The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous ... - Cd3wd.com

380
ANCIENT HISTORY OP
Palestine, are Levit. xiii. 47, 48. 52. 59, where linen garments
are four times mentioned in opposition to woollen.
Proverbs xxi. 13. The virtuous woman, so admirably de-
scribed in this chapter, " seeketh wool and flax, and worketh
wilUngly with her hands." (See Part First, Chapter I. p. 13.).
This proves, that flax was still an important article of cultiva-
tion in Palestine.
In 1 Chron. iv. 21. there is an allusion to a great estabhsh-
ment for dressing the fine flax, called Butz, or Bi/ssiis. It
was conducted by certain families of the tribe of Judah*.
Jeremiah (xiii. 1.) mentions nTiiiJB mTS, " a linen girdle ;"
Lumbare lineum, Vulgate ; mpH^^ona \ivovv LXX. thsi tit Jona-
thati ; xinDi x-itia (sudarium) Syriac.
Hosea (ii. 5. 9.) mentions wool and flax as the two chief ar-
ticles of clothing for the Jews in his time.
Ezekiel (xliv. 17, 18.), in his description of the temple which
he saw in vision, says, the priests on entering the inner court
would put on Hnen garments, including a turban and drawers
of hnent. The use of wool is here prohibited and hnen pre-
scribed for those who were to be engaged in sacred services, on
account of its superior cleanhness and purity. They were not
to ^^ gird themselves with anything that causeth sweatP On
returning to the outer court, so as to be in contact with the
people, they were to put on the common dress, which was at
least in part woollen.
In the Old Testament we also find flax used for making
cords^ Judges xv. xvi. ; for the wicks of lamps, Is. xhi. 17.;
and for a measuring line, Ezek. xl. 31.
According to Herodotus vii. 25, 34, 36, the Phoenicians fur-
nished Xerxes with ropes of flax for constructing his bridge,
* Hehr. yzTi ntSJ-JT'i finCiCJa, i. e. " the families, or perhaps the partnerships,
of the manufactory of Byssus ;" Vulg. " Cognationes domus operantium bys-
sum."
t It is remarkable that the Chaldee Paraphrast Jonathan here uses 21i (bys-
bus) for the Hebrew DTiiDB.
t The use of the cord of flax (linea) for measuring, &c. is the origin of the
word line. " Linea genere suo appellata, quia ex lino fit." Isidori Hisp. Etymol.
1. xix. c. 18. De instrumentis fiedificiorum.