Gary A. Byers
We are all familiar with the Three Kings of Christmas. The day of their visit to the baby Jesus is celebrated annually on January 6, the Feast of Epiphany. Tradition says they arrived on camels and their names were Caspar, Melchoir and Balthazar, who was black. Their bones are said to be buried behind the high altar in the Cologne Cathedral and their three gifts are stored for safe-keeping at the Monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos in Greece. Yet, the Bible does not call them kings, but wise men (magi); the Bible does not mention three men, just three gifts; and neither their names or their camels are mentioned in the text (Mt 2).
Glittering Gold
Of the three gifts brought by the wise men, today we are most familiar with gold. An element, it is number 79 on the Periodic Table of Elements. Gold is a naturally-occurring metal that, since the dawn of recorded history, has been singled out for its attractiveness and value. During both the Old and New Testament periods, it was the most valuable commodity of exchange. At the time of Christ’s birth, a pound of gold was valued at about $600. Today, gold brings up to $8,000 a pound. Interestingly, gold was listed with both frankincense and myrrh among the oldest known prescriptions in the Egyptian Papyrus Ebers.
Tutankhamun’s famous solid gold face mask from the 14th century BC.
Medicinal Myrrh
A second gift from the magi was myrrh. It is first mentioned in the Bible as one of five ingredients of the holy anointing oil of the Tabernacle (Ex 30:23–24). Coming from both Hebrew (mour) and Greek (smurna) words meaning bitter, that is exactly how myrrh tasted. In addition to being offered to Jesus shortly after His birth, myrrh was also offered to Him at the time of His death (Mk 15:23). It was also used in His burial (Jn 19:39).
Historically, myrrh was utilized for both medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Applied externally on wounds and internally for fever, dropsy, asthma and diarrhea, myrrh was served as an analgesic(painkiller) and for skin inflammation. Cosmetically it was a favorite ingredient in perfume, oil and incense. Today, myrrh is used in the manufacture of toothpaste and mouthwash. The most valuable of the three gifts offered to baby Jesus, myrrh was worth as much as $4,000 a pound. Unlike gold, its value has plummeted and today a pound of myrrh is worth only about $15.
Fragrant Frankincense
The English term frankincense comes from Old French and simply means “pure or fine incense.” Today it refers to a substance vegetable in origin and officially called by its Latin name Olibanum. It is the best known aromatic gum resin of the ancient or modern world, hence frankincense (“pure incense”). Olibanum, as well as its ancient Greek (libanos) and Hebrew (labonah) anticedents, means “white.” This name probably refers to its yellowish color, especially in comparison to myrrh, the other significant aromatic which is darker in color.
As far back as third millennium BC Egypt, gum resins were burned for the aroma given off with their smoke. Both wall paintings and recovered artifacts demonstrate the burning of
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aromatic substances. Among the earliest and most valuable of the ancient aromatics, frankincense was presumably regularly utilized.
Technically a gum-resin (65% resin, 20% water-soluble gum and 15% small proportions of three other substances), frankincense is actually tree sap, like the petrified amber of Jurassic Park fame. The tree from which Olibanum/Frankincense comes is a leafy desert tree of diminutive stature officially called Boswellia. These trees grow naturally only in the region of southern Arabia (on the east) and Somaliland (on the west) at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Olibanum/Frankincense is harvested between the months of May and mid-September by cutting an incision into the bark of the Boswellia tree. After being exposed to the air, the sap hardens into yellowish tears as large as an egg. A good harvest can yield as much as 10 lb per tree each season.
Ancient writers tell us that Olibanum/Frankincense was such an important commodity that it was considered holy. Over the centuries, local rulers in the region of modern Somalia, the Yemens and Oman carefully guarded the trees and supervised their harvest. The Greek historian Herodotus recorded that each frankincense tree was guarded by a multitude of flying snakes. Such stories were no doubt the creation of ancient political spin-doctors to keep others away from these “money trees.” Only special families could harvest it and even their behavior during harvest season was restricted so as not to defile themselves or the substance. So effective was the local spin, merchants could leave harvested frankincense on the docks and no one would think of stealing it.
Unfortunately, that spin worked only in the local growing region. Pliny the Elder, the first century naturalist, noted in packaging centers like Alexandria that workers were strip-searched to ensure they did not steal any of the precious commodity.
The height of frankincense’s popularity coincided with the Roman Empire’s peak. From ports like Alexandria frankincense was transported to Greece, Rome and as far as China. Historians estimate as much as 3,000 tons of frankincense were traded annually.
During the fourth century AD, with the decline of the empire and the rise of the Byzantine church, the frankincense trade waned. Primarily due to disruption of the empire’s trade network, burning of frankincense was considered pagan and not to be practiced in Christian worship. Yet, during the next century the ecclesiastical ban was lifted and frankincense eventually became the ingredient of choice in every church’s ritual incense.
Interesting, the first report of frankincense in an archaeological excavation only occurred in 1997. It was found in Egyptian Nubia, where Boswellia trees do not grow. From the major frontier settlement of Qasr Ibrim, samples of “an amorphous substance” were identified in fill from a house cellar (Structure X-265). In a level dating about AD 400–500, the substance was chemically tested and demonstrated components of modern frankincense. Not from a cultic context, it was found in a domestic setting. While frankincense has probably been present in many prior excavations, because of its amorphous nature it is easily overlooked.
Frankincense is first mentioned in the Bible as one of the four ingredients of the Tabernacle’s holy “perfume” or incense (Ex 30:34–36). Although not specifically stated that the substance was burned, the text does note it was manufactured for its aroma (Ex 30:38). This particular blend of spices was not to be used by anyone for any other purpose, under penalty of banishment from the congregation (Ex 30:39).
The queen of Sheba came from the general region where frankincense was harvested. Scripture records that she brought a great quantity of spices to king Solomon (1 Kgs 10:10). Frankincense may have been one of her special gifts. While at the time of Christ frankincense was worth as much as $500 per pound, today a pound is valued at only $15.
Beyond its use as incense, frankincense also had medicinal value in the ancient world. Biochemically similar to myrrh, frankincense was utilized for many of the same maladies. It was applied externally as dressing for wounds, skin infections and bruises. Internally it was recommended for tumors, ulcers, vomiting, dysentery, fevers, an antidote to hemlock and as a stimulant. Modern research notes frankincense’s antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties as a dressing, as well as its effective treatment of lung infection discomfort and asthma.
The gifts of the magi no doubt had symbolic and even prophetic meaning (gold for royalty; frankincense for deity; myrrh for a suffering Savior). They were also among the period’s and region’s most valued commodities. The magi understood who Jesus was and offered Him the best.
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Map of Somalia, Oman and Yemen, where frankincense and myrrh originate. The Gulf of Aden at the mouth of the Red Sea is the only region in the world where frankincense and myrrh grow naturally. The ancient growing regions were found within the modern countries of Somalia in east Africa as well as Yemen and Oman in the southern end of the Arabia peninsula. The spices were shipped north by the Red Sea, ultimately reaching all the Middle East and the entire Mediterranean world.