As regards the death penalty on saciilegious intruders on the Temple ground, this was, as the inscription indicates (see T. Moramsen, Romische Geschichte, v.- [1885] 513), a law against the Zealots sanctioned by the people and the Roman govern- ment (see art. 'Zealots' in JE xii. 641''), and has nothing to do with the Sanhedrin, as Schiirer thinks (ffJTii.* 260 f.).
Characteristic of later times is the academic view of the 2nd cent, masters of the Mishna (Male. i. 10): 'A Sanhedrin that passes a sentence of death once within 7 years, others say, every 70 years, and still others, only once, deserves the epithet murderous.' The Mislinaic rules of pro- cedure in cases of capital punishment (Sank. iv. 2, 5) may accordingly oe regarded as of ac.ademii! rather than historical value. The Sanhedrin had
its jurisdiction over the Jews throughout the world as far as their religious life was concerned (ROsh hash. i. 3 f. ; cf. A\'. Boussct, Roligiiin de.i Jiiden- turns, 1903, p. 83). As a religious tribunal it out- lasted the Temple and State of Judica, existing in the shape of a body of academicians down to the 5tli cent, when its name was transferred to the seventy members of the academy of Babylonia called Kallah (' the circle').
LiTBRATCBF,.— E. Schiirer, OJV ii.* [11)07) 237-267, wlK-re tlie entire htt-rftturo is Kivcn ; H. L. Strack, art. ' Syiiedriuin ' ill PJiK-t xix. ; W. Bactier, art. ' Sanhedrin ' in IIDll. Especi- ally to be mentioned are A. Kuenen, * Uber die ZuRaninien- setzunp des .Sanliedrin ' (in (Jeifamm. Abtiandl. zur ttiht. H'issirn. srhnfl, tr. K. Biidde, ISIH, pp. 49-81); I. Jelski, Die iiinrrr. KinrichUtuff cUs grossen St/nedrinns zu Jerttsahnn, Ii5il4 ; D. Hoffmann, ' lier oberste Gerichtshof in der Sladt deb lleili^tuins,' in Programm dcg Ralihineracminars zu licrlin. 1S77-78 (only apologetic in character) ; A. Biichler, Vait Synedrioii in JerusaUin und da« grosHc Beth lUn in der Qitaderkammcr den jerusaletniachen TeinpeU, 1002 (valuable (or its Iar{;e material on the subject, but unbound in its argumentation and its historical conclusions).
K. KOHLER.
8APPHIRA.— See Ananias.
SAPPHIRE (<r<t7ri^fipos, from I'sp). — Sapphire is the second foundation stone of the New Jerusalem (Uev 21'"), an idea probably suggested by Is 54". Doubtless the lapis lazuli is meant (so Rev 21'" KVm). According to Theophrastus (Lap. 23) the sapphire is 'as it were spotted with gold dust' (wa-TTtp xp^v6Tra<rTos), and I'liny (HN xxxvii. 38) alludes to its ' aureus pulvis,' and again (39), ' in iis [sapphiris] enim aurum punctis conlucet ca'ruleis.' This description does not .suit the stone now called sajijihire, but is fully applicable to the lapis lazuli, which ' frequently contains dissemin- ated particles of iron-pyrites of gold-like appear- ance' {£■5;" xvi. 199). In Ex 24"> the LXX says that under God's feet is wad Ipyov TrXlfOov <raTr(f>elpov — a fine simile for the star-gemmed azure sky (cf. Ezk 1-'). The modern sapphire is probably the ancient mKivBos, or ' jacinth' (q.v.).
LiTEEiTPRE.— C. W. King:, The Natural History of Precimis Stones and Ge»w, ISCo, pp. 273-277 ; J. H. Middleton, The Engraved Gems of Ctasnical Times, 1801.
James Stkahan. SARAH {Zippa).—(\) Sarah has a place in the Roll of Faith (He 11"). By faith even she her.sclf (Kal airrri) won the title to this great honour. The meaning of airri is doubtful : it may be expanded into 'though she was the weaker vcssid ' (iy(.« ivfirmius, Bengel) ; or, ' though she «as barren ' (D adds the gloss a-Tiipa) ; or, ' though she had been so incredulous.' She received strength for conception (eh (taxa/SoXT)!' a-rripnaToi), believing, even when she was beyond the proper time of life (irapa. Katphv i)\iKlai], that God could by a miracle give her a child. Motherhood after long (■hildlessne.ss is a recurrent theme in Bible narratives : llebekah, Rachel, the mother of Samson, of Samuel, of John Baptist had each a happiness like Sarah's, (2) St. Peter (1 P 3*) praises the holy women of the olden time, who trusted in God and were in subjection to their husbands, 'as Sarah obeyed .Aliraham, calling him lord.' Her reverential use of this term in reference to her husb.and occurs but once (tin 18'-), and would in itself be an insufficient ground for making her a pattern of wifely obedience, especi- ally as words of quite another import stand re- corded against her (16°). But the Apostle evidently felt that the dutiful word was weighted with the love and loyalty of a lifetime.
Literature.— A. Whyte, Bible Characters: Adam to Achan, 1896 ; R. F. Horton, Womenojthe OT, 1897.
James Strahan. SARDIS (ZipSeii, Lat. Sardes or Sardis ; the sing, form 'Zapbit is found in Ptolemy). — Sardis, the capital of the kingdom of Lydia, was one of the
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SAKDIS
SAUL
iiKist ancient and renowned cities of Asia Minor, liuilton a strong' lull projecting, witli smooth and steep llanl<s, from the nortliern side of Mt. Tmolus, it commanded tlie wide and fertile plain tlirongh which the Hermus, about 3 miles N., flowed westward to the Aij^ean Sea. On three sides it was deemed inaccessihle, the only approach being the neck of land which joined the hill to the Tmolns range. It was thus an ideal capital in days of primitive warfare between Lydia and Phrygia. In later times a second city was built arounil the foot of the hill, 1500 ft. lower than the acropolis.