# Sydyk

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{{Short description|Name of the Roman Jupiter god}}
{{Fertile Crescent myth (Levantine)}}{{Middle Eastern deities}}
'''Sydyk''' ({{lang|grc|Συδυκ}}, in some manuscripts ''Sydek'' or ''Sedek'') was the name of a deity appearing in a [theogony](/source/theogony) provided by Roman-era Phoenician writer [Philo of Byblos](/source/Philo_of_Byblos) in an account preserved by [Eusebius](/source/Eusebius) in his ''[Praeparatio evangelica](/source/Praeparatio_evangelica)'' and attributed to the still earlier [Sanchuniathon](/source/Sanchuniathon).<ref name=Toorn>van der Toorn, K. et al., ''Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996, entry ''Zedeq''</ref>

==Etymology and role in the Phoenician theogony==
Philo of Byblos gave the Greek meaning of the name as ''Δίκαιον'' "Righteousness", thus indicating that the word corresponds to the Semitic root for "righteousness", ''√ṣdq''. A Phoenician god named ''ṣdq'' is well attested epigraphically; he is also mentioned by [Philo](/source/Philo) as half of a pair of deities with [Misor](/source/Misor) ({{lang|grc|Μισωρ}}). Sydyk and Misor are described as being born from [Amun](/source/Amun)os and [Magos](/source/Magi), who were in turn born from the "Wanderers" or [Titans](/source/Titan_(mythology)). Sydyk is described as the father of the "[Dioskouroi](/source/Castor_and_Pollux) or [Kabeiroi](/source/Cabeiri) or [Korybants](/source/Korybantes) or Samothracians", who are credited with the invention of the ship.<ref>Albert I. Baumgarten, ''The Phoenician History of Philo of Byblos: A Commentary'', Brill Archive, 1981</ref>

The Phoenician Sydyk was equated with Roman [Jupiter](/source/Jupiter_(god)), and hence it has been suggested that Sydyk was connected to the worship of the planet [Jupiter](/source/Jupiter) as the manifestation of justice or righteousness.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10602-melchizedek|title=MELCHIZEDEK - JewishEncyclopedia.com|website=www.jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref>

Some names, like the rare name ṣdqmlk (Phoenician king of [Lapathus](/source/Lapathus_(Cyprus)) and a personal name from [Carchemish Phoenician inscription](/source/Carchemish_Phoenician_inscription)), [mlky ṣdq](/source/Melchizedek), ṣdqʾ (king of [Ashkelon](/source/Ashkelon) under [Sennacherib](/source/Sennacherib) <small>[<nowiki/>[he](/source/%3Ahe%3A%D7%A6%D7%93%D7%A7%D7%90)]</small> and a personal name from an inscription from [Kition](/source/Kition)), might be [theophories](/source/Theophory) of the god Sydyk.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Masson |first=Olivier |title=Recherches sur les Phéniciens à Chypre |last2=Sznycer |first2=Maurice |publisher=Librairie Droz |year=1972 |pages=99 |translator-link=Olivier Masson |translator-link2=Maurice Sznycer}}</ref> Robert R. Cargill has also argued in favor of etymologizing [Melchizedek](/source/Melchizedek) as "my king is Sedek", suggesting that the deity was worshipped in pre-Israelite Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite book |title=Melchizedek, King of Sodom: How Scribes Invented the Biblical Priest-King |last=Cargill |first=Robert R. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-094696-8 |pages=12–14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZugDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA12}}</ref>

==Connection to other Middle Eastern deities==
A connection between Sydyk and the [Mesopotamian deity](/source/Mesopotamian_deity) [Kittum](/source/Kittum) has been proposed. The latter was also referred to as ''Ṣidqu'' and additionally the West Semitic name ''Ammi-ṣaduqa'' is translated into Akkadian as ''Kimtum-kittum'' showing an equivalence of meaning between the West Semitic {{lang|he|[צ־ד־ק](/source/%3Awikt%3A%D7%A6%D6%BE%D7%93%D6%BE%D7%A7)}} ''ṣ-d-q'' and the Akkadian ''kittum''.<ref name="Toorn"/> Kittu was similarly paired with the god [Mīšaru](/source/M%C4%AB%C5%A1aru), whose name is a cognate of ''Misor'' "Justice". In [Mari](/source/Mari%2C_Syria), the equivalent deities of ''Išar'' and ''Mešar'' are found.

An [Ugaritic](/source/Ugaritic) reference to a god named Ṣaduq has also been found, a possible forerunner of Sydyk.<ref name="Matthews">Matthews, Kenneth. ''The New American Commentary''. B&H, 2005, p. 154.</ref>

It has also been conjectured that a related deity named or titled "Tzedek" (i.e. "righteousness") was worshipped in pre-Israelite Jerusalem as the names of two kings of the city, [Melchizedek](/source/Melchizedek) and [Adonizedek](/source/Adonizedek) contain the element ''tzedek''.<ref name="Toorn"/><ref name="Matthews"/><ref>''[Peake's Commentary on the Bible](/source/Peake's_Commentary_on_the_Bible)'' (1962), [passim](/source/passim)</ref>

==See also==
*[Misor](/source/Misor)
*[Zadkiel](/source/Zadkiel)
*[Tzadik](/source/Tzadik)

==References==
{{reflist}}{{Middle Eastern mythology}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:West Semitic gods
Category:Justice gods
Category:Jovian deities

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sydyk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydyk) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydyk?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.