
Looking at [1] we find that during Roman times "Tyre vied with Sidon
for first place in the intellectual life of the period"; that Tyre was
the seat of a Christian bishop, eventually with 14 dioceses under it;
that "the most magnificent church of its kind in all Phoenecia" was the
basilica built in Tyre ca. 314; that Tyre was well known for its
exports of glassware, wine, white marble, and dyed cloth; that Tyre,
along with other seaports, "provided outlets for South Arabian, Indian
and even Chinese trade"; that Tyre had to accomodate its growing
population by "following a perpendicular, rather than horizontal, line
of growth" (because it was running out of land to build on); that Tyre
established colonies of its own.  None of this sounds like a "small
fishing village" by any stretch of the imagination.

Centuries later, under the Abbasids, Tyre had "opulent and flourishing
bazaars" and buildings of 5-6 stories.  During this period, Tyre was
"noted for its export of sugar, beads, and, as of old, glassware."
During the Crusades, Tyre was the second-most flourishing city held
by Franks.  (There is a lot more, but I got tired of writing.)

In [2] we read the following description of modern Lebanon: "other
*major cities* in Lebanon include Tripoli, Sidon, Tyre, Baalbek and
Zahlah."  [my emphasis]  This source also discusses the impact of
the Lebanese Civil War, and the Israeli military actions (1978, 1982)
on the trading ports of Tyre and Sidon.  It notes that after Israel's
withdrawel in 1984, "Tyre appeared to enjoy a revival of its local
economy."

If Tyre is such an insignificant little fishing village at present,
why is it always called a city (or, above, a "major city")?  Why
does it show up on all the maps?   When population figures for cities
in Lebanon are given, why is Tyre always one of the cities on the
list (even if the list is only a dozen cities long)?

[1] Philip K. Hitti, _Lebanon in History: From the earliest times to
the present_, NY, St. Martins, 1967.  

[2] Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, _Lebanon: a
country study_, edited by Thomas Collelo, 1989.


A one-horse town?  Sounds like a lot of work for one horse.
(Anyway, Tyre is connected by roads to the mainland.  They
may even use cars these days. :-) 

The 1991 Encyclopedia Britannica says "Pop. (1982 est.) 23,000."  
Most other references give figures in the 14-17 thousand range.
(One atlas gives the population of Tyre as 60,000; the same
source give comparatively high figures for Sidon and Beirut, also,
so I doubt that it is a typo.  Perhaps these were figures for
the cities and their surrounding areas.)  I don't doubt that the
population of Tyre has fluctuated over the last few decades.  In
particular, the 1982 Israeli military action hurt Tyre quite a bit.   


I thought you were talking about times that Tyre was destroyed.
Don't most, if not all, of these apply not just to Tyre but to 
the other cities in the area?  Sidon, for example?  Can you make
a case for Tyre having been singled out?


They had a good deal of autonomy under the Seleucids. From [2]:
Tyre "receiv[ed] the rights [of autonomy] from Antiochus Ephiphanes
and from 125 BC onward enjoy[ed] complete autonomy. She started a
large series of coins, occasionally in gold ..."

The descriptions of Tyre under the Romans don't seem to fit
your characterization, either.  And under the Abbasids it seems
to have been allowed to flourish.  I still think you are stretching
when you try to describe Tyre as having been nothing but a small
fishing village.


A Christian apologist whose standards of scholarship are quite low.
He happens to quote the same source you quote (Nina Jidejian,
_Tyre through the Ages_, Beirut, Dar El-Mashreq Publishers, 1969).
The same sentence, in fact.  He defends the fulfillment of the
prophecy using the same argument you are using, an argument that
I haven't seen in print anywhere else, which is why I jumped to
the conclusion that you were quoting Josh.

(I tried to find the Jidejian book, but it isn't listed in Books
in Print.  Can you tell me more about it? Her descriptions are so
much at odds with everything else I've read; I'm curious to know why.)