196 



KNOWLEDGE 



[October 1, 1891. 



December longitudinal incisions are made in the bark ; 

 the cuticle and adjacent parts then become sliining and 

 distended. When the gum first begins to run it is white 

 as milk, and according to its degree of fluidity runs down 

 to the ground or concretes on the tree near to the incision. 

 It is then collected by the families owning the land." 

 According to Capt. Miles (".Jul. E. Geograph. Soc.,"xlii., 

 G5), the gum is not collected by the inhabitants of the 

 country, but by the Somalis, who come over in large 

 numbers from the opposite coast and pay a tribute to the 

 Arabs for it, gathering it themselves. He considers the 

 Arabian Luban inferior to the African. 



As found in commei'ce, olibanum varies greatly in 

 quahty and appearance. It occurs in the form of rounded 

 fragments of a pale yellow and sometimes reddish colour, 

 also in pale yellow or nearly colourless distinctly pear- 

 shaped tears, sometimes stalactiform and slightly agglu- 

 tinated. It is always of a mealy surface covered with a 

 fine white dust, and even where this is wiped off the tears 

 appear translucent and milky. The fracture is splintery ; 

 the odour faintly balsamic ; the taste bitter. 



These four ingredients would doubtless burn readily if 

 cast on the fire of the altar, and probably burn with a 

 flame, but to develop a smoke the ingredients should Irarn 

 slowly, or smoulder. If burned in a censer an incense of 

 this composition would very likely go out by melting into a 

 solid lump. In modern incense the difficulty is overcome 

 by adding pulverized charcoal and nitrate of potash, but 

 Closes does not specify any other ingredient. 



In the description of the composition of the holy incense 

 given in the Talmud ( Book " Cheritoth "), we find the words 

 " borith Carshma," which are usually translated " soap of 

 Carshina," but soap would form a very bad ingredient for 

 incense. Soap was unknown to the .Jews, and the word 

 " borith " ('"i""!3) is more likely to refer to a natural alkaline 

 production of Judiea, somewlrat similar to the Egyptian 

 " natron " or " nitrum," or to the nitrate deposits of C'hih. 

 Such an addition to the ingredients would supply the 

 oxygen necessary for comliustion. 



From Ex. xxx. 22-38 we find that the IidIi/ anitintinff 

 nil for the service of the Tabernacle was composed of 

 myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia, and olive 

 oil. The word ini/rrh is derived from a Hebrew word, 

 signifying in French timer, and in English liittrr. It is 

 also said to be derived from the Aral)ic word iiiiii-. The 

 Greek equivalent is a-ij.vpva.. The ancient Egyptian word 

 Bola or Bal, and the Sanskrit Vola, ai'e yet preserved in 

 the Persian and Indian names Bol, Bola, and Heera-Bol, 

 well-known names of myrrh. Myrrh is a gum-resinous 

 exudation from the stem of the Bulsiiiiioilcndnm mijrrha, 

 collected in Arabia Felix and Abyssinia, a spiny shrub 

 of which there are at least three distinct species. Good 

 commercial myrrh is in irregular-shaped masses of a 

 reddish-brown colour and slightly ti-anslucent. It has a 

 dull irregular fracture and an aromatic and characteristic 

 odour. The I5issa-B61, which is an inferior quality and 

 much adulterated, was formerly called East India myrrh 

 and is of African origin, but the plant furnishing it is un- 

 known, although it is said by the natives to much resemble 

 the tree yielding the Heera-Bol or true myrrh. The 

 variety from which the ancients principally drew their 

 supplies was probably that of Southern Arabia ; this has 

 the same odour as ordinary myrrh, and is not distinguished 

 from it in English commerce by any special denomination. 



The " sweet cinnamon," called '• kinnamon " in the Old 

 Testament and Kiva/xcupoi/ in the New (Rev. xviii. 13), is 

 Ceylon cinnamon. 



