"I see myself as a modern Magus," Israeli entrepreneur Guy Erlich told Reuters.

"I decided to focus on plants that no one else in the world grows. Since those plants, those medical plants of the Bible were in medical use for so many years, there must be something about them and it is our duty to look for it," he said.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, men "from the east" came to visit Jesus shortly after His birth in Bethlehem bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Erlich is reviving the rare plants to sell commercially to people interested in the product, mainly evangelical Christians.

But the last Magi gift—gold—is a bit trickier. According to Erlich and some Christian Biblical scholars, "gold" was actually a mistranslation and instead refers to a precious amber resin of the Balsam of Gilead, an aromatic mix resembling citrus and cinnamon that Erlich is also cultivating. Erlich said the Balsam of Gilead resin was used by Biblical kings as anointing oil.

"For the frankincense and myrrh which I believe are similar to the ones that were growing in the past in Israel, those are many species but I believe that the species he (Guy Erlich) grew has the desirable qualities," Prof. Shimshon Ben Yehoshua, from the Volcani Agricultural Research Center and Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Agriculture, told Reuters.

At the same time, Erlich has drawn interest from religious Jews who are thrilled at the prospect of using incenses that were utilized during the Second Temple period.

"My plants are sacred to all religions," he said. "Now they can be a uniting factor. They can be a common ground. They can connect people."

[Reprinted with permission of JNS.org]

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Barron Trump Reportedly Saved a Woman's life after Witnessing Violent Assault on FaceTime Call

MAGA Baby Boom? Usha Vance Baby News Takes the Internet by Storm

HHS Deputy Secretary Shocked to Hear About 'Horrors' of Euthanasia Organ Donation in Canada

FCC Puts Liberal Talk Shows on Notice That It'll Enforce Candidate Guest-Equity Requirement

The President Trump at Davos That the Left Didn't Want You to See

Here Are the Details of President Trump's Greenland Deal

In Davos, Trump Hails Gaza Peace Board, Warns Hamas to Disarm or 'Be Blown Away'

First Arrests Made Following St. Paul Anti-ICE Church Attack, 'More to Come'

Survey Shows Record American Support for Public Faith Sharing

Atheist Filmmaker Abandons Unbelief for Jesus [Video]

Truce Halts Syria Fighting; Netanyahu to Join Gaza Board of Peace Despite Israeli Misgivings

Eric Schmitt: 1 Year in, President Trump Restored Law and Order and Put America First

Bill and Hillary Clinton Are in Real Trouble Now

'We Don't Want to Be Like Minneapolis,' Other Minnesota Cities Say, Supporting ICE

Shocking Undercover Video Shows Judges in Ohio Immigration Courts Can be Bribed to Keep Illegals in the US

Top Trump Officials Say 'Arrests Coming' for Anti-ICE Invasion of Church

'A Piece of Ice for World Protection': Trump Addresses if US Will Use Force in Greenland

Sarah Huckabee Sanders' Kids Make 2,000-Year-Old Archaeological Discovery in Israeli Cave

FDA Clears First At-Home Brain Device for Depression, a Non-Drug Option

Planned Parenthood's Grip on Christian Universities, and the Pushback Taking Place