Jesus Used Marijuana

8/3/2019 Jesus Used Marijuana

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"If you know the truth, the truth will make you free."(John 8:32)

Jesus used Marijuana

As doubtful as the following hypothesis might firstseem to the reader, I might as well boldly state mycase right from the start: either Jesus used marijuanaor he was not the Christ. The very word "Christ", bythe implication of its linguistic origins and truemeaning, gives us the most profound evidence thatJesus did in fact use the same herb as his ancientsemitic ancestors, and which is still used by peoplearound the world for its enlightening and healing

properties.

The Greek title "Christ" is the translation of theHebrew word Messiah, which in English becomes "TheAnointed" D. The Messiah was recognized as such byhis being anointed with the holy anointing oil, the useof which was restricted to the instillation of Hebrewpriests and kings (See CC#5). If Jesus was notinitiated in this fashion then he was not the

Christ, and had no official claim to the title.

The ancient recipe for thisanointing oil, recorded in the OldTestament book of Exodus (30:22-23) included over ninepounds of flowering cannabistops, Hebrew "kaneh-bosm" B,extracted into a hind (about 6.5litres) of olive oil, along with avariety of other herbs andspices. The ancient chosen oneswere literally drenched in thispotent cannabis holy oil.

D The title"Messiah" ismuch olderthanChristianity, asall the ancientkings of Israelare referred toas the"Messiah"."Christos -Anointed One,a title of manyMiddle-Easternsacrificial gods:Attis, Adonis,Tammuz,Osiris. . ." 12

B The "m" ipronounced

plural, and singular kabos soundsremarkablysimilar to thmoderncannabis.Although ofmistranslat

as "calamusthe word habeen translas "fragrancane" in momodern biband specificdesignates fragrantflowering toof cannabis
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From the time of Moses until that of the later prophetSamuel, the holy anointing oil was used by theshamanic Levite priesthood to receive the

"revelations of the Lord". At the dawn of the age ofKings, Samuel extended the use of the anointing oilto the Hebraic monarchs by anointing Saul (and laterDavid) as "Messiah-king". These kings lead theirpeople with the benefit of insights achieved throughusing the holy anointing oil to become "possessedwith the spirit of the Lord."

"Anointing was common among kings of Israel. It wasthe sign and symbol of royalty. The word 'Messiah'

signifies the 'Anointed One', and none of the kings ofIsrael were styled the Messiah unless anointed."1 Thetitle was clearly only given to those "having the crownof God's unction upon them" (Leviticus 21:12).

After the fall of the Jewish kingdoms, and the bloodypurges following the forged discovery of the Book oftheLaw (1 Kings 23), the cannabis holy oil wasprohibited as associated with pagan worship. Yet it

seems that certain sects retained the topicalentheogen, and continued to practice the olderreligion, silently awaiting the return of a Messiah-kingin the line of David.

The ministry of Jesus marked the return of the JewishMessiah-kings, and thus the re-emergence of the holyoil. Jesus was called the Christ because he violatedthe Old Testament taboo on the cannabis oil anddistributed it freely for initiation rites and to heal thesick and wounded.

Although there is some evidence of Jesus' use of thisJudaic cannabis oil in the traditional New Testament,we get a clearer picture of its importance when wealso look at surviving Gnostic documents. The term
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Gnostic, meaning "knowledge", refers to a variety ofearly Christian sects which had extremely differentbeliefs about both Jesus and his teachings than thosewhich have come down to us through modern

Christianity.

Other Christian Sources

For the first four hundred years after Jesus' birth, theterm "Christian" was used to describe a wide varietyof sects and a large volume of different documents.Through the acceptance of one of the more asceticbranches of Christianity by the Roman ruling class,Christianity eventually became the state religion of

its former persecutors.

In an effort to unify the faith into a controllable mass,the newly formed Roman Catholic Church held anumber of councils. These councils prohibited notonly pagans, but also differing Christian sects, andedited a wealth of Christian literature down to thefew meager documents which have survived as themodern New Testament. Z

In an attempt to save theirmanuscripts from the editorial flamesof the Roman Catholic Church, certainChristians, now considered Gnosticheretics, hid copies of their scrolls incaves. One of these ancient hidingplaces was rediscovered in our owncentury, and the large collection ofearly Christian documents was namedthe Nag Hamadi Library,2 after theEgyptian area where it was found.Prior to this discovery, what little wasknown of the Gnostics came from afew fragmentary texts, and the many polemics

Z The NewTestament inits presentform wascomposed andedited between367-397AD,about twelvegenerationsafter theevents inquestion.
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written against them by the founders of the CatholicChurch.

