Book III: of the Sabaeans

THE THIRD BOOK.

Of the Sabaeans.

ARabia the noblest Peninsula (if we may so term it) of Asia, is terminated by the Persian, the Indian, and the Red Sea, except that on one side it is conterminous to Syria, by which vicinity was occasioned so neer a correspondence betwixt those Nations, that as the Chaldaean Learning overspreading all Mesopotamia, Syria, and Assyria, did on one side extend to their Neighbours the Persians, so on the other it […]eached to the Arabians. From which neernesse perhaps it was (not only of Situation but Religion and opinions,) that Pliny useth their names promiscuously, calling a great part of Mesopotamia, Arabia, and the Arabians themselves Syrians. And the later Eastern Writers (especially the Arabians) under the appellation of Chasdim or Chaldanin (Chaldaeans,) comprehended not only the Babylonians but the Nabathaeans, Charaneans, and Sabaeans, as (amongst others) Muhamed Isacides takes Chasdanin and Nabathaea to be synonimous, and Ahmedus, to his Book concerning the Religion of the Sabaeans, gives this Title, Of the Rites of the Charanean Chaldaeans commonly known by the name of Sabaeans, he adds, commonly known by the name of Sabaeans, because the Sabaeans being the most considerable of these, they likewise under the appellation of Sabaeans included all the rest; even the Chaldaeans of Mesopotamia: using the terms of Chaldaea and Sabaea no less promiscuously than Pliny those of Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Syria: for which R. Maimonides (who doth so throughout all his Writings) gives this reason, because the Doctrine of the Chaldaeans extended thither, and that the Religion of all these Nations was the same.

Now whereas Arabia is commonly distinguish'd into the Stony, the Desert, and the Happy, we here mean not that part which is stiled the Desert, lying on the North of Sabaea, and first planted by Ismael, whose Posterity afterwards, having learned the Language of the Sabaeans (Arabick) were called Arabians also, or more properly, Hagarens, as descended from Hagar, and Aarab Mastiaarabah, the made Arabians, (that is, made such by cohabitation and conversation with the true Arabs,) but those other true Arabs the Inhabitants of the Desert and the Happy, whereof the former came from Nebaiothus, son of Ismael, and are by Pliny, Strabo, and Ptolomy called Nabataeans, as the Country it self Nabataea, the later from Saba, son of Chus, the son of Cham, after whom stiled Sabaeans (as the Countrey Sabaea) and (in distinction from the made Arabians of Arabia the Desert) the native Arabians. The Charanaeans mentioned together with these, were the Inhabitants of Cara, a City of Arabia, mentioned by Pomponius Mela, whose Inhabitants the Carraeans, Pliny placeth next the Sabaeans, distinct from Hara or Caran in Mesopotamia.

THE FIRST PART.

The Sabaean Philosophers.

CHAP. I.

Of the Institutors of the Sabaean Sect.

COncerning the first Institutor of Learning and Religion amongst the Sabaeans, there is not any certain agreement of Authors. Patricides, an Arabian Writer, attributes this Invention to a certain Persian, named Zerodast, contemporary with Terah father to Abraham; Zerodast and Zoroaster are the same; whereby it appears, that Patricides means one of those two Zoroasters, whereof one was the first Author of Sciences amongst the Chaldaeans, the other introduced the same Sciences amongst the Persians; and though he calls this Zerodast a Persian, yet by the antiquity of the time in which he conceives him to have liv'd, it is probable he rather intended the Chaldaean.

Others (adds Patricides,) are of opinion that Tachmurat King of Persia gave beginning to this Religion. The same perhaps whom Elmacinus (another Arabian Historian,) calls Tachurith: Others (saith he) conceive that the Religion of the Sabaeans was manifested by a certain King of the Persians, whose name was Tachurith.

Elmacinus mentions another Persian, to whom the same Invention was attributed, In those dayes, saith he, came forth Nazarib a Persian, who, as is reported, was Author of the Religion of the Sabaeans.

