I don’t know how many recipes the Bible contains, but Exodus 30 gives one for sacred anointing oil.
- 500 shekels of liquid myrrh (that’s about 12 pounds)
- 250 shekels of fragrant cane (6 pounds)
- 500 shekels of cassia (12 pounds). Cassia is akin to cinnamon.
- 1 hin of olive oil (a hin is about a gallon)
This was to be specially made by a perfumer, and then used to anoint most everything in the temple, including the priests themselves.
Here’s the rub: it couldn’t be used for anything else. If you made a concoction like this, or put it on anyone except a priest, you would be “cut off from the people,” which I assume means you would be exiled.
So I’m wondering: does this still apply? Has anyone tried making this formula? Is it good for anything except anointing sacred objects? Might it actually turn out to be a bestseller at Macy’s, if they bothered mixing it up?
I’m just wondering. This recipe came straight from God, so it must be good. I’m pretty sure that if I mixed up a batch, my church wouldn’t excommunicate me.
8 Comments to How to Make Sacred Anointing Oil