Myrrh and Frankincense

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy

Everybody knows what gold is. But what about the other two gifts presented to Jesus at his birth (Mt 2:11): myrrh and frankincense? Those are less well-known in the modern world. Both are scented tree resins that, in ancient times, served multiple purposes.

Frankincense is gathered from small thorny trees by scraping them and collecting the resin that leaks out. The resin is then dried and hardened into flat round cakes and sold all around the world. When burned, it produced a sweet, woody-smelling smoke. In ancient times, it was burned ceremoniously by most of the predominant religious cults, including Greek, Roman, Babylonian, Jewish (Ex 30:34-38), Buddhist, and other local communities. Additional uses included perfumes, massage oils, cosmetics, and medicine. Its myriad of uses resulted in it being as expensive as gold.

Myrrh is very similar. It too is collected from small thorny trees by scraping them and drying the outpouring of resin. At the time, it was more expensive than frankincense, so its use during religious ceremonies was limited. However, like frankincense, it was used for embalming, in perfume (SS 1:12-13), in cosmetics (Est 2:12), as a painkiller (Mk 15:23), and as a medicinal cure-all.

Myrrh and frankincense grew and were collected solely in southern Arabia and parts of eastern Africa. From there, it was traded all across the Roman empire.

Sources:
The Bible (New International Version)
"And Man Created God" - Selina O'Grady

Stoicism, Briefly

About halfway through the second chapter of And Man Created God, the author gave a nice little overview of the school of thought called Stoicism.

Stoicism is a mode of thinking that encourages rationalism, autonomy, and mastery of the self over emotion. The goal was to detach from emotion and see the nature of the world itself, logos. Every single person, no matter their station, is a part of this natural world and can find solace in their own minds.

The philosophy was mostly popular with the elite of the Roman world. According to the author, they liked Stoicism's idea that they could be their own master, even as their own power was stripped away by imperial powers.

On the other hand, commoners preferred the other religious cults of Rome and its surrounding regions. Their cults focused more on emotional concepts of "ecstasy, comfort and a sense of belonging." They were seen as the opposite of Stoicism's ideas. They were less about the self, and more about praising the popular god of the week, hoping for favor.

Sources:
"And Man Created God" - Selina O'Grady