You asked me, most revered (Diodorus), to make for you a short message about the stones on the breastplate of the upper robe of the high priest, which God commanded to be attached to the chest of Aaron (Ex. 28, 15; 29, 5; sn. Lev. 8.8), about about the names, about the colors or types, about the places of these stones, about those speculations that lead to piety from them, also about which knee each stone was placed there, about where they can be found, and where their fatherland is.
The breastplate is divided into four parts and is itself quadrangular, equal in length and width to a span. In the first row, his first stone is sardium, then topaz, and then smaragd.
In the second row, the first stone is anvrax, then sapphire and then iaspis. In the third row, the first stone is ligirium, then agate, and then amethyst. In the fourth row, the first chrysolite, then beryl and then onychius (Ex. 28, 17-20). This is the essence of the 12 stones that were hung on the upper robe of the high priest; the differences and their locations are as follows:
The first stone of sardium is the so-called Babylonian. He looks as if fiery and the color of blood, like a salted fish sardius. Therefore, he is called a sardium, from his appearance he received a nickname. He is in Babylon, in Assyria. This stone is transparent and shiny. It also has medical power: doctors use it for tumors and other lesions that occur from iron. There is another stone (of the same kind), sardonyx, otherwise called malachite, which also softens tumors. It is the same type as the sardium, only with a green tint. It is most important at the beginning of spring, when these diseases begin.
Topaz is redder than anfrax. It is located in Topaz, the city of India, having once been found by local masons in the core of another stone. The stonemasons, seeing that it was brilliant, declared it for alabaster to some Thebans and sold it for a small price. The Thebans brought it to the queen who ruled their city at that time; and she took it and placed it on a diadem in the middle of her forehead. The following experiment is done with this stone: being erased (into powder) on a medical whetstone, it forms a liquid no longer red, according to its color, but milky (milky). After that, the rubbing agent fills as many vessels as he wants with this liquid and does not at all reduce the initial weight. This liquid formed from it helps in eye diseases.
Whoever drinks it also protects himself from dropsy; it also heals those who wither from eating sea grapes.
Smaragd stone. It is also called prasin (green). It is greenish in appearance and represents some difference between several species of it. Some call them Neronians and others Domitians. Neronian is small in appearance, very green, transparent and brilliant. They are called, they say, Neronian or Domitian for the following reason: they say that Nero or Domitian poured oil into a fair number of vessels; this oil turned green over time from the mold, and from this the stone, soldered with oil in a special abundance, received a green color. Others say that a certain Nero, an ancient artist of the lowest rank, or a stonemason made the first attempt to adapt emeralds to everyday needs, and from that very stone began to be called Neronian. Others call him Domitian. But there are others as well. The first is in Judea and is exactly like Neronian; and the other is in Ethiopia. It is said of him that he will be born in the river Pison. Pison is called the Indus by the Greeks, and the Ganges by the barbarians. Anthrax is said to be in the same river. For tamo, it is said, is anthrax and a green stone (Genesis 2:12). And the power of the stone, that is, emerald, they say, lies in the fact that it reflects the face. The fabulists also say that he is able to communicate foreknowledge.
Infra Stone. He looks crimson in color. Its deposit is Carthage, which is in Libya, called Africa. Others say that this stone can be found in this way: during the day it cannot be seen, but at night it sparkles from a distance like a lamp or burning coal and is visible from a distance. And knowing this, seekers find it easily. No matter what one wears it, one cannot hide it: because no matter what clothes it is covered with, its brilliance will certainly shine through from under the clothes. That is why it is called anfrax (coal). A bit similar to it is the keravnium stone, which some call οινωπὸν - dark red, because it resembles the color of wine. Closely similar to it is also a stone called Carthaginian, since it is located in the same place.
The sapphire stone is purple in appearance, like a snail that gives off purple dye, that is, black purple. There are many kinds of him. There is a royal one decorated with golden spots. But this one is not so amazing as the one that is all purple. One is said to be found in India and Ethiopia. Therefore, they say that the Indians have a temple to Dionysus, which has 365 steps of sapphire stone, although this seems incredible to many. This stone is amazing, very beautiful and pleasant to look at. Therefore, it is put into rings and necklaces, especially kings. It also has healing powers. For if it is rubbed into powder and mixed with milk, then it heals from ulcers that occur as a result of abscesses and nodules, if the healing places are smeared with such a mixture. It is also written in the law that the vision shown to Moses on the mountain and this legal provision was imprinted on a sapphire stone (Ex. 24, 10).
Kamen iaspis. He looks like an emerald; they find it at the mouths of the Fermodont River and near Amaphunt, a city on the island of Cyprus. But there are many genera of the so-called Amaphuntian iaspis. And the appearance of the stone is this: like an emerald, it is greenish, but dimmer and darker than it. And within its mass it has a greenishness like the rust of copper, and has veins in four rows. We have heard a lot about him of fictions transmitted by fables. But there is also another kind of this stone, bluer than the sea, more dense in color and colour. Another kind of stone is found in caves on Mount Ida in Phrygia, in color, assimilated to the blood of a purple snail, but more transparent, as if likened to wine, thicker than the color of amethyst, for it is not the same color and not one and has the same power: but there is more iaspis delicate and white and not very shiny, but not devoid of brilliance; and that is, like ice on water. The fabulists say that it serves as a cure for ghosts. It is found among the Iberians and Hyrcanian shepherds living on the Caspian land. Another kind of iaspis is not very shiny, green; it has lines in the middle. And another is the iaspis, the so-called ancient one, which is like either snow or sea foam. It is him, say the fabulists, that both wild beasts and ghosts are afraid of.
Ligirian stone. We have no information about finding it either from naturalists or from any of the ancients who mentioned it. We find the so-called lancurium stone, which some people call lagurium in the common language. And I think that this is a ligirium, since the Divine Scriptures change names, such as calling smaragd prasin (green). On the other hand, when naming these stones, they do not mention hyacinth, although it is a very wonderful and precious stone; so that it occurred to us whether this is not the stone the Divine Scripture calls ligirium. Hyacinth has different types. The thicker the color of this stone, the better it is than others. Hyacinth is like wool, somewhat tinted purple. Therefore, the Divine Scripture says that the priestly clothes were decorated with hyacinth and purple (Ex. 28, 5. 8, etc.). And the first stone is called sea, and the second is pink, the third is natural, the fourth is hanniy, the fifth is perilevk (whitish). It is located in the inner part of the barbarian Scythian country. Together with their high value, these stones have the following effect: if they are thrown on burning coals, they themselves do not deteriorate, but the coals are extinguished from them. But not only this, but even more: if someone, taking such a stone, wraps it in a linen and puts it on burning coals, then the very linen covering it does not ignite, but remains unharmed. It is also said that this stone helps women in childbirth, facilitating childbearing. He also has the ability to chase away ghosts.
Agate stone. Some take it for the so-called perileuc, which is understood as hyacinth. It is amazing, of a darkish color in appearance, the outer circumference is white, like marble or ivory. It is also found near Scythia. Among the stones of this kind there is also agate, which has the color of a lion's skin. When pulverized and mixed with water, it prevents harmful effects from the poison of scorpions, snakes and similar animals, if this mixture is anointed with the place bitten by the animal.
Amethyst stone. This stone in its circumference has a bright fiery color. The same circle is whiter towards the middle, emitting a dark blue color. Its appearance is different. It is also found in the mountains of Libya. Some of this kind of stones are very similar to pure hyacinth, and some to purple. It is located on the coastal heights of the same Libya.
Chrysolite stone. It has been called chrysophyll by some. It has a golden sheen. They find him in a crevice between two rocks near the wall of the Babylonian Achaemenitis. Babylon and this cleft are called Achaemenitis, they say, because the father of King Cyrus was called Achaemen. There is also chrysopast, which, being powdered and drunk with water, serves as a remedy for diseases of the stomach and abdomen.
The stone is beryl, bluish in color, like the sea, or like the weaker color of hyacinth. It is located near the top of the mountain called Taurus. If one wants to look at it against the sun, then it is like glass, having transparent grains inside. There is another beryl, very similar to the pupils of the eyes of a snake. There is also beryl, which is like wax; it is located at the source of the Euphrates River.
Onychius stone. This stone has a very yellow color. They say that the young wives of kings and rich people are especially amused by this stone, who even make glasses out of it. There are other onychites, equally named, which are like milky wax. Some say they come out of the water and harden. They are called onychites by their natural resemblance to nails, since the nail of noble people is like marble, in combination with the color of blood. Others and the marble itself, in view of testing it on the nails, are falsely called onychitis, because of the purity of the whiteness.
Notes:
Λογιον - in Slavonic: a word that does not accurately convey the meaning of the Hebrew word corresponding to them, which, coming from the verb - emit rays, means: a radiant, luminous breastplate, with the help of which, through the Urim and Thummim, the high priest questioned the Lord and gave answers, communicated revelations Lord to people (hence: Λογιον - word, saying). Ref. Number 27, 21; 1 King. 23, 9, and others. Some suggest that the very radiance of the breastplate from the stones in front of the seven-shelf enabled the high priest to recognize the will of God.
In everyday usage, it is better known under the name of carnelian.
