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kootvanwykHoney: Archaeology, Ancient Near East and the Bible
koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)
Sangju Campus
conjoint lecturer of
30 June 2010
A number of things need to be said on the topic of honey. It is wellknown from Egyptian written and mural depictions that honey was important to them centuries ago. It had medical roles to play in ancient
Jacob's times and honey (Genesis 43:11)
In 1939 BCE Jacob and his family moved to
Moses called in 1450 BCE and honey (Exodus
When Moses was called in the year of the Exodus while Thutmosis III was on the throne in his final year, God promised to sent Israel from Egypt to Canaan because it was a spacious land filled with honey and milk, thus good for cultivation and cowherding. He said:
"So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites". We need to know that Hittites had their own land. The area of the Hittites were not in
In this article, Mazar said that they have found that the bees of the beehives at Tel Rehov were burnt, and that they compared very well with those of the kind Apis mellifera anatoliaca. The last word is really the hint. It is modern
“Religious practice was evidenced by an altar decorated with fertility figurines found alongside the hives” (Ezra Marcus of the University of Haifa in Matti Friedman, "Tel Rehov Reveals the First Beehives in Ancient Near East." Anthropology.net. 4 September 2007).
This is very important since it is evidence of the lack of proper religion in
Solomon was already dead. Hittites were important in
It is thus not an exaggeration when one assume that the bees of Anatolia came with the Hittites who migrated to
Moses and manna that tasted like honey wavers (Exodus
The use of honey is important here although it is a side reference to the taste of manna. It tasted like honey wavers. The fact is that in 1448 BCE Moses and the people of
Someone has listed the cases of injuries in the papyrus:
The 48 cases contained within the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus concern:
27 head injuries (cases #1-27)
6 throat and neck injuries (cases #28-33)
2 injuries to the clavicle (collarbone) (cases #34-35)
3 injuries to the arm (cases #36-38)
8 injuries to the sternum (breastbone) and ribs (cases #39-46)
1 injury to the shoulder(case #47)
1 injury to the spine (case #48)
"It is likely that the patients described in the 48 cases were injured by falls (maybe from working on monuments or buildings) or were victims of battle (many wounds appear to be caused by spears, clubs or daggers.) The brain is mentioned 7 times throughout the papyrus. However, there is no use of the word "nerve." Scholars of medical history have been impressed with the rational, scientific approach to diagnosing and treating the 48 patients. The methods used are based on rational observation and practical treatment and are for the most part, free of "magic" and superstition."
The source itself here thought the manuscript was copied in 1700 BCE from older material as old as 3000 BCE. Breasted is probably the safest guide here in his conservative view of 1500 BCE, in our analysis, the time of Moses. Israelites will still be in the country laboring hard and many medical injuries will be experienced. Israelites will be void of superstition and magic for their medical treatments of patients. So the observation of unusualness made above, is for the most part, very significant taken the time of its assumed copying.
The analysis continued:
"Each case is presented in a logical manner:
Title: the type of injury and its location are described.
Examination: the case and the manner in which the patient should be examined are described. The examination may include sensory testing, probing of the wound and movement of the affected body part. Some patients were examined more than once. The examination section of the papyrus always starts as:
"If thou examinest a man having..."
Diagnosis: the doctor has three choices and will say one of the following about the condition:
"An ailment which I will treat" - this is used for injuries that most likely will be cured.
"An ailment with which I will contend" - this is used for difficult, but not impossible cases. The doctor will try to treat the condition, but the outcome is uncertain.
"An ailment not to be treated" - in these cases, the condition cannot be treated at all because the injury is thought to be incurable.
The diagnosis section of the papyrus always starts as:
"Thou shouldst say concerning him..."
Treatment: these include bandages, plasters, stitching, cauterization (heating of a wound), and splints. Surgical dressings included honey, grease and lint.
The treatment section of the papyrus always starts as:
"Thou shouldst ..."
Glosses: these are short dictionaries of terms. Not all of the cases have a gloss."
