St Ephrem on the Scent of Salvation

Pentecost in the Codex Egberti (c. 980) and the Benedictional of Archbishop Robert (late tenth century). The Visual Medium and the Senses

“…In the sacral context odour plays a crucial role as an evocation of, and a way of recognizing, the divine. The unseen God manifests himself through his voice and through scent, and is worshipped with the scents of sacrifice, incense, herbs, perfumed oils 61 . Perfume is a medium that allows people to move J. Cadbury writes : "The odor is a particularly satisfactory symbol for a god because of its real but refined sensory character.…”