In ancient times, one of the Indian islands, and not cities, was known with this name. See Stephen Byzant.
Pishon is a well-known paradise river described in Gen. 2, 11-12. Its location is disputed. Josephus, for example, believes that this river was the Phasis of the ancients. The rabbis considered it to be one of the tributaries of the Shat-el-Arab, near the Persian Gulf. The latter opinion is supported by many and the latest scientists.
Green-πράσινος. Otherwise, ruby.
The ancients represented the entire northwestern part of Africa, starting from Egypt, as a continuation of Libya, and only in the form of a more accurate designation of the most western part of it was called Africa.
Coal is also called in Greek: ανθρας.
Keraeny - from χεραυνος - lightning, sparkling with sparks, like lightning. Otherwise called keravnite.
οίνως, like οίνωπός, and means similar to wine in color, dark red.
Otherwise, - Bacchus, Bacchus.
In St. Scripture speaks of the fact that the place where the God of Israel stood, after the first legislation on Mount Sinai, was like the work of a sapphire stone.
Otherwise, - jasper.
In Asia Minor, in Cappadocia. There was also a small river of the same name in Boeotia, in mainland Greece.
In Asia Minor.
Inhabitants of Iberia. In ancient times, both Spain and Georgia were called Iberia. Here, Georgia is most likely to be understood, since the further mentioned Hyrcania also lay near the Caspian Sea.
According to some, this is a genus of amber, and according to others, hyacinth. The latter, in accordance with the assumption of St. Epiphany.
Similar to khana - a kind of sea fish with a huge mouth.
Ancient Scythia occupied the southern regions of Russia from the Danube to the Don.
Unknown type of gem.
Name: chrysophyll does not occur. It is probably necessary to read: Chrysoberyl is Babylonian, which will also be in accordance with its location, which is indicated by St. Epiphany. But in both cases, the distinctive feature of the stone is its golden (χρύσεος) ebb.
That is, dotted with golden dots.
Mountain in Judea, near Jericho.
Onychius, onychite and onyx, according to word formation, have the same root (ονυχ) with the Greek name for a nail.
) the crown of the Ammonite king, taken by David, was made of gold and adorned with precious stones (). Products made of precious stones are mentioned in, and gave., Compare "Print". Precious stones were used not only as decorations for festive and priestly clothes, but also in buildings. David collected precious stones to build the temple () and Solomon overlaid the temple with them ().
In symbolic language, wisdom is more precious than any precious stones (and gave). The future Kingdom of God is depicted with precious stones (and dal., and dal.); also the greatness of God himself (, , , ). In the following passages of the Bible, precious stones are combined and listed: and gave. and a parallel place and gave., which speaks of twelve stones on the breastplate of the high priest; , where 9 precious stones are listed among the decorations of the Tyrian king, and in and dal. - about 12 precious stones that served as the foundation of the New Jerusalem. Based on the above and other places in the Bible, we give a description of the stones in alphabetical order.
Agate ( heb. shebo) the eighth stone in the breastplate of the high priest. The current agate (named after the river Agates in Sicily), one of the quartz rocks of various colors and patterns; found milky white, greenish, smoky and black. In ancient times, it was highly valued, while now it is not ranked among precious stones at all.
Amethyst ( heb. ahlamah) the ninth stone in the breastplate of the high priest and the twelfth in a transparent quartz crystal, often lilac, sometimes purple. In ancient times, it served as a healing agent against intoxication, which is why the Greeks called it amethystos (not intoxicating). It is also believed that the word "ahlamah" refers to the Egyptian stone malachite, which is distinguished by its beautiful green color.
Diamond ( heb. aglom) is the most precious of all stones, it combines the transparency of water with the brilliance of fire and, due to its hardness, is not amenable to the best file. This stone is denoted in three places by the Hebrew name "shamir": it refers to the forehead, which is harder than a diamond - a symbol of the absence of timidity; further y - about hearts hard as a diamond and y - about a diamond point on an iron cutter. The polishing of a diamond, on which its value depends, was not familiar to the ancients; they knew it as a native pure crystal.
In some translations of the Bible, the Hebrew word "yakhalom", the sixth stone in the breastplate of the high priest and the third stone in the high priest's breastplate, is translated with the word "diamond". It is possible that this translation is not accurate, because all the stones in the breastplate were engraved, and the diamond, due to its hardness, does not lend itself to a cutter. Some believe that the Hebrew word yakhalom refers to jasper, an opaque, waxy quartz with varying hues. In ancient times they wore it in rings and used it as a seal.
Beryl the eighth in, also called aquamarine, a less valuable genus of emerald. Beryl comes in green, blue or yellow in various shades. The ancients highly valued beryl from India, the color of sea water.
Hyacinth the eleventh stone in , a red-brown or reddish-yellow gemstone; its brilliance resembles a diamond. In fire, hyacinth loses its color. The ancients received it from Ethiopia.
Carbuncle ( heb."nofek") the fourth in the breastplate of the high priest and the eighth at, a stone brought by the Syrians to Tire (). It is not known whether the Hebrew word "nofek" refers to carbuncle (Greek - anthrax) from Africa and India, i.e. a real Indian ruby or an easily engraved garnet.
In Heb. the word "ekdah" (from the root - to light a fire) means a precious stone, shining like hot coal, maybe - a carbuncle.
The crystal (, ) mentioned in, in Hebrew “kerah” (ice), probably covers rock crystal, which, according to the ancients, is ice hardened from severe frost. Apparently, the word "gavish" () has the same meaning.
Onyx ( heb."Shoham"), the eleventh in the breastplate and the fifth at. It is already mentioned in, as well as among the offerings of the Israeli leaders for the sanctuary (,). Two onyxes with the names of the tribes, six on each, were set in gold and adorned the armours of the high priest's ephod (, ). Onyx is also mentioned among other jewels in,. According to ancient translations, onyx is another name for beryl. Some believe that this is a dark green chrysoprase. The name onyx (i.e. nail) was given to stones that had light layers of a pinkish color, similar to the color of nails, turning into darker layers of various shades or spots of various colors.
Ruby , sardonic or sardis ( heb."Odem"), a precious stone, the first in the breastplate of the high priest and at, the sixth in. He is also mentioned along with the jasper when describing the glory of God (). This red stone, named by the ancients after the city of Sardis, was used for printing alone or on a ring. It was brought from Babylon, India and Egypt.
Sapphire heb. sapphire, the fifth in the breastplate of the high priest, the seventh in y and the second in . This precious stone, exported from Egypt and India, has been highly valued since ancient times. It is a brilliant azure color and therefore probably served as a symbolic image of the glory of God (,) and the future glory of Zion (). The beauty of Solomon is likened to ivory adorned with sapphires (). This comparison indicates either his blue clothes or blue veins, which gave great beauty to his ivory-white body. The princes of Israel () look like sapphire. We talk about sapphire as a rare stone.
Sardonyx is the fifth in, a variety of chalcedony - a transparent, shiny stone with a pink tint, which was brought from India and Arabia.
Emerald , emerald ( heb. bareque), i.e. lightning, the third stone in the breastplate of the high priest, the ninth in y and the fourth in , a brightly shining gem, green in color. The ancients put it in second place after the diamond. They received it from Scythia, Ethiopia and other places. The rainbow around the throne of God shone like an emerald ().
Topaz ( heb."pitdah"), the second in the breastplate of the high priest and at, the ninth in. Topaz is transparent, like water and shines brightly, shimmering with all shades of yellow. An opinion is expressed that "pitdah" is not topaz, but chrysolite. The ancients obtained topaz from the islands of the Red Sea, which Pliny called the "Topaz Islands". Topaz from Ethiopia is mentioned as one of the most precious treasures.
The third chalcedony is believed to be the same as "shebo" or agate. The ancients called various types of stones chalcedony, after the city of Chalcedon near Byzantium, from where this stone was brought. Now this name denotes one of the types of quartz rock.
Chrysolite seventh c. This is now the name of a transparent light green gem brought from India, Egypt and Brazil. Some believe that chrysolite is another name for turquoise.
Chrysolif, russ. per. topaz), Solomon's hands are likened to a row of golden round logs, seated with Tharsh stones (Russian transl. with topazes ().
Chrysoprase tenth c. Now this name denotes one of the varieties of chalcedony, painted with nickel oxide in an oily transparent green color.
Jaspis ( heb."yashpeh"), the twelfth stone in the breastplate and the first in, is also mentioned in and in, where it is called the most precious and crystal-like. Therefore, some people think that this stone means diamond. See "Diamond". Others believe that "yashpeh" means opal, a milky-white stone, shining with sparks of blue and red.
Yakhont ( heb."lesh"), the seventh in the breastplate of the high priest, by all accounts, the same as hyacinth. According to Pliny, the yahont had the property of attracting light objects to itself, like amber. The order of the 12 stones in the breastplate of the high priest can be seen from the following table, in which the Hebrew names are placed first and below them the corresponding Russian names in the 1907 translation of the Bible (ed. British Bibl. Common). From this table it is clear how difficult it is to establish complete accuracy when translating the names of these stones.
