OUTCO welcomes all religions and we hope to continue to investigate the
history of the usage of cannabis throughout many religions and different time
periods playing a role in society.
Lost in translation has kept
many historians from having a definitive explanation of the biblical
passages that may have been talking about cannabis. There are
reasons to believe that cannabis was the healing and anointing oil
rich in CBD that is talked about in the Bible. There is also
skeptics who believe that the translation was correct, and cannabis
was not referenced in the Bible. Hemp has been grown since 6000BC and
was around and prevalent in the time of Christ. Some of the miracles
Jesus preformed are also similar to treatments for cannabis including
skin diseases, glaucoma, neurodegenerative conditions and multiple
sclerosis.
An error was thought to have
occurred in the third century BC oldest Greek translation of the
Hebrew Bible. The translation put the word as calamus, which Benet
believes is a common marsh plant with no value and doesn't go along
with the importance it was given in the Bible. This word calamus was
mistranslated five times in the Old Testament, Exodus, Ezekiel,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Song of Songs.
In 1936 Sula Benet, a Polish
etymologist proclaimed that the word cannabis is much older than the
first thought Scythian origin, and believes it to be from Semitic
Hebrew language, appearing throughout the Old Testament. Benet
points out that in the testament it is described as incense, part of
religious celebration, and an intoxicant. Benet went on to show that
the word in the Old Testament, Kannabus or kaneh-bosm, broken down
where Kan meant “reed” or “hemp” and bosm meaning
“aromatic”.(
Source)
Exodus 30:22 – 25 talks
about the recipe Lord gave Moses for healing oil:
“Moreover, the LORD spoke
to Moses, saying, "Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses,
saying,
Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh
five hundred
shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much,
even
two hundred and fifty
shekels, and of sweet
calamus two
hundred and fifty
shekels, And of cassia five hundred
shekels,
after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou
shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the
art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.”(
Source)
Another theory to speak to
the importance of the anointing with oil for the religion is brought
out in the Book of Philip, which is a book that is part of The Nag
Hammadi Library not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. One of
the passages states:
“The chrism is superior to
baptism, for it is from the word "Chrism" that we have been
called "Christians," certainly not because of the word
"baptism". And it is because of the chrism that "the
Christ" has his name. For the Father anointed the Son, and the
Son anointed the apostles, and the apostles anointed us. He who has
been anointed possesses everything. He possesses the resurrection,
the light, the cross, the Holy Spirit. The Father gave him this in
the bridal chamber; he merely accepted (the gift). The Father was in
the Son and the Son in the Father. This is the Kingdom of
Heaven.”(
Source)
All of this evidence is
compelling, including the Lytton John Musselman, a Professor of
Botany at Old Dominion University believes the translation has always
been correct with the calamus plant. He points out that calamus is
used as an herbal remedy. He notes, “In Sri Lanka it is available
in any herbal remedy shop and also universally grown in home gardens.
(
Source)
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