The Urim were in the priestly vestments — something, as is plain from Exod. ch. 28. Now those sacerdotal vestments were various. Among these, one — woven of gold, hyacinth, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and twisted byssus [fine linen] — [was] the Pontiff’s own, which is called Ephod, epomis, [or] the shoulder-piece [superhumerale]; by Josephus sometimes diplois, or “the hieratic robe [stole]” it is called. In the inner part of this, at the breast, there was a span-wide gap [pocket], which was filled from the same material, but doubled — a certain square, which was a span, or a larger palm, or twelve fingers, long and wide. In it were seen twelve most precious stones, in a row, or in a fourfold equal series, so that in each [row] of them there were three. And therefore [Gregory] also wrote (bk. 3 of the History, in the proem of the Turonensian [Gregory of Tours]): “On [his] breast Aaron bore the Trinity.”
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[The first ordering (Serarius’s, agreeing with the Hebrew):]
- Sardius, Topaz, Emerald.
- Carbuncle, Sapphire, Jasper.
- Ligure, Agate, Amethyst.
- Chrysolite, Onyx, Beryl.
Now in each single one of these stones were engraved the single [names] of the sons of Jacob, from whom [came] the twelve tribes of the Hebrews; the names were engraved.
But it is to be observed: 1. [that] St. Epiphanius (in the booklet On Gems) makes this part of the pectoral not square, but rectangular — namely, longer than broader. But below, the cause of this greater length will be taken away. Meanwhile, Cyril (bk. 11 On Adoration, fol. 279): “It is a sign of the Faith, that the stones are three [each], and as it were disposed in the Trinity; but of firmness, that they were confirmed by that figure which was square, and with equal sides on every side.”
Then, these stones are by Josephus (bk. 5 of the Captivity [Jewish War], ch. 15) sometimes numbered in another order, thus:
- Sardius, Topaz, Emerald.
- Carbuncle, Jasper, Sapphire.
- Agate, Amethyst, Ligure.
- Onyx, Beryl, Chrysolite.
But some transposition of the names perhaps happened there [in Josephus], as also happens in R. Azariah [de’ Rossi] (bk. 3, ch. 49), where in the third row the first name is made last; in the fourth, the last is made first, the second [made] last, [and] the third [made] second. But the order which was placed by me a little before agrees both with the Hebrew text, and with Josephus himself (bk. 3 Antiquities, ch. 8) — where he recounts not the bare names only, but ascribes to each its order, and often the number. For only so much does it differ, that in the first row he makes the first not Sardius (as elsewhere), but Sardonyx; and in the second, constantly [makes] Jasper second, Sapphire third. Unless we say the same stone was rendered by him otherwise and otherwise into Greek. For also concerning the 70 (Exod. 28), if they be compared with our Interpreter, the same seems to be said. For to them [the 70] both the orders, and the names, [are] these:
- Sardion, Topazion, Smaragdus.
- Carbuncle, Sapphire, Jasper.
- Ligurion, Agate, Amethyst.
- Chrysolite, Beryllion, Onychion.
Thus indeed we see also in the two other gems, which, on the Pontiff’s shoulders, bound the front part of the epomis [ephod] with the back part. These our Interpreter renders “onyx stones”; Josephus (in both cited places) “sardonyxes”; the Septuagint (in the cited place) and Philo (bk. 2 On the Monarchy) “emeralds.”
Thirdly, R. D. Kimchi wishes (on Judges 20) [that] there were also inscribed the names Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. And this the Rabbi here took from his own Talmud (Tractate Yoma, ch. 7, fol. 73b), where also other words are said to be inscribed — namely Shivtei Yeshurun [שבטי ישורון], that is, “the tribes of the Upright, of the beloved, or of Israel,” who is called by that name (Deuteronomy 32, v. 15; and ch. 33, vv. 5 & 26). But since Scripture so often and so perspicuously commands the names of the twelve sons of Israel to be inscribed, it would be wonderful if [those] who—
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—were to be inscribed [namely the sons’ names, that Scripture] did not name the parents even once — [that] it never there pointed out Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, or that Jeshurun. Lastly, concerning these gems can be read: St. Chrysostom (in Anastasius the Nicene, question 38); St. Epiphanius (in the cited booklet); Dionysius in the Periegesis; Rueus, bk. On Gems, and in the booklet On Myrrhines, ch. 10; Nic. Guibertus the Physician; but from the Rabbis, Rambam [Maimonides] (bk. On the Mysteries of Gems), Bahya, Rashi (on Judges 18), Rabbi Isaac Cato, the Targum (on Canticles 5), and others, whom Brughtonus praises in [his] Concentus. But if these were the orders to be depicted, [then] he who wrote notes on the booklet of St. Epiphanius bids [us hold] the first to be purple, or red with some blackness; the second hyacinthine, or violet [ianthinum]; the third puce, or of scarlet, that is, of scarlet-dye; the fourth byssine, that is, splendid, and like to gold, but more diluted [paler].