1. Odem - Ruby
2. Pitdah - Topaz
3. Bareket - Emerald
4. Mofek - Carbuncle
5. Sapir - Sapphire
6. Yahalom - Diamond
7. Leshem - Yakhont
8. Shebo - Agate
9. Ahlamakh - Amethyst 10) Tarshish - Chrysolite 11) Shokham - Onyx 12) Yashpeh - Jasper
It is not known in what order the names of the tribes of Israel were inscribed on these stones. Maybe by seniority, as was the case with the inscription on onyxes, which were on the amices of the high priest's clothes () or were guided by the origin of the ancestors of the tribes from various mothers, or the order of their location in the camp (). It is also not known whether Levi's name was inscribed. If the name of Levi was there, then the names of Ephraim and Manasseh were probably combined under the name of Joseph.
Precious Stones in the Bible . Precious stones are those minerals whose distinguishing features are hardness, transparency, brilliance and pleasant color, and which are used in the preparation of expensive jewelry. Precious stones do not lie in the bowels of the earth in vast and massive layers, but are interspersed or included in various rocks in the form of small grains, veinlets, small fragments of stones. All of them in general have a crystalline structure, otherwise they appear to the observer in the form of polyhedral bodies that have certain geometric shapes. Precious stones are rare and not in all countries, which greatly elevates their value. Since there are relatively few stones with the above-mentioned features, but the need for them for various decorations has always been great, then, along with precious stones, stones with one or more of the named properties have long been used. These latter are commonly referred to as semi-precious or expensive stones. When determining which of the precious porridge is in front of the researcher, as well as when distinguishing these stones from one another, in cases of their external similarity to each other, they mainly pay attention to their hardness, specific gravity and chemical composition. 1) Of two bodies, the one that draws or cuts the other is harder. To determine the hardness, a number of known bodies (ten in number) are selected, arranged in order of their hardness, and the weakest of them (talc) is designated by the number "1", the hardest (diamond) - by the number "10". If it is necessary to test any stone regarding its hardness, then the named bodies are drawn or cut with it, starting with No. 1. On weaker ones, the test stone leaves a line. Now, if on good steel, the hardness of which is "6", is not a line from the test stone, then you need to draw with steel on the stone; if a line is obtained on a stone, then the stone has a hardness between five and six (5–6). If the stone does not cut steel and the steel does not cut stone, then their hardness is the same and the hardness of the tested stone is “6”. The hardness of precious and expensive stones mentioned in the Bible fluctuates between 6th and 10th. 2) When determining the specific gravity, the test stone is weighed on a balance; let's say it weighs 30 pieces of gold. Then the same piece of stone is tied on a thread to a cup of scales and lowered into a substituted vessel with water so that the cup does not touch the water. Now the stone weighs less - let's say - 20 spools; therefore, he loses 10 spools in water. Dividing by this remainder the weight of the stone in the air, i.e. 30 by 10, we get 3. This figure (3) will denote the specific gravity of the stone. A different grade of stone will have a different specific gravity. The specific weight of precious and semi-precious stones named in the Bible is determined by numbers from 2.5 to 4. 3) As for the chemical composition, each stone has its own, only peculiar to it, composition; thus, diamond consists of pure carbon, amethyst is a modification of quartz, beryl contains oxides of two metals: beryllium and aluminum, etc. In the following description of the precious and expensive stones mentioned in the Bible, we will no longer touch, for a few except for their hardness and specific gravity.
Jews from the most ancient times got acquainted with precious and semi-precious stones, have long been accustomed to delight their gaze with their brilliance and play of their colors. Precious stones have never been found in Palestine; therefore, they were received here from other, foreign countries, sometimes in the form of gifts () and spoils of war (), but mainly by purchase, through Arab, especially Phoenician merchants (Ezek. 27, 22). Precious stones in Palestine were directly received only under Solomon at a time when the ships of this king went, together with the Phoenician ships, to Ophir and delivered various kinds of rarities from there (.). As objects of high value, precious stones were collected by the Jewish kings and kept in treasuries, along with gold. So, David collected them as material for the future Jerusalem temple (); likewise they were placed in the treasury of King Hezekiah (). Precious stones were used by the Jews for all kinds of decorations. They decorated the liturgical vestments of the high priest (. I.); they were inserted into golden vessels (); Solomon overlaid with “expensive stones for beauty” the inner walls of the temple he built (). Using precious stones for jewelry, the Jews followed the example of neighboring countries, where these stones could be seen on royal clothes (Ezek. 28, 13.), in royal crowns () and on many other items (.). Then precious stones were used by the Jews for the preparation of seals, and the stones with seals carved on them were set into gold (I.). It should be noted that the art of polishing precious stones, engraving on them and dressing them in gold (inserting into “nests”) was taken out by the Jews from Egypt; at least, when the tabernacle was arranged in the wilderness, among the Jews there were already persons skilled in carving on stones (). The works of ancient Jewish engravers were distinguished by their variety and elegance of forms (I.).
Precious stones are named and listed in the biblical text several times, namely: when describing the “breastplate of judgment”; Ezek. 28, 13, when referring to the extreme luxury in the clothes of the king of Tyre, and, when depicting heavenly Jerusalem, which was contemplated in the vision of St. John the Evangelist. Moreover, some precious stones are named in other places in the Bible, for example,. P. et al. - Precious and semi-precious stones mentioned in the Bible, we will name and describe in alphabetical order.
Agate is a mixture or alloy of various modifications of quartz, such as jasper, amethyst, chalcedony, etc. All these modifications, when combined in pieces of agate, do not lose their color, but are located in them in separate, different colors, layers, and they go either in straight, parallel stripes , or broken lines, or take the form of various objects, for example, clouds. Due to the unequal number of multi-colored bands, their different distribution and different shapes in pieces of agate, there are a lot of varieties of the latter - up to twenty. Agate is an opaque, cloudy, jelly-like stone and belongs to the semi-precious stones. Comparatively highly valued are agates with images located inside their mass and resembling figures of animals or plants. Agates of the last variety, that is, containing, as it were, images of small bushes, tree branches, are called dendrites (from δένδρον - tree). Such images, which have a black, brown or reddish color, originated inside agate masses from metallic solutions of iron or manganese, more precisely, from crystals of these solutions. Agate (lat. Ahates) got its name, according to Pliny, from the river Ahates in Sicily, where it was mined in ancient times. Locations of agate: Italy, Germany, Arabia, Syria, Urals, Upper Egypt, Brazil, etc. The Hebrew name for agate is schebo, LXX - ἀχάτης. In the Bible, agate is named among those 12 precious stones with which the "breastplate of judgment" was adorned; the latter was part of the vestments of the Old Testament high priest, and on it the precious stones were arranged in four rows of three stones in each, with agate taking the second place in the third row. On each of the stones was carved, as on a seal, one name from among those names by which the twelve tribes of Israel were designated ().
Diamond(Heb. jahalom) - the most famous stone, ranking first in the series of precious stones for its extreme hardness and high value. According to its chemical composition, it is the purest carbon and can burn. The appearance of a raw, rough diamond is not attractive. The surface of its crystals extracted from the earth is mostly rough and covered with a fissured translucent bark of lead-gray sheen. But a well-polished diamond, which is called a diamond, is amazing in its beauty: with its transparency and strong radiant brilliance, it leaves all other precious stones far behind it. A polished diamond is completely colorless; but there are yellowish, greenish, bluish and pink diamonds; pink and bluish are valued more than others. In the Russian translation of the Bible, the word “diamond” conveys the Hebrew name jahalom, in accordance with the understanding of the ancient Jewish rabbis (Keil u. Delitzsch, Commentar I, 1, 2 Aufl. 8. 531–532), which Luther also followed. In LXX, the Hebrew word jahalom is conveyed by the saying - ἴασπις, and in Ezek. 28, 13 - by the saying σμάραγδος. It follows from this that already in antiquity the exact meaning of the word jahalom ceased to be known. The latter circumstance serves as a reason for modern scholars to assume that jahalom does not mean a diamond, but some other stone that is more convenient for engraving. In the Russian translation of the Bible, the word "diamond" conveys, in addition to "jahalom", another Jewish saying schamir. Ezek. 3, 9. It can be seen from the first quotation that small fragments or crystals of diamond were inserted into metal pens, with the sharp end up, and served as a cutter when engraving; from Ezek. 3, 9 it is clear that the ancient Jews considered the diamond to be the hardest body in nature. The diamond (jahalom) on the "breastplate of the vessel" ranked third in the second row of precious stones (); at Ezekiel Ave. (28, 13) the diamond is named among the jewels. The name "diamond" is of oriental origin.
Amethyst- a transparent modification of quartz, similar to rock crystal (see "Crystal"), but lilac or violet. However, the main purple color is found in amethyst crystals with various shades: there are amethysts of light purple, dark purple, reddish-violet, etc.; light blue amethysts are also known, but they are rare. Moreover, such amethysts are found, in the mass of which needle-like crystals of brown iron ore are enclosed. Locations of amethyst: Tyrol, Cyprus, Ural, Daylon, Brazil, etc.; in ancient times it was obtained from India, Arabia and Egypt. – Amethyst is recognized as one of the most beautiful stones and highly valued. It is found in small, with rare exceptions, crystals. The ancients attributed to amethyst the power that protects against drunkenness; hence its Greek name ἀμέθυστος (α - particle of negation, μεθύω - I am drunk). Its Hebrew name is achlamah. In the biblical text, amethyst is named several times, namely:. Ezek. 28, 13 (according to the translation of LXX and Slavic), . On the "breastplate of the vessel" amethyst occupied the third place in the third row.
