Customs & Culture

Perfume, Spices and Costly Ointments

Clothing and Personal Appearance • Material Culture

Perfumes and aromatic spices were valuable commodities used in grooming, hospitality, worship, medicine, and burial.

Primary Scripture

Historical and Cultural Background

Imported aromatics could be extremely costly because ingredients traveled long trade routes and required skilled preparation. Perfumed oils were commonly stored in small vessels.

Biblical Examples

A woman anoints Jesus with costly perfume, Mary uses expensive nard, and Nicodemus brings myrrh and aloes for Jesus' burial.

Biblical Significance

The high value of the perfume explains the disciples' reaction to its apparent waste and magnifies the devotion expressed in the anointing.

Related Images

Common Misconceptions

The several Gospel anointing accounts should not automatically be collapsed into one event or one unnamed woman.

Historical Setting and Evidence

Culture: Ancient Near Eastern, Mesopotamian, Israelite, Judean/Jewish, Greek/Hellenistic, Roman

Period: Patriarchal Period, Exodus and Wilderness, Conquest and Judges, United Monarchy, Divided Monarchy, Kingdom of Judah, Babylonian Exile, Persian Period, Hellenistic Period, Hasmonean Period, Roman / Second Temple Period, Apostolic / Early Church Period

Evidence: Well Attested

Interpretive Importance: Major

Perfume trade, containers, recipes, botanical evidence, and literary sources are abundant.