Lectures

6th December 2023: Perfume in the Bible

Our talk on 6th December was “Perfume in the Bible” by Charles Sell, chemist and author of the book 'Perfume in the Bible' published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Additionally, Charles is a Canterbury Cathedral guide and the talk was illustrated with scenes in the Cathedral’s medieval stained glass that have references to perfume.

Over half of the books of the bible mention perfume, and the bible is a valuable source for tracing the history of perfumery. For example in Exodus 30.33-35 the Lord explains to Moses the ingredients to be given to a perfumer to make holy incence for the priest. Futhermore, perfume is a metaphor for the bible, scent and smell playing an important role in the biblical narrative. Indeed, Corinthians 2:14-16 states “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life”. This last sentence gives us a clue to how different people perceive perfume. Indeed no one person perceives the same perfume or smell in the same way because the information transmiited between the nose and the olfactory bulbs in the brain differs between people.

The base ingredients (base notes) of perfumes described in the bible are mainly derived from defensive plant substances (eg, tree bark, or tree resin with antifungal and antibacterial properties), or products of decay. The plant substances cited in the bible (subject to language and identity) include agarwood, calamus, cassia, cinnamon, cypress, frankincense, galbanum, iris, labdanum, myrrh, spikenard, and styrax. In addition, saffron is mentioned, which is derived from the flower of the crocus, and, onycha, which is thought to be derived from the shell of a mollusc. Samples of these substances were available for us to smell at the end of the talk.

Uses of perfumes described in the bible include the sacred use of incense and anointing oil. Secular use such as in laundry, household and personal use is also covered, as is the use of perfume in courtship, seduction and prostutution. Charles cited various texts from the bible describing the use of perfume as well as showing scenes in stained glass from Canterbury and other cathedrals.

Margaret Bray