Beryl there is a modification of the emerald. Its composition includes, among other things, oxides of the metals beryllium and aluminum. It is transparent, except for the lower grades; the latter are cloudy. Beryls are found in a wide variety of colors - from thick asparagus, green, blue, white, golden to dirty pinkish. Sea water colored beryl is called aquamarine. Locations of beryl: Ural, China, India, Egypt, Brazil; the ancients received it chiefly from India. In the Russian biblical text, beryl is named only once: (“viryl”). The Greek name for the stone is Βήρυλλος.
Hyacinth- a brilliant transparent stone. It consists of an oxide of a special metal - zircon (which is why it is also called zircon) and silica. Its color is orange of various shades and brown; also found colorless. Locations: France, Prussia, Daylon, Austindia, Abyssinia, etc.; it is found, for the most part, in small crystals. Hyacinth is mentioned in the Bible once: ; its Greek name is ὑάκινθος.
Emerald- one of the first-class gemstones, brilliant, deep green in color and perfectly transparent. The chemical composition of emerald is similar to that of beryl (see Mendeleev Chemistry, 6th ed., pp. 427–428). Locations: Ural, India, Egypt, Ethiopia, etc. The completely green, unusually eye-pleasing color of the emerald depends on the fact that chromium oxide is mixed with its main constituents, in small proportions. The Hebrew name for this stone is bareketh, indicating its brilliance (from barak, to shine), Arabic. - tsamarud, Greek. - σμάραγδος (from ἀμαρύσσω - I shine), Slavic. - emerald. - On the “breastplate of the vessel”, the emerald took third place in the first row (); further, an emerald is mentioned by Ezek. 28, 13. . . . . It should be noted that in the Russian (synod.) translation of the Bible, the name "emerald" is used only in those places where the Hebrew bareketh is placed, that is, in books translated from Hebrew; in the books translated from Greek, the Greek name of the emerald σμάραγδος is left without translation and is conveyed by the saying smaragd (. .), with the exception of where instead of, „σμάραγδος“ stands in Russian “emerald”.
Carbuncle is one of the types grenade. Pomegranate or venisya there is, in most cases, a transparent stone with a strong vitreous luster. Its composition, among other things, includes silicon, aluminum, manganese, iron in combination with oxygen. Locations: Ural, Ostindia, Ceylon, Ethiopia and some. etc. Pomegranate is found in various colors and, depending on the color, has various names. Yes, the title essonite or brown stone assimilate a brown grenade, grossular- an apple-green pomegranate, then a bluish-red, cherry red, raspberry red pomegranate is called almandine; finally, a blood-red garnet with a fiery tint (due to a significant admixture of iron), which occupies the first place among the garnet varieties in beauty, is known under the name or pyrope, or anthrax, or carbuncle. The Hebrew name for the carbuncle is nophekh, for LXX it is ἄνθαξ. The carbuncle occupied the first place in the second row on the “breastplate” (); further this stone is called Ezek. 27, 16. 28, 13. . In the last quote, Greek ἄνθραξ ; left in the Russian text of the Bible without translation: anthrax.
Onyx(Heb. schoham) belongs to the group of agates and is an alternation of layers of pink with white layers, which makes it somewhat similar to a “nail lying on the body”. Hence its Greek name ὄνυξ, which means "nail". Multi-colored layers of real onyx (of which there are more than two) are arranged in rather wide strips that always run straight and parallel. Layers in some types of this stone are also black, as, for example, in Arabian onyx, which is also called black ribbon agate. Locations Arabia, India, Egypt, Brazil and others. The ancient Jews believed that onyxes were mined mainly in the now unknown country of Havila (). Among the offerings for religious purposes from well-meaning givers, Moses ordered to accept, among other things, onyx with other stones for the sacred robes of the high priest (). Then, from onyxes, two stones were approved on the amice of the high priest's ephod and one on the “breastplate”, where it occupied the second place in the fourth row of precious stones (). The names of the tribes of Israel were carved on two "onyx" stones, intended for amices, on each stone there were six names (). U and Ezek. 28, 13 onyx is mentioned among the jewels and in Job is directly called precious; in the latter case, probably, “Arabian onyx” was meant, which, of all types of onyx, was and is valued especially highly. However, it should be noted that onyx is classified as a semi-precious stone.
Ruby And sapphire. These stones are the essence of modification corundum or the so-called yacht. None of the precious stones has such a variety of colors as corundum. It is found in white, red, blue, green, yellow, and other colors, and it can also be completely colorless. The chemical composition of colorless corundum is pure alumina, but in its colored specimens there are traces of iron, manganese and other impurities, which determine the colors of these stones. Locations of corundum: Africa, India, Ceylon, Orenburg and Perm provinces. and others. Of the colored corundum, red and blue are especially highly valued. The blood-red and carmine-red corundums are called rubies or red yachts and are considered even more expensive than diamonds; blue corundum is known by the name sapphires or blue yachts. - Ruby was first in the first row, sapphire was second in the second row. precious stones on the "breastplate of the judgment" (). Then the ruby and sapphire, as jewels of high value, are called in the following places of the Bible: . Isa. 54, 11. . Ezek. 1, 26. 27, 16. 28, 13. . P. . . . In and at Ezek. 1, 26 you can see an indication of the blue color and brilliance of sapphire. The Hebrew name for the ruby is 'odem, for the sapphire - sarri, in LXX and in Slavyansk. - ruby - σάρδιον, sardium, sapphire - σάπφειρος, sapphire. Greek ἄνθραξ; at I. in Russian. the biblical text corresponds to the word "ruby". – Saying corundum there is a modification of the eastern words corind, corindu (corind, corindou), used in India and China to name some varieties of corundum or yahonta (Shcheglov); the Hebrew 'odem and the Latin root ruby indicate the red color of the stone they designate, Heb. sapir - to blue.
Sardonyx mentioned; it belongs to the group of agates. This stone is nothing but an onyx with white and orange or reddish stripes. In antiquity, sardonyxes, if only the multi-colored layers lay in them correctly, were valued almost equally with sapphires. In ancient times, they were obtained from India and Ethiopia. Sardonite(Greek σαρθόνιξ) - Sardinian onyx, the actual meaning of this name has not been clarified.
Cornelian(Greek σάρδιον) is named. Carnelian - the name of eastern origin (Pylyaev); what exactly it points to is not known with accuracy (see below “Chalcedon”).
Emerald(see "Emerald").
Topaz. Topaz contains clay, silicon and sec in combination with oxygen. Topaz is less hard than diamond, but equal in weight to it; it has a strong vitreous luster; its colors are white, wine-yellow, brownish-yellow or green. Transparent topaz is called noble, opaque - ordinary. In ancient times, topaz was mined on one of the islands of the Red Sea, where the Egyptian pharaohs had special mines for this, as well as in India and Ethiopia; at present it is found in Siberia (where it is called "heavyweight"), in Saxony, Brazil and some other countries. Topaz is mentioned (on the "breastplate" - the second place of the first row), Ezek. 28, 13. ("Ethiopian topaz"). . The Hebrew name for topaz is pitedah, referring to its yellow color. The origin and meaning of the name "topaz" has not been determined.
Chalcedon. Chalcedons or chalcedony called colored quartz, known since ancient times. “They were formed from quartz dissolved in water, which becomes soluble when the rocks gradually break down under the influence of air.” Chalcedons belong to the group of agates. They are cloudy, like jelly, of various, but not bright colors. On sale, meat-colored or red chalcedons are especially valued ( cornelian or carnelian), apple green ( chrysoprase), with stripes or layers of red and white ( onyx), greyish-blue. Chalcedon is mentioned. The name of the stone "chalcedon" comes from the Asia Minor city of Chalcedon, from where, by the way, this stone was sent for sale. Locations: Arabia, Ural, etc. Chalcedon belongs to the number of semi-precious stones.
Chrysolite(χρυσός - gold, λίθος - stone) - a transparent stone of yellowish-green or pure yellow color with a strong luster. It contains magnesium and silicon. Locations: Egypt, Deilon, Siberia, etc. Mentioned: (on the "breastplate" - the first place of the fourth row). Ezek. 28, 13. . The Hebrew name for chrysolite - tarschisch indicates the place from where, by the way, the stone was delivered by merchants. The word tarschisch is also used by Ezek. 1, 16. 10, 9. P., but here the Russian translators rendered this Hebrew word with the word "topaz".
Chrysopras mention . The Greek name χρυσόπρασος (from χρισός - gold πράσον, - leek - plant) indicates the color of the stone (see "Chalcedon": column 218 -).