There is no reason to consider these ancient Gnostic

documents as less accurate portrayals of the life andteachings of Jesus than the New Testament accounts.In a sense, the rediscovery of the Nag Hamadi Librarymarks the resurrection of a more historical Jesus, anecstatic rebel sage who preached enlightenmentthrough rituals involving magical plants, and who ismore analogous to the Indian Shiva, or the GreekDionysus, than the pious ascetic that has come downto us through the Bible's New Testament.

The Anointed One

Contrary to the depiction given in the New Testamentgospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was likely notborn as the Messiah. He received this title through hisinitiation by John the Baptist, and so it is notsurprising that both Mark and John are conspicuouslyabsent of the virgin-birth mythology, and begin theirstories of Jesus' short career with his initiation by

John.

Although their version of Jesus' baptism by Johndescribes it as involving submersion under water, theterm "baptism" has connotations of "initiation", andGnostic scriptures indicate that the original rite wasperformed in conjunction with the kaneh-bosmanointing rite, "the annointing taking place eitherbefore or after the baptismal ceremony."3 SomeGnostic texts also specifically state that Jesusrecieved the title Christ "because of the anointing,"4not because of a water baptism.

Conceivably, the washing off of the oil with waterwould have been a means to begin the termination ofritual and the oil's effects.
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The description of the after-effects of the rite clearlyindicates that Jesus underwent anintense psychological experience,

more than one would recieve from asimple submersion in water.

Jesus came from Nazareth Galileeand was baptised by John in theJordan. As Jesus was coming up outof the water, he saw heaven beingtorn open and the Spirit descendingupon him like a dove. KAnd a voice

came from heaven "You are my Son,whom I love; with you I am wellpleased." At once the Spirit sent himout into the desert, and he was inthe desert for forty days, beingtempted by Satan. He was with wildanimals, and angels attended him.(Mark 1: 9-13)

It should be noted that the vision andwords described were seen andheard only by Jesus, as it specificallystates that "he saw".

The role played by John the Baptist,as priest and prophet, is very similiarto that of the Old Testament prophetSamuel. Just as Samuel's annointingof Saul and David marked them asMessiah-king, so did Jesus' initiationby John make him the Christ.

In the events after Jesus' vision andhis overwhelmed recluse into thedesert, there are clear parallels with

K The referenceto a dove mayhaveconnotations of

the Goddesstradition, whichwas continuedby the Gnostics,who paidspecialattention toSophia,Goddess ofWisdom. Inearlier timesthe dove wassacred toAstarts,Aphrodite,Ishtar andother forms ofthe Goddess."Gnostic

Christians saidSophia wasincarnate in thedove. . . thatdescended onJesus at hisbaptism toimpregnate hismind." 12
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the story of the prophet Samuel's initiation of Saulwith the cannabis-rich holy ointment, and Saul'sensuing madness in the form of possession by theSpirit, and wandering off to make nabi(act in a

frenzied ecstatic manner) (1 Samuel 10).

The tale of Saul's possession by the spirit is anexample of how the ancients interpreted the effectsof cannabis and other entheogens. What we perceiveas being "high" or "stoned" the ancients called"possessed by the Spirit of the Lord."

"As a result of the spiritual 'anointing' Jesus expectedto be different; and he was different. The prophecies

had said that the Messiah would recieve from Godwisdom and insight, the power to heal and tosubjugate evil. The faith of Jesus was so strong thathe did not question that these capacities had nowbeen conferred upon him." 6

The entheogenic effect of the cannabis annointing oilwould have immensely magnified both Jesus' ownexpectations, and the ensuing experience with John.

In some authorative texts of theGospel according to Luke, after theBaptism the voice of God declares,"This day I have begotten thee."JThis indicates that the event of Jesus'encounter with John marks the truebeginnings of Jesus' mission and hisacknowledgement as the Messiah.

The importance of the anointing, andJesus' own acknowledgement of it, isagain exemplified in the gospel ofLuke.

