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578 Basilisk

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Basnage abridgment of the work. shown by the fact that he

Respect for the author

work

entitled his

"

is

Minhat

Shay." Bibliography: Mortara, Indke Alfabcticu,

s.i;

Steinschnei-

der. Cat. Bnill. cols. 1353, 1735, 1795, 1993, 338t>, 2S2B ; Luncz. Jcrumlcm, ili. 55; S.Wiener, Bihliothcca Friedlandiana,

No. 490. k.

V.

C.-D. G.—Q.

BASILISK The translation in

the Revised Verand "zif'oni" (Isa. xi. 8,



sion of the

Hebrew

xiv. 29, lix.

5;

"zefa'

"

Jer. viii.

17;

Prov.

xxiii.

32),

for

which the Authorized Version has "cockatrice." The Septuagint uses the word fiaai'Aianov in Isa. lix. 5 for "ef'eh," and in Ps. xci. 13 for "peten." In all these places some variety of serpent is evidently meant, but the ancient versions do not indicate which. The rendering "basilisk" so also Jerome and the Syriac Version— is correct in so far as that the Hebrew word likewise appears to designate some fabulous creature, though it is not known which was the particular kind of serpent that suggested the fanciful notions of the ancients. According to some, the Hebrew "zefa"' is the same species as

—

"shefifon" (Gen. xlix. 17), the horned adder or very poisonous viper found in Arabia, in the Sinaitic peninsula. cerastes, a

J.

JH.

I.

BASIN,

Be.

or BASON" The following Hebrew rendered "bason" in English: "aggan," "kef or," "mizrak," and "saf." Of these " aggan " and " kefor " are rare, the former occurring in Ex. xxiv. 6 as the name of the vessel in which the blood of the sacrifice was put, before the people were sprinkled with it the latter, in I Chron. xxviii. 17; Ezra i. 10, xxviii. 27 (A. "bason"; R. V. "bowl"). The common Biblical word for Basin is "mizrak." Three metals are mentioned in the Bible in connection with the basins, copper or brass, silver, and gold. Brass basins were used as sprinkling-bowls in sacrificing (Ex. xxvii. 3, xxxviii. 3; I Kings vii. Basins of silver were offered with the meal40, 45).

words



are



V

by the " princes " of the congregation (Num. vii. 11, 13, 19, 25 et seq.). Solomon made basins of gold for the Temple (I Kings vii. 50), and those of gold and of silver were taken by Nebuoffering to the tabernacle

zaradan when he plundered Jerusalem (II Kings xxv. 15; Jer. lii. 18, 19). In Zech. ix. 15 sacred vessels of this kind are spoken of in a way that indicates that they were used for wine and in Amos vi. 6 the "mizrak " is mentioned as adrinking-bowl. Fifty basins were among the gift of treasure to the Second Temple (Neh. vii. 70). " Mizrak " is translated in both A. V. and R. V. sometimes as " bason " and sometimes as "bowl." "Saf" ( A. V. " bason " R. V. generally "cup," but twice "bason") seems to have corresponded in a great measure to "mizrak." It is mentioned (Ex. xii. 22) as being used for holding the blood of victims in connection with the Passover sacrifice before the Exodus, and as a utensil for the Temple (II

578

BASKET-TAX The most burdensome and annoying of the special taxes imposed upon the Jews of Russia by the government. The edict concerning this medieval tax one of the legacies inherited by the Russian government from the Catholic mon:

—

—

was issued Dec. 31, 1844. The tax is divided into a general tax and an auxiliary one. The general tax is raised from the kosher meat used by the Jews, which is, therefore, little accessible to the Jewish masses; and the tax has consequently been inimical to the physical development of the Russian Jews. This tax is levied (1) on every head of cattle killed for kosher meat (2) on every fowl killed for the same purpose and (3) on every pound of meat sold in the market. The auxiliary tax is derived from various trade licenses, and, as a kind of probate duty, from money inherited by Jews. To the Basket-Tax also belongs the tax on old-fashioned wearing apparel, such as the old Polish caftan, the skull-cap, and women's head-gear and perukes. The Basket-Tax, because of its being leased by the government to the highest bidder, has always been a source of annoyance and corruption and, notwithstanding the appointment of special commissions, and numerous protests published against it, it still exists, and exerts a demoralizing effect upon the Jews of the Russian empire. The income from this tax has been in part devoted to the maintenance of Jewish schools. It was formerly used also to pay for the transportation of Jewish agriculturists to the colonies, and for various other communal asteries







needs.

No complete statistics of the amount paid for the Basket-Tax by the tax-farmers are yet available but the following figures may convey a general idea: Poltava (1889), 13,000 rubles; Nikolaiev (1895), 32,000 rubles; Kiev (1875), 40, 000 rubles. Bibliography: U. Morgulis, Korobochmi Sbor, in Ycvrciskaya Biblioteka, vi. 61-113, St. Petersburg, 1878 Mysh, Rukovodxtvo k Russkim Zakanam o Yevreiiakh, 3d ed., p. 434, i/). 1898; Vtoroi Polny Svod Zakonov, xix.. No. 18,533;

Vosklind, 1889, xi.-xii. 133 et

KhrnnOia Voskhoda, No.

7.

ii.

R.

1893,

seq.;

ih.

1894,

ii.

J.

BASKETS



1 et seq.; 1901,

No. 43; Budmhchnost,

G. L.

Four kinds of Baskets are mentioned

—

Old Testament "dud," "tene," "sal," and "kelub" but unfortunately without any intima-

in the

—





Kings

14 [A. V.]; I Kings vii. 50; Jer. lii. 19). " Saf " is also used as a general term for Basin or bowl (II Sam. xvii. 28 Zech. xii. 2).

J.

Egyptian Baskets. (From Wilkinson, "Ancient Egyptians.")

xii.

JR.

C. J.

M.

tion whatever of the differences of shape or size between them and even as to their uses only uncer;

tain conclusions can be

drawn.

"Dud

"

("pot," A.V.)