Jaspis(Hebrew jaschpheh, Greek ἴασπις): jasper or jasper quartz. Jasper is completely opaque, does not shine through even at the edges. According to the flowers and the arrangement of flowers, the types of jasper are extremely diverse. In addition to the single-color jasper of yellow, brown, red and green, there are many more varieties of multi-colored jaspers, which are: brown with light irregularly located (crooked) stripes, red with yellow veins, white with thin veins of red-carmine color, etc. Jasper accepts pretty shiny finish. In ancient times, jasper was found convenient for engraving. Locations: Egypt, Siberia and other countries. Jasper, or jasper, is mentioned (on the "breastplate" - the third place of the fourth row). Ezek. 28, 13. . One might think that, of course, not jasper, but some other crystal-like stone.
Yakhont mentioned in the Russian translation of the Bible (on the "breastplate" - the first place of the third row). The word "yahont" in the original Hebrew text corresponds to the saying leschem (from lascham - to attract), in LXX - λιγύριον, Vulg. - ligurius (originating, obtained from Liguria). Yakhont there is a collective name used to designate varieties of corundum, which are usually recognized as separate stones and have special names (see "Ruby and Sapphire": st. 216 -). It may very well be that in the places cited in the book. Exodus, of course, some beautiful variety of corundum not named elsewhere in the Bible, for example, oriental girazole, translucent, milky-colored stone, similar to a noble disgrace emitting reddish, or yellowish, or bluish rays. The name "yahont" is probably of eastern origin: "yagut" or "yakut" is the Persian name for the ruby.
Pearl. When listing and describing the precious stones mentioned in the Bible, it is appropriate to provide information about pearls. True, pearls do not belong to minerals, they are a substance of organic, animal origin; but the Bible calls it, along with precious stones, as an object of high dignity, serving, like stones, for ornaments of various kinds. Pearl is the product of those animals that are called soft-bodied, otherwise slugs or shellfish (Mollusca), belong to the class laminabranchial or bivalves (Lamellibranchiata siya Vivaliae), to the detachment of heteromuscular (Heteromya), to the family pearl oysters (Avicuacca), to the mind pearl oysters (Maleagrina margaritifera). The headless mollusk of the barley pearl oyster is enclosed in a bivalve shell, the lateral valves of which, right and left, appear to be the same in appearance - rounded four-sided, having a leafy structure, greenish-brown in color with longitudinal white stripes. These flaps in the upper, dorsal, part are connected to each other by means of a special elastic mass, the so-called ligament, and consist of three layers of different structures, and in pearl pearl oysters, the inner mother-of-pearl layer is the most thickened. The outer part of the body of the mollusk, called the mantle or epanche, consists of two lobes connected at the back and representing a thickening of the skin, especially when connected. These blades form a cavity in which, on each side, there are two leaf-shaped gills of the animal, separated by a muscular wedge-shaped leg adapted for movement and protruding, as needed, from the lower part of the valves. The lobes of epancha, with their upper mucous layer, directly adjoin the shell valves and are attached to them by closing, unequally developed muscles that run from one valve to another across the body of the mollusk and serve to bring the valves closer to each other by free lower edges.
The ancients considered pearls a jewel of the highest dignity and loved to adorn them, which is especially true of the Romans. Wealthy Roman women adorned their heads with pearls, wore pearl earrings, necklaces, rings, and even shoes studded with pearls. Roman women were not left without imitators in other areas of the empire (). Pearls were undoubtedly known to the Jews as well. At least he, at the time of Christ the Savior, was very common in Palestine ().
In order to satisfy the constant and significant demand for pearls, then there were merchants among the Palestinian Jews who were exclusively engaged in the trade in pearls, and did not stop even at extraordinary costs, trying to acquire, by the way, large, and therefore rare and very expensive pearls (); it means that at the time of Christ, in Palestine there was a demand for such jewelry (cf. references to pearls). It can also be assumed with certainty that pearls were also used by the Jews in Old Testament times; but there are no direct and definite, unquestionable indications of this in the writings of the Old Testament. True, in the Russian (synod.) translation of the Old Testament. Bible, namely in the book. Proverbs (8, 10. 20, 15. 31, 10) in a word pearl Hebrew saying peninim. But under this saying, scholars of the Hebrew text of the Bible (for example, Delitzsch) tend to understand rather coral, than pearl. It is possible, however, that the ancient Hebrews, by the word peninim, denoted both coral and pearls, taking into account their identical, marine origin; but where exactly in the original old-fashioned. In the text peninim means pearl, it is impossible to determine: here only guesses are possible, always unfounded, hesitant, and therefore having no positive value. Russian (synod.) translators also discovered a similar vacillation in this case. They didn't translate everywhere pearl Jewish peninim. So, for example, peninim(at the end of the verse) they conveyed by the expression rubies, and the word pearl(at the beginning of the same verse) put instead of Heb. gabisch, which means ( Gesenins, Delitzsch) crystal (Schenkel, Richm, Guthë,Perlen").
Russian name pearl correspond: Arabic - zenchug, Greek - margarite (μαργαρίτης), German - Perlen. The old Russian name for large pearls is Burmic grain, small - kafim grain, i.e., grain brought from the city of Kafa (now Feodosia); old Russian expression pitched pearl means - pearls are round, rolling, i.e. the best pearls ( Pylyaev, Gems, pp. 3 231–233).
Prot. P. Olivet
The first decorations that reached us on the pages of literary works are biblical stones. They are mentioned in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. The oldest original scripture can be attributed to 1500 BC. It is there that it is told that the High Priest, who was a follower of Jehovah and brought worship, had in his everyday life a breastplate, which was a bag made of linen. The bag was framed with precious stones. Their number was twelve. It is these gemstones that are called biblical stones. They were of the most varied shape and color, and were executed in gold frames.
The Bible (Exodus, chapter 28) says:
28.17. And set stones in it in four rows. Next: ruby, topaz, emerald - this is the first row.
28. 18. Second row: carbuncle, sapphire and diamond.
28. 19. Third row: yahont, agate and amethyst.
28. 20. Fourth row: chrysolite, onyx and jasper. They should be inserted into golden sockets.
28:21 These stones must be twelve, according to the number of the children of Israel, according to their names; on each, as on a seal, one name from among the twelve tribes should be carved.
The thimble had various names and was referred to as a thimble, breastplate or hoshen - in Hebrew. It was attached to the priest's apron, called an ephod, with gold chains and blue cords. Sometimes in the scriptures a bag was called a confidant, which, like a pectoral, was worn around the neck. The breastplate on the front side was decorated with 12 stones, which symbolized the 12 tribes of Israel and were fastened in a certain order: three stones in four rows.
1st row - ruby, topaz and emerald;
2nd row - carbuncle, sapphire and diamond;
3rd row - yahont, agate and amethyst;
4th row - chrysolite, onyx and jasper.
The cuma was made of colored wool with gold thread. The breastplate was intended for wearing the Urim (light) and Thumim (perfection), which were symbols by which the hierarch consulted with the Almighty on the life of the people of Israel. They were tools of divination, a kind of yes or no answer.
The Bible says that God, who told the people the laws and commandments, urgently commanded Moses to make a tabernacle at Mount Sinai, which was a special place for performing rituals and sacraments. Here were the ark of the covenant, the altar for incense, the table for offering bread, the lamp - the menorah. It was then that it was ordered to make clothes for the high priest Aaron, which included the famous scrip.
There is an opinion that the gems symbolized the spiritual unity of the people of Israel. In his Antiquities of the Jews, Flavius Josephus makes two remarkable remarks about stones. In the sanctuary, in the presence of God, the sardonyx "began to sparkle especially strongly with such a bright light as it usually does not have, and the 12 stones on the chest with brilliance and radiance announced the coming victory when the Israelites were going to war." And the second reflection of my thoughts, with regards to the clothes of the high priest, is that the sardonyx that decorated the clasps is comparable to the Sun and the Moon, and the stones on it with 12 months of the year, or as described in the book "groups of stars, which the Greeks call the Zodiac."
The value of the gems that bordered the breastplate was very great. One of the writings described the order of the Jews in the desert during the Exodus from Egypt. A string of “up to six hundred thousand foot men, except children” was strictly located in clans “with their banner and signs of families” headed by the patriarch, each of whom had his own special banner, the color of which strictly corresponded to the shade of the stone on the breastplate that bore his name.
The history of the breastplate after the collapse of the empire of Rome is currently unknown. There is only speculation that the breastplate was moved to the East after the capture and sack of Jerusalem in the 7th century by the Mohammedans. It is also possible that at the moment it is kept in the treasury of the descendants of warlike Persians.
The sacred writings indicate the ancient names of the stones. Let's look at their modern terminology:
Virill is a greenish-yellow beryl.
- Iakinf - hyacinth (zircon, its precious variety).
- Karbupkul - red garnet (pyrope or almandine).
- Sardonyx - dark red onyx or in other words chalcedony.
- Chalcedon - chalcedony.
- Jasper - red jasper (there are different versions that say that jasper could be green).
- Yakhont - ruby (red corundum).
But the above names cannot be given the final result, since in ancient times the main differences were color and hardness, and often minerals of different types were hidden under one name, at the same time, stones of the same mineral were attributed to different names.
The first stone of the confidant.
