The following lists show the variations of the different ancient authorities in regard to the names of the gems in the breastplate:
| Hebrew. | Septuagint. Josephus | Vulgate | Authorized | Revised | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Greek) | (Greek) | (Latin) | Version | Version | ||
| About 250 B.C. | About 90 A.D. | About 400 A.D. | 1611 A.D. | 1884 A.D. | ||
| 1 | Odem | Sardion | Sardonyx | Sardius | Sardius | Sardius (or Ruby) |
| 2 | Piṭdah | Topazion | Topazos | Topazius | Topaz | Topaz |
| 3 | Bareḳeth | Smaragdos | Smaragdos | Smaragdus | Carbuncle | Carbuncle (or Emerald) |
| 4 | Nophak | Anthrax | Anthrax | Carbunculus | Emerald | Emerald (or Carbuncle) |
| 5 | Sappir | Sappheiros | Iaspis | Sapphirius | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| 6 | Yahalom | Iaspis | Sappheiros | Jaspis | Diamond | Diamond (or Sardonyx) |
| 7 | Leshem | Ligurion | Liguros | Ligurius | Ligure | Jacinth (or Amber) |
| 8 | Shebo | Achatês | Amethystos | Achatês | Agate | Agate |
| 9 | Aḥlamah | Amethystos | Achatês | Amethystus | Amethyst | Amethyst |
| 10 | Tarshish | Chrysolithos | Chrysolithos | Chrysolithus | Beryl | Beryl (or Chalcedony) |
| 11 | Shoham | Bêryllion | Onyx | Onychinus | Onyx | Onyx (or Beryl) |
| 12 | Yashpheh | Onychion | Bêryllos | Bêryllus | Jasper | Jasper |
The high-priest’s breastplate, as described in Hebrew tradition, was regarded by the Jews with peculiar reverence, and the stones set in it were believed to be emblematic of many things. It is, therefore, quite natural that these stones are described in the book of Revelation as the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem. The names are in some cases not identical with those given in Exodus, but this may arise from various renderings of the Hebrew names in the Targums or in the Greek versions.
The text in Revelation (xxi, 9-21) is as follows:
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife:
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper-stone, clear as crystal;
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
On the east, three gates; on the north, three gates; on the south, three gates; and on the west, three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
It is easy to trace in this description the substitution of the twelve apostles for the twelve tribes in connection with the precious stones enumerated, and, besides this, we also have the twelve angels, associated at a later date with the months and the signs of the zodiac.
Of the twelve foundation stones the Revelation of St. John expressly states that they had “in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” The assignment of each stone to the respective apostle was made in later times according to the order given in the lists of the apostles contained in the so-called Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These lists are not quite identical—Andrew, for instance, being placed second in Matthew and Luke, but fourth in Mark—and the same stone was not always assigned to a given apostle. Frequently the list was modified by the addition of the apostle Paul, really the thirteenth apostle. In this case he was usually given the second place immediately after St. Peter, and to the brothers James and John, the “Sons of Thunder,” was assigned a single stone; in some later arrangements St. Paul occupies the last place, after St. Matthias, who was chosen to take the place of Judas Iscariot, and whose name as an apostle first appears in the Acts.
Lists of the Apostles.
| Gospel of | Gospel of | Gospel of |
|---|---|---|
| St. Matthew | St. Mark | St. Luke |
| x, 2-4. | iii, 16-19. | vi, 14-16. |
| Peter | Peter | Peter |
| Andrew | James | Andrew |
| James | John | James |
| John | Andrew | John |
| Philip | Philip | Philip |
| Bartholomew | Bartholomew | Bartholomew |
| Thomas | Matthew | Matthew |
| Matthew | Thomas | Thomas |
| James the Less | James the Less | James the Less |
| Thaddeus | Thaddeus | Simon Zelotes |
| Simon Zelotes | Simon Zelotes | Judas |
| Judas Iscariot | Judas Iscariot | Judas Iscariot |