Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/439

SABÆANS. precious stones. The wealth and luxury of the Sabirans, however, are exaggerated by the classi- cal writers and many of the stories rehited are fanciful. (i) .Much more reliable information is now available from inscriptions and coins found in large numl)ers in Southern .Vrabia during the last century by travelers such as Wellsted, Osi- andcr. llalcvy, and (ilaser, and deciphered In- the labors of 1). 11. iliiller, 11. Dercid)Ourg, I'riitorius, llomuicl, ilordlmann. Winckler, Schliimburger, and others. The cuncifurm inscriptions also have shed some light on early Salucan histury. The dated inscriptions do not appear to he earlier than the sixth century B.C., but the be- ginnings of the Saba^an kingdom may be carried back seeral centuries. It is clear in the first place that Saba was the name of a nation that gradually extended its rule from Jlarib or ^lar- yah as a centre until it embraced practically all of Yemen. The height of its power a[ipears to have been readied in the fifth century; some cen- turies later we find several independent king- doms sharing Southern .rabia between them. Tile political control does not appear to have been vested in a single family, but in a number of distinguished families; hence we lind several 'kings' of Saba ruling contemporaneously. The great families of the land possessed towers and castles, the building of which is the subject of many inscriptions. The Sab.'eans became the natural intermediaries between Egypt and India, since the land route from Egypt to the distant East lay through Yemen. The inscriptions fre- quently refer to the commercial side of Sabican history and the chief articles dealt with are gold, precious stones, perfumes of variovis kinds, horses, and camels. The general state of society bore some resemblance to that of Europe in feudal times. A notable feature was the high position occupied by women, and while no "queens' have been as yet encountered in the inscriptions, we find a woman described as mistress of a castle, and in many cases women are Joint authors with men of the dedicatory or votive inscriptions or are encountered as the sole authors. The number of gods mentioned in the inscriptions is considerable, chief among them Al-Vakkih Ta'lali Atlitar and Rahman. Wliile originally personifieations of the phenomena of nature, they became abstrac- tions somewhat like the gods of Eg^'pt, and a number of them are conceived as having several forms. Magnificent temples were erected and gifts and sacrifices were lavished on the gods. Pilgrimages at regular intervals were custom- ary. The SubcFnii laiujuarie was Semitic, showing the strongest alliliation with the Arabic and Ethi- opic, though in its syntax it sometimes ap- proached closer to the Hebrew and in certain of its nioriihological features to the Aramaic. The characters are alphabetic and in many respects more archaic than the Phtenician; the theory is gaining favor that the Pliienicians did not invent the alphabet, but borrowed it from South .rabia. For bibliography, see the article Min.eans. SABANILLA, sii'na-ne'lya, or SAVATTIL- LA. A seaport in the Province of Bolfvar. Co- lombia, the maritime outlet of Barranqnilla. with which it has railway connection (Map: Colom- bia. CI).

SABATIER, sä'ba&#x34F;&#x307;'tyaā&#x34F;&#x307;. (1839-1001). A French Protestant theologian. norn at Vallon (Ardèche), and educated at Montauban, and at several German universities. From 1869 to 1877 he was professor at theology at the University of Strassburg. and afterwards for several years professor at the Sorbonne. He became known as a representative of liberal theology. His printed works include Le témoignage de Jésus-Christ sur sa persone (1863); Essai sur les sources de la vie de. Jésus (1866); Mémoire sur la notion hébraique de l'esprit (1879); De l'origine du pe'che' dans la théologie de l'apôtre Paul (1887); De la vie intimie des dogma et de leur puissance d'evolution (1890); Essai d'une théorie critique de la connaissiance religieuse (1893); Essai sur l'immortalilé (1895); L'apôtre Paul (3d ed. 1896; Esquisse d'une philosophie de la religion (1807). A memoir appeared in Paris in 1901.

SABATIER, Paul (1851—). A French theologian and historian, born at Saint-Michelde-Chabrillanoux (Ardèche). He studied in the theological faculty of the University of Paris, became vicar of the French parish of Saint-Nicolas at Strassburg, and afterwards pastor there of Saiiit-Cierge-la-Serre. His health compelled him to withdraw from active ministerial duties. His publications include learned editions of the Speculum Perfectionis seu Francisci Assisiensis Legenda Antiquissima, Auctore Fratre Leone (1808) and Bartholus's Tractus de Indulgentia (1900); La Didaché, ou l'enseignement des douze apôtres (1885), with the Greek text and a commentary; and La vie de Saint François d'Assise (1803), based on previously unused documentary sources, discovered by him in various local Italian archives. This work was widely read and several times translated.

SABA'ZIUS (Lat., from Gk. ). A Thraco-Phrygian nature-god. He originally typified the powers of nature in their vivifying aspect, and the yearly renewal of life. His worship was therefore closely associated with the cults of Cybele (q.v.) and Attis (q.v.), and was orgiastic in character, later degenerating into sexual excesses. Sabazius was represented as horned, and had for his symbol a snake, which typified by the shedding of its skin the renewal of nature (see, section Zoölatry). The worship of this god was introduced into Athens as early as the fifth century, but by the time of Demosthenes the more cultured classes stood aloof from it. From Greece it was carried to Rome. Here, together with other Oriental cults, it became widespread, especially during the decadence of paganism. In Greco- Roman mythology Sabazius was identified with Dionysus, "or occasionally with Zeus. He was further regarded as the son of Zeus and Persephone, and was said to have been destroyed by the Titans. Consult Lenormant, Sabzius (Paris, 1875).

SABBATH (Heb. shabbāth, shabbāthōn, from shābath. to desist, cease). The Old Testament designation for the seventh day of the week, set aside as a period of cessation from work, and one of the most important religious institutions provided for in the Pentateuchal codes. Beside the stipulation for the observance of the Sabbath in these codes, there are important allusions to it in the historical and prophetical books. In both Decalogues (Ex. xx., 8-11, Deut. v., 12-15; see ), the ordinance to cease from all