Odem. Translated from Hebrew, its name tells that the stone had a red tint. In such writings as the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, in the treatises of Josephus Flavius and Epiphanius of Cyprus, carnelian was designated as the first stone of the breastplate. Later, in already rewritten editions of the Bible, they pointed out that the first stone was a ruby. However, this could hardly be, since history says that the ruby appeared in the territories of the ancient Jews much later from the time of their Exodus from Egypt. But carnelian just had a wide distribution and use in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. There, the stone was considered magical and the properties of a talisman were attributed to it. An interesting fact is that the gem had similar properties of a special symbol both in the vastness of Egypt and in the civilization of Mesopotamia. The Egyptians revered carnelian as the stone of the goddess Isis, which represented the embodiment of femininity and fertility. And among the Sumerians, the gem was considered the stone of the goddess Ishtar and served as a conductor of female energy and the beginning of beginnings. Similarly, in the ancient Jewish civilization, the “odem” stone has the status of a female stone. The name Reuben was engraved on it.
The second stone of the confidant.
Pitda. Knowledgeable interpreters of the Tanakh translate "pitda" from the Sanskrit "pita", which means fire, flame, yellow. In almost all translations of the Bible, this stone is called topaz. Now it is difficult to say whether that stone was really a topaz. It is not excluded that the gem had a different shade and that the word "pitda" generally has this translation. For example, in the writings of the historian of Ancient Greece Strabo and the scientist-encyclopedist of Ancient Rome Pliny the Elder, under the name "topaz", a green-colored mineral glimmers. And what is interesting is that at the beginning of the 20th century, ancient mine workings were found on one of the islands of the Red Sea, where transparent yellowish-green minerals were found, which in modern science belong to chrysolites.
This island was correlated with the one that Strabo and Pliny spoke about in their writings, according to its natural structure, features and color of the deposits of gemstones found there. Therefore, with regard to the second stone of the breastplate, there is variability in its definition and attribution to one or another type. The name of Jacob's son, Simeon, was inscribed on that stone.
The third stone of the confidant.
Bareket. As linguists believe, the roots of this word go back to the Sanskrit word "marakat", which means "green". According to the Septuagint and the Vulgate, the stone also has the name "smaragd" and today it is interpreted as the ancient name of the emerald. The name "emerald" we meet just in the Sinoidal translation of the Bible. The gem deposit, which is located in Egypt, is called Cleopatra's Mines and is one of the most famous ancient developments of precious stones. But in all likelihood, at the time of the creation of the breastplate, the name "smaragd" included many green stones.
According to scientists, the third stone in the breastplate was a green field twine, which today is called amazonite. It is often found during excavations of ancient Egypt in many decorations and religious ceremonies. The name Levi was carved on it.
The fourth stone of the breastplate.
Nuofek. This is the Hebrew name, which is translated by the Septuagint as "anthrax", and by the Vulgate as "carbuncle". This name reflects the interesting color of the mineral and is translated from Greek and Latin as "coal". In the famous work of the ancient Greek scientist Theophrastus “On Stones”, it is clearly stated that in the 4th-3rd centuries BC this name referred to the pomegranate. It was used in carving seals, "its color is red, and exposed to the sun, it is similar in color to burning coal."
At the same time, the origin of the Hebrew name is not very clear and carries with it a train of other versions of the translation. So, in some sources, turquoise is inserted into the fourth socket of the breastplate. The shade of this stone is sky blue. Its deposit on the Sinai Peninsula has been known since ancient times. And the stone itself was widely used in the manufacture of jewelry in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Interestingly, in those days, turquoise must have been present in the jewelry of the high priest, and therefore there is a high probability of finding this mineral in the fourth nest of the breastplate. It is worth noting that in the rabbinic commentary on the Torah, the fact that the shade of the mineral should be the same as the color of the banner of the tribe whose name is reflected on it is noted. The name of Judas is engraved on the fourth stone of the breastplate, and it is believed that its color is sky blue.
Fifth confidant stone.
Shappir. Translated from Hebrew - "sapphire". Theophrastus in his writings gives an accurate description of this mineral, pointing to its subtle individuality - the presence of "golden points". Scientists of the ancient era, by their description of saprif, unambiguously identified it as lapis glaze. Lapis lazuli is distinguished by its opacity and fullness of dark blue color, and its best grades are marked by fine dissemination of pyrite crystals filled with bright yellow light. This stone is also often mentioned in various ancient treatises. In the Bible alone, his reflection surpasses other stones and is mentioned 13 times. According to Epiphanius of Capra, the name of the fifth son of Jacob, Dan, was engraved on the stone. Other sources say that the name of the fifth son of Jacob, the ninth in order of birth, Issachar, was carved on it.
Sixth confidant stone.
Yahalom. Usually the translation of this name is derived from such verbs as "hit" or "destroy". And it is no coincidence. In rare translations, for example, in the sinoidal, the stone is called a diamond. It was he who was not known to the ancient Jews and, accordingly, could not decorate the sacred clothes of the high priests. According to the Septuagint and the Vulgate, the sixth stone in the magic breastplate was "iaspis", similar to "yashfu", the twelfth stone of suma. Its name extends its root to the Persian word "jasper", which means "strong, colorful stones." According to Theophrastus, yahal was a green stone, which is similar in color to emeralds. Most likely, it was jade or jadeite, but green jasper should not be ignored either.
There are two ways to correlate this mineral with one of the tribes of Israel: in one version it is Naphtali, the sixth son of Jacob by birth, and in the other, Zebulun is the sixth son and tenth in order of birth.
The seventh stone of the confidant.
Ligurion. This gem is very difficult to identify and correlate with any mineral. Translated from ancient Greek, it stands for "lynx urine." Theophrastus describes a yellow-colored stone under it, which serves as a material for making seals.
There is another property that is described in ancient works - "it is cold and very transparent." And in this regard, there are many versions for the translation of this name: hyacinth, opal, amber, yahont. There are also many options for reflecting the inscriptions of names on it: Gad, Dan or Joseph.
The eighth stone of the confidant.
Shebo. The name of this stone comes from the distorted name of the ancient city, located in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. In a modern interpretation, it is called Yemen-Saba (Sheba). In ancient translations, this name means "agate". This was a particularly revered stone at that time, which, of course, earned its place in the confidant collection. Difficulties arise only with the correlation of this mineral with one of the sons of Israel. According to the writings of Epiphanius of Kirp, the eighth stone bears the name Asher, the son of the eighth in seniority, Jacob. But according to the writings of the Tanakh-Midrash Rabbah, the name Naphtali was inscribed on the Shebo stone. The works of the famous shemmologist of the early 20th century, J. Kunz, say that the name of the last son of the patriarch and the second from his wife Rakhilia, Benjamin, was engraved on the gem.
The ninth stone of the confidant.
Ahlam. This stone raises the least questions in its definition, and all authors unanimously attribute it to amethyst. The translation of the Hebrew name "ahlama" tells that our ancestors endowed it with the magical property of inspiring visions and immersing in dreams. And the Greek name "amethystos" speaks of such a property of the stone as a talisman against intoxication. There is no doubt about his presence in the bag of the high priest. Filled with the beauty of purple, a rare magical violet, the mineral is rich in a careful history of use. According to Epiphanius of Cyprus, the name Issachar was inscribed on the akhlama. Other versions sound the names Gad or Dan.
The tenth stone of the confidant.
Tarshish. In almost all languages, this Hebrew name is translated as "chrysolite", which means "gold stone". "Chrysos" - gold, "cast" - stone. Otherwise, the mineral was also called Farsi, which means "stone of the color of sea foam." Tarshish - this is the name of the city, which is found many times on the pages of the Bible. Apparently it was from there that this gem was brought. There is also a version that the tenth stone of the breastplate was a yellow mineral, which was famous at the time of the Exodus. Jasper and yellow quartz (citrine) can equally belong to such stones.
There is reason to believe that after the Babylonian captivity, a new breastplate was created, which was based on other stones, and the tenth stone was golden topaz. The main version says that the name of the tenth son of Jacob, Zebulun, was reflected on the tarshish. But there are also versions that speak of the names Ashef and Naphtali.
The eleventh stone of the confidant.
Shoham. This gem was also used in ephod clasps and translates as "onyx". But Epiphanius of Cyprus, following the Septuagint, designates beryl under the eleventh stone. There is also a version that aquamarine was a blue-colored stone during the life of Epiphanius. He could also decorate the breastplate, which was worn by the High Priesthood of the Second Jerusalem Temple before its destruction in 70 AD. During the existence of the first confidant, the gem was hardly known to people. Those stones that the Jews had at that time in ancient Egypt can be identified by excavations and their discovery in the tomb of Tutankhamen, whose reign was close to the time of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. There is also a version that at that time beryl was understood as gems similar in color to aquamarine. Such stones can be malachite and turquoise. If we start from the Hebrew name, then the eleventh stone in the breastplate should have been onyx. Due to its color, which is riddled with ornate stripes, the mineral means “nail” in ancient Greek.
In ancient times, onyx was called banded chalcedony, which in ancient Greece was used due to its beauty and strength to create cameos. The stone was engraved with the name Gad.
The twelfth stone of the breastplate.
