A QUESTION I WAS ASKED:
“I have heard that Jesus was healed of lung problems with hyssop. Is that true? Also can you tell me something about hematite stone? – I believe it is mentioned in the Bible.”
My Reply:
To take the second part of your question first:
No, hematite, is not
mentioned in the Bible. Unfortunately, however, this stone has been
involved with New Age/mystic beliefs. Here is a quotation from a
jewellery site with a New Age approach:
"..Followers
of the New Age religion believe that as the symbol of the Roman God
of War, Hematite is a stone of protection, a belief originating from
the Roman belief that it could protect and strengthen warriors going
into a battle. In modern times, the powers of protection that
spiritualists apply to the stone has expanded into the spiritual
realm, where they believe Hematite can transform or absorb negativity
or evil. It is also a worry stone with excellent emotional grounding
properties that calm the mind and clears it of the distractions of
stress. In this state, the person is ready for exploration of higher
levels of consciousness..."
I
would suggest that this obvious association of hematite with New Age
mysticism should give serious warning!
Regarding
hyssop, it seems to have been a general term for more than one plant
since the main plant of that name today is not thought to have been
native to the Holy Land nor Egypt. The Baker Bible Encyclopedia (Vol
4, 1997 edition, article 'Plants', page 1713), suggests two other
plants loosely known as 'hyssop' in Bible times. The first of these
(in the Old Testament) is Egyptian marjoram (a form of mint). The New
Testament 'hyssop' (John 19:29) is probably what is now known as
'sorghum'.
By
the way, there is absolutely no record of Jesus having been healed of
lung problems with any kind of hyssop - I don't know where you heard
that from but it seems to be unbiblical.
Robin
A. Brace, 2005.