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| By Arif Khan .. Edited by Jonathan Ghaffar |
Aloe and Myrrh are
mentioned in the Gospel as being present immediately after the body of
Hadhrat Isa (Jesus) was tended to by Nicodemus and Joseph of
Arimathea; the presence of these medicinal plants has often been explained by
Christian scholars as being part of an embalming process, whereas Hadhrat Masih
Ma’ud (Mirza Ghulam Ahmad) in his treatise “Masih Hindustan Mein” (“Jesus
in India”) described how they were essential ingredients for an ointment applied to
Jesus’ wounds. What role do these herbs play today? Can an exploration of their
modern day uses throw light on possible events 2000 years ago? The mention of the herbs
appears in the Crucifixion story as it is recorded in the Gospel of John:
“Later,
Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a
disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s
permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by
Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus
brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy five pounds.* Taking
Jesus’s body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips
of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.” (NIV Bible;
John 19:38-40) [KJV reads: “about an hundred pounds…” ]
Many encyclopedic sources,
when talking of Aloe and Myrrh, immediately link and associate the herbs
with the events of the Crucifixion. Myrrh was also one of the gifts reported to
have been presented to the baby Jesus by the three wise men who came to visit
him travelling from the East. Thus, references to the properties of the herbs
are often inseparably linked to the events narrated in the Gospels rather
than a purely objective examination. An example of such association with
biblical stories can be seen from the entry in the Wikipedia, one of the
most popular online encyclopedias:
“Myrrh is a constituent of
perfumes and incense, and was highly prized in ancient times. Myrrh was one of
the gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus in the story told in the Gospel of
Matthew. Myrrh was used as an incense in funerals and cremations, a fact
alluded to in the Christmas Carol ‘We Three Kings’…”
Aloe
and Myrrh appear to be ideal herbs for treating someone who had
suffered an ordeal such as the Crucifixion.
As shall be shown shortly, these associations have clouded the role of these herbs in their true medicinal context. A similar confusion has been created around the Aloes family of plants. Sources outline how Aloe was thought to have been used during the embalming process of the Egyptians.¹ Using this view of Aloe, it would be expected to have no particular medicinal or healing properties, as its use appears to be post-mortem.
“Masih
Hindustan Mein” (Jesus in India) by
Hadhrat Masih Ma’ud (Mirza Ghulam Ahmad), however, presented what even the
ancients had known for a long time: Aloe and Myrrh have excellent healing and
antiseptic properties and this famous combination has been well-documented
over the years.
“A piece of evidence of great
value with regard to the escape of Jesus from the Cross, which no one can help
admitting, is a medical preparation known as Marham-i-Isa or the ‘Ointment of
Jesus’ recorded in hundreds of medical books … eminent physicians of all
religions -- Christian, Jew, Magian, or Muslim -- have all mentioned this
preparation in their books, and have stated that it was prepared for Jesus
by the disciples.” ²
If this ointment was really
utilizing well-known properties of Aloe and Myrrh, then there should be
evidence that such properties were known at the time of the Crucifixion.
Surprisingly, upon further investigation, it becomes clear that knowledge of
such properties of Aloes in particular was widespread as far back as 4,000
BC and was well-known by the Greeks and Romans.
“Aristotle was aware that the
healing properties of Aloe would be invaluable to soldiers wounded in battle
and advised his student Alexander III (“the Great”) to conquer all lands
that grew it, especially the island of Socotra off the coast of Eastern Africa
... Pedanius Dioscorides, a physician in the Roman army, mentioned medicinal
Aloes in his encyclopaedic Greek herbal De Materia Medica (Approximately
around 75 BC).” ³
“The healing benefits of Aloe
were recognized in the ancient Indian, Chinese, Greek, and Roman civilizations.
It is traditionally used to heal wounds, relieve itching and swelling, and is
known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.” ⁴
Myrrh is also a herb that,
although often linked to Jesus and his burial, was
clearly recognized at the time as a healing agent. Aloe is
talked about as having properties that help wounds heal and aid the reformation
of skin, whereas Myrrh is used more for anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial
reasons:
“In the past Myrrh was used by
many cultures for religious ceremonies and as a healing agent. It was mentioned
in the Bible as a gift at the birth of Christ. The Egyptians believed in its
healing powers: they burned it every day as part of
their worshiping rituals. In the Greek culture when soldiers
went to battle it was an essential part of their combat gear because of
Myrrh’s extremely high antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It was used
to clean wounds and to prevent infection. It was also used to prevent the
spread of gangrene in already infected parts of the body.”⁵
Embalming
Were the herbs not used for
embalming the body of Jesus? From the sources seen so far, the idea of
embalming using Aloe has only surfaced in the Egyptian world. It is
thought that pharaohs were buried along with Aloes. Was Jesus being embalmed?
