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