242 REV, S. M. ZWEMER, F.R.G.S,, ON 



Votes of thanks having been accorded to the author and to the 

 reader of the paper : — 



Dr. T. Chaplin said : — It would be interesting to know if 

 there is any connection between these Nazarenes and the 

 Nusairiyeh or Anseiriyeh, a well-known tribe living in the 

 northern part of the Lebanon range, who have almost the same 

 name as the people on the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris, and 

 who seem to have in their religion some Pagan, some Christian, 

 and some Mohammedan elements. These people are said to be 

 half Christian and half Moslem. They seem to have been 

 originally pagans^ and when Christianity first spread in that part 

 of the world, they became impressed, to a certain extent, with its 

 doctrines, but they never fully embraced it. Living in these 

 remote mountains they retained pagan ideas and adopted Christian 

 ceremonies, and on Mohammedanism spreading accepted certain 

 Mohammedan practices, and so continued without any definite 

 I'eligious belief. It is interesting to note that authorities regard 

 their language as being of Syriac origin, a natui'al supposition 

 considering that many of their words have undoubtedly a 

 Syrian source. They come from well-known Chaldaic and 

 Syrian roots, e.g., their chief priest or leader, said to be the 

 guardian or preserver of their sacred books, is called the 

 " Genizeh " or " treasure," a well-known Hebrew word. I may 

 mention that oriental Jews have a great aversion to destroying 

 any of their worn-out writings, and to avoid the sin of so doing 

 deposit such in a chamber called a " Genizeh " or treasure house. 

 I also notice the word Sidra Babba which is Syriac : then the 

 names of the days of the week are almost exactly the same as in 

 Arabic, and, to some extent, in Hebrew. I would also refer to 

 the origin of the word Nasorean ; this word as given in the 

 Arabic (" Nazarah ") is exactly the word vised in Arabic countries 

 for Christians. It means Nazarenes — people who come from 

 Nazareth or who are followers of Jesus the " Nazarene." I hope the 

 author may be persuaded to continue his researches amongst the 

 interesting people he has described, searching for accurate informa- 

 tion respecting their antecedents. 



A discussion of a conversational character ensued, during 

 which the value of the evidence collected by Dr. Zwemer, and the 

 unique opportunities afforded him of observing and studying 

 these particular star worshippers and their cult during the many 

 years he had resided among them, was specially remarked upon. 



The discussion was then adjourned. 



