I’ve always had an interest in the Bible but had a horrible experience as a child with organized religion, so I never pursued reading it. I took a required course at St. Louis University that helped bridge the gap between different types of religion, but we never really dug into the material much. I mean, we read the baby stories of Jesus and looked at the first 5 chapters but that was it. I’ve decided to take a few steps at understanding the ancient scripture by looking at the oils that have been referenced in the book. I mean, I already use the oils, so why not get a better understanding of their heritage? Right?

Ok, so the first one that I’m digging into today is Myrrh. Apparently it’s mentioned in one of the oldest known medical records of all time called the Ebers Papyrus. The Ebers Papyrus is an Egyptian list of 877 prescriptions and recipes. Myrrh has been used by Arabians for a variety of “skin conditions such as chapped and cracked skin and wrinkles” (2.63). It has a rich, smoky, balsamic aroma that is purifying, restorative, revitalizing, and uplifting. I have been using it to help me through my stressful time that I’ve been going through and to help me with meditation. Since it’s so good with wrinkles, you can get this in a creme called Boswellia Wrinkle Cream. It’s from Somalia so that’s cool.

Let’s dig a little bit deeper here. I know it has been mentioned in the Bible and that it’s ancient, blah blah blah… But why was it mentioned in the Bible and where? After doing some research, I found that it’s mentioned in Genesis 37:25 where it says “And the sat down to eat bread and they lifted up their eyes and looked behold, a company of Ishmelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.”

It is mentioned later in Genesis at 43:11 – “And their father Israel said unto them, If it muse be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, and nuts, and almonds.”

And it’s mentioned again in Exodus 30:23- “Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels.”

I don’t know about you, but I feel like it’s pretty cool to have these oils in my possession to feel so connected with what was actually done in the Bible. It’s a weird sense of feeling connected to the world in some way. It’s hard to explain, but it makes me feel good, enlightened in a sense.

Works Cited

Essential Oils Desk Reference. 5th ed. U.S.A.: Life Science Pub., 2011. Print.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2004. Print.