Others (continues Patricides) derive the infancy of the Sabaeans from a certain Grecian named Juvan or Javan, son of Berkley, and him they will have to be of the City Zaittuna, which was built in Attica. Thus he: where Hottinger for Berkley reads Mercolim, Mercury, confirmed by Elmacinus upon the same subject. Others saith he, affirm, that the Religion of the Sabaeans was brought forth by a Man whose name was Juvan, son of Markoli, a Grecian, who first found out the Science of the Stars.

To these Patricides adds the Opinions of some others, who held that the Authors of this Sect were some of those who were at the building of the Tower of Babel. Thus the Arabians.

Some attribute the Institution of the Sabaeans to Cham, son of Noah, who being banish'd from his Fathers sight, fled thither, and (to use the words of Lactantius) settled in that part of the Earth which is now called Arabia. This was the first Nation that knew not God, because the principal Founder thereof had not received the Worship of God by Tradition from his Father: Thus Lactantius, with whom Many agree in attributing the Original of Idolatry to Cham, and to his son Chus the first Planter of Chaldaea, from whose son Saba the Sabaeans were so named, and, upon this ground, some have laboured to prove Cham and Chus, to be same with the first and second Zoroasters, of which formerly.

Others (as Damascen) ascribe the Original of Idolatry to Serug. Epiphanius, and the Author of the Chronicon Alexandrinum, affirm that Hellenism began in the time of Serug, This Hellenism some conceive the same with the Sabaean superstition; what the Greek Fathers call Hellenism, the Rabbins term Goth, the Arabians, Algiaheleiton, the time of Ignorance and Paganism. And though to determine any thing of those early and obscure times be very difficult, yet we cannot doubt, but that the Idolatrous Worship of Fire and of the Sun (ascribed to the Sabaeans) was of great Antiquity among them, since mentioned by the most antient of Authors, Iob, who lived neer them, as appears by the inroad which the Sabaeans made upon him. If I beheld (saith he) the Sun when it shined, and the Moon walking in brightness, and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand, this also were an Iniquity to be punish'd by the Iudge, for I should have denyed the God that is above; where by kissing of the hand is imply'd the antient manner of Veneration.

CHAP. II.

Others of the Sabaean Sect.

THat Terah Father of Abraham was bred up in this Doctrine might be conjectur'd from Iosuah 24. 2. where he is reckoned among those that served strange Gods. Philo terms him an Astronomer, one of those that are v[…]rst in Mathematicks.

Of Abraham son of Terah, R. Maimonides expressely saith, It is well known that our Father Abraham was educated in the faith of the Zabians, who held there is no God but the stars; indeed Berosus acknowledgeth he was skilful in the Celestials, and Eupolemus, cited by Eusebius, ascribes to him the Invention of Astrology and Chaldaick. The Zabians themselves in their Annals give this accompt of his departure out of Chaldaea. Abraham, say they, being educated in Ur, but dissenting from the Vulgar, and asserting that there was another Creator besides the Sun, they began thus and objected against him, and amongst other objections, they alleged the evident and manifest operations of the Sun in the World; but A[…]raham answered them, You are right, which Sun is like the Ax which is in the hand of him that striketh therewith: then they recite some of the Objections which he brought against them, and at last they say, that the King cast him in prison, but neverthelesse he persisted in prison to oppugn them, whereupon the King fearing lest he might do some hurt to his Kingdom, and seduce men from their Religion, confiscated all his Estate, and banish'd him to the utmost Borders of the East. […]hus the Zabians: from which relation Iosephus differs not much, who saith, that Abraham first undertook to convince the received Erronious Opinion of men, concerning the Deity, and that he first taught and proved that there is but one God, but seeing the Chaldaeans and Mesopotamians began to mutiny against him for it, he thought it expedient to forsake the Country.

