|
ON THE RELIGIOUS USE OF VARIOUS STONES 285
|
||
|
|
||
|
Throne
of God is said to have ' ' the appearance of a sapphire stone," and
finds in this text a proof that blue denoted the glory of God.8
The ingenuity of the ancient commentators in finding hidden meanings in
the simplest things is well shown by the assertion of Thomas de
Cantimpré that St. John placed the emerald fourth in the list of
foundation stones, because the four evangelists are constant in their praise of chastity.9 J
Certain
gems mid stones have a definite relation and appropriateness to the
various religious holidays and festivals. Notable among these is the
rhodonite, a silicate of magnesia, named from the Greek word rhodon, "a
rose," because of its beautiful rose-pink hue. This is found more
especially in the Ural Mountains, and in Massachusetts, but in a
number of other places as well. In the Ural Mountains one single mass
was so immense that ninety horses were needed to move the 22-ton weight
a distance of thirty miles to the Imperial Lapidary Works at
Ekaterineburg; here the material was cut up into smaller masses to be
finally worked up in the Imperial Lapidary Works at Peterhof into a
sarcophagus and tomb for the Emperor Nicholas I.
This stone is a great favorite in Russia, and is frequently cut into egg-shaped ornaments, either in the form of a simple egg, or
of one with à halo and a moonstone effect at one end. It may well be
termed the "Easter Stone." For those unable to afford such an
egg-shaped piece of rhodonite, a yellow fibrous gypsum or satinspar cut
into a similar form may be substituted. Jade cut in the same way is
also sometimes favored, as well as many varieties of rock-crystal.
In marked contrast with the joyful festival of Easter stands the most solemn day of the Christian year, Good
•Ibid. col. 644.
•Konrad von Megenberg'a version, "Buch der Natur," ed. by Dr. Frans Pfeiffer, Stuttgart, 1861, p. 459.
|
||
|
|
||