ANOINTING WITH OILS
Many religions including and starting with pagans believed in the powers and properties of oils. The action of "anointing" has long been a part of sacred religions and belief systems. As soon as processes were developed to process plants into essential oils by ancient civilizations, trad routes became established for the spices, incense, essential oils and cooking oils, such as olive, dates and palm..
Within the trade routes of Mediterranean countries, essential oils from flowers and spices began to develop. The word perfume comes from the Latin "per", meaning through, and "fumum," meaning smoke, meaning not only oil based fragrance as we know it, but is also incense (the smoke). Incense and oils began to take their places of religious significance in China and India as well. It seemed that every region began perfecting the art of plant essences and oild.
Anointing with oils became a ritual. Thousands of years before the time of Christ, the Egyptian and Chinese were learning the arts of extracting oils, resins and spice. The Egyptians used their herbal skills not only to prepare the dead, but to leave in the tombs, which were filled with precious oils for the afterlife. This knowledge was also used to heal the sick and to anoint leaders. Kings, preists, and prophets all were anointed with oils. Manuscripts from King Khufu records the use of herbs, oils and salves for religious purposes and healing around 2700 BC. Scientists later discovered that Ramses II had his nose stuffed with peppercorns. Even Cleopatra's love of fragrance rekindled the interest init in Rome during the time of Julius Caesar. With the intermingling and trade between Mediterranean countries, all became familiar with the uses of oils. This tradition permeated all the religions and regions.
As with the Hebrews in the Old Testament, the New Testament makes plenty of mentions of anointing with oil. There are 188 references to oils in the Bible. The early Hebrews were possibly well acquainted with oil use during their contact with Babylon and Mesopotamia. The early dynasties of Egypt are referred to in teh Bible with the stories of King David, Joseph, King Solomon, and Moses. It is with the introduction of Moses that anointing with oils becomes very specific. "Moreover, the Lord spoke unto Moses saying: Take thou also unto thee principal spices of pure myrrh...of sweet cinnamon...of sweet calamus...of cassia...and of olive...and thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil." Exodus 30:22-25. Sources point that Biblically, anointing with oil religiously started in 1446 BC during the 18th dynasty with Moses and the Exodus from Egypt.
When Christianity arrived, anointing with oil took on a new significance. The Hebrew word Messiah is "anointed one" and when the Christ child was born, the Bible mentions that precious substances of frankincense and myrrh are brought to him by the wise men. Christ's feet are washed and anointed with oil of spikenard by Mary Magdelene at the Last Supper, and when his body is removed from the cross, it is wrapped in linen soaked with myrrh oil to be placed in the tomb. |