J The same

proclamation isstated of theAnointed One,or King inPsalm 2: 7.
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According to the New Testament Jesus began hisministry in Nazareth, by reading the followingpassage from the scroll of Isaiah and proclaiming,"today this scripture has been

fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:16)

The Spirit of Yahweh God is upon me,because Yahweh has anointed me tobring good tidings to the afflicted; hehas sent me to bind up thebrokenhearted, to proclaim liberty tothe captives, and the opening of theprison to those who are bound...(Isaiah 61:1-2)

The Anointed Ones

Unlike the shamanistic priests andkings of earlier generations, Jesus didnot follow the strict Old Testamenttaboos that limited the holy cannabisoils use to Yahweh's chosen few(Exodus 30:33), but broke tradition

and began to liberally use it in bothhealing and initiation rites.

Through this open distribution thesingular Christ, "the Anointed", wasextended to become the plural term"Christians", that is, those who hadbeen smeared or anointed. "Byrubbing on this divine unction. . .obtained from certain special herbsor plants, they believed they weredonning the panoply of God."7

As the New Testament's Johnexplains:

L A similar

claim was madeabout hashishby themedieval Sufipoet Fuzuli,who recordedin his treatiseBang and Wine,the story ofBasra, a

disciple whosesheik felt thathe had reachedthe ultimatedegree ofperfectionthrough theconsumption ofhashish, and

that he was nolonger in needof furtherguidance. Thisstory led toFuzuli'sproclamationthat "hashish isthe perfect

being. . . forthe seeker ofthe mysticalexperience." Inmany ways theSufi movementcan be seen asthe phoenixwhich rosefrom the ashes

of the earlierGnostics.


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. . . you have an anointing from theHoly One, and all of you know thetruth. . . . the anointing you received

from him remains in you, and you donot need anyone to teach you. But ashis anointing teaches you about allthings and as that anointing is real,not counterfeit - just as it has taughtyou, remain in him." (1 John 2: 27). L

". . . the Christian, the 'smeared oranointed one', received 'knowledgeof all things' by his 'anointing from

the Holy One' (1 John2: 20). Thereafter hehad need of no otherteacher andremained

forevermore endowed with allknowledge (v. 27).

"Whatever the full ingredients of theChristian unction may have been,they would certainly have includedthe aromatic gums and spices of thetraditional Israelite anointing oil:myrrh, aromatic cane,M cinnamon,and cassia. . . Under certain enclosedconditions a mixture of thesesubstances rubbed on the skin couldproduce the kind of intoxicatingbelief in self-omniscience referred toin the New Testament."8N

The Incomplete Baptism

M ie: KanehBosm,documented ascannabis.5

N This quote isfrom scholarJohn Allegro,whose work Idrew from forthis article.Allegro was agreat scholar ofboth the bible

and ancientlanguages, andhis work brokea lot of ground.Allegro wasalso the onlyhumansecularist onthe original

team ofscholarsinvolved in thetranslation ofthe Dead SeaScrolls, so hecame to hisviews throughmore unbiasedanthropologicalthinking thanthat of his more"faithful" co-researchers. InThe SacredMushroom andthe Cross,Allegrotranslated the

kaneh-bosmreference inExodus as"aromaticcane", and Ihave quotedhim here onhow theanointing oil

"could producea kind of
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In the first few centuries AD, Christian Gnostic groupssuch as the Archontics, Valentians and Sethiansrejected water baptism as superfluous, referring to itas an "incomplete baptism".9 In the tractate, the

Testimony of Truth, water Baptism is rejected with areference to the fact that Jesus baptized none of hisdisciples.3

Being "anointed with unutterable anointing", the so-called "sealings" recorded in the Gnostic texts, can beseen as a very literal event. "There is water in water,there is fire in chrism." (Gospel of Philip).

"The anointing with oil was the introduction of the

candidate into unfading bliss, thus becoming aChrist." 10

"The oil as a sign of the gift of the Spirit was quitenatural within a semetic framework, and thereforethe ceremony is probably very early. . . In time thebiblical meaning became obscured." 13

The survivng Gnostic descriptions of the effects of the

anointing rite make it very clear that the holy oil hadintense psycho-active properties, which prepared therecipient for entrance into "unfading bliss". In someGnostic texts like the Pistis Sophia and the Books ofJeu, the "spiritual ointment" is a prerequisite for entryinto the highest mystery. 10

In the Gospel of Philip it is written that the initiates ofthe empty rite of Baptism:

"go down into the water and come up without havingreceived anything. . . The anointing (chrisma) issuperior to baptism. For from the anointing we werecalled 'anointed ones' (Christians), not because of thebaptism. And Christ also was [so] named because ofthe anointing, for the Father anointed the son, and
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the son anointed the apostles, and the apostlesanointed us. [Therefore] he who has been anointedhas the All. He has the resurrection, the light. . . theHoly Spirit. . . [If] one receives this unction, this

person is no longer a Christian but a Christ."

