In Christianity, in the Sacrament of anointing, they use specially consecrated incense oil to anoint the body - it is called the world. In Orthodoxy, it is also used to consecrate a new church, to anoint the throne, antimins and walls. Earlier in history, according to the Orthodox tradition, they anointed the kingdom. In temples, it is stored in a special vessel called a myrrh.
Historical data on the origin of the world
For the first time, peace can be found in the Bible in the book of Exodus, when the Lord commanded Moses to take fragrant substances consisting of fragrant plants, olive oil, and make peace for the holy anointing.
At that time, only the bishop had the right to prepare the world. It was prepared from a mixture of different fragrant substances. This action was considered an analogue of the descent of the Holy Spirit on Christ at His Baptism and was sanctified at the altar on the throne.
Basil the Great, along with other church leaders, consecrated the world ascribed to the apostles.
In the Orthodox Church, miro is made from pure oil and olive oil, which add wine, which prevents the burning of oils, and incense, which may include incense, rose petals, spicy roots, nutmeg, lemon, clove oil and more.
In Orthodox churches, they usually use this type of incense as:
- oil - oil (mainly olive), which is used during the Sacrament of Unction for anointing;
- myrrh (myrrh), which is a frozen resin of the bark of a tree from the Burser family;
- miro - aromatic oil composed of fragrant herbs and frankincense, which is a frozen resin of the Boswell tree.
All three are very revered by the Orthodox.
Church incense oil
It is worth paying attention to this topic. In an amazing way, but almost all the aromas from any church shop have a pleasant and persistent smell, and these aromas are so harmonious that they not only distract from the main, or rather, important thoughts, but also do not violate someone's personal space.
There are aromas with floral names of such types: “Lily of the valley”, “Lime blossom”, “Gardenia”. But there are other names: "Athos", "Byzantium", "Jerusalem". In some names there is a mention of church holidays ("Easter", "Christmas", "Trinity" and further). And there are fragrances with fantasy names, something like “Paradise bouquet” or something like that. This incense oil is used mainly as a perfume for the body.