Se-Baptists, a small and obscure sect which struck off from the Brownists (Independents) early in the 17tli century. Tliey received their name from the act of their leader, John Smith, of Amsterdam, in baptizing himself. After entertaining several views, he at last declared for the principles of the Baptists. Upon this he left Amsterdam and settled with his disciples at Ley, where, being at a loss for a proper administrator of the ordinance of baptism, he plunged himself and then per- formed the ceremony upon others. The Se-Baptists maintain that it is lawful for every one to baptize him- self; and the Samokrestschentsi (a small Russian sect of self-baptizers) give as a reason that there is no one on earth sufficiently holy to administer the ordinance aright. See Blunt, i'tW. o/"(5>'ec/*', s. v. ; Gardner, /'aiV/zs of the World, s. v.
Sebaste. See Sajiaria.
Sebastian, St., a Christian martyr under Diocle- tian, was born at Narbonne, in Gaul, and educated at Milan. Although a Christian, he entered the Roman arm}', concealing his religion, with the view of being en- abled by his position to assist and protect the Christians. He rose to high favor under Diocletian, and became a member of the emperor's guard. At length he was informed against, and Diocletian used every effort to in- duce him to renounce the Christian belief, but in vain. He was condemned to be put to death b\- a troop of Matiritanian archers, who transfixed him with arrows and left him for dead. Some Christians coming to the place of execution to bury him found signs of life re- maining, and he was removed to the house of a Chris- tian lady, Irene, and recovered. He would not yield to the persuasions of his friends to remain in seclusion, but intentionally placed himself in the emperor's way. Dio- cletian condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs iu the amphitheatre, and his body was fiung into one of the sewers of the city. According to the Acts of Mar- tyrdom, it was discovered by means of an apparition, and carried by a Christian lady, Lncina, to the cata- comb which is still called Ijy his name. The day of his martyrdom was Jan. 20, 288, but by the Greeks the feast is held 1 )ec. 20.
'i'here is another saint of the same name, who is said to have suffered martyrdom in Armenia.
Se'bat, or rather Shkuat (Heb. Shehat', I22w, a rod or tribe; Sept. "S.a^ar). the fifth inonth of the Jew- ish civil year, and the eleventh of the ecclesiastical 3'ear, from the new inoon of February to that of March ; or, according to others, corresponding to our Januarv. See IVIoNTii. The name is substantially the same in the Syrian and Arabic. The Jews began in this month to number the years of the trees they planted, the fruits of
SEBBUN"
497
SECHUANA VERSION"
which were esteemed impure till the fourth year (Zech. 1,7). See Calendak, Jewish.
Sebbun, in Japanese mythology, is a feast of puri- fication and of expelling the evil spirit, which is done shortly before the advent of the new year. This festi- val also serves as the date for the settlement of semi- annual payments. — VoUmer, \Vo7-te9-b. d. i\[ythol. s. v,
Sebirin ("p"I^SD), or imaginary readings, is a tech- nical term of the Masorites to denote that words in the Bible ought to be read so and so, but they are not. This expression is derived from sabar, "ino, " to believe, think;" thus we read in Dan. vii, 25 130"^% and he thought, and in the Chaldee paraphrase on Prov. xiv, 12, "there is a way which is right in the view of man," we read " there is a way which man imagines" ("j^Tno"!), etc. Now there are a nimiber of such imaginary or supposed readings to be found in the Hebrew text of the Old Test., as the following examples will prove. Thus we read :
PKH, thcfie, is said to stand eight times for ilPXtl as iu Gen. xix, 25 ; xxvi, 3 ; Lev. xviii, 29, etc.
■^SPS, thuusand, is said to stand four times for D'^SSX, as in Exod. xxxii, 2S ; Jud. iv, 10, etc.
^^N''1, and he said, is said to stand twelve times for "llTSN^I, "and they said," as iu Exod. xiv, 25; Numb, xxxii, 25, etc.
V"iX, into the land, is said to stand five times for
nSIX, as iu Gen. xiv, 25, etc.
•Ti'X, a wife, stands three times for H^N?, " for a wife," as iu 2 Chron. xxi, 6; Ezra ii, (il ; Neh. vii, 63.
"ITTN, lokich, stands four times for "IITXD, "as which," Exod. xiv, 13 ; Lev. vii, 36, 38 ; Numb, iv, 49.
"ICX2, «-s' toliich, stands ten times for 'ITUX, "which," Dent, xvi, 10; xxiv, 8; Jo^h. ii, 7; xiii, 8; xiv, 2; Jer. xxiii, 27 : Isa. li, 13; Hos. vii, 12 ; .Tonah i. 14; Hao;. i, 12.
nrX, thuti, stauds three times for TIV.", "now," as 1 Kinsrs i, IS, 20.
13'?2'a, from it, stands six times for rl5'2''3, " from her," as Lev. vi, 8; xxvii, 9; Josh, i, 7; Judg. xi, 34; 2 Kings iv, 39; 1 Kings xxii, 43.
h", vpon, stands nine times for 1", "until," as Gen. xhx, 13; Josh, ii, 7; xiii, Ki ; Jndg. vii. 22.