Similarly, the Gospel of Truth records that Jesusspecifically came into their midst so that he:

"might anoint them with the ointment. The ointmentis the mercy of the Father. . . those whom he hasanointed are the ones who have become perfect."

The apocryphal book, The Acts of Thomas, refers to

the ointment's entheogenic effects as beingspecifically derived from a certain plant:

Holy oil, given us for sanctification, hidden mystery inwhich the cross was shown us, you are the unfolderof the hidden parts. You are the humiliator ofstubborn deeds. You are the one who shows thehidden treasures. You are the plant of kindness. Letyour power come by this [unction].

Gnostic Mysteries

The Gnostics had many levels of initiation, and themysteries of these different grades were not writtendown like the more esoteric surviving texts were, butwere given verbally at special ceremonies. Elementslike the recipe of the obviously psychoactive holy oilwere guarded with the closest secrecy, and wereknown only by the sect's most trusted initiates. Thiswas a standard mystery school method, as "magicrevealed is magic lost", and such secrets could onlybe entrusted to the group's most loyal members.

"Gnostic treatises did not reveal the whole matter. . .the final revelation was only communicated by word


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of mouth in the body, and by vision out of thebody."10

"It is certain that Gnostic texts even in cultic matters

favour a metaphorical symbolic manner of speakingand. . . clearly avoided communicating precise detailsabout their 'mysteries'."3

In 130-200AD, the Catholic Church Father Irenaeusaccused the Gnostics of initiating members with"secret sacraments". In his discussion of Gnostic textswhich dealt with the anointing rite, he stated thatthey were written in an archaic manner, "to baffleeven more those who are being initiated." 14

We can add to Ireneaus's comments that the Gnosticslikely wrote in such a concealing fashion to "baffle"their persecutors, like Ireneus, whom they fearedwould find out the source behind the secret power oftheir anointing oil.

Mysteries of the Faith

Such a hidden reference to other psychoactive plantscan be seen in "the mystery of the five trees", whichwere used by Jesus in complicated shamanisticinitiation rituals. They are described in what ispossibly the oldest Christian text in existence O, TheGospel of Thomas:

"...there are five trees for you inParadise... Whoever becomesacquainted with them will notexperience death."

In the Gnostic view, "notexperiencing death" meant reachinga certain state of interior purification

O The Gospel ofThomas has anestimated dateof composition

as early as 40-100 AD, andlikely predatesthe earliestNew TestamentGospel, Mark,which isthought tohave been

written around60 AD.
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or enlightenment, at which point the initiate would"rise from the dead" and "never grew old and becameimmortal." That is to say, he rose from ignorance andblindness, gained possession of the unbroken

consciousness of his spiritual ego, and as suchrealized that he was a part of a larger Cosmic whole,which continued on long after the disappearance ofthe material body. Jesus referred to attaining this"higher" state of consciousness, as "entering thekingdom of heaven".

The attainment of this Gnostic state can be comparedto the goal of yoga, (which itself means "union"),where the successful devotee obtains "a radical

switch in consciousness obliterating the sense ofindividuation." 15

As with the similar goal of yoga union, the "kingdomof heaven" state was not attained instantaneously,but required years of vigorous training. Like certainolder branches of yoga, a variety of psychoactiveplants were used as aids to facilitate the devotee inattaining this "higher" state.

Although the Gnostic give us some detaileddescriptions of these esoteric Christian teachings, itis interesting to note that they are also alluded to inNew Testament accounts by Jesus himself:

"To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom ofGod, but for those outside everything is in parables:so that they may indeed see but not perceive, andmay indeed hear but not understand. . . " (Mark 4:11)

The Treasure of Light and the Mystery of the FiveTrees

At the turn of the present century Professor GRS


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Mead summarized a German translation of a survivingGnostic text, the "Second Book of Ieou". 16P The textdescribes Jesus bidding male and female disciples tojoin him so that he can reveal to them the great

mystery of the Treasure of Light.

