[Sca-cooks] Precious stones to ward off evils

[Terry Decker]

>
>> 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

I believe you will find Hebraic hermetic tradition assigns each of the ten 
sons of Jacob and the two sons of Joseph that are the founders of the Twelve 
Tribes of Israel a sign of the Zodiac.

Bear