THE HIGH-PRIEST'S BREASTPLATE 287
We
have here a wide field for conjecture,—but, unfortunately, nothing
more. Still, in the absence of any definite and trustworthy
information, there is a kind of romantic interest in viewing the
various possible relations of the mystery surrounding the fate of the
most precious gems, historically at least, that have ever existed.
More especially is this interest justified in the case of all who are
disposed to prize gems and jewels for their symbolic significance, for,
as we have shown, this significance, as far as concerns natal stones
and the spiritual interpretation of the qualities of the heart and soul
symbolized by the color and character of the principal precious and
semi-precious stones, has its root in the veneration felt by early
Christian writers, beginning with the author of the Apocalypse, for the
unforgotten and unforgettable gems that were worn by the Hebrew
high-priest.
A rather ingenious utilization of the reputed powers of Aaron's breastplate comes to us in a book printed in Portland, Maine.13
The writer assumes that the Urim and Thummim enclosed in the folds of
the breastplate consisted of twelve stones, duplicates of those
engraved with the names of the tribes, and so disposed that, when they
were shaken to and fro and then allowed to come to rest, three of them
would become visible through an aperture in the ephod just beneath the
rows of set stones. The signification of the oracle is given by the
various combinations of color offered by the three stones that reveal
themselves; to each combination a prearranged meaning is given. That
anything of the kind could have been true of the original Urim and
Thummim is scarcely worthy the trouble of refutation, but the
UC. H. Emerson, " Psyehocraft " [Portland, Me., 1911].
