Phoenicianism

Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization originating in the coastal strip of the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon.

This period was marked by the arrival of figures such as Ernest Renan, a philologist who conducted extensive excavations along the Lebanese coast, aiming to unearth Semitic texts and relics.

This approach helped to disseminate and reinforce the idea of a unique Lebanese identity connected to its Phoenician past, distinct from the surrounding Arab culture.

This approach is evidence in the works of Maronite clergymen, who were active in the 19th century, such as Nicolas Murad and Abbe Azar, whose narratives began with the rise of Christianity.

Born into a Maronite family with strong connections to Western missions, al-Shidyaq's works, especially Kitab Akhbar al-A'yan fi Jabal Lubnan (1857–1859), demonstrated a shift from traditional cleric historiography to a secular narrative.

His writings included accounts of notable families in Mount Lebanon, indicating a move towards a secular understanding of history that integrated Phoenician elements.

[14] The Nahda movement, a cultural renaissance centered in Beirut which included figures such as Butrus al-Bustani, played an important role in reviving interest in the region's pre-Arab-Islamic era.

Al-Muqtataf published articles in the 1880s and 1890s that provided scholarly knowledge about the Phoenicians, highlighting their commercial prowess and suggesting genealogical connections to modern people in the region.

"[15] For nearly a thousand years before the spread of the Arab-Muslim conquests in the 7th century AD, Aramaic was the lingua franca and main spoken language in the Fertile Crescent.

[17] Also, the modern languages of Eastern Aramaic have an estimated 2–5 million speakers, mainly among Assyrians,[18] an ethnic group related to but distinct from the Maronites of Lebanon.

[25] Historian Kamal Salibi, a Lebanese Protestant Christian, says, "between ancient Phoenicia and the Lebanon of medieval and modern times, there is no demonstrable historical connection.

"Most Christian Lebanese, anxious to dissociate themselves from Arabism and its Islamic connections, were pleased to be told that their country was the legitimate heir to the Phoenician tradition", Kamal Salibi observes, instancing Christian writers such as Charles Corm (died 1963), writing in French, and Said Aql, who urged the abandonment of Literary Arabic, together with its script, and attempted to write in the Lebanese vernacular, using the Roman alphabet.

[29] Historian Rola El-Husseini sees Phoenicianism as an origin myth;[2] others note how it disregards the Arab cultural and linguistic influence on the Lebanese.

As summed by As'ad AbuKhalil, Historical Dictionary of Lebanon (London: Scarecrow Press), 1998: Ethnically speaking, the Lebanese are indistinguishable from the peoples of the eastern Mediterranean.