Holy anointing oil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The holy anointing oil described in Exodus 30:22-25 was created from 500 shekels (about 6 kg) of myrrh, half as much (about 3 kg) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels (about 3 kg) of fragrant cane (kanabos, variously translated as calamus or cannabis), 500 shekels (about 6kg) of cassia, and a hin (about 4 L) of olive oil.
Since the amount of spices would clearly overwhelm the olive oil, it is thought that these measures were of the original spices that were then distilled down, by "the art of the apothecary", to essential oils. Because there is no record of how the Jews rendered oil from their spices, it is unclear as to how much oil would have made up the final mixture.
The holiness of the oil was protected by the ceremonial law, which prohibited its use in anything but the rites of the temple, on threat of banishment from among the Jewish people.