The "sweet calamus" (Keneh bosem) ; the "sweet 

 cane" (Keneh hotteb, Jer. vi. 20), and "calamus" 



(Kaueh, Song of Sol. iv. 14, and Ezek. xxvii. 19) is, 

 according to some authorities the Antlrnpoiiiyn Calamus 

 a row at ir us of Royle, which is synonymous with the Andro- 

 pogon SchaMianthus of Linnaeus, and known in India as 

 Roosa-grass and in London as " Ginger-gi-ass." This 

 grass grows wild in Central India, in the North- West 

 Pro^'inces, and is abundant everywhere in the Deccan. It 

 has recently been found on the Humai Railway route in 

 Baluchistan (Lace in " .Tnl. Lin. Soc," xxviii., 296, Aug., 

 1891). At the present day this grass is largely used for the 

 distillation of its oil, which is employed in the adulteration 

 of otto of rose. 



It is, however, very probable that the " sweet calamus " 

 was the Andrdpni/ini liniliier (Desfontaines). This plant 

 has a wide distribution, extending from North Africa, 

 through Arabia and North India to Thibet. It is the 

 TyjLio; apuji^arikfj:; of Dioscorides and the Herba 

 Sehajnanthus and Juncus odoratus of Latin writers on 

 Materia Medica. The Arabic name is Izkhir, which 

 signifies stored-up forage. It has also been called Fwnum 

 Camelorum, fi-om its use in dry desert tracts as a forage 

 for camels. When cattle eat mucli of this grass, the milk 

 becomes scented. Lemery, commenting on Pomet ( " Hist, 

 des Drogues"), says that "this is a kind of fragrant rush or 

 grass growing plentifully in Arabia Felix, at the foot of 

 Mount Libanus. The stalk is about a foot high, divided 

 into several hard stems, of the size, figure and colour of 

 barley straw, being much smaller towards the top. The 

 leaves are about half a foot long, narrow, rough, pointed, 

 of a pale green colour. The flowers growing on the top 

 are arranged in double order ; they are small, hairy, and 

 of a carnation colour .... all the plant, and particularly 

 the flower, is of a strong smell and bitter taste." 



The other odoriferous ingredient in the holy anointing 

 oil, Kiihlah (Exodus xxx. 24), is translated rnxsia. In 

 Psalm xlv. 8 it is called Kctiiali, and here, undoubtedly, 

 Casm'ii lii/iii-ii is meant. This is the bark of the Ciniui- 

 womum Cassia, a forest tree of China. Another variety 

 called Malabar cassia, is exported from Bombay ; this is 

 thicker and coarser than that from China. These barks 

 resemble cinnamon in many of their qualities ; the smell 

 and taste are nearly the same, but less sweet and more 

 pungent, but the substance is thicker and the appearance 

 coarser and darker than cinnamon. All these barks 

 contain a very aromatic volatile oil and a resin. 



In the holy anointing oil the proportions of these 

 aromatics, as indicated by Moses (Ex. xxx. 22-88), are 

 500 shehrh of myrrh, 2.50 of sweet cinnamon, 250 of 

 sweet calamus, and 500 of cassia ; to these were to be 

 added 1 hin of olive oil. Although we here have the 

 formula of this compound, the mode of making it is not 

 described, and it is difficult to conceive how 1 hin of oil, 

 which is about 9| pints, could hold in solution so much 

 soUd matter, the total weight of which, 1500 shekels, is 

 equal to about 47 lbs. Such an amalgam would only 

 produce a very thick paste, and the oil was evidently 

 intended to be liquid, as it was not only ordered to be used 

 for anointing the altars and utensils of the Tabernacle, 

 but was commanded to be used for consecrating the High 

 Priest, by pouring it on to his head in such abundance as 

 to run down his beard and impregnate the skirts of his 

 garments (Psalm cxxxiii. 2). Probably the odoriferous 

 properties were in some way separated from the ligneous 

 matter before mixing with the olive oil. 



Several other aromatic substances used in the early 

 ages have been the theme of modern investigation and 

 dispute. The substances were sometimes made up in the 

 form of ointments, which were lavishly used by the rich, 

 not only in their toilet but also as a mark of distinction 



