![]() As a first-generation translation, the Septuagint is the most direct linguistic link to the identities of the breastplate gemstones. The name “Septuagint” stems from the Latin septu gint, meaning “seventy” and refers to the number of Jewish scholars who worked on the translation. Greek translation of the original Hebrew Bible. The Septuagint is a third through first-century B.C.E. A specialist in the archaeological geology of Egypt and the Middle East, Harrell presents his ideas in a paper published in the Bulletin for Biblical Research and titled “Old Testament Gemstones: A Philological, Geological, and Archaeological Assessment of the Septuagint.” Harrell, Professor Emeritus of Geology at the University of Toledo, has taken a different approach to identify breastplate gemstones. Their translations are based largely on tradition, limited gemstone knowledge, personal whim, or simple phonetics – sapphieros must mean “sapphire,” and topazos must means “topaz.” The Septuagint’s topazos, widely translated as “topaz,” is actually peridot, the gem variety of olivine. Most interpretations and translations of the names of the breastplate gemstones were provided by scholars with little, if any, geological, gemological, mineralogical, or sometimes even historical, awareness. Gemstones of the Bible - Tricky Translations The Book of Exodus, which contains the breastplate description, is based almost entirely on oral tradition and was written in stages between 600 and 400 B.C.E. The breastplate was created about 1450 B.C.E. According to biblical scholars, the Old Testament was written over a period of 1,000 years, roughly from 1400 to 400 B.C.E. Prior to the first century B.C.E., most gemstones were opaque or translucent and were fashioned as cabochons.įor centuries, historians, theologians, and scholars have debated the identities of the breastplate gemstones and agree only on the general historical background of the breastplate itself. Many depict the gemstones as faceted, transparent gems, even though faceting as we know it today was not developed until about 1400 C.E. Pin this post to save this information for later.Īdding to the confusion, modern artistic depictions of the breastplate often disregard the probable color and transparency of its gemstones. Most are modern names of gemstones, minerals, and mineral varieties, along with some archaic English names and several untranslated Greek and Latin names. Modern English versions of the Bible collectively offer more than 40 different identities for the 12 breastplate gemstones. Not surprisingly, the identities of the breastplate gemstones have become confused. Our knowledge of the Old Testament as presented in the Bible’s many English versions is based on 2,500 years of scholarly interpretation of Greek, Aramaic, and Latin translations Gemstones of the Bible - Debating Identities Each gemstone was identified in ancient Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament.īut the text of the original Hebrew Bible and the meanings of many ancient Hebrew words are now largely lost. ![]() The Bible’s most celebrated – and debated – reference to gemstones regards the sacred breastplate of the high priest of the Israelites, also known as “Aaron’s breastplate” and the “breastplate of judgment.” Described in detail in the Old Testament’s Book of Exodus, this golden breastplate was set with 12 different gemstones arranged in four rows of three gemstones each. Gemstones of the Bible - Sacred Breastplate It also mentions 23 specific gem materials, among them 20 mineral gemstones and three biogenic gem materials like amber, coral and pearls. ![]() What are the gemstones of the Bible? The Bible makes many general references to “precious stones” and “jewels,” most often as metaphors for such attributes as value, wealth, beauty, and durability.
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