5 ms·

A Brief History of Frankincense

53 points by Vigier 4y ago

seanmcdirmid 4y ago
The article explains why I can’t seem to buy frankincense in any form other than a burnable incense stick.
- midislack 4y ago
  You can easily, it's available on Amazon and eBay.
  - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
    Yes, burnable Frankincense incense sticks are common on Amazon, but no candle or mist forms.
  - hackingthelema 4y ago
    Notably, however, there can be ethical or sustainability issues with how incense resins are harvested, so being choosy about finding a seller may be worthwhile. You can find it locally often enough, too. Look for 'occult' or 'new age' shops and if they don't have it in, they may be able to get it in from a reputable source. There are at least two shops local to me I know of where I can buy multiple varieties (if they exist) of frankincense, myrrh, dragon's blood, copal, and almost any other I've looked for.
  - Tabular-Iceberg 4y ago
    With Amazon I’d expect it to be fake. You don’t want to risk ending up like Nadab and Abihu.
  - CommieBobDole 4y ago
    Surprisingly cheap, too. $15 for a one pound bag, according to the first listing I found. Also, from the bullet-pointed list of features: - Smells like Church
- giraffe_lady 4y ago
  Get it from sites that sell christian paraphernalia like icons and prayer beads. A lot of them are run by monasteries and have wonderfully out of date ecommerce platforms and weird design, that's a good sign in this case. There will usually be mostly blends that include frankincense in different amounts so read carefully. The good sites will have at least a couple pure frankincense options though, usually differentiated by origin like coffee.
- tablespoon 4y ago
  https://www.google.com/search?q=grade+a+frankincense https://www.google.com/search?q=grade+a+frankincense There seem to be a lot of hits for the resin.
giraffe_lady 4y ago
I don't think the formula for religious services is as formalized or rigid as the last paragraph claims? Or is that just for catholics? In orthodox churches for sure it varies church to church and also I think by time of year and maybe other factors. I don't think there's a set recipe.
- __void 4y ago
  as I recall in the bible there are more than a couple of recipes for mixtures of incense, resins, and ointments example: https://www.laparola.net/testo.php?riferimento=Esodo30%2C23-25&versioni[]=Nuova+Riveduta https://www.laparola.net/testo.php?riferimento=Esodo30%2C23-... (Es.30, 23-25) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+30&version=NIV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+30&versi...
- bombcar 4y ago
  The only restriction I know for Catholics is the main candles must be beeswax - other decorative ones apparently can be little flickering LEDs.
DavidAdams 4y ago
Oman's pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020 is "a tribute to frankincense." I learned more about frankincense than I thought I'd ever know. https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/understanding-expo/participants/country-pavilions/oman https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/understanding-expo/particip... https://www.arabnews.com/node/1975621/middle-east https://www.arabnews.com/node/1975621/middle-east
ElijahLynn 4y ago
I think the article could be improved with some images of frankincense and the different forms, as well as images of the tree, wood and resin. Currently there aren't any, and words are used to describe it, which is still good, but pictures would make it better.
ImpressiveWebs 4y ago
As a related aside: The word “magi” is plural for “magus” which means “astrologer”. In the Bible, God condemned all forms of astrology or similar “fortune telling” (e.g. see Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Thus, these astrologers were not some sort of God-ordained “wise men” as many believe. The “star” the astrologers initially followed was for the purpose of leading them and the child to King Herod, who planned to kill the child. God eventually intervened though to foil what was initially an evil plan.
- mistrial9 4y ago
  > The word “magi” is plural for “magus” which means “astrologer” congratulations for this reductionist review of words without references !
  - diroussel 4y ago
    It’s a very brief summary. Rather than complaining you would do better to elaborate and and educate. From the encyclopaedia Britanica it says: > magus, plural Magi, member of an ancient Persian clan specializing in cultic activities. The name is the Latinized form of magoi (e.g., in Herodotus 1:101), the ancient Greek transliteration of the Iranian original. From it the word magic is derived. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magus https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magus But I’d love to hear more.
    - ImpressiveWebs 4y ago
      The Biblical “magi” are not the same as the “Persian clan” referenced in your source. The Biblical word is simply a generic term for “astrologers” or “magicians” but which is rooted in the Persian meaning. In fact, the singular “magus” is used in reference to a Jew who practiced some form of magic in Acts 13:6-8.
  - mistrial9 4y ago
    perhaps look this way https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire#/media/File:Achaemenid_Empire_at_its_greatest_extent_according_to_Oxford_Atlas_of_World_History_2002.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire#/media/File:...

