Sir'ion (Hcb. sin/on', 'CyC. in Deut., but in Psa. xxix Shiryon', ","i''~'r; .Samar. "i""-; Sam. Ver. "31; Sept. Sai'iiip: \u\q. Sarion),(inc of the various names of Mount Hermos (q. v.), that by which it was known to the Zidonians (Deut. iii, 9). The word is almost identical with that ("("'"O) which in Hebrew denotes a breattpliite, or '"cuirass;" and (Jesenius therefore ex- presses his belief that it was applied in this sense to the mountain just a.sthe name T/ion tx {which has the same meaning) was given to a mountain in Magnesia. This is not supported by the Sam. Ver.. the rendering in which — BabbuH — seems to be equivalent to Jtbd esh-Sheik,
I the ordinary, though not the only modem, name of the mountain. — Smith.
I Sirius, a name which occurs in both mythology and astronomy — the dog which stands near Orion in the skies, and which belonged either to that hero, to Ceph- alus, to Isis, or to Erigone ; the dog-star.
1 Sirleto, Gt-Gi.iELMO. a learned Italian, was born in 1 j!4 at (iuardavalle, near Stiro, in Calabria, of a poor but honorable family, and was early destined to the Church. His intelligence and prodigious memory enabled him to make remarkable progress in study, and he S(K>n gained intliiential friends, who at length procured him the po- ' sition of librarian of the Vatican in 1549. Successive ! popes added to his honors and emoluments, including the cardinalate (1565\ and the bishopric of San Marco in Calabria (1566\then that of Squillaci (1568). which he resigned in 1573. to devote himself wholly to the Vatican library. He died at Rome, Oct. 8, 1585. leaving some religious works, which are enumerated in Hoefer, Xouc. Biog. Getierale, s. v.
Sirmiura, CorxciLS of (Concilium Sirmiense'). I. The first Synod of Sirniium was held in 351 against Photinus. bishop of that see. His heresy was similar to that of Paul of Samosata. He denied the existence of our Lord before his birth of the Virgin, and maintained that he was merely man: but admitted that the Holy j .Spirit descended into him. and that he might in a sub- I ordinate sense be called the Son of Ood. After having been condemned in the Council of Milan in 347, he be- I took himself to Constantius. and demanded a fresh hear- ing before judges to be appointed by the emperor. This was granted to him: and he pleaded his cause against Basil of Ancyra in the presence of certain judges, all laymen, nominated by the emperor. He was, however, again condemned in the Synod of Rome (A,D. 349). in which Valens and L'rs.<ices embraced the communion of Athanasius. An information of the decree against him having been forwarded to the East, the Oriental bish- ops met at Sirmium this year to confirm the act of con- demnation, and to pass sentence of deposition upon Pho- tinus, which was acconlingly done. There seems to be some question about the orthodoxy of the bishops who composed this council, as they drew up a formulary of faith which is denounced by Athanasius as erroneous. Hilary, however, commends it as Catholic. It is not to be confounded with the confession which Hosius of Cor- dova was, by threats and violence, compelled to sign in a subsequent council, held in 357. from which the words nt'iTia. o^ioi'ffioi'. were rejected. See Mansi. ii, 729 ; l\igi. in Baronii Ann. (A.D. 351), note xii; Cave, Apostolici, p. 406.
II. The second Council of Sirmium was held by order of the emperor Constantius. who was at the time in Sir- mium, at the instigation oftheArian bishops, who. hav- ing drawn up a new formularj- of faith, rejecting the words orffia, ofioovrria, and 6f.ioiovffia. in which the Father was declared to be greater than the .Son. endeav- ored to force the Catholic bishojis to subscribe it. and especially Hosius of Cordova. The old man. yielding to torture and imprisonment, at last consentetl. and sign- ed the confession of faith; but Athanasius testifies that before his death he anathematized the Arian heresy (Cave, Aiwsloliei).
Sirmond, Antoine, a French .Jesuit, nephew of the fcllnwiiig. was born at Riom in 1591. and admitted at the age of seventeen to the Order of the .Jesuits, in which he taught philosophy, and afterwards devotcil himself to preaching. He died at Paris, Jan. 12. 1643, leaving several religious works, which are mentioned in Hoefer, Xouv. Biog. Generale. s. v.
Sirmond, Jacques, a learned French .Jesuit, was boni at Ritini, Oct. 12. 1559. being the son of the provost of that place. At the age of ten he was sent to the Col- lege of IJillon. entered the Society of .Jesuits in 1576. and took the vows two vears after. He was sent to Paris,
SIRNAME
V83
SISSON"
where he taught classical literature two years and rhet- oric three, liaviiii; Francis tie Sales as one of his pupils. During this time he acquired his knowledge of the ( ireeU and Latin languages. In loiSG lie hegan his course of divinity, which lasted four years. In 1590 he was sent to Rome by the general of the order, Aquaviva, to be- come his secretarj-, which ofHce he tilled for sixteen years. Tiie study of antiquities was at that time his principal object, and he became noted as an anticjuarian. He returned to I'aris in ltj08. I'ope Urban VIII had a desire to draw him again to Rome, and caused a letter for that purpose to be sent to him by father Vittelleschi, general of their order; but Louis XIII retained him, and in ItJiJ? appointed him his confessor. In 1(543, after the death of Louis XIII, he left the court and resumed his ordinary occupations. In 16-t5 he went to Rome, for the sake of assisting at the election of a general, upon the death of Vittelleschi ; and then returned to France and resumed his studies. But, having engaged in a warm dispute in the College of the Jesuits, the exertion brought on a disorder which carried him off in a few days. He died Oct. 7, 1651. Much of Sirmond's life and the better part of his reputation relate to his labors as an editor. His works, as author and editor, amount to fifteen volumes, folio, five of which contain his original productions. They were printed at the royal printing-house, Paris, 1696, under the title Jacohi Sirmoiidi Opera Varia, nunc primiim CoUecta, ex ipsius Schedis Emendadora, Notis Posthumis, Epistolis, et Opus- ciilis aliqnibus Auctioia. See Hoefer, iVowi;. Biog. Ge- nerule, s. v.