The use of aromatic herbs and resins goes back to the dawn of history.
The reader of Biblical texts will encounter mention of herbs and resins
in various contexts. It is interesting and instructive to examine ancient
Hebrew sources such as the the Bible and Talmud along with archeological
evidence to determine what can be learned about ancient Hebrew uses
of plant aromatics.
When examining these ancient texts, there are several hurdles to be overcome before one can understand the intent of the ancient writers. The first is one of identification: are we, today, referring to the same plant as the ancient Hebrews were? Luckily, modern scholars, most notably, Yehuda Felix, whose writings form the basis of this essay, have devoted great efforts to this problem.
The second hurdle is context: when an aromatic plant is mentioned, what use is being referred to? How were the plant extracts obtained, and for what use were they put in general, and in the specific text being studied? Here, too, modern scholars have studied carefully the evidence to find us some surprising results.
I will focus here on four aromatic plants that are conspicuous in the Bible: cedar, cypress, hyssop, and cinnamon. In addition, I will look at one plant not mentioned in the Bible, but discussed in the Talmud: rose. All of these are plants that. in modern times, essential oils are extracted from them and are used in aromatherapy.
Finally, I will discuss how the plants were used.
Notes relevant to this article will go here.