MYRRH (Heb. Môr; LXX Αὐωρία; Lat. Myrrha). - A kind of fragrant gum. It exudes spontaneously or through incisions, in liquid form, from a plant of the genus baltamodendron that grows in Arabia. Modern commerce, however, obtains it from commiphora Abyssinica, which grows in Arabia and in Africa.

Myrrh was mixed with oil in the anointing of Aaron (Ex. 30:23) and of his successors. Various biblical passages (Ps. 44:9; 48:8; Prov. 7:17; Cant. 3:6) speak of beds and garments perfumed with myrrh. At the court of Ahasuerus the women purified themselves for six months with the oil of myrrh (Esth. 2:12). The Magi presented it to the child Jesus (Mt. 2:11). At the Crucifixion it was offered, together with wine, to alleviate the pains (Mk. 15:23), but Our Lord refused it in order to bear them in full consciousness. Myrrh was also used to anoint the body of the Redeemer (Jn. 19:39).

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: E. Levesque, Myrrhe, in DB, IV, col. 1363; G. E. Post, Flora of Syria, Palestine and Sinai, I, Beirut 1932, p. 284.

@incollection{ec8_mirra_ebr_mor_settanta_auoria, author = {Bagatti, Bellarmino}, title = {Mirra (Ebr. Môr; Settanta ΑΥΏΡΙΑ, lat. myrrha)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VIII}, pages = {1080}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/mirra-ebr-mor-settanta-auoria-lat-myrrha} }

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