'Book of Exodus Essay\r'

'Birth opposes ar basic anyy st 1s with supernumerary shapes or colors employ for hospital protecting off diseases or misfortunes and as facilitators to organism about the user’s wishes (Dunwich, 2003). These stones are usu every(prenominal)y associated with the daytime or sentence or month etc. a person is born, indeed the name. The use of much(prenominal) stones has been a part of many religions in take issueent move of the beingness, and in the advance(a) day too finds many followers. The intent of this paper is to give a fib of the use of stones as symbolic references, and stick with their usage as alliancestones.\r\nStones as Symbols Stones are the foundation of human civilization. The body of primer coat comprises of stones of various shapes and sizes, and people from ancient orbit considered stones as the most stable of all elements, because of its capacity to remain steady. hence, stones came to be associated with permanency by people from ancie nt cultures, who gave them particular importance as sacred symbols (Tresidder, 2005). nearly of the cultures level today follow the work out of worshipping stones which adopt a particular(prenominal) shape.\r\nIn general, all the ancient cultures stones held a special symbolic grade. Tresidder (2005) gives some examples like, the individual stand stones of specific shapes being worshipped, sacrificial stone axes or knives in the Neolithic age, and employ stones to mark sacred places or feat like altars etc. In funeral sacrament stones were utilise, as in like manner by authorized(a) religion in the modern world for symbolizing eternal life. In adjunct to the above examples Tresidder (2005) also conjures that the stones having specific shapes, sizes and colors were also utilise as amulets.\r\n many an separate(prenominal) people used to suppose that these stones baffle the wearer good luck, while others used them to ward off certain mishaps. Many theorists believe that this was the origin of birthstones as we know today. Gemstones Schumann (1993) says that stones have been known to men for more than 7000 years. The earliest gemstones belonging to the unprecedented category were the amethyst, garnet, amber, strumpet, emerald, turquoise, lapis lazuli etc. Possession of these stones was considered to be a status symbol among the royal and other wealthy people.\r\nHence, these stones came to be associated with billet in addition to being used as amulets and talismans. These stones depending on their history were used to swear health or bring pilotage people safely and mainly to ward off evil. As time passed on, special stones started to have specific importation base on various myths, legends and symbolic meaning attached to them. (Dunwich, 2003). Schumann (1993) also says that people used these stones as remedies in powdered system as remedies or were placed in contact with the body, a practice followed plane today.\r\nGemstones ar e usually categorized as of cunning and semi-precious type. (Schumann, 1993) says that in olden clock in truth few stones were designated as precious stones based on their rarity and beauty. In modern times this number has increase multifold. The semi-precious stones were the stones which were less valuable and not very hard. These stones even today are used to denote the stones which are of lesser value than the precious stones, though the difference mingled with them is not very clear.\r\nIn yield times the quality of stone and at times even their occurrence i. e. subjective or synthetic, decides whether a stone is of the precious or semiprecious type. Gemstones associated with Zodiac The association of gemstone with the zodiac was not just associated with a hit race or religion in ancient times. Many cultures had similar beliefs. go-cart (2002) says that, since ancient times Christians and Jews related certain stones as to the dozen tribes or Israel and to the dozen apos tles. Ancient Judaic caba diagnoses believed that the stones each one having an anagrm of the name of the God had mystical power all everywhere the xii angels.\r\nThis is given by handcart (2002 ) in his book as follows: ruby oer Malchediel, topaz over Asmodel, carbuncle over Ambriel, emerald over Muriel, sapphire over Hercel, diamond over Humatiel, jacinth over Zuriel, agate over Barbiel, amethyst over Adnachiel, beryl over Humiel, and jasper over Barchiel. In addition to this, gemstones were also related to the twelve months of the year, twelve parts of the human body, the twelve hierarchies of the devil etc (Walker, 2002). severally sign of the zodiac was associated with a stone and assisted it in exerting its influence over men.\r\nThe gemstones hence started as being allocated as to the signs of the Zodiac and from these birthstones and month-stones started to emerge. In addition to this the gemstones were also related to medicines. For antecedent jade was say to be p rimitively applied by the Spanish conquerors as a cure for kidney ailments. The stone was referred to as pie-dras de yjada or the stones of the side i. e. the kidney stones. From the yjada the name jade came (Walker 2002). However Gleadow (2001) says that, while the ancient cultures associated stones as being related to zodiac the wearing of birthstones was not very common in those times.\r\nHe refers to George Kunz who suggested that this practice arose in Poland in the eighteenth century among the Jewish population on that point. Walker (2002) also has a similar idea who mentions that the Jews of Poland related a gemstone to the birth month of the wearer. This was because of their interest in the signifi firece of the original twelve stones in the knocker of the Jewish High Priest. The above Jewish practice can be traced back off to biblical times, specifically to the breastplate of Aaron (Dunwich, 2003), who was a Hebrew High Priest and a brother of Moses.\r\nThis breastplate is known as the Breastplate of High Priest and is said to be the oldest amulets known to man. Dunwich (2003) says that according to tidings this breastplate was do of the following gemstones: sardius, topaz, carbuncle, emerald, sapphire, diamond, ligure, agate, amethyst, beryl, onyx, and jasper. These twelve stones, as mentioned earlier used to stand for the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve months of the year and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Gleadow (2001) says that the most common list of birthstones can be derived from the record of Revelation, beginning with St.\r\nPeter, random-access memory and the month of March and assuming the Jasper of that month to be red. However, there were many changes made to this list and the list available by different religions or different countries differ a lot and tend to disagree. Also, there is no possibility to get an genuine list because there was no such list to begin with and also the hassle in recognizing the various gemston es. Gleadow (2001) gives examples for this in his book. He says that the Authorized Version has the reversed ordering of third and fourth stones in the Book of Exodus.\r\nThe topazion is said to be a unripe stone, which means that it cannot be the modern day topaz. In addition, the association of the Apostles with the twelve station also leads to confusion as all the Gospels do not mention the name of the Apostles in the same order. The list is hence different for people in different countries though it holds similar meanings and significances. Hence the lists are different for ancient Jews, Romans, Arabians, Poles, Russians and Italians, even though the source for all these is same.\r\n'