The Rabbinical Traditions are more particular herein: R. Solomon Hiarki reports from an antient Commentary, that Terah fell out with his son Abraham, in the presence of Nimrod, for breaking his Idols, and that Abraham was thereupon cast into a fiery Furnace. Moses Gerundensis confirms the same story, but R. Chain relates it otherwise: Abraham, saith he, met with a Woman holding a Dish in her hand, and the Woman asking him whether he would offer any thing to the Gods, he took a staff, and broke the Images which the Woman had, and threw away the staff; his Father coming thither at the same time, demanded what was the matter, Abraham answer'd, that she had asked him, whether he would make an offering, and that upon his answering that he would first eat something, there arose a dispute betwixt them: but his Father urged that the businesse was otherwise, and that he was heard to say many reproachful things of Nimrod. The Controversy was brought before Nimrod the King of Babel: he commanded Abraham to worship the Fire that was set before him; Abraham answered, If so, then adore you the Water, Water which quencheth Fire. Nimrod said to him, VVorship the Water; Abraham answered, If so, worship the Clouds which distil the Water. Nimrod said, Then worship the Clouds; whereupon Abraham, If it be so, then the Wind is to be worshipped which agitates and scatters the Clouds. Again Nimrod, VVorship the Wind; but Abraham, if so, then is Man much more to be worshipped who understands the Wind. At length Nimrod growing angry, You talk, saith he, idlely, I worship none but the Fire, into the midst of which I will cast thee. Let the God whom thou worshipest come and free thee by his right hand. Aran stood by and talked; they asked of which opinion he was; he answer'd, If Abraham get the better, I will be for him, if Nimrod, for Nimrod. After Abraham had gone into the fiery Furnace and was freed, they said to Aran, of which side art thou? he said of Abraham's; then they took him, and cast him into the fire, and all his Bowels were burned, and he was taken out dead in the presence of his Father. Thus R. Chain; but Cedrenus affirms, that Abraham throwing his Fathers Idols into the fire, his Brother Aran endeavouring to rescue them, was burned.

The Arabians who imitate the Jews in Relations of this kind, and fancy superstructures of their own upon fables of the Rabbies, give a further accompt of what happened unto Abraham after his departure from Nimrod, as appears by a fragment of a Mahometan Writer, of which I shall cite only so much as most particularly concerns the Sabaeans. Edris, on whom be peace, was the first who after Enoch, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, on whom peace, wrote with a pen. This thing afterwards Edris taught his sons, and said to them, O sons, know that you are Sabaeans, learn therefore to read Books in your youth. Now Sabaeans are Writers, of whom the High (he means Mahomed) said (Alk. Sur. 2.) The Sabaeans and the Nazarenes. The Author adds, that they ceased not to possess the Books of S[…]th and Edris by hereditary right among themselves, until the times of Noah, and of Abraham, after that the High God aided him against Nimrod, on whom be malediction. But in that day wherein Abraham went out of the land of Irack, and would go into Syria, into t[…]e la[…]d of his Fore-fathers, he went to the land of Charan and Ghesira, and there he found a people of the Zabaeans who read old Books, and believed such things as were contained in them. But Abraham said, O my God, I did not think that besides my self and those that are with me, there had been any of the Faithful who believed thee to be one; and God breathed to Abraham this Answer. O Abraham, the Earth is never destitute, but that there are some in it that dispute for God: But God commanded him to call them to his Religion, and he called them, but they would not, saying, How shall we believe thee, when thou readest not a Book? and God sent among them a forgetfulness of these things whicb they knew of Sciences and Books, for they conceived the Books which they used to be from God, and some of them believed, others not. Afterwards the Zabaeans were divided, and some of them believed, viz. the Barhameans, who did not separate themselves from Abraham of blessed memory, but the rest followed their own Religion very eagerly, viz. those who are in the land of Charan, who went not with Abraham into Syria, and said, we follow the Religion of Seth, Edris, and Noah; Thus according to Kissaeus, the Religion of the Sabaeans was the same with that of the Haranaeans, or Mesopotamians. What he relates of Abraham's being sent to the Sabaeans, is all borrow'd from the Rabbinical Traditions.