In order to accomplish this, the candidates have to beinitiated by three Baptisms: The Baptism of Water,the Baptism of Fire, and the Baptism of the HolySpirit, "and thereafter the Mystery of the SpiritualChrism [anointing]."10

Jesus tells his followers that the

master-mysteries of the Treasure ofLight are involved with the mysteryof the Five Trees, which may meanhaving knowledge of the magicalplants that were used in theceremony.

All of these mysteries Jesus promisesto give to His disciples, that they

may be called "Children of theFullness (Pleroma) perfected in allmysteries." The Master then gathersHis disciples, and sets forth a placeof offering, placing one wine-jar onthe right and on the left, and strewscertain berries and spices round thevessels; He then puts a certain plantin their mouths, and another plant intheir hands, and ranges them in order round thesacrifice.10

Continuing with the ritual, Jesus gives the disciplescups, along with other articles, and seals theirforeheads with a magical diagram. Then, likeshamanistic and magical ceremonies the world over,

P One of thefew thatmanaged tosurvive theCatholicChurch'seditorialflames, withoutbeing hiddenwith the NagHamadicodexes.
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he turns his disciples to the four corners of the world,with their feet together in an attitude of prayer, andthen offers a prayer which is prefixed with aninvocation, and continues with a number of

purifications and into the Baptism of Fire.

In this rite vine-branches are used; they are strewnwith various materials of incense. The Eucharist isprepared...8

The prayer [this time, is to] the Virginof Light. . . Q the judge; she it is whogives the Water of the Baptism of

Fire. A wonder is asked for in "the fireof this fragrant incense", and it isbrought about by the agency ofZorokothora.R What the nature of thewonder was, is not stated. Jesusbaptizes the disciples, gives them ofthe eucharistic sacrifice, and sealstheir foreheads with the seal of theVirgin of Light.

Next follows the Baptism of the HolySpirit. In this rite both the wine-jarsand vine-branches are used. A

wonder again takes place, but is not furtherspecified. After this we have the Mystery ofWithdrawing the Evil of the Rulers, which consists ofan elaborate incense-offering.

Q This offeringof "fragrant-incense" to theVirgin of Lightis reminiscent

of the OldTestamentofferings ofkaneh-bosmincense to theQueen ofHeaven (1Kings 3:3). TheGoddess played

a paramountrole in Gnostictheology.
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The "wonder" in the incense whichso perplexed Mead was

presumably a reference to itsundescribable psychoactiveeffects. It's also likely that theother undefined "wonder"indicates the magical properties ofthe different plants used in theceremony.

It would seem to follow that theidentity of the different plants,

vines, and berries described in theexcerpts were identified to theparticipants as the Mystery of theFive Trees.

At this time we can only speculatewhat other plants were used in theceremony. The account ofmandrake in Genesis 30: 14-16 and

in Solomon's Song of Songs 7: 13,(which seems to indicate itsaddition to the holy anointing oil),clearly document the long terminterest the Hebrews had withthese seemingly magical plantangels.

That the use and knowledge ofsuch plants could have beenpassed down by certain "heretical"branches of the faith such as theGnostics seems self evident. Theaddition of such a powerfulhallucinatory drug such asmandrake (or belladonna, which

R The titleZorokothora islikely derivedfrom Zoroaster,an ancient Persianprophet-shaman.Centuries beforethe Christian agethe Zoroastrian

Magi were knownfor their use of"bhanga"(cannabis), as wellas a primordialentheogenic drinkknown as "haoma"or "soma", nowwidely identified

as anamitamuscaria, or flyagaric mushroom.The Zoroastrianshad a greatinfluence onJewish cultureduring the yearsof Persian rule.The concept ofheaven and hell(conspicuouslyabsent from theOld Testament) isderived fromZoroastrianism.Jesus' apparentknowledge ofZoroaster, and

Zoroastriansacraments, hintsthat perhapsamanita wasidentified with theentheogenic"wonder" filled"five trees" whichJesus used in his

shamanisticinitiation


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was also popular in the Middle East at that time)would help to explain some of the extremeexperiences related to the holy anointings andbaptisms described in the Gnostic literature. S

The Leaves of the Tree are for theHealing of the Nations

Cannabis is likely the most usefulplant medicine in existence, and ithas been used to treat a wide varietyof ailments throughout history. Fewreaders will not be aware of the

international fight taking place at thistime, to get the sick and dying accessto the amazing healing and curativepowers of the cannabis plant's leavesand flowers.