Yashfe. Translated from Hebrew, it has the name "green" and, in theory, should have been in the sixth nest of the breastplate. According to the writings of Epiphanius of Cyprus and the Septuagint, the twelfth stone was onyx, and the Vulgate defines it as beryl. Which of the stones is more suitable for this role is difficult to determine. It can be marble onyx, and green jasper, and turquoise, and malachite. In the twelfth nest there was a stone on which was inscribed the name of the last son of Jacob - Benjamin, in other writings - Asher.
As can be seen from the research, it is quite difficult to identify the authenticity of the stones that adorn the breastplate. More reliable for authenticity of the twelve mentioned: carnelian (first), lapis lazuli (fifth), agate (eighth) and amethyst (ninth). And only one stone can be accurately identified - this is carnelian.
The Bible is a multifaceted and profound book. Scientists and researchers are constantly working with its content, and every time they make more and more new discoveries. The sacred book is imbued with the wisdom of different cultures and the power of God's revelation. It contains many scenes from the past, which are closely intertwined and permeate the eventfulness of the modern world. A separate place in it is given to gemstones that accompanied the people of those times on their difficult life path.
The Sinoidal translation says that 32 stones are described in the Bible and another two dozen are encrypted under the texts. What gives a huge scope for the study of gemology, the science of precious and ornamental stones. As history and scriptures show, stones have been known to people since ancient times. In addition to simple stone formations in the form of pebbles and pieces of various rocks, at least 20 minerals were known at that time. Among them, rock crystal, jade, quartz, obsidian, jasper, flint, hornfels. A little later, such civilizations as the Sumerian, Babylonian and Egyptian learned and used 18 more gems in their lives. Among them were such minerals as amethyst, turquoise, pearls, malachite, coral. By the end of the era of antiquity, the world was already familiar with 77 minerals and 27 rocks. Ruby, sapphire, topaz, opal, diamond appeared on the arena. By the beginning of the Middle Ages, the world came up with the knowledge of 40 types of precious and colored stones. In modern times, the scale of knowledge has increased to four thousand minerals, and every year 20-30 pieces are added to them.
Each mineral has its own historical, trade and regional name. For example, rock crystal has almost 50 trade names, and the most famous of them is diamond. Agate has about 50 names, ruby has 30 names. The most remarkable thing is that all the stones that are mentioned in the Bible have such names that are used in our time.
Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. And they were inscribed on two stone slabs.
When Moses descended from the mountain, a picture appeared before his eyes that the people had again fallen into idolatry. In anger then he broke the tablets. And God commanded that new tablets be cut out and the Ten Commandments inscribed on them. The tablets were first placed in the Ark of the Covenant, and then, when the Jerusalem temple was erected, they were transferred to the Holy of Holies.
Archaeological excavations reveal the interesting fact that the tablets were made of a stone very similar to sapphire, which was 143 by 145 centimeters in size. Indeed, in many sources about stones, when describing lapis lazuli, it is noted that the tablets were made from it. Another version says that Moses carved the tablets on a meteorite from Mount Sinai.
In the 6th century the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and since then the history of the tablets is unknown. But until now, scientists do not lose hope of finding it. Thus, the historian G. Hancock has been looking for the Ark of the Covenant for a long time. The ornate paths of the development of events of that time led him to the Christians of Ethiopia, where the Ark of the Covenant is probably stored.
Holy Scripture also tells us about the so-called insignia. Insignia are signs of a higher power. For example, a scepter, a diadem made of gold, an ivory chair. The royal throne of Solomon was carved from ivory and covered with gold from Ophir, and also decorated with pearls, onyx, opals, topazes, emeralds, carbuncles and other gems of white, green and red hues.
At that time, crowns and diadems were the main decoration for people of high castes. The king's crown was made of gold and decorated with natural stones. And the high priest's headdress was a turban with a gold hoop and the majestic inscription "Holy to the Lord." Also, one of the main attributes of royal persons was a belt, which was decorated with gold and precious stones. The book "Genesis" also tells about the royal ring with a signet (gemma). The ritual of wearing a gold ring with a gem on the right hand, the Jews, apparently, adopted from the Egyptians.
Jewelry was an adornment not only for wealthy Jews, but also had value and was worn by the simple class. In Palestine, there were no deposits of gold and gems, but this did not prevent the people of Israel from having jewelry from them. Something was alienated during the wars, something was acquired from foreign traders, for example, during the exodus of their Egypt. According to the Bible, the people of Israel, leaving Egypt, had a suggestible "gold reserve". Only the construction of the Ark of the Covenant and other religious paraphernalia took about 100 kilograms of gold. This turned out to be a trifle for the Israelis compared to the erection of Solomon's temple, which took 250 thousand pounds of gold and 10 times more silver, not counting a large number of gems.
After the time of the Egyptian captivity, the Israelites began to wear body jewelry. In their writings of the 3rd century (in the Haggadah), at the head of the Forefathers, the Jews recorded a legend that tells that Abraham carried a precious stone that heals people. By looking at him, a person could recover from infirmity. And after the death of Abraham, God inserted this stone into the solar disk. In memory of this, the Jews preserved the saying: "The sun will rise - the sick will rise."
The biblical book "Exodus" tells that in everyday life the Jews encountered necklaces, pendants, rings on their belts and hands, chains on their legs, wrist and ankle bracelets, rings on their hands, ears and nose, vessels with spirits and "magic pendants". The lower class wore jewelry made of colored glass and cheap pebbles.
In the New Testament, we find the mention of stones in the book "The Revelation of John the Theologian" ("Apocalypse"). Their number is also twelve, but their description is already reflected in the story about the walls of "Heavenly Jerusalem". There are already slight differences in the set of stones than in their composition reflected in the Old Testament. Here, instead of diamond, carbuncle, agate and onyx, chrysolite, chalcedony, sardonyx, chrysoprase and iacinth (hyacinth) appear.
Gospel, Apocalypse (Revelation of John Bogoolov), chapter 21:
21. 19. The foundations of the city wall were adorned with all sorts of precious stones: the first foundation was jaskis, the second was sapphire, the third was chalcedon, the fourth was emerald.
21. 20. The fifth is sardonyx, the sixth is carnelian, the seventh is chrysolite, the eighth is viril, the ninth is topaz, the tenth is chrysoprase, the eleventh is hyacinth, the twelfth is amethyst.
21. 21. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: each gate was of one pearl. The street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
Gems are most richly reflected in the last book of the Holy Scripture - "Apocalypse". It describes not only the legend of the Last Judgment, but also the story of the eternal future life. In it, John the Theologian mentions 18 types of stones 24 times. Most of them are mentioned in the text about the decorations of Heavenly Jerusalem, while others set off the perfection of the heavenly forces.
The foundation of Heavenly Jerusalem is decorated with stones on which the names of the 12 apostles are inscribed:
Jasper (today this stone is called jade) - Apostle Peter.
Sapphire (lapis lazuli) - Pavel.
Chalcedon (red garnet, possibly ruby) - Andrey.
Smaragd (emerald) - John.
Sardnix - James Zebedee.
Sardia (carnelian) - Philip.
Chrysolif (chrysolite) - Bartholomew.
Viril (beryl) - Thomas.
Topahziy (topaz) - Matthew (publican).
As (chrysoprase) - Thaddeus.
Iakinf (hyacinth) - Simon.
Amethyst - Evangelist Matthew.
Holy Heavenly Jerusalem, decorated with gems, was designated as God's abode and the place of residence of the souls of orthodox Christians. It was designated for the first time already in the New Testament in the 1st century. Andrew of Caesarea - Archbishop, the first who noticed the similarity of the temples with the heavenly city, which is described in the Bible. Their similarity is indicated in the domed temples with a drum (the throne of the Lord and heavenly powers), and below the sky with heavenly Jerusalem is indicated for "those written with Christ in the book of life." The lower part of the walls and the ground correspond to the twelve bases with the names of the apostles, which symbolize the earthly realities and the Christian peoples, who are destined for places in the holy city.
There are many versions of the foundations of Heavenly Jerusalem. These are the apostles on whom the Christian church rests.
Or is it a reference to earthly Jerusalem - the place where Christianity originated, from where Christ left for eternal life. They also say about the existence at that time of a pyramid with twelve steps of precious stones, which are crowned with the Holy City. That life of people is covered with secrets, allegories, ciphers and symbols, and it is not easy for a modern person to recognize the true eventfulness of that time. The decorations of the twelve foundations of the City of Heaven can mean all Christians: those who lived, those who live now and those who will be born in the future. And 12 gems here are the symbolism of the months of the year as an allegory of the time measure of the earthly existence of people. Later, these minerals will become known as amulets of people born in the corresponding months of the year.
January is hyacinth.
February - amethyst.
March - jasper.
April - sapphire.
May is chalcedon.
June - smaragd.
July - sardonyx.
August is a sardole.
September - chrysolite.
October - viril.
November - topaz.
December - chrysoprase.
As noted earlier, many stones have since changed their names. But there are those who keep the sounds of those times. For example, amethyst. Its name comes from the Greek "meti" - honey, honey drink, and "a-meti" - non-intoxicating, non-intoxicating. The gem has a shade of red wine diluted with water. For Christians, amethyst is a desirable stone. Since ancient times, they have been used to decorate the bindings of sacred books, icons, crosses, and mitres. In the spiritual world, it is called the "bishop's stone." Wearing it means a kind of reminder of a strict vow.
