Shem (or Sem) was the first of the sons of Noah in the Bible. He is mentioned in Genesis 5:32, 6:10; 7:13; 9:18,23,26-27; 10; 11:10; also in 1 Chronicles[?] 1:4. The Messiah is descended from Shem in an unbroken line. The Jews derive their origin from Shem and are sometimes referred to as Semitic. However, a more recent theory states that the name may be derived from Sumer or the Sumerians.
... which
the vast mass of mankind, who can not be recluses,
are called.
The charge has even been made that
the piety commended by the "Imitation" is of a
self ...