[Sca-cooks] Precious stones to ward off evils

[emilio szabo]

> Twelve.  Twelve months, twelve signs of the Zodiac.


The Middle English "Boke of Stones", edited by Keiser in 1984, starts off with biblical references, among others to 2 Mose (Exodus) 28,17, which deals with the priest Aaron. The twelve precious stones are connected to the twelve sons of Israel (the Vulgata says: "habebuntque nomina filiorum Israhel").

"And wyse men shulde not doute that god ne hath put vertu In stones & herbes & wordes.
& who-so beleueth hit not, but ayeinseith hit, he ne is but a synner. The bible witnesseth hit
that god commaunded be his mouth to moyses the prophete that he shulde put the twelue
stones, the whech he had myde [of] many maneres in a moos clene & fine, quarre of foure 
handbrede of lencth & brede in foure corners, in euery corner thre stones (...) & hanged vppon
the breste of aaron that was the first preest of the Iewys. The names of the twelue stones that god
hath named to moyses the prophete be his mouth ben thise: The firste stone ...".

Similarly, the "Lapidaire de Philippe" says: "... Et doit on sauoir que par le commendement
nostre seignor furent mises .Xii. pierres preciouses en .i. pairement que fust mis sor le pis Aaron, 
le premier prestre des iuis. ...".

Emilio





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