2 Sam. xiii, 23-28; 2 Kings x, 12, 14; Isa. liii, 7).
Sheer-Thursday (spelled also Chare, Shere, or Shier) is also known as Maniidag ((j. v.) or Shrift Thiirsiliig. These are names given in England to the Thursday of Passion Week. It is known in the Komish Church as Qniiita Feria Dominica in liiimis Palmariim, and its institution is attributed to Leo II about 682. But the day was observed as earlv as the 5th century by the celebration of the Lord's supper in conuceiion with the washing of feet. It has had several appella- tious in allusion to events commemorated or ceretnoides observed, such as Dies Caiue Dominica;, the Dav of the Lord's Supper; Dies Natalis Eucharistiie, the Birthday of the ICucliarist; Natalis Calicis, the Birthdav of the Cup; Dies Panis, the Day of Hread ; Dies Lucis, the Day of Light, with allusion perhaps to the lights used
at the Lord's supper; Dies Viridium, a title of doubtful meaning. It was also called Capilularium, because the heads {capita} of catechumens were washed that day preparatory to baptism. The name given to it in Eng- land was derived from the custom of men polling their beards on this day as a token of grief for our Lord's betrayal : " for that in old fathers' days the people would that day shere their heedes, and clypp theyr hordes, and pool theyr heedes, and make them honest ayent Easter- day." In Saxony it is called Good-Thursday, and in the north of England Kiss-Thursday, in allusion to the Ju- das kiss. Among the observances of the day were the silence of all bells from this day till Easter-eve; the admission of penitents who had been excluded from re- ligious services at the beginning of Lent; and the con- secration of the elements by the pope below the altar of the Lateran. Oil for extreme unction, for chrism, and for baptism was consecrated on this day. After vespers on this day two acolytes strip the altars of all their ornaments, and cover them with black trimmings, while in many places the altars are washed with wine and water, and rubbed with herbs Eadie, Eccles. Cy- clop, s. v.; Walcott, Sac. A ichceol. s. v.
Sheet stands in the A. V. for the Heb. "p"!©, sadin (Judg. xiv, 12, 13, '"fine linen," Prov. xxxi, 24, Isa. iii, 23; comp. aivcwv), and the Gr. o^ovrf (Acts x, II ; xi, 5), which both mean properly a linen cloth; hence the former a shirt (as in the marg.), and the latter a sail. See Linen.
Shegog, William A., a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was born in Rutherford Coun- ty, N. C, Nov. 8, 1821. He professed religion in 1843, was licensed to preach about 1850, and in 1853 was ad- mitted into the Alabama Conference. He located in 1857; was readmitted into the Alabama Conference in 1859, and in 1860 was transferred to the Texas Confer- ence. He labored in Texas until sliortl}' before his death, April 28, 1864. See Minutes of Ann. Conferences ofM. E. Ch. South, 1864, p. 525.
Shehari'ah (Heb. Shecharyah', !l^"^n":3, dawning of Jehovah ; Sept. Soapi'ac, v. r. "Zapnia and "Slanpia), second named of the six sons of Jeroham, Benjamites resident in Jerusalem at the captivity (1 Cliron. viii, 26). B.C. 588.
Sheik (Arabic for elder^, a title of reverence, applied chiefly to a learned man or a reputed saint, but also used sometimes as an ordinary title of respect, like the Euro- pean Mr., Herr, etc., before the name. It is, however, only given to a Moslem. The term is also applied to heads of Mohammedan monasteries, and to the higher order of religious preachers. The sheik of Jlecca, by virtue of his supposed descent from the prophet, levies a kind of tribute on all the pilgrims to the Kaaba.
SHEtK al-Gebal (Ancient of the Mountaai) is the name of the prince of the Assassins, or those Ismaelites of Irak who undertook to assassinate all those whom their chief would pronounce to be his enemies.
SHEIK el-Islam, one of the titles of the grand-mufii of Constantinople, who is president of the Ulema, or Col- lege of the Professors of the Mohammedan Law. The title is supposed to have been assumed first by Moham- med II ill 1453, when Constantinople became the seat of his empire.
