Incense, a perfume, the odour of which is evolved by burning, especially in religious worship. The incense at present in use consists of some resinous base, such as gum olibanum, mingled with odoriferous gums, balsams, &c. There is no regular formula for it, although every maker having his own peculiar recipe. The ingredients are usually olibanum, benzoin, styrax, and powdered cascarilla bark. These materials, well mingled, are so placed in the censer or thurible as to be sprinkled by falling on a hot plate, which immediately volatilises them, and diffuses their odour through the edifice.
In the Catholic Church, both of the West and of the East, incense is used in public worship, more particularly in connection with the enchaistic service, which is regarded as a sacrifice: but such use is implicitly condemned by Tertullian, Lactantius, Augustine, &c., and seems not to have established itself till the 6th or at least the 5th century. In the Roman Catholic Church incense is used in the solemn (or high) mass, in the consecration of churches, in solemn consecrations of objects intended for use in public worship, and in the burial of the dead. There are also minor incensations of the celebrating bishop or priest and inferior ministers; of prelates, princes, and other dignitaries officially present at the service; and a general incensation of the whole congregation.
In the Reformed churches the use of incense was abandoned at the same time with other practices which have been laid aside by them as without 'warrant of Scripture.' It has been revived by some Ritualists, but was prohibited by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in July 1899. See CENSER, FRANKINCENSE.