To answer this question, an
examination of Jewish burial customs is needed. Jewish customs have clearly
been restricted to washing the body and wrapping it in a clean cloth -- there
was no embalming. For a body to be embalmed, incisions needed to be made and
the internal organs and entrails completely removed. It was understood by
the people of the time, and for Jews, that to make such incisions would
not be acceptable. Evidence to illustrate this aversion to any incisions can be seen
from the passing away of Judah, one of the ancestors of modern-day Jews, He is
recorded as having stated:
“‘I die this day at the age of
one hundred and nineteen years before your eyes. None shall bury me in a costly
garment, nor shall ye cut my body to embalm it, but ye shall carry me to
Hebron.’ Having spoken these words, Judah sank into death.” ⁶
It seems unlikely that the Aloes present were for embalming. Having Myrrh there also in large quantities was not consistent with this hypothesis. It appears far more likely that the excellent healing properties of these herbs were being utilized in an attempt to heal Jesus’ wounds and allow him to recover from his ordeal.
Modern
Day Use
Today there is an increasing
amount of usage of Aloes in products. Gillette series shaving foam now contains
what the can calls “soothing Aloes”, and a wide range of Aloe based creams and
gels are available mainly for healing of the skin.⁷
Another author, Diane Gage, has
chosen to title her book on the subject “Aloe Vera: Nature’s Soothing Healer”
and her text discusses the biological properties of Aloe Vera, explaining its
power to heal the human body, and traces the ways the plant has been used
throughout history.
Further evidence appeared in
August 2004 when the BBC News ran a story explaining that scientists
at the University of Pittsburgh, through conducting experiments on
animals, were able to demonstrate that juice from Aloe Vera was able to
preserve organ function in animals that had lost massive volumes of blood.⁹
The article explained how high levels of blood loss can send a body in to shock
and how extracts from Aloes were shown to be able to allow animals in the
experiments to survive longer with low blood pressure.
Conclusion
Aloe and Myrrh appear to be
ideal herbs for treating someone who had suffered an ordeal such as the
Cucifixion. Their reported presence at the Crucifixion is strong evidence that
Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea felt that Jesus could be revived and these
herbs were employed to allow the healing of his wounds. The properties of these
herbs were understood thousands of years ago and are employed even today in
leading pharmaceutical medicines and ointments.
Modern day products, such as
shaving foam, are a current testament to the truth in the account of Hadhrat
Masih Ma’ud’s (Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s) writings in regard to these herbs and in
support his theory of Hadhrat Isa’s (Jesus’) survival from the Crucifixion and
even describe the treatments used to restore his health.
Footnotes
1.
asktom-naturally.com/naturally/al oenews.html — Egyptians
2. Ahmad, Mirza Ghulam, Masih
Hin- dustein Meh, London Mosque 1978
3. www.aloe-spectrum.com/body_aloes.
htm — Aristotle’s view on
Aloes
4. www.mapi.com/en/newsletters/aloe_
vera.html — healing properties well
known in the east.
5. mdmd.essortment.com/whatis-
myrrh_riss.htm — myrrh properties
explored
6. www.globusz.com/ebooks/
LegJew2/00000056.htm — last testament of Judah
7. Reynolds, Barcroft, Myskia
Aloe
Vera: Nature’s Silent Healer,
ISBN
095450710X, BAAM Publishing
Ltd,
2003
8. Reynolds, Tom Aloes: e Genus
Aloe, ISBN 0415306728, Taylor & Francis, 2004
9. news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
health/3929471.stm — BBC News “Aloe vera may treat battle wounds”
Some of the information regarding these herbs can be found in the Bible:
ReplyDelete1) John 19:38 Joseph had permission to remove the body. Knowing the man was dead, he did not bring herbs to heal any of his wounds. Dead bodies don’t heal.
2) John 19:38 As a follower, thus a student, of Jesus, these men knew he was to be killed dead.....not merely wounded, he told his followers this earlier. A crowd witnessed his execution. There is no dispute regarding the death.
3) John 19:39 Nicodemas brought the prepared herbs.
4) John 19:40 The men wrapped the body, as was the custom of the Jews, in cloths with the herbs. Thus we know the herbs were used in the wrappings of the body. Jews did not adop the practice of embalming. Their belief regarding the dead made embalming unnecessary.
5) John 19:39 How much did the herbs weigh? The measure would have been Roman pounds which was equal to 327 grams or 11.5 ounces. 100 ‘Roman pounds’ all together.
Very fantastic knowledge thanks for it.
ReplyDeleteDawn Daily, Thank you for the commentary.
ReplyDeleteI never understand why these people are so insistent to prove that Jesus did not die on the cross. Some even tried to use Bible verses, but of course, they take the verses out of context or twist the meaning of the verses *smh.
Just to add on a little: myrrh, aloes, and spices are used to cover the smell of decomposing body.
Proverbs 7:17 "I have PERFUMED my bed with MYRRH, ALOES and cinnamon."
2 Chronicles 16:13-14
13 Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa DIED and rested with his ancestors. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier COVERED WITH SPICES AND VARIOUS BLENDED PERFUME, and they made a huge fire in his honor.
John 19:40 stated clearly that it was a BURIAL CUSTOMS.
There may have been people that did not want him to die, that may explain why they brought so much aloe and myrrh so quickly. That would be like bringing a defibrillator today. But, it doesn't mean the defibrillator always works or the aloe and myrrh. For them the result would not be immediate even if it worked. So first the application, then observed no results, then wrap. After that entombment, then the resurrection.
ReplyDeleteThe scripture Does support this narrative, and it is in fact why there is a shroud of turin and is in fact how modern day photography was made possible, but that is another story.
Nice article.