We will list one case from the papyrus in which the lip is hurt:
Instructions concerning a wound in his lip
Examination
If thou examinest a man having a wound in his lip, piercing through to the inside of his mouth1 , thou shouldst examine his wound as far as the column, of his nose. Thou shouldst draw together that wound with stitching .
Diagnosis
Thou shouldst say concerning him : "One having a wound in his lip, piercing through to the inside of his mouth . An ailment which I will treat .
Treatment
Now after thou hast stitched it thou shouldst bind it with fresh meat the first day . Thou shouldst treat it afterwards with grease (and) honey every day until he recovers.
The medical notes in James Breasted 1930 English edition of the papyrus was done by Dr. Arno B. Luckhardt.
Surgical dressings, as indicated above, included honey as well.
In modern times people are also realizing the importance of honey for healing of wounds.
"Honey has been used for centuries in medical and healing settings. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all made use of its natural healing properties. It was used for treating infected wounds as much as 2000 years ago.
Now in the 21st century, science has caught up, and there has been proper scientific research and clinical trials done proving the benefits of medical grade honey."
"Another benefit of using honey is that there are minimal risks of side effects, which cannot be said for many modern medications. Whilst it is possible for someone to be allergic to honey, it is very rare.
Applying standard dressings to a wound results in the dressing sticking to the wound surface, and to the new tissue that is trying to grow. Then on each dressing change you rip off much of that new tissue, which doesn't help the healing process. Having a layer of suitable honey over the wound, means that the dressing peels off against the honey, and greatly reduces how much that new tissue is damaged. This helps the healing process, in addition to other benefits the honey can provide."
The making of honey wavers in 1448 BCE in Exodus 16 is thus very important in the light also of the medical use of honey for open wounds in 1500 BCE as papyrus Edwin Smith indicates.
Honey should not be burnt as offering to the Lord
Although wavers were made of honey in Exodus
The people of
Actually,
"a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey". The land had lots of water, copper and iron. It was a wetperiod for Canaan during those days since in the book of Job (1460 BCE) Moses said that the
Samson and his dirty lifestyle (Judges
Not only is Samson going to marry a Philistine woman, he scooped out of a carcass of a lion honey and ate it. This is taboo according to the laws God gave to their ancestors and also through Moses. As one cannot touch a carcass and be diluted so one cannot eat honey from a carcass and think not to be diluted. But, Samson was already sold out to the Philistine woman and thus a careless lifestyle was to be expected.
Jonathan and honey as food on a fast day by Saul (1 Samuel
Saul ordered everyone not to eat until he has finished the battle. Jonathan the son of Saul saw in a wood that day honey and sticked out his staff and touched it and ate it and his eyes brightened. The troops were said not to eat but Jonathan did not hear it.
People of David's diet list (2 Samuel
"Beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, and parched seeds, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, "The people have become hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert."
Honey as jam in 1 Kings
Ten loaves of bread, some cakes and a jar of honey was taken together. The jar of honey was probably used to dip the bread in.
Sennacherib claimed in 689 BCE that
During the second campaign of Sennacherib in 689 BCE, he claimed that the country of Assyria was also full of honey just like
"until I come and take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey".
Hezekiah's religious reform (701 BCE) and honey (2 Chronicles 31:5)
Hezekiah did some benchmark reforms and the people's reaction to his order was:
"As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything." The priests and levites were to be properly paid for their temple services and the people brought their tithes (10% of netto income) faithfully.
Moses in Job talking about the evil and honey (Job
In 1460 BCE Moses reported that an ancestor living in the days of Abraham said to Job that the evil cannot enjoy any good things, not the streams, not the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
"He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream".
God's Judgements are sweeter than honey (Psalm
The Psalmist (David is collector) is saying that the Judgements of God is sweeter than honey in a honeycomb.
Rock honey is apparently the highest level of honey (Psalm 81:16)
In this Psalm collected by Asaph, the Lord is saying that He will feed them with the best wheat and with honey from the rock.
"But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
Words of the Lord is sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103)
In Psalm 119 the words of the Lord is a synonym for the Law of the Lord, ordinances, statutes, commands, testimonies.
