Feast of the Three Kings: what the gold, incense and myrrh they brought to Jesus mean

Like every end of the year, the holidays are positioned as the main events before the start of a new year. However, these celebrations were used as an excuse to gather as a family and distribute gifts They were originally created from facts that are carefully examined in the Bible such as, for example, gifts from wise man to the baby Jesus.

The traditional celebration of January 6 it was born as a memory the three gifts that Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar gave to Jesus for his birth in Bethlehem portal: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Although they may seem like three gifts without coherence that today are simply replicated in the nativity scene, the truth is that the three gifts respond to certain characteristics.

For example, gold symbolizes purity, since it is a metal that has not altered or lost its color and shine, which adds to the economic value it has always had. Furthermore, gold has always been a gift intended for kings.

The Magi correspond to three kings whose origin dates back to the text ‘Liber Pontifiacalis’, where it is explained that Gaspar was known as the king of Indiato Melchior as the king of Persiawhile Baltasar was the king of Arabia or Ethiopia.

While, Incense was also a typical gift from the gods. THE Jewish religionand even Jewish women claimed that by donating incense to God they recognized him as divinity and son of God.

Finally, myrrh recognized Jesus as man, as it was used to embalm the dead. Likewise it was also used as an anesthetic, usually mixed with wine. This leads to be interpreted as Jesus, son of Godhe came to take away the pain from the world.

Medicinal effects of frankincense and myrrh

Although they are mainly characteristic of festivals, both incesso and marra were studied by Dr. Ahmed Ali, a scientist at Cardiff University, in the United Kingdom, to find out if they really had any kind of healing property.

In response to several studies, it was found that Somali incense, also known as “magic incense”, can be used in various treatments due to its different chemical profile compared to other types of incense. incense.

“We have found that when a variety of Somali incense is extracted, it can be used to tone down the aroma metastasis of tumor cells in vitro. That is, it can stop the spread of cancer,” the researcher said in statements to the BBC.

Meanwhile, myrrh was studied for its possible benefits against cancer. “If you’re looking for a combination of something like a myrrh extract, which targets cancer cells and kills them without harming healthy cells, with a incense extractwhich stops the cancer from spreading further, so it could be a great combination,” the doctor explained.

“It can be used to help with arthritis. It also seems particularly effective at reducing symptoms of ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel condition. Frankincense can also help prevent gum disease,” she concluded.