SAM
S0inrltm% of Egypt, and to the High Prieft of the whole Sect, who refided at Neapolis. They returned Two Anlwers to Scaliger, dated in the Year 998 of the Jlegira of Mahomet. Thefe Anfwers never came to the Hands of Szahger. They are now in the French King's Li- brary, and have been tranflared into Latin by Father Morin^ Prieft of the Oratory 5 and printed in the Collection of Letters of that Father in England, 1682, under the Title of Jutiquitates Eeclefice Orientals. M. Simon has in- ferred %:Ermch Tramlation in the fir II Edition, of Cere- monies &Cmtwnes des faifs, by Way of Supplement to Leon de Modern. In the Firft of thefe Anlwers, wrote in the Name of the Aflembly of Ifrasl in Egypt, they declare, That they celebrate the Paffover every Year, on the Fourteenth Day of the firft Month, on Mount Qtrmm ; and that he who then did the Office of High Prieft, was' called JEleazar, Son of 'Phineas, Son of Aaron. At prefent they have no High Prieft. In the fecond An- iwer, which is in the Name of the High Prieft Eleazar and the Synagogue of Sichem, they declare, That they keep the Sabbath in all the Rigor wherewith, 'tisenjoyn- ed in the Book of Exodus $ none among them ftirringout of Doors, but to the Synagogue. Tncy add, That on that Night they don't lie with their Wives; That they begin the Feaft of the Paffover, with the Sacrifice ap- pointed for that Purpofe in Exodus ; That they facrifice no where elfe but on TAnixnt Geriz-im $ That they obferve the Feafts of Harvest, the Expiation, the Tabernacles, l£c. They add further, That they never defer Circutu- cifion beyond the eighth Day; never marry their Nieces, as the Jews do ; have but one Wife ; and, in fine, do nothing but what is commanded in the Law : Whereas the y^wj frequently abandon the Law to follow the In- ventions of their Rabbins. At the Time when they wrote to Scaliger, they reckoned 122 High Prieftsj affirmed that the jews had no High Priefts of the Race of tPhir jfeas } and, That theye-imbelyed them, in calling them Cit~ tbeans y whenas they are defcended from the Tribe of fifepb, by Ephraim. The Truth is. The Jam impofe abundance of Things on the Samaritans: They frequent- ly confound them with the Saducees, as if they were in- fected with their Errors. Rabbi Benjamin, who lived in the XlJth Century, confirms the belt Parr of what we have obfervedof t ; .e Samaritans. He obferves, They had Priefts of the Tribe of Aaron, and wno never married with any but thofe of the lame Tribe; That they lacri- ficed on Mount Gerizim, where they had an Altar of Stone railed by the Jfraelites after paffins over Jordan. He adds, That they are of .he Tribe of Ephraim ; That they change their Habit to go to the Synagogue, and wafh e'er they take it. .
Samaritan Charatlers, or Letters. See Letter.
S.\MARiTANfeWrt^. See Pentateuch.
Samaritan Medals. In the Cabinets, we find fbme Medals, uiiialiy called Samaritan Afedals. The Infcrip- tions and Legends of tbeie are HefirepD 5 but the Cha- racter different from the Hebrew of our Bibles, which is the fquare Hebrew or Chaldee; and 'tis hence, viz. from the Character, not from being (truck by the Samaritans^ that they are denominated Samaritan. Thefe Medals have been infinitely canvaffed by the Criticks, both Jezrijb and Chrifiian ; particularly Rabbi sllafcber, R. Sanencra, Rabbi Azarias, Rabbi Mofes, Father Kircher, Villalpandus Wafcnis, Conrivgim, Hottinger, Father Morin, Walton^ Jlardouin, Spanheim, &c. The learned Jeluit Souciet-, in an expreis Differtation on the Samari- tan Medals, rejects all Hebrew Medals, whole Infcripti- oris are in Chaliee Characters, as fpurious ; and allows of none to be genuine but the Samaritan. Of thefe there are Four Kinds. The firft bear expreisly the Name of Simon, and the Subject: for which they were ftruck, viz. the Deliverance of Jerufalem. The Second Kind have not the Name SintQfi, but only the Deliverance of Sion, or Jcrnfalem. The Third Kind have neither Si- mon, nor the Deliverance of Sion ; but only the Epochal, firft Year, fecond Year, 0C, The Fourth Clals have neither any Inscriptions, nor any Thing whence one may judge of the Time when they were ftruck. The Three firtl Kinds were certainly ftruck after the Return from the Sabylo7iifi Captivity, and in the Time of Simon Mac- cabeus, after Jernfalem had been freed from the Yoke of the Greeks. But tho' ftruck after the Captivity, Father S&nciet ob&rves, their Character fhews it felf to be that of the ancient Hebrew, which was ufed before the Cap- tivity, and the Ufe whereof was loft by the People, du- ring their Sojourn in Babylon and Chaldea ; but reftored after their Return, on the fame Footing as before. He adds, That the Infcriptions are pure Hebrew, fuch as it was fpoke before the Captivity; That the Character, there- fore, is the true ancient Character of the Hebrew : That it was the Cuftom to write each Language in its pro- per Character : That if they had departed from this
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Rule, they had doubtlefs ufed the New CharaSer they brought with them from Babylon : That there could be no other Reafon but that oi fettling all Things on the fame Foundation they were on before the Dettruflion of Jerusalem, that could have induced them to u(e this Character on their Coins. And, laftly, That thefe Medals were not ftruck by the Samaritans-, but by the Jews, and in Jerufalem. He is very full n all the.e Points', andj to the Proofs drawn from Medals, adds Two others foreign thereto. The firft drawn from the Relbinblance of the Greek Letters, introduced by Cadmus the 'Phoenician, with this Hebrew Character ; which was the fame with that of the 'Phenicians, as the Language of thofe People was the fame with that of the Hebrews. The lecond drawn from feveral various Readings in the Scriptures, which cannot be well accounted for otherwife, than by fuppofing; That the Books wrote before the Captivity, were in the fame Character with thefe Medc.h, and which fhew, that 'tis the Conformity which certain Letters have in that Cha- racter, that has deceived the Copifts. From the whole, he concludes, That this Character of the Medals is the true ancient Hebrew Character ; and, That to judge of the va- rious Readings of the Hebrew Text, and the Differences of the ancient -Greek and Latin: Ttanftaticms, either with themfelves, or with the Hebrew Text, Recourfe mufl be had to this Charafter.