But that there were antiently Learned Persons in Arabia, skilful in Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and other Sciences, is manifest from testimonies far more authentick; as (particularly) from the discourses betwixt Iob and his Friends: of the Arabian Philosophers is it understood, that Salomon's Wisdom is said to have excelled the wisdom of all the sons of the East. Tacitus, describing Iudaea, the land and bounds to the East are terminated by Arabia. And that the Jews called Arabia the East Country is evident from several places in Scripture, as Gen. 10. 30. and 25. 6. 18. Iob 1. 3. Iudg. 6. 3. 1. &c. Pliny also mentions the Magi of Arabia, (of whom he instanceth Hippocus.) Ptolomy, the Gulf of the Magi, in Arabia, and Porphyrius (citing Diogenes) relates that Pythagoras (amongst other Countries to which he travelled for Learning) went also to Arabia, and liv'd with the King there.

CHAP. III.

Their Writings.

THe Sabaeans pretended (as was lately shew'd out of Kisseus,) to have had the Books of Seth, and Edris, and not only those, but some also written by Adam; for the same Author continuing the story of Abraham's coming amongst the Sabaeans, adds, that afterwards Abraham opened the Chest of Adam, and behold, in it were the Books of Adam; likewise the Books of Seth, and of Edris; as also the names of all the Prophets that were to be sent after Abraham; But Abraham said, Happy indeed are the loins out of which all tbese Prophets shall come: and God breathed to him (this answer) Thou, O Abraham, art the Father of them all, and they thy Children; and for this reason Abraham deserv'd to be called the Father of the Prophets, upon whom be peace.

Of the same allay Maimonides conceives the Book of Healings to have been, which was hid by Ezekiel.

The same Maimonides cites many other Books of the Sabaeans, translated into Arabick, of which the chiefest is entituled, of the Agriculture of thec Nabateans, translated by Aben Vachaschijah: full of Idololatrical extravagancies; it treats of the making of Tsilmenaias, of the descent of familiar spirits, of conjurations of Daemons, of Devils, of such as dwell in Deserts (as Satyrs were thought to do) many other things it contained very ridiculous, by which nevertheless they conceived that they could confute the manifest miracles (of Moses, and the Prophets.)

Another entituled, the Worship, or of the worship of the Nabateans, out of which Maimonides cites a story concerning Abraham related formerly.

The Book Haistamchus, ascribed to Aristotle, but falsly.

The Book Hattelesmaoth, of Tsilmenaias; Buxtor[…]ius renders it, of speaking Images; the reason we have given formerly.

The Book […]amtam.

The Book of Hassearabh.

The Book of the Degrees of the Celestial Orbs and the Figures that are ascendent in every Degree.

Another Book concerning Tsilmenaias, which also is attributed to Aristotle.

Another Book ascribed to Hermes.

The Book of Isaak the Zabian, wherein he argues in defence of the Law of the Zabians.

A great Book of the Customes and particularities of the Law of the Zabians, as of their Feasts, Sacrifices, Prayers, and other things concerning their belief: All these (saith Maimonides) are Books which treat of Idolatrical things, and are translated into the Arabick tongue.

Besides these, (as Maimonides acknowledgeth,) there are many others, Hottinger cites (in his own possession) A Treatise of Mahomet the elder, son of Isaak, who is otherwise called Abulfark, the son of Abi Iakub.

THE SECOND PART.

The Doctrine of the Sabaeans.

WHat is left to us of the Doctrine of the Sabaeans is delivered upon later Authorities than those from which we have the Chaldaick: and therefore perhaps is but an accompt of what it was in later times, degenerated from their primitive Doctrine, which was immediately derived from the Chaldaick. Nor is it improbable, but that this corruption might be somewhat aggravated by the eager opposition of the Talmudists, and some Arabick Writers that follow them, from whose hands only we receive it. However, we conceive it necessary to be annexed to the former, of which, though depraved, it pretends at least to be the continued succession.

