Cannabis possibly used in Temple worship according to archaeologic study

[Quid est Veritas?]

Ancient Israelites 'burned cannabis in worship'

"Ancient Israelites burned cannabis as part of their religious rituals, an archaeological study has found.

A well-preserved substance found in a 2,700-year-old temple in Tel Arad has been identified as cannabis, including its psychoactive compound THC.

Researchers concluded that cannabis may have been burned in order to induce a high among worshippers.

This is the first evidence of psychotropic drugs being used in early Jewish worship, Israeli media report.

The temple was first discovered in the Negev desert, about 95km (59 miles) south of Tel Aviv, in the 1960s.

In the latest study, published in Tel Aviv University's archaeological journal, archaeologists say two limestone altars had been buried within the shrine.

Thanks in part to the dry climate, and to the burial, the remains of burnt offerings were preserved on top of these altars."

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Really odd. Made me immediately think of the Rastafarians, that claim almost every reference to a herb in the Bible is Cannabis.

If they did though, where did they get it? Why did they stop doing so by the Second Temple? I don't know, I think this is suspect - like the Cocaine they supposedly found in Egyptian mummies. We shall see.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Ancient Israelites 'burned cannabis in worship'

"Ancient Israelites burned cannabis as part of their religious rituals, an archaeological study has found.

A well-preserved substance found in a 2,700-year-old temple in Tel Arad has been identified as cannabis, including its psychoactive compound THC.

Researchers concluded that cannabis may have been burned in order to induce a high among worshippers.

This is the first evidence of psychotropic drugs being used in early Jewish worship, Israeli media report.

The temple was first discovered in the Negev desert, about 95km (59 miles) south of Tel Aviv, in the 1960s.

In the latest study, published in Tel Aviv University's archaeological journal, archaeologists say two limestone altars had been buried within the shrine.

Thanks in part to the dry climate, and to the burial, the remains of burnt offerings were preserved on top of these altars."

---

Really odd. Made me immediately think of the Rastafarians, that claim almost every reference to a herb in the Bible is Cannabis.

If they did though, where did they get it? Why did they stop doing so by the Second Temple? I don't know, I think this is suspect - like the Cocaine they supposedly found in Egyptian mummies. We shall see.

Might be some modern kids contaminated the site while smoking out of school.

 

[Radagast]

The temple was first discovered in the Negev desert, about 95km (59 miles) south of Tel Aviv, in the 1960s.

The suggested dating is 750-715 BC. That probably puts the temple in the reign of Jotham and Ahaz.

In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign. ... And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done. Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. ... In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. ... And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done, but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. (2 Kings 15:32-35, 2 Kings 16:1-4)

So not a temple to Jehovah, presumably, but a pagan "high place."

As to that altar, the cannabis residues were apparently burnt mixed with dung. It sounds pretty disgusting. They were found on the smaller of the two altars, in quite microscopic amounts.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

Might be some modern kids contaminated the site while smoking out of school.

It could have been contaminated at many points. They argue that because the altars were buried, it doesn't represent contamination, but why were the Altars buried, and can we be sure they weren't contaminated by students or labourers at the dig site? I think that not implausible.

 

[chevyontheriver]

It could have been contaminated at many points. They argue that because the altars were buried, it doesn't represent contamination, but why were the Altars buried, and can we be sure they weren't contaminated by students or labourers at the dig site? I think that not implausible.

They would be buried if they fell into disuse as the dust and dirt of every day accumulated. Things not in continual use silt up if not maintained. The Negev would not be a hospitable place for long term use of any site.

 

[Radagast]

It could have been contaminated at many points.

The evidence seems to me sufficiently weak that I'd be reluctant to build a big theory on it.

Since this was clearly a pagan "high place," the worship practices would have to have been copied from one of the surrounding nations. I'd be looking for evidence that any of the surrounding nations burned cannabis/dung mixtures in worship.

If there's no such evidence, then I wouldn't put much weight on this.

And, oh look, there's no such evidence:

Lead author Eran Arie from The Israel Museum in Jerusalem commented, "This is the first time that cannabis has been identified in the Ancient Near East;​

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

They would be buried if they fell into disuse as the dust and dirt of every day accumulated. Things not in continual use silt up if not maintained. The Negev would not be a hospitable place for long term use of any site.

These were apparently purposefully buried. They suggest it was done during King Hezekiah's reforms. I'd think they would have just smashed a high place or other site then, so I don't really know.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

The evidence seems to me sufficiently weak that I'd be reluctant to build a big theory on it.

Since this was clearly a pagan "high place," the worship practices would have to have been copied from one of the surrounding nations. I'd be looking for evidence that any of the surrounding nations burned cannabis/dung mixtures in worship.

If there's no such evidence, then I wouldn't put much weight on this.

And, oh look, there's no such evidence:

Lead author Eran Arie from The Israel Museum in Jerusalem commented, "This is the first time that cannabis has been identified in the Ancient Near East;​

The Chinese and Scythians used Cannabis in ancient times, but nowhere recorded in the West or Near East. Herodotus is our first reference to it, amongst the Scythians of southern Russia. It only came into medical use in Roman times.

 

[Radagast]

These were apparently purposefully buried. They suggest it was done during King Hezekiah's reforms.

I never thought of that. That makes sense.

On reading the paper more closely:

Two limestone altars were found lying on the second stair between the main hall and the cella (Fig. 1). They were positioned in a pit cut from the upper floor, reaching the lower floor. The altars were deliberately and carefully laid down, as reflected by their orientation facing north and their location on each end of the same stair. The southern altar was smaller (IAA 1967−980; 40 cm high; 20 × 21 cm on its top) than the northern altar (IAA 1967−981; 52 cm high; 29.7 × 29.7 cm on its top). Though they differed in size, the two altars shared similar characteristics: their raw material, production technique, form, proportions, and a groove that separated their top part from their base.

Figure 1 shows the two lying altars in their original position on the second stair (at the center of the photograph) facing north:

I think you nailed it: the shrines was destroyed and the altars were buried during King Hezekiah's reforms.

 

[DamianWarS]

A well-preserved substance found in a 2,700-year-old temple in Tel Arad has been identified as cannabis, including its psychoactive compound THC.

Remind me again how many temples Jews had 2,700 years ago?

 

[redleghunter]

A well-preserved substance found in a 2,700-year-old temple in Tel Arad has been identified as cannabis, including its psychoactive compound THC.

Which would be a pagan temple. The only place authorized for worship in Torah was the tabernacle, which in that period would be in Jerusalem.

 

[Radagast]

The only place authorized for worship in Torah was the tabernacle

Temple, surely. This was the reign of Jotham and Ahaz.