Sapphire (T'SD, sappir [according to Gesenius,
from its capacity for engravimj ; hut according to Fiirst, from its hrilliancy']; Sept. and N. T. (juTTfjmput;; Vulg. sapphirus), a precious stone, apparently of a bright-blue color; see Exod. xxiv, 10, wiiere the God of Israel is represented as being seen in vision by Moses and the elders with "a paved work of a sajqiir stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness" (comp. Ezek. i, 26). The sapjnr was the second stone in the second row of the high-priest's breastplate (Exod. xxviii, 18) ; it was extremely precious (Job xxviii, 16) ; it was one of the precious stones that ornamented the king of Tyre (Ezek. xxviii, 13). In the Apocalyptic vision it formed the second foundation-wall of the New Jerusa- lem (liev. xxi, 19). Notwithstanding the identity of name between our sapphire and the ac'nrtpttpo^' and S(ipp/ii7-us of the Greeks and Romans, it is generally agreed that the sapphire of the ancients was not our gem of that name, viz. the azure or indigo-blue crvs- talline variety of cfinnidum, but our lujns- lazuli (ul- tramarine) ; for Pliny (iV. H. xxxvii, 9) thus speaks of the sajrphirus : "It is refulgent with spots of gold, of an azure color sometimes, but not often purple. The best kind comes from Media ; it is never transparent, and is not well suited for engraving upon when inter- sected with hard, crystalline particles." The account of Tlieophrastus is similar {De Lapitl.23). This descrip- tion answers exactly to the character of the lapis-lazuli; the " crystalline particles" of Pliny are crystals of iron pyrites, which often occur with this mineral. It is, however, not so certain that the sappir of the Hebrew Bible is identical with the lapis-lazuli; for the scriptu- ral requirements demand transparency, great value, and good material for the engraver's art, all of which com- bined characters the lapis-lazuli docs not possess in any great degree. Pliny calls it" inutilissculptura\" King {Antique Gems, p. 44) says that intagli and camei of Roman times are frequent in the material, but rarely any works of much merit. Again, the sappir was cer- tainly pellucid: "sane apnd JudaBos," says Braun {De I'est. Sac. p. 680, ed. 1680), "saphiros pelhicidas notas fuisse manifestissimum est, adeo etiam ut pellucidum il- lorum philosophis dicatur T^SD, saphir.'" Beckmann {Hist, of Invent, i, 472) is of opinion tliat the sappir of the Hebrews is the same as the lapis-lazuli; Rosen- mliller and Braun argue in favor of its being our sap- phire or precious corundum.
The Oriental sapphire is a pellucid gem, little infe- rior in hardness to tlie diamond. The best are found in Pegu, and in the sand of the rivers of Ceylon. They are very seldom foinid of a large size. Tlieir color is blue, varying througli all the intermediate shades down to colorless. The deep blue are called male sapphires; the lighter, water sapphires, or female sapphires. The sapphire has been sometimes found red, and has then been mistaken for ruby. There is a gem called sa))phiro- rubinus, which is a sapphire part blue, part ruby-color- ed : it is called by the Indians nilacundi. I'recious stones were considered by the ancients to be emblemat- ical of some faculty or virtue. Pope Innocent HI sent to king John a present of four rings: the sapphire, de- noting hope; the emerald, faith ; the garnet, charitj' ; the topaz, good works. Tlie sapphire is the stone which, in the high-priest's breastplate, bore the name of Issachar. According to the Cabalists, the sapphire was fatal to serpents. The rabbins also have an absurd story about the engraving of tlie gem on the liigh- priest's breastplate by means of a singular worm (see the Talmudical treatises Sopha. and Oiltin). The an- cients as well as moderns had many other superstitions and speculations concerning this stone. (See Jungen- dres, De Sapphiro [Alt. 1705J.) See Gem.
Sappir Codex. See SiiArirtA MANiscniPT.
Sa'ra {'^appa), a Grajcized form of the Heb. name Sarah {i\. v. ), ai)[)lied to two women in the Apocrypha and New Test.
1. The wife of Abraham (Heb. xi, 11 ; 1 Pet. iii, 6).
SARAB
352
SARAH
2. The daughter of Raguel and Edna, betrothed to I her cousin Toljias, a native of Ecbatana in iMedia, in the apocryplial history of Tobit. As the story goes, she had been married to seven husbands, who were all slain on the wedding night by Asmodicns, tlie evil spirit, who loved lier (^Tol). iii. 7). This spirit the rabbins call Ashmedai, and say he was the incestuous offspring of Tubal-Cain by his sister Naama, who became the moth- er of many devils; and that lie was enamoured of the beauty of Sara as the angels were of the daughters of men (Gen. v). vSee Asmod.ei-s. The breaking of the spell and the chasing-away of the evil spirit by the *• tisliv fume," when Sara was married to Tobias, with whom she afterwards lived in peace, are told in ch. viii. See ToBiT.
Sarab. See Brikr.
Sarabaites, a vagrant class of monks among the Egyptians in the 4th century, designated Remholh. They lived together in very small communities, chiefly in cities where everything they did might attract at- tention. They turned religion into an art, and made a gain by the exhibition of pretended miracles. Their dress was most disgusting and their conduct immoral (lerome, Kp. 22 ad Eiistocli).