CHAP I.

Of the Gods and Rites of the Sabaeans.

TThe Sabaeans held (as the Chaldaeans) that the Stars are Gods, but the Sun the greatest God; for they plainly assert, that the Sun governs the superiou[…] and inferiour Worlds; and call him, the great Lord, the Lord of good. What they relate concerning Abraham, refusing to worship the Sun, is delivered elsewhere; what they further fable of the Patriarchs, That Adam, (not being the first Man, but begotten by a Man and Woman) was a Prophet of the Moon, and, by preaching, perswaded men to worship the Moon, and composed Books of Husbandry; That Noah was a Husbandman likewise, but believed not in Idols, for which they discommended him in all their Writings; That Seth also dissented from Adam as to worshipping the Moon; See delivered more fully by Maimonides.

Their forms of worshipping these Gods was twofold, dayly, and monethly; the dayly, is by Said Vahed described thus: They make the first day sacred to the Sun, the second, to the Moon; the third, to Mars; the fourth, to Mercury; the fift, to Iupiter; the sixt, to Beltha Venus; the seventh, to Saturn.

The description of their monethly worship receive from a Ms. of Mahumed ben Isaac, cited by Hottinger; They begin the year from the moneth Nisan, of which they keep holy the first, second, and third dayes; adoring and praying to their Goddess Beltha: they go to her Temples, sacrifising Sacrifices, and burning living Creatures: On the sixt day of the same moneth they kill a Bull to their Goddesse the Moon; and towards the evening of the same day eat it: On the eighth day they a keep Fast, and likewise celebrate (at night) a Feast in honour of the seven Gods and of the Daemons; offering a Lamb to the God of the Blind (Mars): On the fifteenth day is the Festival of Sammael, (by this name the Talmudists understand the Devil) celebrated with many Sacrifices, Holocausts, and Offerings: On the twentieth they visit a Coenobium of the Harranaeans, called Cadi, where they kill three Oxen, one to Saturn; another to Mars, the blind God; the third to the Moon: they kill likewise nine Lambs, seven to their seven Gods (the Planets) one to the God of the Geniusses, and one to the God of the Houres. They likewise burn many Lambs and Cocks. On the 28. day, they go into the Temple which they have in the City Saba, at a certain gate of Charran, called the gate Assarah; and kill to Hermes their God a great Bull; as also seven Lambs to their seven Gods; one to the God of the Daemons, and to the God of the Houres, eating and drinking; but they burnt nothing of any Beast that day.

The second moneth which is Iiar, they begin also with Sacrifices, celebrating the consecration of Sammael, and Feasting: The second day they keep in honour of Aben Salem; drinking, and filling their hands with Tamarisk and other Fruits.

The 23. day of the third moneth they keep in honour of Sammael, whom they affirm to be the God that maketh the Arrows fly; the Cumar, or Priest, makes an Arrow take fire twelve times, by rubbing another stick against it: the last time he creeps upon the ground, and puts flax to it; if their flax kindle, they conceive their Rites well accepted of the Gods, otherwise not.

The fourth Moneth Thammus, had a peculiar solemnity about the middle of it, called the Festival Albukal, of the weeping VVomen: The original of which is thus related by R. Maimonides: In the same Book, saith he, they tell a story of a certain Idolatrous Pseudo-Prophet, named Thammuz: who calling upon the King to worship the seven Planets, and the twelve signs of the Zodiack, and being by the King put to an ignominious death, the same night in which he was slain, all the Images from all parts of the Earth met in the Palace which was erected at Babylon to the great Golden Image of the Sun, suspended betwixt Heaven and Earth: There this Image of the Sun fell down prostrate in the midst, and (all the rest of the Images standing round about it) bewailed Thammuz, and began to relate what had happened to him; whereupon the rest of the Images fell a-weeping, and lamented all that night: But assoon as the morning appeared they all flew away and returned home to their several Temples. Hence came the Custome, that on the first day of the moneth Thammuz (Iune) they weep, lament, and bewail Thammuz. This Custome of VVomen weeping for Tammuz is mentioned also by the Prophet Ezekiel, as imitated by the Jews. T[…]e 27. day of this moneth they consecrate to Sammael, and to other Gods and Daemons; sacrificing nine Lambs to Hanan.