As such, it should not be surprising tofind that there are numerousreferences to the early Christians

healing with the anointing oil, givingfurther indication that Jesus and hisapostles had begun to freely dispense

the sacred kaneh-bosm anointing oil, which hadpreviously been under a strictly enforced prohibition,restricting its use to the Hebrew priests and kings.

Knowledge of cannabis' healing powers may accountfor some of Jesus' healing "miracles".T The Acts ofThomas specifically invokes the healing quality of thesacred plant into the holy oil: "You are the plant ofkindness. Let your power come. . . and heal by thisunction."

The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostlesdemonstrates Jesus' own view of the importance of

S Recipes formedievalwitches' "flyingointments"containcannabis,mandrake,belladonna andotherentheogens,

and the out-of-bodyexperiencesattributed tothe Gnosticshave manyparallels withthe WitchesSabat, as do

aspects of theircosmology.
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this rite, when he gives the disciplesan "unguent box" and a "pouch full ofmedicine" with instructions to go intothe City of Habitation, and heal the

sick. He tells them you must heal "thebodies first" before you can "heal theheart".

"Knowledge and healing were twoaspects of the same life-force. If tobe rubbed with the 'Holy Plant' wasto receive divine knowledge, it wasalso to be cured of every sickness.

James suggests that anyone of theChristian community who was sickshould call to the elders to anoint himwith oil in the name of Jesus TheTwelve are sent out among theirfellow-men casting out demons andanointing the sick with oil (Mark6:13)."8

At the time of Christ, nodifferentiation was made betweenmedical treatment and exorcism ormiracles, all three were interrelated.To cure someone of a disease or torelieve them of an injury wasparamount to exorcising thetormenting spirit, or miraculouslyhealing them.

Thus it is not so surprising to findthat the anointing oil expelleddemons and gave protection againstthem, correspondingly it cured anddispelled the "sickness" of the souland body. Exorcism (literally "driving

T Like otherancienthistorians,Biblical authorshad a tendencyto magnifyhistorical

events andmake themappearmiraculous. Theearliest gospelis thought tohave beenrecorded about60 years afterthe crucifixion,

and such a textcannot beregarded as anaccurate,contemporaryhistoricalaccount. Withtime,imagination

and fancy havea tendency toobscurememory. Yet itseems possiblethat many ofthe NewTestamentaccounts could

have at theirbasis logicallyexplainableevents, whichbecameshortened andglorified intotheunexplainedmiracles of the

New TestamentGospels.


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out") was performed by means of anointing. Theancient magical texts provide abundant evidence forthis application of oil.3

The oldest New Testament Gospel, clearly verifies thisuse of the holy oil early on in Jesus' controversialministry:

And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oilmany that were sick, and healed them. (Mark 6:13)

cleanse the lepers

One of Jesus' most wellknown miracles is hishealing of lepers, whichappears in the first threeNew Testament Gospels.The term translated asleprosy can actually referto any number of skindiseases, usually systemic

infectious lesions orextreme allergic reactions.

Due to its topical anti-bacterial properties,cannabis has been used totreat a variety of skindiseases such as pruritis,also known as atopicdermatitis, an inflammatoryskin disorder. Thesymptoms of pruritis aresevere itching, "and patches of inflamed skin,especially on the hands, face, neck legs, andgenitals,"17 a description that sounds startlinglysimilar to the skin disease described in Leviticus 13,
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called tsara'ath. It is usually translated in the OldTestament as leprosy, but has been noted by anumber of scholars to be more likely a reference to asevere form of pruritis rather than true leprosy

(Hansen's disease).

In relation to Jesus' curing of the lepers (Matthew8,10,11 Mark 1, Luke 5,7,17), we could have anexample of a disease expelled through the use of thecannabis "holy oil". Besides the anti-bacterialproperties of cannabis oil, cannabis has been said tobe effective in treating sufferers of Pruritis evenwhen administered through smoking!17

A 1960 study in Czechoslovakia concluded that"cannabidiociolic acid, a product of the unripe hempplant, has bacteriocidal properties." 18 The Czechresearchers "found that cannabis extracts containingcannabidiolic acid produced impressive antibacterialeffects on a number of micro-organisms, includingstrains of staphylococcus that resist penicillin andother antibiotics.

