On the typology and the worship status of sacred trees with a special reference to the Middle East (original) (raw)
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HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 2020
Comparing people to trees is a customary and common practice in Jewish tradition. The current article examines the roots and the development of the image of people as trees in Jewish sources, from biblical times to recent generations (Bible, classical rabbinical literature, medieval to modern rabbinic literature and popular culture), as related to the prohibition against destroying fruit trees. The similarity between humans and trees in the Jewish religion and culture was firstly suggested in biblical literature as a conceptual-symbolic element. However, since the Amoraic period (3rd–5th centuries CE), this similarity was transformed to a resemblance bearing mystical and Halakhic (Jewish Law) implications. Various sources in rabbinical literature describe trees as humans that may be spoken to or yelled at to produce fruit. Cutting down a tree was perceived by the rabbis of the Talmud (3rd–5th centuries CE) not only as an unethical act or vandalism, but also as a hazard: the death of the tree corresponds to the death of the person who resembles it. All societies, cultures and religions have a system of values and practices that are aimed at shaping people, society and the environment according to a certain worldview. Contribution: The discussion in this article on the relationship between religion-culture and nature (plants) indicates how the Jewish religion shaped believers’ attitude to the world of flora over the generations by transforming the man-tree comparison into one with binding and even threatening practical religious meaning.
WORSHIP OF TREES IN CULTURAL PRACTICE OF THE UZBEKS OF THE KHOREZM OASIS
WORSHIP OF TREES IN CULTURAL PRACTICE OF THE UZBEKS OF THE KHOREZM OASIS, 2023
The article is devoted to the history of the study of the genesis and evolution of the cult of the Khorezm hagiology trees. Traces of this cult are in the tradition of the veneration of natural objects. Particular attention is paid remnants associated with the cult of the trees can be seen in the Khorezm oasis.
International Journal of Hindu Studies , 2016
This collection of books about the relationship between religion and trees represents a contemporary turn in Religious Studies, especially in the study of Asian religions, from earlier scholarship. Placing themselves firmly within the category of "Religion and the Environment" or "Religion and Ecology," these three works theorize religion in a distinctly "lived" approach, paying attention to the ways that local lay and monastic religious ritualize and conceive of trees, groves, and forests in postcolonial Asia, where modernization and industrialization threaten natural features of the environment at every turn. Though not always explicit, the religious practices devoted to the trees in these books are grounded in an
Sacred Trees in the Garden of Eden and Their Near Eastern Precursors
Interpretations of the trees in the Garden of Eden misunderstand their significance by focusing on sin or a theological "fall." A tradition-historical approach to the motif of trees in ancient Near Eastern literature and imagery reveals their multivalent quality. Trees are connected with fertility and goddess devotion but also with the power and divine sanction given to kings and dynasties, and with the potency of sacred space, on which humans and the divine come together and meet. As cross-temporal motifs, trees are regularly associated with life-giving and blessing (a plant of rejuvenation; a tree of life); a connection of trees to knowledge and meaning appears as well, in wisdom literature, and in the book of 1 Enoch. Language of a world tree or cosmic tree, though useful conceptually, is a modern imposition on the ancient evidence. More evident from the ancient setting is the image of felling trees, which indicates the downfall of human leaders, especially kings, because of their hubris. Ultimately, sacred trees have an ambivalent value, as a source of both contestation and progress.
Asherah as Tree Worship in Ancient Israel
The Torah contains multiple references to an asherah, usually translated as “sacred post.” The myths of the ancient Middle East contain a goddess named Asherah. In order to show the connectivity between Asherah and asherah it will be shown that the term asherah as used in the Torah represented a sacred post or tree. Next it will be shown that the goddess Asherah was connected with trees. By reviewing archaeological finds it will be demonstrated that the early form of Judaism, the religion of the ancient Israelites, was in actuality a polytheistic religion, complete with tree veneration.
Kuntillet 'Ajrud, Sacred Trees and the Asherah
Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, 2008
The point of departure for the article is the contrast between the abundance of unique artefacts, religious inscriptions and drawings unearthed at Kuntillet CAjrud and the absence of remains associated with cultic activity at the site. It is proposed that this discrepancy in thefinding may be accounted for by a tradition of a sacred tree and a cult site around it. The discussion first explores the importance of the cult of sacred trees in the history of the Levant. Several ancient Levantine cult sites developed around prominent trees that drew sanctity to their vicinity. In this light, it is conjectured that at the site of Kuntillet CAjrudthe actual cultic activity took place around a sacred tree (or sacred grove) and a nearby altar, while the main building served as a storehouse for the sancta of the goddess Asherata, her dedications and treasures. Such a building could also have served as an inn for pilgrims travelling along the Darb el-Ghazza, but its fimction as a caravanserai was secondary to its main purpose as the goddess' treasury.
The ethnobotany of Christ's Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) in Israel
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2005
This article surveys the ethnobotany of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. in the Middle East from various aspects: historical, religious, philological, literary, linguistic, as well as pharmacological, among Muslims, Jews, and Christians. It is suggested that this is the only tree species considered "holy" by Muslims (all the individuals of the species are sanctified by religion) in addition to its status as "sacred tree " (particular trees which are venerated due to historical or magical events related to them, regardless of their botanical identity) in the Middle East. It has also a special status as "blessed tree" among the Druze.