According to etymologists, linguists, anthropologists, botanists and other researchers, the Holy Anointing Oil that Moses was directed to make according to the Old Testament of the Christian Bible in the book of Exodus 30:23, contained approximately 6 pounds of kaneh-bosem, an ancient word that has been interpreted as a word for cannabis.
According to Biblical scholars, God requested that Moses make an anointing oil for the purpose of anointing the priests, using myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, kaneh-bosem, and olive oil. The traditional Hebrew word kaneh-bosem is also rendered as kannabus.
The root kan in this construction means “reed” or “hemp”, while bosem means “aromatic”. The time frame for the Biblical book of Exodus is estimated to be about 1450 BCE according to the Revell Bible Dictionary.
There has been some debate as to whether or not the word kaneh-bosem is actually the word calamus, a common marsh plant with little monetary value that does not have the qualities or value ascribed to kaneh-bosm. But research in 1936 by the etymologist, Sula Benet reflects that the word cannabis itself has an origin in Semetic languages such as Hebrew.
As recently as 2020, researchers in Israel discovered that residue on stone altars dating from 760 BCE contained sufficient THC (the psychoactive compound in cannabis) to produce a high. Temple practices appear to have continued on into the time of Jesus Christ. It is, after all, a sacred herb.
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The photo below is from a mosaic in the 12th Century Basilica Catedrale di Santa Maria Nouva di Monreale in Sicily, Italy entitled “Jesus Healing the Blind”. Note the plant leaf in the background.
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