SAMBUCUS, an ancient mufical Inltrument of the Wind Kind, and refembling a Kind of Flute ; probably thus called becaufe made of Elder, which the Latins
call Sambvxns. Sambucus was alfban ancient Engine
of War, uied by Marcellus in befieging the City of .Vr- racufe. 'Twas lb big, that -Plutarch, in the Life of that General, oblerves, Two Ships were required to carry ir.
SAMIAN EARTH, an Earth brought from the Ifle of Sdruus, in the JEgean Sea. Tiie heft is called by 2)lCj'coridcs, Ccdlyriuiii, becaufe ufed in the Medicines of thai Name 'Tis white, very light, fbft, friable, well- tafled, and a little glutinous on the Tongue. There is another Kind, harder and fouler, called Ater-Samius. in Regard little mining Straws are frequently found in it, dilpoied like little Stars. Each Kind is elteemed very allringent, proper to dry, and draw Wounds.
There is alfo a Samian Stone, taken out of the Mines in the fame [(land. 'Tis white, and flicks to the Tongue when applied to it. 'Tis aftringent and cooling, and is alfo ufed by the Goldfmiths to burnifh their Gold, and give it a greater Luftre.
SAMOSATENI, or Samofateniam, a Sefl of ancient Antitrimtariavs, thus called from their Leader, <PduhlS Samofaienus, Bilhop of dntiocb, under the Emperors Aureliau and Problts. He renewed the Herefy oFAftefKQffj nud had leveral Sentiments in common with SabelliuSj &c. tho' he diffeted from them in the Manner of ex- plaining them. He owned, That the Fathet, Son, and Holy Gboft were but one God, but denied that the Son and Holy Spirit had any teal Subiiftance. Accor- ding to him, they only fubfifted in the Father, as the Word of Man fublifts in his Underltanding. St. EpU phamm will have the Samofatenians to be real Jeijas f without any Thing more than the Name of Chrifiians j adding, That they ufe the fame Arguments againlt the Myftery of the Trinity that the Jews do; pleading againft it, with them, on Pretence of maintaining the Unity of the Godhead, tho' they don't obferve the Ceremonies of the Law. Their Chieftain was condemned by a Council held at Anticch, whereat afflfted above Seventy Bifhops ; and was depofed from his Bifhoprick.
SAMPS-3SI, or Sampfieittns, ancient Sectaries, the fame,, according to St. Epiphaitius, with the Elcesaites, which lee. The Sampfceans were not properly either Jews, Christians, or Gentiles. They took their Name from the Hebrew Seines, Sun ; as if they adored the Sun. They acknowledged one only God ; warned them- felves often, and were attached, in almofl every Thing, to the Religion of the Jews. Many among them ab- ftained from eating of Fleffi. Scaligtr, after Epipbanius % will have the Sampfiei to be the fame with the Ejfeni. In effect, the Elcefaites, Sampfeans, Maffalians, anct Ejfeni, appear to be no mote than fo many different Names for the fame Thing ; unlefs, perhaps, the firit added fomething to the Opinions of the laft. See
ESSENI.
SAN BENITTO. See Sicco Seneditto.
SAKCTIFIC4TION, the Aftion of SauSifying,- or making a Thing Holy, and] feparate to God. See Sacred. The reformed Divines define SanBificathn art Act of God's Grace, whereby a Man is renewed inwardly^ his Defires and Affections alienated from the World, and the Man put in a Courfe of dying to Sin, and living to Righteoufnefs. The Sanclij'ying of the Sabbath, among the Jews, is of Divine Right. By Sutitifying the Sab- [ E ] bath,