"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
Adulteress words are as sweet as honey (Proverbs
Solomon (970-950 BCE) said that the words of an adulteress are as sweet as honey.
"For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil".
Honey is healing for the bones like sweet words is for the soul (Proverbs
Honeycomb has some medicinal values that can bring healing to the bones, says Solomon in 970-950 BCE.
"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."
Solomon considered honey as good (Proverbs
"Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste." These were the words of Solomon (970-950 BCE) that were copied in the days of Hezekiah 714-686 BCE (Proverbs 25:1).
Solomon (970-950 BCE) warned against overeating of honey (Proverbs 25:16)
"If you find honey, eat just enough; too much of it, and you will vomit."
Again it is repeated in the same chapter in Proverbs 25:27:
"It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor."
Hunger directs bitter and sweet tastes (Proverbs 27:7)
"He who is full do not like honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet."
Solomon talks about drinking milk mixed with honey (Song of Solomon
"Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like that of
Solomon put honey with spices and other highly considered items (Song of Solomon
"[My lover ] I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. [My friends ] Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers."
Messiah will eat cheese and honey (Isaiah
"He will eat cheese and honey when He knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right."
Two points are important here. Jesus is the Messiah who will eat cheese and honey. He will eat cheese and honey when He is at the right age to make a decision between right and wrong. There is thus a right age when it is considered that you are able to make a decision between right and wrong. Infantes cannot decide, thus baptism of babies is not biblical. Baptism was and is a decision on the part of the believer to follow Christ's example.
Remainder after exile will eat cheese, milk and honey (Isaiah
"And because of the abundance of the milk they give, he will have cheese to eat. All who remain in the land will eat cheese and honey."
Those who will remain in the country after the exile to
In Jeremiah's day
"`Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as this day.' I answered, "Amen, Lord." Some translators interpreted it to mean that the land is now in Jeremiah's day in their hands and it will be again given later in their hands. It is rather that the land was full of milk and honey in Jeremiah's day and the Lord promised to give it to them full of milk and honey in future in keeping with the covenant promise.
In Jeremiah's day Ishmael killed Jews and some pleaded for their lives and said they had honey (Jeremiah 41:8)
"But ten of them said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us! We have wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden in a field." So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others." They had hidden wheat, barley, oil and honey.
Scroll the Lord gave Ezekiel to eat tasted like honey (Ezekiel
"Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth."
In Revelation John the disciple had a similar experience when he was also given a scroll:
(Revelation
"So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, `Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.'"
Honey was a luxury item in Ezekiel's days (Ezekiel
"So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen."
Food from the Lord included honey (Ezekiel
"Also the food I provided for you, the fine flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat, you offered as fragrant incense before them." The items included fine flour, olive oil and honey. Honey could not be used for offering as we saw supra in Moses' books.
Honey as trade products
Honey was traded in
"
John the Baptist (27 CE) ate wild honey (Matthew
"John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey."
Nutritious value of honey
In an online article the author listed the nutritious value of honey:
"1. Honey is full of Complex Sugar and Carbohydrates
Honey is made up of both simple sugars (called monosaccharides) such as glucose and fructose, and complex sugars (called oligosaccharides).
Complex sugars are present in all life forms and particularly in cell membranes and cell secretions. They form the basic components of:
Hormones - made of links of complex sugars and proteins known as glycoproteins.
Blood proteins - also made from glycoprotein links, with the only exception being serum albumin.
Blood cells - especially if you have a blood group of ABO.
Which type of honey contains the most complex sugars? It depends on the type of nectar the bees collect.
Honeys that contain nectar from blackberry, chinquapin, coral vine, cranberry, holly, poison oak, mountain laurel, raspberry, rhododendron, Spanish needle, sumac, thistle, tulip trees, cedar honeydew, or hickory honeydew have higher complex sugars levels.
2. Honey is full of Complex Carbohydrates
The complex carbohydrates found in honey are made up of complex sugars.