53 points by Vigier 4y ago

seanmcdirmid 4y ago

The article explains why I can’t seem to buy frankincense in any form other than a burnable incense stick.

midislack 4y ago
You can easily, it's available on Amazon and eBay.
- seanmcdirmid 4y ago
  Yes, burnable Frankincense incense sticks are common on Amazon, but no candle or mist forms.
- hackingthelema 4y ago
  Notably, however, there can be ethical or sustainability issues with how incense resins are harvested, so being choosy about finding a seller may be worthwhile. You can find it locally often enough, too. Look for 'occult' or 'new age' shops and if they don't have it in, they may be able to get it in from a reputable source. There are at least two shops local to me I know of where I can buy multiple varieties (if they exist) of frankincense, myrrh, dragon's blood, copal, and almost any other I've looked for.
- Tabular-Iceberg 4y ago
  With Amazon I’d expect it to be fake. You don’t want to risk ending up like Nadab and Abihu.
- CommieBobDole 4y ago
  Surprisingly cheap, too. $15 for a one pound bag, according to the first listing I found. Also, from the bullet-pointed list of features: - Smells like Church
giraffe_lady 4y ago
Get it from sites that sell christian paraphernalia like icons and prayer beads. A lot of them are run by monasteries and have wonderfully out of date ecommerce platforms and weird design, that's a good sign in this case. There will usually be mostly blends that include frankincense in different amounts so read carefully. The good sites will have at least a couple pure frankincense options though, usually differentiated by origin like coffee.
tablespoon 4y ago
https://www.google.com/search?q=grade+a+frankincense https://www.google.com/search?q=grade+a+frankincense There seem to be a lot of hits for the resin.

giraffe_lady 4y ago

I don't think the formula for religious services is as formalized or rigid as the last paragraph claims? Or is that just for catholics? In orthodox churches for sure it varies church to church and also I think by time of year and maybe other factors. I don't think there's a set recipe.

__void 4y ago
as I recall in the bible there are more than a couple of recipes for mixtures of incense, resins, and ointments example: https://www.laparola.net/testo.php?riferimento=Esodo30%2C23-25&versioni[]=Nuova+Riveduta https://www.laparola.net/testo.php?riferimento=Esodo30%2C23-... (Es.30, 23-25) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+30&version=NIV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+30&versi...
bombcar 4y ago
The only restriction I know for Catholics is the main candles must be beeswax - other decorative ones apparently can be little flickering LEDs.

DavidAdams 4y ago

Oman's pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020 is "a tribute to frankincense." I learned more about frankincense than I thought I'd ever know. https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/understanding-expo/participants/country-pavilions/oman https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en/understanding-expo/particip... https://www.arabnews.com/node/1975621/middle-east https://www.arabnews.com/node/1975621/middle-east

ElijahLynn 4y ago

I think the article could be improved with some images of frankincense and the different forms, as well as images of the tree, wood and resin. Currently there aren't any, and words are used to describe it, which is still good, but pictures would make it better.

ImpressiveWebs 4y ago

As a related aside: The word “magi” is plural for “magus” which means “astrologer”. In the Bible, God condemned all forms of astrology or similar “fortune telling” (e.g. see Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Thus, these astrologers were not some sort of God-ordained “wise men” as many believe. The “star” the astrologers initially followed was for the purpose of leading them and the child to King Herod, who planned to kill the child. God eventually intervened though to foil what was initially an evil plan.

mistrial9 4y ago
> The word “magi” is plural for “magus” which means “astrologer” congratulations for this reductionist review of words without references !
- diroussel 4y ago
  It’s a very brief summary. Rather than complaining you would do better to elaborate and and educate. From the encyclopaedia Britanica it says: > magus, plural Magi, member of an ancient Persian clan specializing in cultic activities. The name is the Latinized form of magoi (e.g., in Herodotus 1:101), the ancient Greek transliteration of the Iranian original. From it the word magic is derived. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magus https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magus But I’d love to hear more.
  - ImpressiveWebs 4y ago
    The Biblical “magi” are not the same as the “Persian clan” referenced in your source. The Biblical word is simply a generic term for “astrologers” or “magicians” but which is rooted in the Persian meaning. In fact, the singular “magus” is used in reference to a Jew who practiced some form of magic in Acts 13:6-8.
- mistrial9 4y ago
  perhaps look this way https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire#/media/File:Achaemenid_Empire_at_its_greatest_extent_according_to_Oxford_Atlas_of_World_History_2002.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire#/media/File:...