 |
ABOUT SHEPHERD'S GIFTS << BACK
The Olive Tree
From the time of Noah, who received an olive branch plucked by a dove as a sign to leave the ark,
through the establishment of Israel in Canaan and the use of abundant olive oil as a sign of God's blessings,
to the time of Jesus and His frequent prayers in the olive garden of Gethsemane, olive trees have long been symbolic in the
Christian religion. Even the secular world has used the dove holding an olive branch as a sign of peace.
Olive trees are
in great abundance throughout the Holy Land, particularly in Bethlehem. Most of those artisans who produce items sold by this
company own their own olive trees. The wood is procured either from necessary pruning, or from cutting down the entire tree.
Olive trees have been grown in Bethlehem for millennia, so the olive farmers have enough accumulated experience to know how
to wisely manage their trees. The olive tree is a suitable choice for carving the items we sell because it is a hardwood
tree with lovely, unique grain, and it grows with such abundance in the area that it almost is the symbol for the Mediterranean
region.
|
 |
 |
 |