Almost every gem that is mentioned in the Bible can be studied and told a lot. The gems truly indicate once again the sacredness of this book. The Bible contains four lists of stones and its composition is confirmed each time by archaeological finds.
The famous biblical expression is "to scatter stones."
The ancient sacred book gave the world a well-known popular expression: "Time to scatter stones." The Bible says in chapter 3 of the book of Ecclesiastes:
“There is a time for everything, and a time for every thing under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to destroy, and a time to build; a time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to scatter stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to hug, and a time to avoid hugging; time to seek, and time to lose; a time to save, and a time to throw; a time to tear apart, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.
A modern person can only guess what meaning was originally laid down in this text. It can be interpreted in different ways. Someone puts a philosophical essence into it, and someone only clings to the concepts embedded in words. Everything has its time, as the scripture says. Indeed, this expression can be understood very deeply. But still it becomes not entirely clear why throw stones around in order to collect them later. One of the versions says that this phrase includes a meaning that includes one of the types of peasant labor. The fact is that the lands where the people of Israel lived were not fertile. They were stony and before cultivating the field, it had to be cleared of stones first. This is what the peasants did, that is, they collected stones. But they did not scatter them, but collected hedges from them. And as happens with the translation of sacred writings, they were translated by people who were far from peasant life. More precisely, one could translate the quote as "a time to collect and a time to lay out stones."
The Bible also shows that stones were used during wars as a formidable weapon. For example, David struck down Goliath with only one stone:
“And David put his hand into his bag, and took a stone there, and threw it with a sling, and struck the Philistine on the forehead, so that the stone pierced his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground” (1 Samuel 17:49).
In another case, it was told about the soldiers of Israel, wielding a sling:
“Out of all this people there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, and all of these, throwing stones at the hair with slings, did not throw them by” (Judges 20:16).
Such people could hit the enemy without engaging in open defeat, but only acting at a distance. The stones were used both in the defense of the city and in its capture. An interesting fact is that in order to hit the target completely, not every stone was suitable for this. It had to be in a certain shape. It was these stones that David took for himself:
“… and chose for himself five smooth stones from the stream, and put them… in a bag” (1 Samuel 17:40).
Each soldier knew what shape, size and weight the stone should have. David chose from among the multitude precisely those that he was accustomed to throwing. It took time to pick up the stones. Smooth stones are not always found in nature, and in the stream it was not always possible to find a large number of stones for the entire army, so the stones were hewn, giving them the desired shape and size.
In the modern world, the phrase “time to scatter stones” is invested with different semantic loads. There are at least three of them:
Confidant of the High Priest - stones with inscriptions.
Belief in the magical and healing power of precious gemstones goes back thousands of years.
In the Bible we see how the prophets reproach the Old Testament nations for their love of luxury and jewels. The same is said by the most ancient historians - Herodotus, Theophrastus, Strabo, Diodorus, and especially Dionysius Periegeta, who already describes to us precious stones and jewelry art.
In ancient India, the best emeralds were considered men; in China, jade was revered as the most perfect embodiment of the masculine principle in nature. In ancient Babylon, precious stones were considered alive, they "lived" and "sick" like people. There were male stones (large and shiny) and female stones (not so beautiful). Why this is so is a mystery. Women's stones do not shine so much and have cold colors and shades, men's stones shine brighter, their tones and shades are warm. It is better for women to wear men's stones, for men - women's.
The Babylonians believed that stars could turn into animals, metals, and stones. One of the "star" stones they considered lapis lazuli. The Phoenicians carried this belief to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
The fashion for rings and rings, as can be seen already from the Old Testament, was in great use among the Jews, and in ancient Rome the ring even served as a distinction between a patrician and a plebeian.
History says that the first rings were made of iron, but later gold ones appeared, with stones, intaglios and cameos; then fashion began to distinguish winter rings and rings from summer ones.
12 stones of the high priest Aaron.
bible stones
In the Middle Ages, described in the Bible (Second Book of Moses. Exodus, ch. 28) 12 precious stones on the chest shield - the efud of the high priest Aaron (on which the names of 12 tribes of Israel are carved according to the number of biblical patriarchs - the sons of Isaac): these are ruby, topaz, emerald, carbuncle, sapphire, diamond, yahont, agate, amethyst, chrysolite, onyx, jasper - were associated with the 12 apostles(jasper - Peter, emerald - John ...), and later with 12 months of the year.
Confidant of the High Priest. Bible stones.
"Bible stones" are 12 gemstones mentioned in the Bible in the books of the Old and New Testaments. It is known from the Bible that the breastplate of the High Priest, in which he celebrated divine services, was decorated with semi-precious stones.
The breastplate was a linen bag containing the mysterious Urim and Tumim, with whose help the High Priest explained to the ancient Jews Jehovah's commands about Divine deeds for their benefit.
The bag was decorated with stones. There were twelve of them in total, most likely of an oval-flattened shape, and the stones were enclosed in filigree gold settings, they were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Here is how these stones are described in the Bible (Exodus, chapter 28):
The second time the list of stones is in the New Testament, in the book "The Revelation of John the Theologian" (Apocalypse). This is again a set of 12 stones, but it is already mentioned when describing the walls of "Heavenly Jerusalem". These are basically the same stones, but there are also differences : instead of diamond, carbuncle, agate and onyx - chrysolite, chalcedony, sardonyx, chrysoprase and iacinth (hyacinth).
Clarification of the given names for the modern reader:
- Carbuncle - red garnet (pyrope or almandine).
- Yakhont - ruby (red corundum).
- Jasper - red (according to other sources - green) jasper.
- Virill is a greenish-yellow beryl.
- Iakinf - hyacinth (zircon, precious variety).
- Chalcedon is chalcedony.
- Sardonyx is a dark red chalcedony (carnelian) onyx.
So in the Christian world there appeared lists of stones by month of birth, and then by day of the week, stones of names, etc. Belief in precious stones and their power is already a kind of independent religion. :-)
Aaron, the first high priest of the Old Testament.
Symbols were engraved on stones that enhanced their properties: on amethyst - a bear, on beryl - a frog, on chalcedony - a horseman with a spear, on sapphire - a ram, etc.
In the medieval compendium of information on the dogmas of Christianity, medicine, rhetoric, natural science, compiled in Greek and translated into Russian under the name "Izbornik Svyatoslav", a stone is assigned to each month, and these gems are mentioned in the same order as in the Hebrew Pentateuch written one and a half millennia earlier. In the 11th century, the Book of Stones was written in Latin in verse, which describes the places where about 70 minerals were mined, as well as their healing and magical powers.
In ancient times, a certain property was attributed to each stone:
- diamond - purity and innocence,
- sapphire - constancy,
- red ruby - passion,
- pink ruby - tender love,
- emerald - hope,
- topaz - jealousy
- turquoise - whim,
- amethyst - devotion,
- opal - inconstancy,
- sardonyx - marital happiness,
- agatu - health,
- chrysoprase - success,
- hyacinth - patronage,
- aquamarine - failure.
Jewelry with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and other precious stones.
Is this information accurate, because it is possible that in ancient times people had more knowledge about stones? - or these are simple superstitions - now no one can say for sure. What is known for sure is that stones have been used by magicians in rituals from antiquity to this day, so if you know how to use the power and properties of a stone, you can do it. For ignorant people, stones are usually nothing more than decorations, sometimes associated with superstitions that are not supported by their own feelings and knowledge. Therefore, the choice of stones according to the horoscope, according to the month of birth, etc. is so popular, but these choices are not always correct, given the inconsistency of information. If you do not have special knowledge - be guided by your own feelings from the stone, and no matter what the horoscopes say, do not buy those stones that are "shown" to you if you do not want to wear them. Well, then - if your passion for stones is at least a little more than just a desire to put on a beautiful piece of jewelry - you will have to study mineralogy. :-) Books on this topic are published quite enough today.
The kinship of a stone with a person is noted in the fact that stolen stones show negative properties, and those bought on their own become talismans only after many years. Genuine strong talismans are donated stones or inherited.
As a talisman, you can select different stones, depending on their energy impact on character traits, which ones need to be strengthened and which ones to weaken. There are articles about it on the site.
To strengthen the kinship with a gem stone in ancient times, it was suggested to put the stone on your finger (or take it in your hand) and, imagining yourself wrapped in ether, in your imagination pour this ether through the stone into yourself and pour it over the body or concentrate it in a diseased organ, and then inhale ether through stone. If you do such exercises several times a day constantly, then you can accustom yourself to breathe through the stone without effort on the part of consciousness. And the stone will transform a lot...
All peoples of the world believed in the magical and healing powers of the stone. The great doctors also believed in this (or did they have knowledge??): Paracelsus, Avicenna (he advised wearing jasper on the stomach for stomach diseases), Amasiatsi, Copernicus, the outstanding scientist of antiquity Al-Biruni, who lived in the 10th century, the greatest chemist of his time, Robert Boyle, who lived in the 17th century, and many others. The kings of all countries, kings and emperors, and of course mere mortals believed in this.