Merry Christmas Wise Men!
One of the major themes of the Christmas story is about the wise men. It starts in Babylon with the Magi hundreds of years before Jesus birth. They were the intellectuals of their day. The Magi were based on a mixture of superstition and fortune telling, as well as real science just like the scientists and occult researchers of today. Daniel taught them the truth and they were converted. The Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense is related to the name of Lebanon ; this is believed to be because they both derive from the word for "white". Below are Boswellia sacra trees from which frankincense comes from sap. This picture is of hardened Frankincense. Below is Boswellia sacra . The sap is white when it oozes out of a cut in the tree. White in the Bible is symbolic of righteousness. Boswellia sacra trees are considered unusual for their ability to grow in environments so unforgiving that t...