m: and a temple was erected to them by the antient
Canaanites, which was from them named [137]Beth-Zaananim. There was also a
place called Sanim in the same country, rendered Sonam[138], [Greek:
Sonam], by Eusebius; which was undoubtedly named in honour of the same
persons: for their posterity looked up to them, as the Heliadae, or
descendants of the Sun, and denominated them from that luminary. According
to Hesychius it was a title, of old not unknown in Greece; where princes
and rulers were styled Zanides, [Greek: Zanides, Hegemones.] In
[139]Diodorus Siculus mention is made of an antient king of Armenia, called
Barsanes; which signifies the offspring of the Sun. We find temples erected
to the Deity of the same purport; and styled in the singular Beth-San: by
which is meant the temple of the Sun. Two places occur in Scripture of this
name: the one in the tribe of Manasseh: the other in the land of the
Philistines. The latter seems to have been a city; and also a temple, where
the body of Saul was exposed after his defeat upon mount Gilboa. For it is
said, that the Philistines [140]_cut off his head, and stripped off his
armour--and they put his armour in the house of Ashtoreth, and they
fastened his body to the wall of Bethsan_. They seem to have sometimes used
this term with a reduplication: for we read of a city in Canaan called
[141]Sansanah; by which is signified a place sacred to the most illustrious
Orb of day. Some antient statues near mount Cronius in Elis were by the
natives called Zanes, as we are told by Pausanias: [142][Greek: Kalountai
de hupo ton epichorion Zanes.] They were supposed to have been the statues
of Zeus: but Zan was more properly the Sun; and they were the statues of
persons, who were denominated from him. One of these persons, styled Zanes,
and Zanim, was Chus: whose posterity sent out large colonies to various
parts of the earth. Some of them settled upon the coast of Ausonia, called
in later times Italy; where they worshipped their great ancestor under the
name of San-Chus. Silius Italicus speaking of the march of some Sabine
troops, says,

[143]Pars Sancum voce canebant
Auctorem gentis.

Lactantius takes notice of this Deity. [144]AEgyptii Isidem, Mauri Jubam,
Macedones Cabirum--Sabini _Sancum_ colunt. He was not unknown at Rome,
where they styled him Zeus Pistius, as we learn from Dionysius of
Halicarnassus: [145][Greek: En Hieroi Dios Pistiou, hon Rhomaioi Sankon
kalousi]. The