JEWELS AND PRECIOUS STONES

JEWELS AND PRECIOUS STONES

verse, however, RV has 'crystal' for Heb. gabish, instead of AV 'pearls.' In Ezk l'^ 'crystal' stands for Heb. qerach (RVm 'ice'). In NT krystaUos appears in Rev 4« 21" 22'. In all these cases except the first the reference is probably to rock-crystal (colourless transparent quartz).

Diamond (List A 6, B 3). The Heb. yahalom probably stood in the twelfth place in List A, where LXX has onychion. Hence in this list RVm has 'sardonyx' for 'diamond.' The latter is in any case an impossible rendering. The diamond was unknown in ancient times. It would have been too hard to engrave, and a diamond large enough to have borne the name of a tribe and to have filled a space in the high priest's breastplate would have been of incredible value. The yahalom was most likely the onyx, a banded form of silica (see Onyx below). 'Diamond' also occurs In Jer 17' as the material of an engraving tool. The Heb. is Shamir, wMch is rendered 'adamant' in two other passages where it is found (Ezk 3', Zee 7"). The refer-ence is probably to corundum or emery (aluminium oxide), a very hard mineral.

Emerald (List A 4, B 8; also Ezk 27i» [Heb. nophek, LXX anthrax, RVm 'carbuncle']). Some red fiery stone is plainly intended, the red garnet being the most likely. ' Emerald ' is more probably the equivalent of Heb. baregeth in List A 3, B 9 (see Carbuncle above). The common emerald is identical in composition with the beryl, but dififers from it in hardness and in its bright green colour. The Oriental emerald (green corundum) is very rare. In NT 'emerald' stands for smaragdos; in List C 4, and in Rev 4', where the rainbow is compared to it. The latter passage is among Fhnders Petrie's grounds for supposing that smaragdos is rock-crystal, which produces by its refraction all the prismatic colours.

Jacinth (Gr. hyakinOios, List C 11). In Rev 9" the breastplates of the visionary horsemen are compared to jacinth (RV 'hyacinth'). There is no doubt that hyakinthos denoted the modem sapphire (blue corundum) . So RVm in List C. The modern jacinth is a silicate of zircon. RV reads 'jacinth' for Heb. leshem in List A 7 (AV 'Ugure').

Jasper (List A 12, B 6). The Heb. is yashepheh, and in B this corresponds to the LXX iaspis. Probably yashepheh should stand sixth in A also, in which case iaspis would again be the LXX equivalent. In NT iaspis occurs in List C 1, and also in Rev 4' 21"- ". In 21" the 'jasper stone' is luminous and clear as crystal. The iaspis of Pliny was primarily a green stone (.HN xxxvii. 37), but he enumerates many other varieties. It was also often transparent, and we must apparently take it to mean the green and other shades of chalced-ony or semi-transparent siUca. In modern terminology jasper denotes rather the completely opaque forms of the same substance, which may be of various colours — black, brown, red, green, or yellow.

Ligure (List A 7). The Heb. leshem is rendered by LXX ligurion, an obscure word which is possibly the same as lyngkurion, the latter being a yellow stone which was supposed to be the congealed urine of the lynx (PUny, HN xxxvii. 13). Some identify the lyngkurion with the modem jacinth or yellow jargoon (silicate of zircon). SoRV. Others take the KffMrion to be amber, which the Greeks obtained from Liguria (so RVm). Flinders Petrie identifies it with the yellow agate.

Onyx (List A 11. B 5; also Gn 2^\ Ex 25' 28" SS"- "' 39", 1 Ch 29^ Job 28"). The Heb. shoham is rendered variously in LXX, but in List A by beryllion, and it is probable that shoham is the beryl; so generally RVm (see Beryl above). Flinders Petrie suggests that green felspar may be intended. It would seem more correct to make ' onjrx ' the twelfth stone in List A, where LXX has onychion. If, as is probable, the Heb. yahalom (A 6) and yashepheh (A 12) should change places, onychion would thus stand for the former, which RVm renders 'sardonyx.' We should then substitute 'onyx' or

'sardonyx' for 'diamond' in List B 3 also. The onyx was a banded semi-transparent silica similar to the modern agate, the name being suggested by the contrast between the white and flesh-coloured zones of the finger-nail. In the special variety called the Roman onyx — the modern nicolo (oniculus) — the layers are opaque, and alternately whitish-blue and black.

