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The English word frankincense derives from the Old French expression franc encens, meaning 'true incense', maybe with the sense of 'high quality incense'. [4] [2] The adjective franc in Old French meant 'noble, true', in this case perhaps 'pure'; although franc is ultimately derived from the tribal name of the Franks, it is not a direct reference to them in the word francincense.
Incense is often used as part of a purification ritual. [6] In the Revelation of John, incense symbolises the prayers of the saints in heaven – the "golden bowl full of incense" are "the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 5:8, cf. Revelation 8:3) which infuse upwards towards the altar of God.
Use of incense was abandoned in the Church of England by the turn of the 19th century [12] and was later thought to be illegal. [13] [14] Today, the use of incense in an Anglican church is a fairly reliable guide to churchmanship, that is, how 'high' (more Catholic in liturgical style) or how 'low' (more Reformed) the individual church is. [15]
Model of the Golden Altar. The incense offering (Hebrew: קְטֹרֶת qəṭōreṯ) in Judaism was related to perfumed offerings on the altar of incense in the time of the Tabernacle and the First and Second Temple period, and was an important component of priestly liturgy in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Boswellia is a genus of trees in the order Sapindales, known for its fragrant resin.The biblical incense frankincense is an extract from the resin of the tree Boswellia sacra, and is now produced also from B. frereana. [3]
All three gifts are ordinary offerings and gifts given to a king. Myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable. The three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death.
Sacred herbs are herbs that are considered sacred in some religions.Herbs such as myrrh (Commiphora myrrha), ague root (Aletris farinosa), and frankincense (Boswellia spp) in Christianity, Nine Herbs Charm in the partially Christianized Anglo-Saxon pagan, and a form of basil called tulsi—revered as a Hindu goddess for its medicinal value—are utilized in their rites and rituals.
Boswellia sacra, also known as Boswellia carteri and others, and commonly called the frankincense tree or the olibanum tree, is a tree in the genus Boswellia, in the Burseraceae family, from which frankincense, a resinous dried sap, is harvested. [5]