Sheiri, tutelar\'- spirits of the Caribs, who are the protectors of the male sex among men.
Shekalim. See Talmi'd,
She'kel [many shek'ell (Heb. shekel, 5p'w.\ from bp'w, to ireigh out), the Hebrew standard of valuation, as the cubit was of mensuration. See jMETHOLOf;Y.
I. Scriptural Description. — The shekel was properly a certain weight according to which the quantity and price of things were determined ; e. g. bread (Ezek. iv, 10); hair (1 Sam. xiv, 26) , especiallv metals, as brass, iron, silver, gold; and articles made of metal, as arms,
SHEKEL
644
SHEKEL
vessels, etc. (Exod. xxxviii, 24, 25, 29 ; Numb, vii, 13 sq. ; xxxi, 52 ; 1 Sam. xvii, 5, 7 ; Josh, vii, 21 ; 1 Cliron. iii, 9). Especially did tlie Hebrews use silver weighed by the shekel as money, and often it was actually weighed out, although they may early have had pieces or bars of silver marked with the weight (Gen. xxiii, 16; Lev. v, 15 ; xxvii, 3-7 ; 2 Sam. xxiv, 24 ; Jer. xxxii, 9, 10 ; Ezek. xxi, 32). From the common shekel is distinguished the sacred shekel ("il^lpil ^i^lT, "shekel of the sanctuary"), somewhat heavier, it woukl seem, or at least of just and full weight, according to which all contributions and tribute for sacred purposes were to be reckoned (Exod. XXX, 13,24; xxxviii, 24; Lev. v, 15; xxvii, 3,25; Numb, iii, 47, 50 ; vii, 13 ; xviii, 16 ; xix, 25) ; but whether the shekel of the king's weight ("^^" "|?^3 ^i?''r?j 2 Sam. xiv, 26) is still different, cannot be determined. Nor can the exact weight of the shekel be fully ascertained. The sacred shekel contained twenty (jeruhs, beans, car- rot-corns, as some suppose (Exod. xxx, 13; Lev. xxvii, 25 ; Numb, iii, 47 ; xviii, 16 ; Ezek. xlv, 12). More to the purpose is the specification of the rabbins that the she- kel was equal to 320 barley-grains; since this accords tolerably well with the actual weight of the Maccabajan shekels still preserved. In the time of the Maccabees (1 Mace. XV, 6) silver coins were struck, each weighing one shekel, and stamped with the words PSIC^ 'P^i « shekel of Israel (see Bayer, De Nummis Hehreeo-Suma- ritanis [Valent. 1781, 4to], p. 171 sq. ; Eckhel, Boot?: Numor. Vet. I, iii, 465 sq.). Some of the specimens still extant, though worn by age, weigh 266 or 270 Paris grains; so that the full Maccaba>an shekel must have been at least about 274 grains, and thus equivalent to tlie didruchm of yEgina. Hence the Sept. renders the ■word sometimes aiKkoc, and sometimes Siopax/J-ov or cicpnxfia. But Josephus and later writers give the value at four Attic drachma (^Ant. iii, 8, 2; Hesych. s. V. ; Jerome, A d Ezech. p. 43, ed. Vallars.). In their time, however, the Attic drachma had depreciated, and was reckoned as equal to the Koman denarius, i. e. I^d. sterling, or 15 cents (Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxi, 109). The Maccabiean shekel, therefore, may be estimated at 2s. 6(/. sterling, or 60 cents. (See Bijckh, Metrol. Untersuch. p. 55-57, 62, 63, 299 , Smith, Diet, of Class. Antiq. s. v. " De- narius"). Hence the half-shekel, which was to be paid yearly to the Temple (Exod. xxxviii, 26), is called Si- Spaxjiov in Matt, xvii, 24. Some suppose that the ear- lier common shekel was less than the Maccabaaan by one half (Bockh, ut sup. p. 63; Bertheau, Ahhandl. p. 26). At Ephesus a shekel of gold was in use, according to Alexander yEtolus {up. Macrob. Sat. v. 22). Some understand such a coin in 1 Chron. xxi, 25; but the words imply rather weight. — Gesenius, Thesaur. s. v.