Frankincense is one of the
most important oils in the Bible, with 24 citings, all but two in the
Old Testament. The Greek libanos is derived from the Hebrew levohnah,
which comes from a root word meaning white, evidently from its milky
color. Related to the terebinth (turpentine) tree and to trees producing
balsam and myrrh, bushes and trees of genus Boswellia produce a milky
juice.
The frankincense tree grows
to about 25 feet high. The flowers are star-shaped, white or green with
a red tip. The leaves are compound, seven to nine serrated glossy leaflets.
Frankincense gum is harvested by making successive cuts in the bark
or by peeling off the bark at intervals, causing a white milk-like juice
to flow and form into tears about one inch long. When exposed to air,
the frankincense milk dries into a fragrant gum resin that has a bitter
taste but a wonderful aromatic aroma when burned (Song of Solomon 3:6).
The essential oil is extracted by steam distillation of the gum resin,
which is about 10% oil. The oil is pale yellow to green with a spicy
lemony top note and a warm, rich, sweet, balsamic undertone.
Frankincense was a principal
item carried by the caravans of Asian traders who traveled the spice
routes out of Arabia to Gaza and Damascus. Isaiah 60:6 and Jeremiah
6:20 state that it was imported in this way into Palestine from Sheba.
Sheba was a wealthy kingdom located in the eastern portion of the Yemen
Arab Republic known for its gold, frankincense, myrrh, precious stones
and ivory. Sheba dominated the caravan routes from Arabia and India.
Jesus commented that the Queen of Sheba who visited Solomon was "the
queen of the south" and that she "came from the ends of the
earth" (Matthew 12:42). Harib, the old capital of Sheba, was about
1,300 miles southeast of Jerusalem. Jesus said that the Queen of Sheba,
who made a very long and difficult journey to hear Solomon's wisdom,
would rise up in the judgment and condemn the men of his generation
(Luke 11:31) because the Jews who did not recognize who Jesus was, but
claimed to be servants of Jehovah, did not pay attention to him.
Solomon mentions "the
hill of frankincense" (Song of Solomon 4:6), possibly in a figurative
way, but he may have indicated the cultivation of frankincense trees
in his royal parks (Ecclesiastes 2:5; Song of Solomon 4:12-16).
Frankincense was an ingredient
of the Holy Incense used at the sanctuary. "And YHWH went on to
say to Moses: 'Take to yourself perfumes: stacte drops and onycha and
perfumed galbanum and pure frankincense. There should be the same portion
of each. And you must make it into an incense, a spice mixture, the
work of an ointment maker, salted, pure, something holy. And you must
pound some of it into fine powder and put some of it before the Testimony
in the tent of meeting, where I shall present myself to you. It should
be most holy to you people. And the incense that you will make with
this composition, you must not make for yourselves. For it is to continue
as something holy to YHWH. Whoever makes any like it to enjoy its smell
must be cut off from his people'" (Exodus 30:34-38).
Stacte, from the Greek verb
stazo, 'drip,' was a balsam that dropped from resinous trees, probably
a plant in the myrrh family. Since onycha was used for a sacred purpose,
it probably was a vegetable product, though what was meant is unknown.
Galbanum increases the intensity of the fragrance and makes the fragrance
last longer. The incense was salted under the Mosaic Law not because
of flavor but because salt represented freedom from corruption or decay
(Leviticus 2:13; Ezekial 43:24). Large quantities of salt evidently
were stored on the temple grounds for this purpose (Ezra 6:9; 7:21-22).
The Holy Incense was not
a substance that would smolder and smoke; it was a special incense for
the Ark of the Covenant, the meeting tent, for special offerings and
in the temple (Exodus 30:7; 40:27; Leviticus 16:12; 2 Chronicles 2:4).
The incense was carefully blended, finely powdered and sifted to obtain
a uniform substance. Private use was a capital crime (Exodus 30:38;
Leviticus 24:16; Numbers 15:35).
At a later time, rabbinic
Jews added other ingredients to the temple incense. Josephus (37-100
C.E.), a Jewish general and historian said it was made from 13 sweet-smelling
spices. According to the Spanish-born Jewish philosopher Maimonides
(1135-1204 C.E.), some of these extra items included amber, cassia,
cinnamon, costus, myrrh, saffron, spikenard, sweet bark and an herb
called "the smoke-raiser," known only to a few, a secret passed
down by the priesthood. Almost two pounds of incense were burned every
day in the temple.
Frankincense was used on
offerings (Leviticus 2:1-2, 15-16), as it was "a pleasing odor
to YHWH." The people put it on grain offerings (Jeremiah 17:26).
Frankincense was added to
each row of the showbread of the sanctuary (Leviticus 24:7). The bread
was stacked in two piles consisting of six loaves or layers each. Pure
frankincense was put on each stack. Jewish tradition says that the frankincense
was put in golden vessels and not directly on the bread. When the showbread
was removed on the Sabbath, the frankincense is said to have burned
on the altar. Frankincense was not to be included on sin offerings (Leviticus
5:11) or on the "cereal offering of jealousy" (Numbers 5:15),
because they were for sin or error, and were not offered up as a sacrifice
of praise or thanksgiving to Jehovah.
