Incense and Fumigants

Abstract

The burning of aromatic plants and their products has from time immemorial played an important part in religious ceremonies. The monuments of ancient Assyria and Egypt bear ample proof of this by the numerous sculptures and paintings appearing on them. There are further references to this practice in the writings of the Scriptures. For instance, in Exodus xxx 1: ‘And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon.’ Other references are to be found in Exodus xxx 7, 8, 34; 2 Kings xxii 10, 11; xxiii 5. The Egyptians burned the incense in censers and used principally myrrh, frankincense, and a specially blended mixture of sixteen ingredients called Kaphi. While this custom has been abandoned by many churches because of the great esteem in which it is held by the heathens, it still finds a wide use by the Roman Catholic and Greek churches. The principal form in which incense is burnt in the East today is as joss-sticks. These are fashioned somewhat like a candle and are said to be made principally of powdered santalwood (both East Indian and West Australian) mixed with swine’s dung. The incense burned in the European churches today appear to consist mainly of olibanum: some species contain a little charcoal, benzoin, and storax.