one of the Caribbee islands, subject to the Dutch: W. long. 63°, N. lat. 18°.

SABÆANS, in church-history, a sect of idolaters, much ancienier than the Jewish law.

In the early ages of the world, idolatry was divided between two sects; the worshippers of images, called Sabæans, or Sabians; and the worshippers of fire, called magi. See Magi. The Sabaeans began with worshipping the heavenly bodies, which they fancied were animated by interior deities. In the consecration of their images, they used many incantations to draw down into them from the stars those intelligences for whom they erected them, whose power and influence they held afterwards dwelt in them.

This religion, it is said, first began among the Chaldeans, with their knowledge in astronomy; and from this it was, that Abraham separated himself, when he came out of Chaldea. From the Chaldeans it spread all over the east; and from thence to the Grecians, who propagated it to all the nations of the known world. The remainder of this sect still subsists in the east, and pretend to derive their name from Sabius a son of Seth; and among the books in which the doctrines of this sect are contained, they have one which they call the book of Seth, and which they pretend was written by that patriarch.