Riibezahl, in Silesian legend, was a good-natured spirit of the Riesengebirge who assisted the good, the needy, and the wandering traveller, but who also teased and punished the wicked. He was able to assume any form whatever, and appeared sometimes as a rabbit run- ning between the feet of pedestrians, sometimes as a turtle, sometimes in the form of a hawk, snatching the hat from a sleeper's head, and sometimes so confused the senses that the tiles on a roof seemed to be of gold, or that a person seemed to see his own double, etc. lie never carried his sport so far, however, as to work real injury to his victim. The name Riibezahl was a nick- name, and greatly irritated him ; but he loved to be called "The Lord of the Mountains." — Vollmer, Wor- terb. d. Mythol. s. v.
Rubigo. See Robigus.
Rubino, Joseph Carl Friedrich. a German doc- tor and professor of philologj' and ancient history, was born Aug. 15, 1799, at Fritzlar, of Jewish parentage. Having completed his studies at Heidelberg and Gfit- tingen, he lived from 1820 to 1831 in private at Cassel, where he became intimately acquainted with the most prominent men of his time. In 1831 he was appointed professor at Marburg, and April 24, 1842, he openly pro- fessed the Christian faith. Up to his death, April 10, 1864, he lectured at Marburg, having been invested sev- eral times with the highest offices of the university. His last words were, " For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. iii, 11). The great veneration in which Rubino was held is best shown in Dr. Grau's dedication of his work, Semiten und Tndof/ermanen. to his fatherly friend Rubino. See Kal- kar, Israel und die Kirche, p. 127 ; Delitzsch, Saat auf Hoffhunf/, H, ii, 52 sq. : TAlerarischer Handweiser, 1864, p. .S42 ; Fiirst, Bibl. Jud. iii, 179. (B. P.)
Rubrics (Lat, rubrica, from 7-uber, red), in classic use, meant the titles or headings of chapters in certain law-books, and is derived from the red color of the ink in 'which these titles were written, in order to distinguish them from the text. In mediieval and modern use the name is restricted to the directions which are found in the service-books of the Church, as to the ordering of the several prayers, and the performance of the some- times complicated ceremonial by which they were ac- companied. The same name, together with the usage itself, is retained in the Church of England Prayer-book ; and in all these, even where the direction has ceased to be printed in red ink, the name rubric is still retained. Where red ink is not employed, the rubric is distin- guished from the text by italics, or some other variety of print. In the Catholic Church a considerable con- troversy exists as to whether the rubrics of the missal, the ritual, and the breviary are to be considered pre- ceptive or only directive — a question into which it would be out of place to enter. A similar controversy has ex- isted at various times in the Englisii Church. The sci- ence of rubrics is with Catholics a special branch of study, the chief authorities on which are Gavanti, Me- rati, Cavalieri, and other more compendious writers.— Chambers's Encyclop. s. v.
Rubruquis, Guifj^aume he. See Ruysbroek.
Ruby (only plur. ti''^''^B. peninim ; once [Prov. iii, 15, Kotliib] D''''''2'Q, penii/iin ; Sept. Xi^ni, or XiSroi tto- XvTtXiig ; Vulg. cuncta opes, cuncta pretiosissima, gem- nue, de ultimis finibus, ebor antiquum), a gem concerning which there is much difference of opinion and great un- certainty. It occurs in the following passages: '-The
price of wisdom is above peninhn" (Job xxviii, 18 ; so also Prov. iii, 15; viii, 11 ; xxxi, 10) ; "A multitude of peninim'' (xx, 15). In Lam. iv, 7, it is said, " the Naza- rites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than peni7nm." Eoote (Animad. Sac. iv, 3), on account of the ruddiness men- tioned in the last passage, supposed "coral" to be in- tended, for which, however, there appears to be another Hebrew word. See Coral. Michaelis (Suppl. p. 2023) is of the same opinion, and compares the Heb. iliiD with the Arab, panah, " a branch." Gesenius (Thesaur. s. v.) defends this argument. Bochart (I/ieroz. iii, 601 ) contends that the Hebrew terra denotes pearls, and ex- plains the " ruddiness" alluded to above by supposing that the original word ('^"l'*) signifies merely "bright in color," or " color of a reddish tinge." This opinion is supported liy Rosenmiiller (Schol. in Thren.) and oth- ers, but opposed by Maurer {Comment.') and Gesenius. Certainly it would be no compliment to the great peo- ple of the land to say that their bodies were as red as coral or rubies, unless we adopt Maurer's explanation, who refers the "ruddiuess" to the blood which flowed in their veins. See Ruddy. On the whole, consider- ing that the Hebrew word is always used in the plural, we are inclined to adopt Bochart's explanation, and un- derstand pearls to be intended.— Smith. See Pearl.
The ruby is, however, generally supposed to be rep- resented by the word "IS"!?) kad-kod', which occurs in Ezek. xxvii, 6, and Isa. liv, 12, where the A. V. renders it "agate" (q. v.). An Arabic word of similar sound (kadskadsat) signifies "vivid redness;" and as the He- brew word may be derived from a root of like significa- tion, it is inferred that it denotes the Oriental ruby, which is distinguished for its vivid red color, and wiis regarded as the most valuable of precious stones next after the diamond. This mode of identification, how- ever, seems rather precarious. The Greek translator of Ezek. xxvii, 16 does not appear to have known what it meant, for he preserves the original word; and although the translator of Isa. liv, 12 hus jasper (Gr. iaspis, lacr- TTic), he is not regarded as an}' authority in such mat- ters when he stands alone. The ruby was doubtless known to the Hebrews, but it is by no means certain that kad-kod was its name. Some have supposed that the word ekdach, tT^pX, which from its etymology should signify a sparkling, flaming gem, is to be regard- ed as a species of ruby. It occurs only in Isa. liv, 12; hence the Sept. and A. Y. make it a " carbuncle" (q. v.). — Kitto.