"The Czech researchers successfully treated a varietyof conditions, including ear infections, with cannabislotions and ointments. Topical application of cannabisrelieved pain and prevented infection in second-degree burns. . . "17

heal the wounded

The Gnostic Gospel of Philip makes direct reference tohow the holy oil "healed the wounds", and notsuprisingly we find that cannabis was used in salvesand ointments for burns and wounds throughout themiddle-ages. Cannabis resin was also used for othertopical applications, especially in relieving the pain ofworn and crippled joints.
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The Acts of Thomas specifically states "Thou holy oilgiven unto us for sanctification. . . thou art thestraightener of the crooked limbs." This medicinal

quality of cannabis oil could account for themiraculous healings of cripples attributed to Jesusand his disciples.

"Cannabis is a topical analgesic. Until 1937, virtuallyall corn plasters, muscle ointments, and [cystic]fibrosis poultices were made from or with cannabisextracts."19

A common and effective home remedy for rheumatism

in South America was to heat cannabis in water withalcohol, and rub the solution into the affected areas.In the middle of the 19th century Dr WBO'Shaughnessy claimed to have successfully treatedrheumatism (along with other maladies), with "halfgrain doses of cannabis resin" given orally. 20

cast out demons

In the ancient world and up until medieval times, thedisease now known as epilepsy was commonlyconsidered to be demonic possession, and its victimswere outcasts from society. Here again, we couldhave an explanation for events of demonic exorcism(as in Mark 5, Luke 8), and the demon's expulsion bythe use of cannabis.

Dr Lester Grinspoon and other medical marijuanaadvocates have offered testimonials from modernepilepsy sufferers, who have noted the profoundeffects of natural marijuana in controlling theirseizures. Dr Grinspoon also points to the positiveresults of cannabis and synthetic cannabidiol in thetreatment of epilepsy obtained in a 1975 report, 21and again in a 1980 study which concluded "for some
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patients cannabidiol combined with standardantileptics may be useful in controlling seizures.Whether cannabidiol alone, in large doses, would behelpful is not known." 22

Other ailments of spasmodic muscular contractionssuch as Dystonias, which results in abnormalmovements and postures, have been beneficiallytreated with the administration of cannabis.17

Another of the miracles attributed to Jesus was thehealing of a woman from chronic menstruation (Luke8:43-48). Again we find that cannabishas been used for the treatment of

such ailments, as the US Dispensaryof 1854 listed cannabis extract as aremedy for "uterine hemorrhage", aswell as other maladies. V

Although the Biblical story of Jesus'cure of the menstruating womandescribes this event as a faith

healing which results from thewoman touching Jesus' robe, and himfeeling the "power" go out from him,an actual remedy seems more likely.That such a medicinal remedy couldbe considered a miracle is not at allfar-fetched.

Although far beyond the breadth orintent of this article to document,cannabis has also been usedsuccessfully to treat glaucoma,arthritis, depression and mooddisorders, migraines and chronicpain.

V "Thecomplaints towhich it hasbeenspecificallyrecommendedare neuralgia,gout, tetanus,

hydrophobia,epidemiccholera,convulsions,chorea,hysteria,mentaldepression,insanity." (USDispensatory of

1854). 24
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Archaeological Evidence

In an earlier article (CC#5) the use of cannabis amongthe Jews prior to the Christian period was

documented, and a recent archeological dig in BetShemesh near Jerusalem has confirmed that cannabismedicine was in use in the area up until the fourthcentury. Thus it would seem to stand to reason that itwas used for these purposes throughout theintervening Christian period.

In the case of the Bet Shemesh dig, the cannabis hadbeen used as an aid in child bearing, both as ahealing balm and an inhalant. Scientists commenting

on the find noted that cannabis was used as amedicine as early as the 16th century BC, in Egypt. 24

This find garnered some attention, as can be seenfrom the Associated Press article, "Hashish evidenceis 1,600 years old", that appeared in Vancouvernewspaper The Province, on June 2, 1992:

Archaeologists have found hard evidence thathashish was used as a medicine 1,600 years ago, theIsrael Antiquities Authority said yesterday.

