SASSABASAR (Hebrew: Sēbāṣār). — A figure who played an important part in the first return of the exiled Jews from Babylonia to the land of Israel: he received from Cyrus the sacred vessels restored for the Temple of Jerusalem and led the first caravan back to the homeland (Ezra 1:11; 5:14–16). The close interweaving in the biblical narrative between S. and Zerubbabel (q.v.) has given rise to the question of whether they were two distinct persons or one and the same, as appears to have been held by Flavius Josephus (Antiquitates Judaicae, XI, 1, 3) and as most exegetes still maintain.
S. would be another name, either Chaldean or Assyrian (probably Šamaš-bal-uṣur, “May Šamaš protect the son,” or Sin-bal-uṣur, “May Sin [the moon-goddess] protect the son”), of Zerubbabel. The supposed identity rests on the following data: S. is called “prince of Judah,” a title that also belongs to Zerubbabel, son of a son of King Jehoiakim (1 Chron. 3:17–19); S. is appointed by Cyrus as peḥāh, i.e., “governor” (Ezra 5:14), and Zerubbabel bears the title “governor of Judah” in the second year of Darius (Hag. 1:1); to both are attributed almost identical leading roles in the repatriation of the exiles (Ezra 1:8–11 and 2:2; 3:2; 4:2); S. lays the foundations of the Temple of Jerusalem (ibid. 5:16), and Zerubbabel likewise undertakes its rebuilding on two occasions (ibid. 3:8; 5:2; 6:2; etc.).204, 2; 205, 2; 206, 2; 207, 2; 208, 2; 209, 2; 210, 2; 211, 2; 212, 2; 213, 2; 214, 2; 215, 2; 216, 2; 217, 2; 218, 2; 219, 2; 220, 2; 221, 2; 222, 2; 223, 2; 224, 2; 225, 2; 226, 2; 227, 2; 228, 2; 229, 2; 230, 2; 231, 2; 232, 2; 233, 2; 234, 2; 235, 2; 236, 2; 237, 2; 238, 2; 239, 2; 240, 2; 241, 2; 242, 2; 243, 2; 244, 2; 245, 2; 246, 2; 247, 2; 248, 2; 249, 2; 250, 2; 251, 2; 252, 2; 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p. 106 sgg.: I. Schuster-G. B. Holzammer, Mamuale di storia biblica, I, ivi 1930, pp. 971-73. Gaetano Stano
SASSARI, DIOCESI di - Interno di S. Maria - Sassari.
L'Avesta del tempo degli Arsacidi, che furono poi resi canonici e obbligatori. L'Avesta sassanide primitiva ebbe in seguito, diverse amplificazioni: l'influenza ellenistica e specialmente quella indiana, sono di data recente. Il resto dell'Avesta disparve in gran parte al tempo della conquista islamica, e non ne restano che pochi frammenti. Nell'Impero sassanide si trovano anche altre religioni, come il giudaismo, il cristianesimo e il manicheismo, le quali subirono, a diversi intervalli, persecuzioni più o meno violente nell'intento di ridurle alla religione di Stato. Per le persecuzioni anticristiane: V. Persia.
III. Arte
Nel campo architettonico i S. hanno lasciato notevoli tracce. Gli edifici sono costruiti in mattoni rivestiti di stucchi scolpiti o dipinti. La scultura sassanide, come l'architettura, glorifica la potenza divina della maestà reale (e re dei re, compagno delle stelle, fratello del sole e della luna), oppure (e uomo immortale tra gli dèi e un dio illustrissimo tra gli uomini). Rimangono ancor oggi bassorilievi stagliati nelle rocce. Basta ricordare i bassorilievi ordinati dal re Sapore a Nagshai Rustam a nord di Persepoli, sotto una delle tombe degli Achenemidi, per commemorare la vittoria sui Romani (260). L'equilibrio della composizione, la nobiltà delle attitudini e la flessuosità dei modelli costituiscono il merito artistico di questa strana arte rupestre. Anche le arti industriali sono bene rappresentate. Si tratta di cesellature di vasi e piatti, di pitture di tessuti, ecc. che riproducono, con fine arte, scene di caccia, di vita campestre e di altri motivi di decorazione varia. La numismatica ha pure un considerevole valore artistico.IV. Letteratura
L'Iran sassanide produsse certamente molto anche nel campo letterario, ma relativamente poco ci è pervenuto. La maggior parte sono trattati religiosi, iscrizioni; mentre meno rappresentata è la letteratura persiana in lingua pahlavi o medio-persiano. Particolare interesse ha un'operetta in prosa che narra la nascita e le avventure del focolare della dinastia sassanide, Ardashir.BIBL. : E. W. West, Grundriss der iranisch. Philologie. II, Strasburgo 1904, pp. 1-120; J. Labourt, Le Christianisme dans l'Empire perse sous la Dynastie sassanide (2-3-6-7), Parigi 1904; E. Henzfeld, Am Tor von Asien, Berlino 1920; id., Pukuli: monum. and inscriptions of the Early Hist. of the Sassanian Empire, I-II, 1924; V. F. Büchner, Sassanides, in Encyc. de l'Islam, IV, Leida-Parigi 1934, pp. 185-89; A. Christensen, L'Iran sous les Sassanides, Copenhagen 1944; G. Edward Browne, A liter. Hist. of Persia, I, Cambridge 1951; F. M. Paraja, Islamologia, Roma 1951; N. Turchi, Le religioni del mondo, 2a ed., ivi 1952, p. 189 sq. Martiniano Roncaglia.