In the fift moneth, which, as the Syrians, they call Ab, they presse new Win[…] to their Gods, and give it several names, this they do the eight first dayes. They likewise kill a new born Infant to their Gods, which they beat all to pieces; then they take the flesh and mix it with Ry-meal, Saffron, Ears of Corn, Mace and little Cakes like Figs; they bake this in a new Oven, and give it to the People of the Congregation of Sammael all the year long; no Woman eats of this, nor servant, nor son of a Bond-woman, nor Man that is possessed, or mad.

The Rites of the sixt moneth, named Eil[…]ul, are thus described by the same Author; three dayes They boil Water to wash themselves, that they may perform the Rites of Sammael, who is the Prince of the Daemons and the greatest God; into this Water they cast some Tamarisk, Wax, Olives, Spice, &c. and when it is hot, take it before Sun-rise, and powre it upon their Bodies, as an Amulet: The same day also they kill eight Lambs, seven to their Gods, and one to the God Sammael; they eat also in their Congregations, and drink every Man seven Cups of Wine; The Prince exacts of every one of them two Drachmes to be paid into his Exchecquer. On the 26. day on the same moneth, they go forth to a Mountain, celebrating the Rites of the Sun, Saturn and Venus; burning eight Hen-chickens, eight Cocks, and as many Hens; He who made a prayer and request to Fortune takes an old Cock, or a Cock-chicken, to the wings of which he ties two strings; and sets their ends on fire, and gives up the Chickens to the Goddesse Fortune; If the Chickens are quite consumed by the fire, his prayer is heard; but if the fire of those strings goes out before the Chickens be quite burnt, the Lord of Fortune accepts not his Prayer, nor Offerings, nor Sacrifices. On the 27. and 28. they have their Mysteries, Sacrifices, Offerings, and Holocausts to Sammael, (who is the greatest Lord:) to the Daemons and Genuisses, which compasse them about, defend them, and bestow good fortune on them.

The seventh moneth, which the Syrians and Sabaeans call the first Tischri, hath peculiar Rites, thus described by the same Author: About the middle of this Moneth, they burn Meat to the dead, in this manner: Every one buys of every sort of meat that is in the Market; of all kind of Flesh, Fruits, green and dry; they likewise dresse it several wayes; all which they burn in the night-time to the dead, and wish it the thigh-bone of a Camel; they also pour mixed Wine upon the fire, for the dead to drink.

In the eighth moneth, which is called the later Tischri, they fast on the 21. day, and so on, for nine dayes, the last of which is the 29. this day they do in honour of the Lord of Fortunes, &c.

The ninth moneth, called the first Canun, is chiefly sacred to Venus; On the fourth day they set up a Tabernacle, which they call the Bed of Beltha; adorning it with several Leaves, Fruits, Roses, &c. Before they offer their Sacrifices of Beasts and Birds, they say, Let these Sacrifices be destined to our Goddesse Beltha; this they do for seven dayes: all wich time they burn many Beasts to their Gods and Goddesses. On the 30. day of the same moneth, the Priest sits in a High Chair, to which he gets up by nine steps; and, taking in his hand a stick of Tamarisk, stretcheth it out to them all, and striketh every one of them with it three or five or seven times. Afterwards he makes a Discourse to them, wherein he declareth to the Congregation their continuance, multitude, places, and excellency above all other Nations; he likewise tells them the largenesse of their Empire, and the dayes of their Reign: After which he comes down from the Chair, and they eat of the things offered to the Idols, and drink: and the Prince exacts of every one of them this day two Drachmes to the Exchecquer.

