The Tyrians devoted human sacrifices to the God of War upon slight disaster or defeat,—the Mexicans had the same "remedy for sorrow:"—and the many Altar-blocks discovered amid the Ruined Temple of Copan (even now blood-stained) have been clotted with human gore.
A very important God among the Tyrians was that of Saturn—a description is necessary, on account of the strong analogy to the Mexican Deity,—and that proved by the Sculpture of the newly-discovered Ruins. This strong similitude,—as a Rosetta-stone,—led us to the first translation of the Architectural wonders. Cronus—or the God Saturn,—among the Tyrians, was the deity to whom were sacrificed the most beautiful infants and children, and of the highest families;—it was insatiate, ever asking, always receiving, and ever destroying! This sacrifice to the Moloch of the Tyrians, was derived from the Canaanites, their original ancestors. Moses, in warning his people to beware of the false Gods in the countries they might conquer, and referring especially to that of Canaan, says—
"For every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they (the Canaanites) done unto their Gods; for even their sons and their daughters have they burnt in the fire to their Gods." [Deut. xii. 31.]
Again, in the third book of Moses,—the Lawgiver says—
"And thou shalt not let any of thy seed [offspring] pass through the fire to Molech." [Levit. xviii. 21.]—and again God spake by his Prophet, "Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech,—he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people;—because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy Name." [Levit. xx. 2, 3.]
In the New Testament this same God of the Canaanites is called Moloch,—a name generally used in poetry to express the demon of blood.
"Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch." [Acts vii. 43.]
This was an ancient custom of the Canaanites, and followed by their descendants, the Sidonians, Tyrians, and Carthaginians,—it was, also, practised by the Mexican Aborigines.
The Tyrian God Saturn, was represented in Asia and Africa by a large metal Statue,—the figure was bent slightly forward, with the hands extended, as in the act of receiving, or soliciting:—the arms and hands were in that position, that upon the child being placed in the hands of the Statue, the weight of the smallest infant was sufficient to displace its position, and consequently, it instantly slipped from the hands of the Idol into a fiery furnace,—ever burning beneath this God of Infanticide! In this manner were the most beautiful children of the Phœnicians destroyed, as an offering to the insatiate Moloch.
This Canaanitish practice, which was feared by MOSES, was actually practised centuries after by his People, for another Prophet speaking of the impending downfall of Jerusalem, and of her accumulated sins, says,