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Ch. 3: Talismanic Use of Special Stones

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100 THE CURIOUS LORE OP PRECIOUS STONES
The popular belief in his time as to the origin of rock-crystal is voiced by St. Jerome, when, using the words of Pliny, although not citing his authority, he says that it was formed by the congelation of water in dark caverns of the mountains, where the temperature was intensely cold, so that, "While a stone to the touch, it seems like
water to the eye." This belief was evidently due to the fact that rock-crystal was so often found in mountain clefts and caverns. Symbolically, it signified that those within the portals of the Church should keep themselves free from stain and have a pure faith.103
The Chinese emperor Wu was devoted to the service of the gods and of the immortal spirits. He built many edifices for religious purposes, and all the doors of these
108 Sancti Eusebii Hieronymi " Opera Omnia," ed. Migne, vol. iv, Parisiis, 1S65, col. 545.
Ch. 3: Talismanic Use of Special Stones Page of 467 Ch. 3: Talismanic Use of Special Stones
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