The tenth moneth, called the other Canun, seems particularly devoted to the Moon; for on the 24. day thereof is the Nativity of the Lord, that is, the Moon, at what time they celebrate the Rites of Sammael, sacrificing, and burning fourscore living Creatures four-footed Beasts and Fowl; They also eat and drink, and burn Badi, sticks or canes of Palm slender at the bottom, to their Gods and Goddesses.

In the eleventh moneth, Sijubat, they fast seven dayes together, beginning from the ninth day, upon which they proclame a Fast to the Sun, who is the great Lord, the Lord of good: They eat not in all this time any thing of Milk; nor drink Wine; nor pray during this moaeth to any but Sammael, the Gen[…]i, and Daemons.

In the mon[…]th Adar, which is the tw[…]lfth and last, they fast also to t[…]e Moon, especially on the 28. day; The President di[…]ributes a Barley Loaf to the Congregation, in honour of Mars; the Prince exacts of every one of them towards his Exchecquer two Drachmes.

CHAP. II.

Other Rites of the Sabaeans contrary to the Levitical Law.

RMaimonides mentioneth several other Rites of the Sabaeans, which were expressely repugnant to the Levitical Law, adding, that he was acquainted with the Reasons and Causes of many of the L[…]ws of Moses, by means of knowing the Faith, Rites and Worship of the Sabaeans. The Examples alleged by him and others are these.

Th[…]y […] leavened Bread only, and, for their offerings, made choice of sweet things only, and anointed their Sacrifices with Honey; prohibited, Levit. 2. 11.

They used on a certain day to feed on Swines flesh; prohibited, Levit. 11. 7.

They held it unlawful to kill and feed on some Beasts permitted to the Jews; as the Ox, which Maimonides saith, they much honoured for the great profit he brings by Agriculture, and therefore held it unlawful to kill him, as also the Sheep; neither of which they kill'd.

Some of the Sabaeans worshipped Devils, believing they had the shapes of Goats, and therefore called them Seirim; On the contrary, the Levitical Law prohibits to offer Sacrifices le Seirim, unto Goats, that is to say, Devils appearing in the forms of Goats. Levit. 17. 7.

Though they did abhominate Blo[…]d, as a thing exceeding detestable, yet they did eat it, believing it to be the Food of the Daemons, and that he that did eat of it should become a Brother or intimate acquaintance of the Daemons, insomuch that they would come to him and tell him future events; prohibited, Levit. 17. 10. 23.

They worshipped the Sun at his rising, for which reason, as our Rabbins expressely teach in Gemara, saith Maimonides, Abraham our Father designed the VVest for the place of the Sanctum Sanctorum, when he worshipped in the Mountain Moria. Of this Idolatry they interpret what the Prophet Ezekiel saith, of the men with their backs towards the Temple of the Lord, and their faces towards the East, worshipping the Sun towards the East.

Mahummed Be[…]-Isaac relates, that they shaved themselves with Razors, and br[…]d[…]d themselves with fire; there were also married Women amongst them who shaved themselves in the same manner; forbidden, Levit. 21. 5.

They had a Custome of passing their Children, as soon as they were born, through the fire, which they worshipped, affirming that such Children as were not so passed would dy. This was also expresly forbidden by the Levitical Law.

Another most obscene Custome they had of Engrafting, described by Maimonides, to which he conceives the Levitical prohibition to allude.

Others there are of the same kind cited by the same Author, who concludes, that as concerning those particular Laws, the reasons whereof are conceal'd, and the benefit unknown to me, it proceeds from hence, that the things which we hear are not such as those which we see and perceive with our eyes. For this cause, those things concerning the Rites of the Sabaeans, which I have learnt by hearing, and from their Writings, are not so solid and certain, as with those who have seen them practised, especially seeing that their Opinions and Sects perished 1000. years since, and their Names were abolished.

With the Sabaeans, we conclude the Chaldaick Philosophy.