Ruby (always in pi. 'rubies' [Heb. peninim or peniyyim]. Job 28", Pr 3'= 8" 20" 31"> [in all which passages RVm has ' red coral ' or ' pearls '], La 4' [RVm ' corals ' ; in this last passage the context shows that some red stone is meant]). The true or Oriental ruby is red corundmu (aluminium oxide), a very precious stone. The spinel ruby is an aluminate of magnesium. Both would be included along with red garnets under the general name 'carbuncle.'

Sapphire (List A 6, B 7, also Ex 24"i, Job 28»- '«, Ca 5", Is S4», La 4', Ezk l™ 10' [Heb. sappir, LXX sappheiros]). Sappheiros occurs in NT in List C 2. PUny (HN xxxvii. 32) describes this stone as of an azure colour, opaque, refulgent, with spots of gold. This cannot apply to the transparent modern sapphire, which was the ancient hyakinthos (see Jacinth above). It exactly fits the lapis lazuli (mainly a silicate of calcium, aluminium, and sodium), which is of a bright blue colour and is often speckled with yellow iron pyrites (sulphide of iron) . In powdered form it is known as ' ultramarine .'

Sardius (List A 1, B 1 [Heb. 'odem, LXX sardion]). In NT sardion occurs in list C 6, and also in Rev 4' (AV 'sardine stone,' RV 'sardius'). The root meaning of 'odem is 'red,' and sardion, though popularly derived from Sardis (Pliny, HiV xxxvii. 31), is rather the Persian sered ('yellowish red'). AVm and RVm have ' ruby ' in Lists A and B, but it is most Ukely that the ' sardius ' is camelian (semi-transparent siUca, coloured red by oxide of iron). Fhnders Petrie suggests red jasper, which is much the same in composition, but opaque.

Sardonyx (List C 5; also RVm for 'diamond' in Ust A 6). A variety of onyx or banded siUca in which red layers of sardius were present. The typical sardonyx was that in which the bands were alternately black, white, and red, tor PUny (HN xxxvii. 75) describes how the genuine stone was imitated by cementing layers of these colours together.

Topaz (List A 2, B 2; Job 28" [Heb. pitdah, LXX topazion]). ropastom stands also in List C 9. The stone so named by the Greeks was not the modern topaz (silicate of aluminium in which some of the oxygen is replaced by fluorine), but the peridote (yeUowish-green siUcate of magnesium). FUnders Petrie thinks that the name may have been given stiU earUer to green serpen-tine, which was actuaUy used in Egaptian work, and is a hydrated form of the same substance as peridote. The Oriental topaz is yeUow corundum, and the so-called ' false topaz ' is yeUow quartz. RVm has ' topaz ' for 'beryl' (i.e. the 'tarshish stone') in Ca 6".

If the stones above mentioned be classified according to their composition, it wiU appear that, in spite of the bewildering variety of names, the principal groups are comparatively few.

The largest number of stones come under silica, the crystalUzed form of which is distinguished as quartz. When colourless or nearly so, quartz is called 'rock- crystal.' Yellow quartz is the false topaz, violet or amethystine quartz the common amethyst. The amorphous semi-opaque varieties of silica are grouped under the modern term 'chalcedony.' This may be red (sardius, carneUan), leek-green (prasius, ancient jasper), or banded (onyx, sardonyx, modern agate). Opaque siUca gives the modem jasper (ancient agate), which may be coloured red, green, yeUow, etc.

A second group is formed by the silicates (siUca in combination with metaUic oxides). Thus we have modem jacinth (siUcate of zircon), peridote or ancient topaz(silicate of magnesium) , dioptase or ancient chalced-ony (silicate of copper), modern topaz (mainly siUcate

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