Archaeologists uncovered organic remains of asubstance containing hashish, grasses and fruit onthe abdominal area of a teenage female's skeletonthat dates back to the fourth century, the antiquitiesauthority said in a statement.

Anthropologist Joel Zias said that althoughresearchers knew hashish had been used as amedicine, this is the first archeological evidence.(Associated Press 1992).

Although the idea that Jesus and his disciples used a
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healing cannabis ointment may seem far-fetched atfirst, when weighed against the popular alternative(one that is held by millions of believers) that Jesusperformed his healing miracles magically, through the

power invested in him by the omnipotent Lord of theUniverse, the case for ancient accounts of medicinalcannabis seems a far more likely explanation.

Indeed, it was through the dawning of the Spirit,provided by the entheogenic and healing anointingoil, that the early followers of Jesus came to considerthemselves Christians, or Anointed-Ones! Ironically,many modern day Christians zealously persecutemarijuana culture, unaware that the name of their

faith makes reference to a psychoactive topicalointment that was rich in cannabis.

Adapted from Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible: ThePagan Origins of the Judaic and Christian Traditions(Volume 2, The New Testament and RelatedLiterature). By Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen.

References

1. TW Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels inOther Religions. First published in 1882,republished in 1985 by Health Research.

2. The Nag Hamadi Library in English, JamesRobinson Ed. Harper Collins, 1978, 1988

The Nag Hamadi Library is also available online.

3. Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis: The Nature and History ofGnosticism. Harper, San Francisco, 1987.
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4. Gospel of Philip.

5. Sula Benet, Early Diffusions and Folk Uses ofHemp. (Reprinted in Cannabis and Culture, VeraRubin, Ed. The Hague: Moutan, 1975.)

Sula Benet (as Sara Benetowa) Tracing One WordThrough Different Languages. (1936). (Reprintedin The Book of Grass, 1967.)

Weston La Barre, Culture in Context; SelectedWritings of Weston La Barre. Duke UniversityPress, 1980

6. Dr Hugh Schonfield, The Passover Plot. BantamBooks, 1967.

7. John Allegro, The Dead Sea Scrolls and theChristian Myth. 1980.

8. John Allegro, The Sacred Mushroom and theCross. Paper Jacks, 1970.

9. The Paraphrase of Shem.

10. GRS Mead, Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: SomeShort Sketches Among the Gnostics of the FirstTwo Centuries. Theosophical Publishing Society,London and Benares, 1900

11. Cailin Matthews, Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom. TheAquarian Press (an imprint of Harper CollinsPublishers), 1992.


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12. Barbara G Walker, The Woman's Encyclopedia ofMyths and Secrets. Harper Collins, 1983

13. Henry Chadwick, The Early Church. PelicanBooks, 1967.

14. Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels. RandomHouse, 1979.

15.

George Feurstein, Encyclopedic Dictionary ofYoga. Paragon House, 1990.

16. Codex Brucianus, an 1892 German translation byDr Carl Schmidt. (quoted by Chris Bennett,Osburn & Osburn, Green Gold the Tree of Life:Marijuana in Magic and Religion. AccessUnlimited, 1995.)

17. Dr Lester Grinspoon and James Bakalar,Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine. YaleUniversity Press, New Haven and London, 1993.

18. Todd Mikuriya, MD, Ed, Marijuana MedicalPapers. Medi-Comp Press, 1973.

19.Jack Herer, The Emperor Wears No Clothes; Hempand the Marijuana Conspiracy. Queen of ClubsPublishing, 1985-95.

20. WB O'Shaughnessy, On the Preparation of IndianHemp (1839). (Reprinted in Marijuana Medical


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Papers, Todd Mikuriya, MD, Ed. Medi-Comp Press,1973.

21. Consroe, Wood and Buchsbaum, "AnticonvulsantNature of Marihuana Smoking",Journal of theAmerican Medical Association 234 1975: 306-307.

22. Cunha, Carlini, Pereira, et al, "ChronicAdministration of Cannabidiol to HealthyVolunteers and Epileptic Patients", Pharmacology21, 1980: 175-185.

23. Nature Vol 363, 20 May, 1993.

24. Ernest Abel, Marihuana, The First TwelveThousand Years. Plenum Press, 1980.

Documents

Jesus Used Marijuana