Frankincense was stored in
the rebuilt temple buildings following the return from Babylonian exile
(Nehemiah 13:5, 9; 1 Chronicles 9:29).
Isaiah records Jehovah's
displeasure and disapproval of gifts and the use of frankincense when
offered by those who reject his Word (Isaiah 66:3).
The "wise men from the
East" who visited the child Jesus brought frankincense with them
(Matthew 2:11). Legend says that there were three of them, and they
had three kinds of gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Bible does
not say that there were three, nor does it say that they were 'wise,'
'kings,' 'magicians,' nor 'astrologers.' Rather, it calls them magoi
(Matthew 2:1). The word is derived from 'magu,' a Persian word for Zoroastrian
priests. These priests of Babylon studied the stars and their influences
on human events. They were master astrologers. Their names were Melchior,
Gasper and Balthazar. According to medieval legend, after their death
their bodies were taken by Helena, the mother of the first Christian
emperor Constantine I, to Constantinople. From there, the bodies were
moved to Milan and still later to Cologne, Germany. The bodies are now
buried in the Cologne Cathedral and they are sometimes referred to as
the 'Three Kings of Cologne.'
Matthew 2:11 tells us that
when the magoi "went into the house they saw the young child."
Apparently by the time they got there, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were living
in a house, not in the stable scene we so often see at Christmas. Matthew
used the Greek word paidion, which can refer an older child, such as
one able to speak and play games in the marketplace (Luke 7:32). Another
indication that Jesus was no longer a newborn is that when the magoi
did not return, Herod ordered the killing of "all the male children
in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under"
(Matthew 2:16).
1 Infancy 3:1-2 tells a similar
story. "And it came to pass, when the Lord Jesus was born at Bethlehem,
a city of Judea, in the time of Herod the King; the wise men came from
the East to Jerusalem, according to the prophecy of Zoroaster, and brought
with them offerings: namely, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and worshipped
him, offering their gifts to him. Then the Lady Mary took one of his
swaddling clothes in which the infant was wrapped, and gave it to them
instead of a blessing, which they received from her as a most noble
present."
Paul spoke of "the fragrance
of the knowledge of" Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
The Greek term for the censer
(Revelation 8:3, 5), an incense vessel, is libanotos, derived from the
Hebrew word for frankincense. Frankincense is mentioned as one of the
items of commerce sold to Babylon the Great before her destruction (Revelation
18:11-13).
Frankincense was used as
an incense by ancient civilizations in India, China, the Middle East
and Egypt since the beginning of recorded time. Frankincense is still
used during the Catholic mass. Egypt also used it in a rejuvenating
face mask, cosmetics, perfumes and for fumigating and embalming. It
has been used medicinally both in the East and the West for a wide range
of conditions, including digestion, the nervous system, respiratory
infections, rheumatism, skin diseases, syphilis and urinary tract infections.
Frankincense was one of the
Seven Sacred Oils of Egypt. The other six are chamomile, jasmine, lavender,
lotus, myrrh and rose.
Chemical Constituents
Frankincense consists of
monoterpenes: pinene, limonene; sesquiterpenes: gurjunene; and terpene
alcohol.
Frequency
Frankincense has a high frequency.
Tests have shown that it has the frequency of the pineal gland, the
location of the third eye, the gland associated with spiritual communication.
Through biofeedback tests, frankincense has been found to be an inhalation-specific
stimulus to the pineal and pituitary glands.
Actions
Frankincense is anti-depressant,
anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, carminative, cytophylactic,
digestive, diuretic, expectorant, hemostatic, relaxing, sedative, tonic,
uterine, vulnerary and warming.
Aromatherapy
Frankincense is helpful
for acne, anxiety, asthma, blemishes, boils, breast abscesses, bronchitis,
catarrh, colds, coughs, cystitis, digestion, dry complexion, dysmenorrhea,
expectorant, flu, hemorrhage, immune deficiency, laryngitis, leukorrhea,
lung congestion, mature skin, metrorrhagia, mucus, nervous tension,
pneumonia, respiratory congestion, respiratory infections, rheumatism,
scars, skin diseases, sore throat, stress, syphilis, urinary tract infections,
wounds and wrinkles.
Long associated with use in temples, frankincense has the ability to
deepen and slow the breath, which helps the individual ease into prayer
or meditation. It increases concentration and uplifts.
High in sesquiterpenes, frankincense works in the pineal gland with
an activity that opens the crown chakra, which leads to greater spiritual
communication. It works on a spiritual immuno-deficiency level. It lifts
a depressing mood. It helps emotional trauma. It motivates the user
into action. When mentally stuck out of fear, it aids the user to overcome
the fear.
Blending
Frankincense is an enhancer,
a middle note. Frankincense blends well with basil, bergamot, camphor,
cinnamon, geranium, lavender, mimosa, myrrh, neroli, orange, pepper,
pine, sandalwood, vetiver and spice oils. It modifies the sweetness
of citrus oils in an interesting way.
Precautions
Do not take internally. Frankincense
is often adulterated with SD40, propylene glycol, and fermented fruit
oils that take oxygen from the essential oil but extend the aroma. When
pure and unadulterated, it is non-toxic, non-irritant and non-sensitizing.
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