Gifts brought to the Christ child valued as ‘fit for a king’

Gifts that the Bible says the Wise Men brought to the baby Jesus were fit for a king, says a professor at Wake Forest University.
   
Gold, frankincense and myrrh were traditional gifts given in antiquity to royalty in the Middle East, said Fred Horton, a Bible professor at the school in Winston-Salem, N.C. “Most Palestinian Jews of the first century would have been unable to afford such gifts,” he said.
   
Their mention in the story of Jesus’ birth in Matthew indicates that Christ was to be revered as a King not only by Jews but by Gentiles as well, he said.
   
Gold is frequently mentioned as a gift for kings in the Old Testament. While less valued today, frankincense and myrrh, fragrant gum resins extracted from trees in south Arabia and Ethiopia, were during Jesus’ time used to make fine perfumes and anointing oils.
   
“Oils were used extensively in the Middle East to restore moisture after bathing and to protect skin from the dangerous rays of the Middle Eastern sun,” Horton said.
   
Frankincense was a valued commodity long before Jesus’ era. Ancient Egyptians used hundreds of pounds of it per funeral. When scientists opened King Tutankhamen’s tomb 3,000 years after his death, the smell of frankincense filled the air.
   
Greeks used the resin to honor heroes. The Romans gave it to soldiers to treat skin infections and bruises. The Chinese sent precious porcelain by boat to Africa to trade for frankincense, which they used to improve respiratory health.
   
Sweet-smelling frankincense also had religious importance. It was one ingredient in incense that was burned in the Jewish Temple and other holy sites. Some religions still believe the smoke from incense carries prayers to God.
  
Myrrh was more rare in the ancient world but valued for perceived curative powers. Arab men drank it to cure baldness. In India, it was used to fight obesity and to prolong life. Because frankincense and myrrh were used by so many ancient cultures, scholars speculate these elements may have been at the height of their value during Jesus’ time. In estimates using today’s dollars, frankincense would have cost about $500 a pound and myrrh as much as $4,000. More is known about the gifts than their mysterious bearers described as the Wise Men or Magi.
   
“The Gospel of Matthew, which is the only biblical document that tells us about the Magi, does not mention how many there were, nor how they got from place to place,” Horton said. “We do know something about Magi in the ancient world, however. Often the word Magi refers to wandering Mithraic priests.”
   
Archaeological excavations at Caesarea, a coastal city in Israel, have uncovered clues about the possible identification of the biblical Magi. A group digging there in 1973 found a “mithraeum,” or place for worshiping the god Mithras,” Horton said. (ABP)