December 18, 2000
Gold, frankincense and myrrh really
were gifts fit for a king, professor says
___By Vanessa Willis
___Wake Forest University
___WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP)--Gifts the Bible says the Wise Men brought to the baby Jesus were fit for a king, says a professor at Wake Forest University.
___Gold, frankincense and myrrh were traditional gifts given in antiquity to royalty in the Middle East, said Fred Horton, a Bible professor at the school in Winston-Salem, N.C. "Most Palestinian Jews of the first century would have been unable to afford such gifts."
___Their mention in the story of Jesus' birth indicates that Christ was to be revered as a king not only by Jews but by Gentiles as well, he said.
___Gold frequently is mentioned as a gift for kings in the Old Testament. While less valued today, frankincense and myrrh, fragrant gum resins extracted from trees in south Arabia and Ethiopia, were during Jesus' time used to make fine perfumes and anointing oils.
___"Oils were used extensively in the Middle East to restore moisture after bathing and to protect skin from the dangerous rays of the Middle Eastern sun," Horton said.
___Frankincense was a valued commodity long before Jesus' era. Ancient Egyptians used hundreds of pounds of it per funeral. When scientists opened King Tutankhamen's tomb 3,000 years after his death, the smell of frankincense filled the air.
___Greeks used the resin to honor heroes. The Romans gave it to soldiers to treat skin infections and bruises. The Chinese sent precious porcelain by boat to Africa to trade for frankincense, which they used to improve respiratory health.
___Sweet-smelling frankincense also had religious importance, Horton said. It was one ingredient in incense that was burned in the Jewish temple and other holy sites. Some religions today still believe the smoke from incense carries prayers to God.
___Myrrh was more rare in the ancient world but valued for perceived curative powers, he continued. Arab men drank it as a cure for baldness. In India, it was used to fight obesity and to prolong life. The Chinese mixed it with breast milk to cure diaper rash.
___Because frankincense and myrrh were used by so many ancient cultures, scholars speculate they may have been at the height of their value during Jesus' time. In estimates using today's dollars, frankincense would have cost about $500 a pound and myrrh as much as $4,000.
___More is known about the gifts than their mysterious bearers described as the Wise Men or magi.
___"The Gospel of Matthew, which is the only biblical document that tells us about the magi, does not mention how many there were, nor how they got from place to place," Horton said. "We do know something about magi in the ancient world, however. Often the word 'magi' refers to wandering Mithraic priests."
___Archeological excavations at Caesarea, a coastal city in Israel, have uncovered clues about the possible identification of the biblical magi. A group digging there in 1973 found a "mithraeum," or place for worshipping the God Mithras, said Horton, who has led several digs in Caesarea during the past 25 years.
___Horton said Matthew's mention of the ancient religious group is no accident. "The author makes it clear that the birth of Jesus was an event not just for the Jews but for the whole world," he said.
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