Actually, Saint Jerome commented this fragment (Ezekiel, 41:22):
English Standard Version
an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad. Its corners, its base, and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that is before the LORD.”
He supposed that it was made from asbestos (amianton), since "it is not consumed when it burns". I didn't find any direct publications, but paleographers write so.
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You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. of the site BiblHub contains cross references where shittim wood, acacia and cedar are used in different translations of different fragments.
So, I don't see anything surprising in the word amianton of Hieronimus, as asbestos was used in ancient lamps and altars to protect from fire, especially as because the etymology of the word shettim (or settim, shittim, etc.) is unclear. Some glossariums or thesaurums say that Lira (Nicholas of Lira) asserts that shittim is chittim or chettim. Now I can't give a link, I'll do it later.
Anyway, it is very interesting that Nicholas uses another word (anchiton) for amianton, and its description is quite similar to the description of the material which covered the gates of Alexander the Great, and one of the versions of its name is also anchiton. We read that some suppose it to be asbestos, as well.
English Standard Version
an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad. Its corners, its base, and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that is before the LORD.”
He supposed that it was made from asbestos (amianton), since "it is not consumed when it burns". I didn't find any direct publications, but paleographers write so.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. of the site BiblHub contains cross references where shittim wood, acacia and cedar are used in different translations of different fragments.
So, I don't see anything surprising in the word amianton of Hieronimus, as asbestos was used in ancient lamps and altars to protect from fire, especially as because the etymology of the word shettim (or settim, shittim, etc.) is unclear. Some glossariums or thesaurums say that Lira (Nicholas of Lira) asserts that shittim is chittim or chettim. Now I can't give a link, I'll do it later.
Anyway, it is very interesting that Nicholas uses another word (anchiton) for amianton, and its description is quite similar to the description of the material which covered the gates of Alexander the Great, and one of the versions of its name is also anchiton. We read that some suppose it to be asbestos, as well.