What Was the Origin of the Greeks According to the Bible?

What does the Bible say about the origin of the Greeks? Credit: NYC Wanderer (Kevin Eng) / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Bible extensively discusses the origins of nations. For example, it contains the story of the Tower of Babel, in which God caused various languages to appear. However, does the Bible specifically reveal anything about the origin of the Greeks?

The answer is that it does. Let’s take a look at what this origin was and how it relates to the Greeks’ own traditions.

Table of Nations

In Chapter 10 of the Book of Genesis, we find a detailed description of the numerous descendants of Noah after the Flood. According to the Bible, Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. All nations were descended from one of these three sons.

This detailed Table of Nations provides the names of the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons of these three forefathers. However, it does not explicitly say where each of them settled.

Nonetheless, the names of these individuals are, in many cases, similar or even identical to the names that the ancient Hebrews used for various nations. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that a given nation was believed to be descended from the person bearing its name in the Table of Nations.

For example, one of Japheth’s sons was Asshur. Since this was also the name that the Hebrews used for the Assyrians, we can logically understand that Asshur was considered to be the eponymous forefather of that nation.

The forefather of the Greeks in the Bible

With these basic facts out of the way, what does the Bible claim regarding the descent of the Greeks? By looking at the Table of Nations in the Bible, it immediately becomes clear that the origin of the European nations, including the Greeks, lies with Japheth.

Japheth is described as having seven sons. One of them is particularly closely associated with the European nations of the Mediterranean. His name is Javan.

Scholars almost universally agree that Javan is the Hebrew name for the Greeks. A version of this same term appears in Assyrian records as "Jawanu." This is used as a designation for the Greeks.

Therefore, this is the origin of the Greeks according to the Bible. They were descendants of Javan, son of Japheth, who was the son of Noah.

Javan to the Greeks

Homer and Hesiod, both of the seventh century BC, also used this as a name for the Greeks. Homer, for example, used the form "Iaones." Since this is practically at the very beginnings of Greek literature, it shows that it was an early term for the Greeks.

Even prior to this, there is evidence this ethnonym existed in the Bronze Age. A tablet from Mycenaean Crete appears to bear this name. Hence, this may well be the earliest attested ethnonym for the Greeks, although this remains uncertain.

Interestingly, the Greeks themselves considered one of their most significant forefathers to have been a figure named Ion. The earlier form of this name was "Iaon." Scholars believe that the even earlier form was "Iawon," almost identical to the Hebrew spelling of Javan, which is "Yawan."

The origin of the Greeks among Javan’s sons in the Bible

The situation is nonetheless slightly more complicated than this. The Bible also provides the names of Javan’s four sons. One of them was Tarshish. This was the name that the Hebrews used for Iberia, implying that he was the forefather of those who lived in that area.

Therefore, according to the Bible, Javan was not simply the forefather of the Greeks. Other nations, as well as the Greeks, were descended from him. Hence, which son of Javan was actually the ancestor of the Greeks?

The answer may well be that three out of the four sons of Javan were viewed as being the collective ancestors of the Greeks. However, the primary ancestor may have been the son named Elishah. Many commentators have suggested a connection between this name and "Hellas," the historical Greek name for Greece itself.

Other commentators, including the ancient historian Josephus, have suggested a connection between Elishah and Aeolus. He was the eponymous forefather of the Aeolian Greeks in Greek mythology.

Another common theory is that the name of Elishah is connected to "Alashiya," an ancient name for Cyprus.

The other Greek ancestors

Although Elishah appears to have been the primary origin of the Greeks in the Bible, he was not the only one. Javan’s two remaining sons were Kittim and Rodanim. The former was the Hebrew name for Cyprus. Similar forms were used by other nations for this same island.

The earliest notable inhabitants of the settlement of Kition on Cyprus were the Mycenaean Greeks. Therefore, the connection between Javan’s son Kittim and the island of Cyprus makes logical sense.

Finally, what about Rodanim? Many scholars believe his name should be connected to the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. This has led to the view that, by extension, the descendants of Rodanim settled the islands of the Aegean Sea in general rather than just Rhodes.

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• Genesis
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