expressed, what a superabounding crop of fables, in which true things are mixed together with false, from these great events has sprung up among the Gentiles. Let there be a comparison between the Sodomites and Lycaon, receiving Jove with hospitality;[1] between Lot and the history of Philemon and Baucis;[2] between the wife of Lot and Niobe;[3] between Abraham and old Hyricus;[4] between Isaac and the immolation of Phrixus;[5] between the stone anointed by Jacob[6] and the Bætyl stones;[7] between Joseph and Hippolytus,[8] Adonis,[9] and others.
[1] In Greek mythology, Lycaon, King of Arcadia, when hosting Zeus, killed his son, Nyctimus, cooked him, and served him to Zeus, in order to test the god’s omniscience. Zeus, in a rage, transformed Lycaon into a wolf, killed his offspring, and restored Nyctimus to life.
[2] In Greek mythology, Zeus and Hermes visited a town in Phrygia in disguise, asking the townsmen for a place to sleep for the night. They were rejected by all, except poor Baucis and Philemon. When Zeus and Hermes departed from the town, they took Baucis and Philemon with them. Having ascended a mountain, Baucis and Philemon looked back to see their town destroyed by a flood, but their own home transformed into an ornate temple.
[3] In Greek mythology, Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, ruler of Sipylus, boasted of her fourteen children to Leto, who had only two, Apollo and Artemis. Leto sent Apollo and Artemis to kill Niobe’s children. In grief, Niobe returned to Mount Sipylus, and was turned into stone, weeping perpetually.
[4] In Roman mythology, Jupiter, Mercury, and Neptune visited old Hyricus, a Bœotian peasant, in disguise. Hyricus entertained them hospitably, and the gods promised to grant him a request. Hyricus was a widower and childless, so he asked for a son. The gods instructed him to fill the hide of a sacrificed bull with water, and bury it for nine months. Nine months later, he exhumed the skin, and found a living child inside.
[5] In Greek mythology, Phrixus and Helle were the children of Athamas, king of Bœtia, and Nephele, the goddess of clouds. The pair were hated by Ino, their stepmother, so she conspired to get rid of them. She engineered a famine, and then bribed an oracle to say, that only the sacrifice of Phrixus and Helle would bring relief. Before being sacrificed, Phrixus and Helle were rescued by a flying ram with golden wool, sent by Nephele.
[6] Genesis 28:18, 19: “And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el (בֵּית־אֵל, house of God): but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.”
[7] A bætyl is a sacred stone, believed to house a god. The most famous of these was the Omphalos of Delphi.
[8] In Greek mythology, Phædra, the wife of King Theseus of Athens, lusted after her stepson, Hippolytus. Hippolytus refused her advances and fled from her. Phædra accused Hippolytus of rape, pointing to the sword he left behind. Hippolytus was condemned to death, but died in an accident before the sentence could be executed.
[9] Adonis, whose name means lord, was considered the ideal of male beauty, and was the lover of Aphrodite and Persephone. He was gored by a wild boar, and died in Aphrodite’s arms. In some versions, Adonis is restored to life by Zeus at the entreaty of Aphrodite.
"Neither was this field barren in giving rise to a great many fables. To this I refer Saturn dividing the kingdom among his three sons,[1] Japetus,[2] the Gigantomachy,[3] and similar things.
[1] See Genesis 10:1. Saturn was said to have divided the world between his three sons, the principal Olympians: Zeus, the sky; Poseidon, the sea; Hades, the underworld.
[2] Japetus was a Titan, one of the sons of Uranus and Gaia, the father of Prometheus, Atlas, and Epimetheus. His name evokes that of Father Japheth, and like Japheth is a progenitor of humanity.
[3] In Greek mythology, the Giants, born of Gaia, attempted to overthrow the Olympians by stacking mountains to reach and storm the heavens. Ultimately, the rebellion was thwarted by the gods. The relationship to the Tower of Babel narrative is plain."
Do you have holes in your knowledge of Biblical History? If so, Lampe's Synopsis of Biblical History is for you!
It covers every era of Biblical History, from the Origin of the World to the Apostolic Age, and does so with relative brevity!
There is the stuff you would expect to find ... and then there are some extraordinary and savory bits! Consider and enjoy!
"Moreover, numerous vestiges of the events of this age are visible in the mythical history of the Gentile nations.[1] Such things are those that occur concerning Kol-piah the productrix;[2] concerning Chnuphis and the Orphic egg;[3] concerning Chaos and Erebos;[4] concerning the gardens of the Hesperides,[5] the Elysian Fields,[6] and the Golden Age;[7] concerning Apollo the inventor of Music and Vulcan of iron-working;[8] concerning Prometheus portraying Adam[9] and Janus representing Noah;[10] concerning the deluge of Ogyges or Deucalion;[11] concerning Iris, the messenger of Jove.[12] "
[1] Euhemerus (late fourth century BC) served in the court of Cassander as a writer of myths. He treats the myths as echoes of actual historical events. As soon as Christianity began to spread through the Greco-Roman world, a form of Christian Euhemerism developed.
[2] יה פי קול, Kol-piah, the voice of the mouth of Jah. In Greek mythology, Calliope was one of the nine Muses, the eldest and wisest, and the inspiration and originator of Epic Poetry.
[3] The Orphic Egg, frequently portrayed as wrapped by the serpent Ananke, is the cosmic egg from which is hatch the primordial hermaphroditic god Protogonus, who in turn created other gods. Chnuphis is a similar motif of divinity found in ancient Egyptian iconography.
[4] In Genesis 1, the initial creation appears to have been a watery mass, sitting in darkness. In Greek mythology, Chaos (χάος/emptiness) was the first thing to exist. Erebos (עֶרֶב/ereb/evening, Genesis 1:5) was one of the offspring of Chaos, a divine personification of darkness.
[5] In Greek mythology, Hera possessed a garden, wherein was a tree producing golden apples. Hera gave the Hesperides (nymphs of the sunset) the task of tending the garden, and the dragon Ladon to guard the golden apples.
[6] In Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields were a paradise of the afterlife, located in the far West.
[7] In Greek mythology, the Golden Age was the first age of the world under the government of Saturn/Kronos (Noah, in the Euhemeristic tradition). At this time, there was harmony between the gods and men; the earth provided spontaneously and abundantly; men lived without sorrow or burdensome labor, free from war, crime, and injustice; and men continued to a great old age (although ever youthful), and became benevolent dæmons after death. The Golden Age was a veritable Utopia.
[8] Genesis 4:21, 22: “And his brother’s name was Jubal (יוּבָל/Yuval; noting the similarity to Apollo): he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain (תּ֣וּבַל קַ֔יִן/Tuval-kayin, noting the similarity to Vulcan), an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.”
[9] According to myth, the Titan Prometheus (a god of the old world) formed humanity from clay, taught them animal sacrifice, and stole fire from the Olympian gods, giving it to men, and thereby conferring upon them the knowledge necessary for the founding of civilization. For that theft and illegitimate bestowal of knowledge, Prometheus was condemned to eternal torments by Zeus, being bound to a rock and having his liver (the seat of the emotions) eaten by a giant eagle daily (with his liver regenerating overnight, so that the punishment might continue).
[10] Janus was the two-faced Roman god of doorways and gates (even as Noah was one of the few who saw the old world and the new). It is said that, under his rule, Latium entered into a Golden Age.
[11] Deucalion was a son of Prometheus, who, being warned of the impending flood by his father, built an ark. There is some dispute as to whether Ogyges is simply the Athenian Deucalion, or the survivor of a different flood.
[12] Iris was the goddess of the rainbow, and messenger of the gods.
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