Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
garments” of the poor, were made goat’s or camel’s hair. (Exodus 26:7; Matthew 3:4) Wool was
extensively used for ordinary clothing, (Leviticus 13:47; Proverbs 27:26; 31:13; Ezekiel 27:18)
while for finer work flax was used, varying in quality, and producing the different textures described
in the Bible as “linen” and “fine linen.” The mixture of wool and flax in cloth intended for a garment
was interdicted. (Leviticus 19:19; 22:11)
Wedding
[Marriage]
Week
There can be no doubt about the great antiquity of measuring time by a period of seven days.
(Genesis 8:10; 29:27) The origin of this division of time is a matter which has given birth to much
speculation. Its antiquity is so great its observance so widespread, and it occupies so important a
place in sacred things, that it must probably be thrown back as far as the creation of man. The week
and the Sabbath are thus as old as man himself. A purely theological ground is thus established for
the week. They who embrace this view support it by a reference to the six days’ creation and the
divine rest on the seventh. 1st. That the week rests on a theological ground may be cheerfully
acknowledged by both sides; but nothing is determined by such acknowledgment as to the original
cause of adopting this division of time. Whether the week gave its sacredness to the number seven,
or whether the ascendancy of that number helped to determine the dimensions of the week, it is
impossible to say. 2d. The weekly division was adopted by all the Shemitic races, and, in the later
period of their history at least, by the Egyptians. On the other hand, there is no reason for thinking
the week known till a late period to either Greeks or Romans. So far from the week being a division
of time without ground in nature, there was much to recommend its adoption. And further, the week
is a most natural and nearly an exact quadri-partition of the month, so that the quarters of the moon
may easily have suggested it. It is clear that if not in Paul’s time, yet very soon after, the whole
Roman world had adopted the hebdomadal division. Weeks, Feast of. [Pentecost]
Weights And Measures
A. WEIGHTS.—The general principle of the present inquiry is to give the evidence of the
monuments the preference on all doubtful points. All ancient Greek systems of weight were derived,
either directly or indirectly, from an eastern source. The older systems of ancient Greece and Persia
were the AEginetan, the Attic, the Babylonian and the Euboic.
•The AEginetan talent is stated to have contained 60 minae, 6000 drachme.
•The Attic talent is the standard weight introduced by Solon.
•The Babylonian talent may be determined from existing weights found by. Mr. Layard at Nineveh.
Pollux makes it equal to 7000 Attic drachms.
•The Euboic talent though bearing a Greek name, is rightly held to have been originally an eastern
system. The proportion of the Euboic talent to the Babylonian was probably as 60 to 72, or 5 to
•Taking the Babylonian maneh at 7992 grs., we obtain 399,600 for the Euboic talent. The principal
if not the only Persian gold coin is the daric, weighing about 129 grs.
•The Hebrew talent or talents and divisions. A talent of silver is mentioned in Exodus, which
contained 3000 shekels, distinguished as “the holy shekel,” or “shekel of the sanctuary.” The gold
talent contained 100 manehs, 10,000 shekels. The silver talent contained 3000 shekels, 6000 bekas,
60,000 gerahs. The significations of the names of the Hebrew weights must be here stated. The
chief unit was the Shekel (i.e. weight), called also the holy shekel or shekel of the sanctuary ;
subdivided into the beka (i.e. half) or half-shekel, and the gerah (i.e. a grain or beka). The chief
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William Smith