Literature. — On the medicinal nse see the Commentaries on James o( A. Plummer (Eiposilor's Bible, Isill), R. J. Knowling (,)yestmin.ster Comm., 1904), and J. B. Mayor (»1910).
.James Patrick.
OINTMENT {fiipov). — Perfumes for the toilet were extensively used in ancient as well as in modern times. The modern methods of e.\traction and preparation, however, were unknown, and the principal form of these luxuries was th.at of per- fumed oils .and pomades. The basis of the former was olive oil or some similar vegetable oil (e.g. oil of nuts or almonds), to which were added the frag- rant volatile oils obtained from various flowers and plants. Of the scented ingredients the finest and most expensive came from the East, and the oleum nardinum, made from the flowers of Indian or Arabian nard-grass, was especially prized among the Romsins. Unguents of this type were liquid or semi-liquid, rather than of the consistency suggested by the modern use of the word ' ointment,' and were kept in bottles of precious metal or stone. The alabastron was of the latter material, and was a small cylindrical vessel narrowing at the neck in order that the contents might drip out gradually. The pomades, on the other hand, had fine fat for their basis. These various ointments were used for anointing the body, especially after bathing, for dressing the hair and beard, for perfuming the dress, and even for scenting the water of the bath. In the public baths at Bonie there were special apartments (unctoria) where the unguents were applied. Pliny (HN xiii. Iff'.) comments on the prevalence of this form of luxury in the society of his time. Cicero [in Cat. ii. 3) says that the elleminate companions of Catiline 'shine with ointments' ('nitent unguentis').
In Kev 18'^ 'ointment' (so RV ; AV 'oint- ments') appears in the list of the luxurious mer- chandise of ' Babylon ' (i.e. Rome), and the fore- going particulars illustrate the aptness of the reference.
The 'eyesalve' of 3", though used in conjunc- tion with the verb iyxpia-" ('anoint') does not belong to the class of ordinary unguents. The Gr. word is KoWovpiov or KoWvpiov (dim. from KoWvpa). The collyra was a sort of elongated bun, and the coUyrium was a medicated preparation of similar shape, used for rubbing on tender eyelids or other affected parts (C'elsus, v. xxviii. 12; Horace, iSa^ I. v. 30 ; Pliny, HN xxxv. 53).
Literature.— W. A. Becker, Gallup, 1888, p. 378 ; E. Guhl- W. Koner, Das Leben der GrUchen und Romer'^, 1873, Eng. tr., 18S9, pp. 160, 398, 492, 608. JaMES PATRICK.
OLD TESTAMENT 1. The Old Testament in
the primitive Church. — By the opening of the Christian era the limits of the OT Canon had been practically fixed, and a hi"h doctrine of its inspira- tion developed within the J ewish Church. The real Author of the books embraced within the Canon was God Himself ; and, charged as they were with His Spirit, they were holy as He was, and ' defiled the hands ' of those who touched them. The OT Scriptures were thus the final norm of faith and conduct, and an appeal to their authority was decisive (see art. Scripture). The early genera- tion of Christians inherited this tradition. As children of the household of Israel, they grew up in the atmosphere of the OT revelation ; and, even when they passed to the fuller life in Christ, they
carried with them their reverence for the ancient Scriptures. No need for a distinctively Christian literature was yet felt. The books of the OT were the ' oracles of God,' which enshrined the Divine rule of life, not for the Fathers only, but for those also who had been called and redeemed in Christ. Being read mainly in the Greek or Aramaic versions, and interpreted, with the freedom characteristic of the age, as a collection of independent ' prophecies' or predictions oi things to come, they were easily made to cover thegreat facts associateil with Christ s teaching, personality, and work. In this light they were regarded also as a sufficient guide to Christian conduct.
The clearest reflexion of this simple attitude towards the OT is found in the apostolic preaching in Acts. The theme of all the utterances found there is the salvation won through Christ's death and resurrection. But the burden of proof rests on the authority of the Scriptures, as represented by the LXX. Christ Himself is the Prophet whose coming was heralded by Moses (3'-- 7^'), and His death is the ' fulfilling ' of ' the things which God foreshewed by the mouth of all the prophets' (3'*). To Him the mysterious prophecy of the Sutt'ering Servant of Is 53 is directly applied (8^-'-). His resurrection, likewise, is that which was ' fore- seen ' by David in his protest against God's ' Holy One ' seeing corruption (2'^"''- ), and points forward to the final restoration of all things ' whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began ' (3^'). The outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost is equally the fulfilment of Joel's glorious vision of the latter days (2""'-), while the persecution that followed the first triumphs of the gospel marks the rage of kings and nations against the Lord and His Anointed, as fore- told ' by the Holj' Ghost, by the mouth of our father David thy servant' (4'^'-). Even the tragedy of Judas' end is the immediate working out of the curse denounced in Ps 69-* against the enemies of the righteous (1-°).