They are considered prebiotic - i.e. these complex carbohydrates are non digestible, but by consuming them you encourage the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria in the body, which helps you digest food more easily.
3. Honey is full of Vitamins and Minerals
It may come as a surprise to many people, but honey is an excellent source of vitamins. This is not equally true of vegetables and fruits.
For example, spinach loses 50% of its vitamin C content within 24 hours after being picked. Fruits lose some of their vitamin content during storage. In contrast, honey keeps well. In fact, it is probably the only food that never expires!
Honey contains a variety of vitamins and minerals. The vitamin and mineral content of honey depends on the type of flowers used for agriculture. When bees are allowed free forage, the honey blend is higher in a wider variety of vitamins and minerals.
Honey is high in vitamin C, a variety of B vitamins such as niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid, as well as, minerals such as potassium.
4. Honey is full of Amino Acids
All varieties of honey are rich in amino acids. One study has found that the level of amino acids present in honey is a reliable indicator of the honey's antioxidant capacity.
Amino acids are the basic building blocks of life, essential to our very existence. When you examine the various properties and benefits of each amino acid, you will start to form a clearer picture as to why honey is so beneficial.
Tryptophan:
A natural relaxant, it helps alleviate insomnia by inducing normal sleep. It reduces anxiety and depression, relieves migraine headaches, boosts immune system, reduces the risk of artery and heart spasms, and works with Lysine to reduce cholesterol levels.
Learn why honey may be a good remedy for insomnia.
Lysine:
It is one of the essential amino acids - your body cannot generate its own Lysine, meaning you must get it from your diet.
Recent studies have shown that Lysine may be effective against herpes by improving the balance of nutrients that reduce viral growth. Prolonged stressful situations increase our requirements for Lysine and it is important in the formation of collagen (the protein that forms the matrix of your bone, cartilage and connective tissue).
Methionine:
Another essential sulfur amino acids. As with other essential amino acids, you do not create your own so you must ingest it for survival.
Contributes to the formation of important compounds in your body and works as a sulfur donor to aid in your body's detoxification processes.
Cysteine:
Functions as an antioxidant and protects the body against radiation and pollution.
Histidine:
Another essential amino acid and is delivered mostly from our diets.
It has anti-inflammatory properties and is the only amino acid found to be consistently low in the blood of those with rheumatoid arthritis.
Glutamine:
This essential amino acid plays a key role in the metabolism and the gastrointestinal tract. It is the primary energy source for the cells that line your intestines and is essential to keeping them healthy.
It is considered also to be a brain food by improving mental capacity. It may also help speed the healing of ulcers and reduce fatigue.
Tyrosine:
Tyrosine is a natural mood enhancer due to its ability to convert to feel-good neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain. It helps with depression. It also may convert to thyroid hormone and to adrenaline which is produced by your adrenal gland in response to stress.
5. Honey has Antioxidants
Honey contains powerful antioxidants which fight free radicals and reverse aging.
Free radicals are everywhere - in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even the sunlight we love so much. Every moment, the body absorbs oxygen and turns it into energy in a process called oxidation. This process also releases free radicals.
Antioxidants slow down aging by neutralizing these free radicals. They perform healing at the deepest cellular level, allowing the benefits to manifest in a myriad of different ways."
(http://www.amazing-green-tea.com/honey-nutrition.html)
Honey as dressing for wounds
The Egyptians used honey for open cuts or wounds. One modern specialist said:
"We do know that honey contains some amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). This compound kills germs, and is often used to sterilize cuts today. Today, doctors have begun to investigate honey's antibiotic properties scientifically. Early experimental results show that honey might help stop even some of the bacteria that are the toughest to kill, such as Staphylococcus aureus" (http://www.chemheritage.org/educationalservices/pharm/antibiot/readings/honey.htm).
Etymological issues
"The genus Apis is Latin for "bee", and mellifera comes from Greek melli- "honey" and ferre "to bear". Thus, the scientific name means "honey-bearing bee". The name was coined in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus who, realizing that the bees do not bear honey, but nectar, tried later to correct it to Apis mellifica ("honey-making bee") in a subsequent publication. However, according to the rules of synonymy in zoological nomenclature, the older name has precedence" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_honey_bee).
