|
|
Today's birthstone list can be traced back to it's roots in the stones of the High Priest's Bleastplate described below in the Book of Exodus 28:15-21.Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions-the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen.
It is to be square,a span long and a span wide, and folded double.
Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl; in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; in the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper; all mounted in gold filigree settings.
There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.Many find it hard to believe that the stones listed in the New International Version of the Bible passage above were the actual stones of the breastplate. Stones like ruby or sapphire could not have been engraved with the tools available in 14th century B.C. when this was made, nor would all of the stones have been available in that geographic area, nor could the Israelites, having just made their exodus from Egypt, have been able to afford purchasing them. Below are various historical writers interpretations of the writings regarding the stones, or as it was known or seen during their times. In his book The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, Gerge Frederick Kunz tries to reconcile some of these differences by distinguishing between the original Breastplate of Aaron or Mosaic Breastplate which would have been made in the 14th century B.C., and the Breastplate of the High Priests likely remade in the Second Temple era sometime during the 6th century B.C.
| KUNZ 1913 MOSAIC BREASTPLATE |
KUNZ 1913 2ND TEMPLE BREASTPLATE |
HISTORICAL VERSION 1611A.D. |
VULGATE (LATIN) 400A.D. |
JOSEPHUS (GREEK) 90A.D. |
SEPTUAGINT (GREEK) 400B.C. |
HEBREW WORD |
| RED JASPER | CARNELIAN | SARDIUS | SARDIUS | SARDONYX | SARDION | ODEM |
| SERPENTINE | PERIDOT | TOPAZ | TOPAZIUS | TOPAZOS | TOPAZION | PITDAH |
| GREEN FELDSPAR | EMERALD | CARBUNCLE | SMARAGDUS | SMARAGDOS | SMARAGDOS | BAREKETH |
| GARNET | RUBY | EMERALD | CARBUNCULUS | ANTHRAX | ANTHRAX | NOPHAK |
| LAPIS-LAZULI | LAPIS-LAZULI | SAPPHIRE | SAPPHIRIUS | IAEPIS | SAPPHEIROS | SAPPIR |
| ONYX | ONYX | DIAMOND | JASPIS | SAPPHEIROS | IASPIS | YAHALOM |
| BROWN AGATE | SAPPHIRE (JACINTH) |
LIGURE | LIGURIUS | LIGUROS | LIGURION | LESHEM |
| BANDED AGATE | BANDED AGATE | AGATE | ACHATES | AMETHYSTOS | ACHATES | SHEBO |
| AMETHYST | AMETHYST | AMETHYST | AMETHYSTUS | ACHATES | AMETHYSTOS | AHLAMAH |
| YELLOW JASPER | TOPAZ | BERYL | CHRYSOLITHUS | CHRYSOLITHOS | CHRYSOLITHOS | TARSHISH |
| MALACHITE | BERYL | ONYX | ONYCHINUS | ONYX | BERYLLION | SHOHAM |
| GREEN JASPER | GREEN JASPER | JASPER | BERYLLUS | BERYLLOS | ONYCHION | YASHPHEH |
Text,
graphics, and HTML code are protected by US and International Copyright Laws,
and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise
distributed by any means without explicit permission.
Graphics from gjcEnterprises unless otherwise noted. Please direct any
technical questions or comments for the Birthstone pages to
webmaster.