Cannabis scripture study
The church invites seekers in its own words:
“Come get to know God with us and cannabis scripture study with open forum religious discussions and workshops.”
The church has said that most public services are postponed, and that scripture study is held by appointment only.1 To ask about a study session, contact the church. The church’s Church Terpene Lounge ministry is described as “Participation in a fun relaxing environment while being educated through an engaging and interactive process.”6
The altar at Tel Arad
At Tel Arad in the Negev, archaeologists excavated a shrine of the Kingdom of Judah dating to the eighth century BCE. Its two limestone altars stood at the entrance to its holy of holies. In 2020, Eran Arie, Baruch Rosen and Dvory Namdar reported that residue on the smaller altar contained cannabinoids — THC, CBD and CBN — mixed with animal dung, which the authors suggest was used to heat it, while the larger altar held frankincense. They concluded that cannabis was probably burned in the shrine’s worship for its psychoactive effect.2
Kaneh bosm and the holy anointing oil
In Exodus 30:22–33, Moses is commanded to make a holy anointing oil of myrrh, cinnamon, cassia and olive oil, together with qeneh bosem — rendered “sweet calamus” in the King James Version — to anoint the tabernacle, its vessels and the priests.3
Contested In 1936 the Polish anthropologist Sula Benet argued that kaneh bosm was cannabis, pointing to the similarity of the words and to readings in the Septuagint; she restated the argument in English in 1967. Most translators and scholars continue to read it as calamus or another aromatic cane.4 The Arad findings show cannabis at a Judahite shrine; they do not settle what the anointing oil contained.
Terpenes
Terpenes are the aromatic compounds that give many plants their scent — the pine of pinene, the citrus of limonene, the lavender of linalool. Cannabis is rich in them, and so are the resins burned as incense in ancient temples, frankincense among them.5 They give the Church Terpene Lounge its name. For the church’s wider beliefs about sacred holy herbs, see Declarations and Beliefs, Part Two and the sacraments overview.
Questions and answers
What is kaneh bosm?
Kaneh bosm (Hebrew qeneh bosem, “fragrant cane”) is one of the ingredients of the holy anointing oil in Exodus 30:23, rendered “sweet calamus” in the King James Version. The anthropologist Sula Benet argued that it was cannabis; most translators and scholars read it as calamus or another aromatic cane. The identification is contested.
Was cannabis used in ancient Israelite worship?
A 2020 study of an eighth-century BCE shrine at Tel Arad, in the Kingdom of Judah, found cannabis residue on one of its two limestone altars and frankincense on the other. The authors suggest the cannabis was burned for its effects in ritual.
What is the Church Terpene Lounge?
It is one of the church’s four ministries, described as “Participation in a fun relaxing environment while being educated through an engaging and interactive process.” Contact the church to ask whether it is currently operating.
Sources
- Home page — The Church of the Only Begotten Son
- Arie, Rosen & Namdar, “Cannabis and Frankincense at the Judahite Shrine of Arad”, Tel Aviv 47:1 (2020) 5–28
- Exodus 30:22–33, the holy anointing oil (KJV) — Bible Gateway
- Kaneh bosm and the holy anointing oil — the translation debate, with references
- Terpene — overview of the plant compounds, with references
- Church Terpene Lounge — The Church of the Only Begotten Son
Scholarly claims about sacred plants in history are summarized with their sources, and contested claims are marked as contested. The church’s own beliefs are quoted exactly and linked to the page where they appear.