BIRTH STONES. 



From the earliest times and among all 

 peoples there seem to have been senti- 

 ments and superstitions ctjnnected with 

 gems. The ancient use of gems is 

 proved by their being found in the 

 oldest tombs of Egypt and by their men- 

 tion in the earliest books . of the Bible, 

 and no less ancient seem to be the mystic 

 properties and powers ascribed to them. 

 Not only was the power of driving 

 away evil spirits and producing all sorts 

 of *1uck" long attributed to them, but 

 as late as the beginning of the eighteenth 

 century reputable physicans were accus- 

 tomed to mix fragments of them in their 

 medicines and to use them as charms. 

 The study of the uses of gems in this 

 way forms a subject of much interest, 

 but we may confine ourselves here simply 

 to the custom which made a particular 

 gem appropriate to a corresponding- 

 month of the year. 



The first arrangement of gems intO' a 

 group of twelve of which we have any 

 record is that in the Book of Exodus. 

 Here in the twentv-eighth chapter, verses 

 17-19, are prescribed in order, twelve 

 precious stones, which shall be set in 

 the breastplate of the High Priest. The 

 list is repeated in the thirty-ninth chapter 

 of the same book, verses 10-12. In the 

 context it is prescribed that the stones 

 shall be set in four rows and that upon 

 them shall be engraved the names of the 

 Children of Israel, one for each stone. 

 As to the particular stones as thev are 

 known to the modem world, which are 

 indicated by the Hebrew words, authori- 

 ties dififer, but in the authorized version 

 of the Bible they are given as follows : 



Sardius, topaz, carbuncle, 



Emerald, sapphire, diamond, 



Ligure, agate, amethyst, 



P>eryl, onyx, jasper. 

 It is not probable, however, that these 

 names indicate in each case the cor- 

 responding stones of modern usage. Thus 

 it is quite unlikely that the Hebrews 

 could have engraved a name upon the 

 diamond even if they could have obtained 



one of sufficient size. Again, the words 

 emerald and carbuncle are undoubtedty 

 interchanged in the above list and the 

 ancient topaz is known to have been 

 the modern chrysolite. In the revised 

 version the word jacinth is substituted 

 for ligure and amber is given as a mar- 

 ginal rendering for the same. There are 

 also given marginal renderings for others 

 of the gems, as follows : ruby for sardius, 

 emerald for carbuncle, carbuncle for em- 

 erald, sardonyx for diamond, chalcedony 

 for beryl, and beryl for onyx. The mod- 

 ern equivalents of the terms recognized 

 by secret orders which use them in sym- 

 bolism are : 



Carnelian, chrysolite, emerald, 



Ruby, lapis-lazuli, onyx. 



Sapphire, agate, amethyst, 



Topaz, beryl, jasper. 



Two lists of precious stones quite 

 similar to those of the Book of Exodus 

 are given in other places in the Bible, one 

 in Ezekiel 28:13, where ''every precious 

 stone" is said to have been the covering 

 of the King of Tyre, and again in Reve- 

 lation 21:19-20, where twelve different 

 precious stones are mentioned as garn- 

 ishing the foundations of the wall of the 

 Holy City. The names and order of these 

 in Ezekiel are, in the authorized version, 

 as follows : 



Sardius, topaz, diamond, 

 Beryl, onyx, jasper, 

 Sapphire, emerald, carbuncle. 



To these the Septaguint adds the fol- 

 lowing : 



Chrysolite, ligure, agate. 

 The revised version gives marginally, 

 ruby for sardius, carbuncle for emerald, 

 and emerald for carbuncle. In Revela- 

 tion the list as given in the authorized 

 version reads as follows- 



lasper, sapphire, chalcedony. 

 Emerald, sardonyx, sardius, 

 Chrysolite, beryl, topaz, 

 Chrysoprase, jr.cinth, amethyst. 



The marginal renderings give lapis- 

 lazuli for sapphire and sapphire for ja- 

 cinth. 



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