MASBUTHÆI, or MASBUTHÆI, the name of a
sect, or rather of two sects; for Eusebius, or rather
Hegezipus whom he cites, makes mention of two
different sects of Masbuthæans. The first was one of
the seven sects that rose out of Judaism, and proved
very troublesome to the church; the other was one
of the seven Jewish sects before the coming of Jesus
Christ.
The word is derived from the Hebrew מִשְׁבֵּת, sehabet,
"to rest or repose," and signifies idle easy indolent people.
Eusebius speaks of them as if they had been so called
from one Masbuthæus their chief: but it is much more
probable that their name is Hebrew, or at least Chal-
daic, signifying the same thing with a Sabbatarian in
our language; that is, one who makes profession of
keeping Sabbath.
Valerius will not allow the two sects to be confound-
ed together: the last being a sect of Jews before, or
at least contemporary with Christ; and the former a
sect of heretics descended from them. Rufinus distin-
guishes them in their names; the Jewish sect he calls
Masbuthæi; and the heretics Masbuthæani. The Mas-
buthæans were a branch of the Simonians.