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The temple of Jupiter Heliopolitanus housed the Triad Jupiter (Baal-Hadad), Venus (Atargatis) and Mercury (Adonis/Eshmun).
pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, Chronicle:
The year 866 (= 554/5 CE): there was (sent) fire from heaven upon the great and mighty idol temple in Baalbek, the City of the Sun which is in Phoenicia between the Mountains of Lebanon and Senir (= Mount Hermon).
Again during the reign of the emperor Justinian, a great miracle took place through the fire (sent) from heaven upon the great and mighty structure of the idol temple in Baalbek, the city of paganism which in the Greek language is called the “City of the Sun”. In it there was a large and massive temple of idols, which, as people used to say, was one of those mighty constructions which Solomon had built. Its length measured 150 cubits and its breadth 75 cubits. It was built of squared stones which were carved. The length of some of them was twenty cubits and of some others fifteen cubits. The height of each of them was ten cubits and the thickness (as measured) within the structure four cubits. The construction of its building (was supplemented) with high and massive columns, wonderful moreover to see. Its roof was of huge cedars of Lebanon, and on the top it was overlaid with lead, whereas its doors were of bronze, with the rams’ heads above (them also) of bronze. Inside the nave under the entablature of the roof three cubits (of free space) could be seen. The rest of the details of that temple were wonderful (too).
The erring pagans were deceived by the hugeness of that temple and boasted (of it) very much. Innumerable sacrifices, votive offerings and oblations for the demons took place continuously in that temple. Nobody indeed was able to destroy it or put an end to the error of the worshippers of the idols within it. God however, who saw the aberration and error of the people resulting from the immensity of that temple, suddenly sent upon it fire from heaven, (which) flamed up in (the temple) and consumed it. It destroyed its beams, its bronze, its lead and the idols inside it. (The fire) also cracked its stones and the statues which had been arrayed in it for the worship of the pagan error; it even licked up the dust of the ground. Only few stones remained in it - as if a sign - being cracked by the fire.
Thus a great terror suddenly came upon all the idol worshippers, especially those of that temple. Weeping, mourning and bitter groans (overwhelmed) all the adherents of paganism when they assembled, having come from all quarters on hearing aboout that terrible thing which had befallen them and their gods - dumb, indeed, dead and with no sensibility - and also the temple in which they had been arrayed. Having gathered, (the pagans) stood around it and wept bitterly for many days. And the temple burned to the point that there was fire within fire.
Source (list of abbreviations)
pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, Chronicle
Bibliography
| Witakowski 1996, 116-117 | Witakowski, Witold. Pseudo-Dionysios of Tell-Mahre, Chronicle (known also as the Chronicle of Zuqnin), Part 3. Translated Texts for Historians 22. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press 1996. |
Amar Annus
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