In Akkadian the word for honey is dashu.
More information is available on the kind of bee found at Tel Rehov:
"Apis mellifera can be divided into three groups of subspecies based on the DNA variation: 1) the North and West European black bees, Apis mellifera mellifera, 2) the Mediterranean honeybees, Apis mellifera anatoliaca, Apis mellifera carnica, Apis mellifera cypria, Apis mellifera ligustica, and several others, and 3) the African honeybees, Apis mellifera capensis, Apis mellifera intermissa, Apis mellifera scutellata, and many others" (Bees for Development Journal #60).
Bees and environment
"Alarm report - pollination
The researchers found that of the 115 crops studied, 87 were dependent on animal pollination, while 28 were not. Of the 87 pollination-dependent crops, 13 rely entirely on animal pollination, 30 are greatly dependent and 27 are moderately dependent. Looking at production volumes reveals that 60% of global production comes from crops that do not rely on animal pollination. These are mainly staple crops such as corn, rice and wheat. A total of 35% of global crop production comes from crops which do rely on animal pollination. These include many fruit crops that provide macro- and micronutrients which are essential to a healthy diet."
Source: www.cordis.europa.eu
www.alarmproject.net
http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/info/info/pollination/alarm-report-pollination.shtml
Sources
1. The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus: Neuroscience in Ancient Egypt.
3. Brandt-Rauf, P. W. and Brandt-Rauf, S. I., "History of occupational medicine: relevance of Imhotep and the Edwin Smith papyrus," British Journal of Industrial Medicine 44 1987: 68-70.
4. Breasted, J. H., The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1930).
5. Cadwallader, T. C., Semrau, L. A. and Cadwallader, J. V., "Early physiological psychology: circa 3000 BC," Proceedings of the Annual Convention of American Psychological Association 6 1971: 719-720.
6. Estes, J. W., The Medical Skills of Ancient Egypt, (Canton: Science History Publications, 1989).
7. Gross, C. G., "Brain, Vision, Memory" Tales in the History of Neuroscience (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1998).
8. Hughes, J. T., "The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus: an analysis of the first case reports of spinal cord injuries" Paraplegia 1988: 26:71-82.
9. Reeves, C., Egyptian Medicine (Buckinghamshire: Shire Publications, 1992).
10. Breasted, J. H., Ancient Records of Egypt (1906).
11. McDowell, A. G., Village Life in Ancient Egypt (Oxford University Press, 1999).
12. Bryan, P. W. The Papyrus Ebers (Geoffrey Bles: London, 1930).
13. Nunn, J. F. Ancient Egyptian Medicine (University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1996).
14. Friedman, Matti (September 4, 2007), "Israeli archaeologists find 3,000-year-old beehives" in USA Today, Retrieved
15. Mazar, Amihai and Panitz-Cohen, Nava, (December 2007) "It Is the Land of Honey: Beekeeping at Tel Rehov" Near Eastern Archaeology Volume 70, Number 4.
16. Friedman, Matti. "Archaeologists Discover Ancient Beehives" (Associated Press: 7 September 2007).
17. "Hebrew University excavations reveal first Biblical period beehives in 'Land of Milk and Honey'" Beth-Shean Valley Archaeological Project Tel Rehov Excavations. Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology.
18. "Tel Rehov Reveals the First Beehives in Ancient Near East" Anthropology.net. (4 September 2007).
List of online sources used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rehov
http://www.sourceflix.com/vid_rehov.htm
Video with dr. Mazar explaining the discovery of the beehives.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ancmed/egypt.HTM
http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptmedicine.html
http://www.honeyforwounds.com/index.html/
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com/honey-nutrition.html
http://www.chemheritage.org/educationalservices/pharm/antibiot/readings/honey.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_honey_bee
http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/info/info/species/identification-of-honey-b.shtml
http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/medicine.htm
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/papy.html
http://heritage-key.com/egypt/edwin-smith-surgical-papyrus