Whether you believe in them or not, the legends surrounding tress and plants contain powerful images which appeal to us because of their humanity and sheer simplicity. God employed a burning bush as a medium of revelation when He spoke to Moses, and every tree or plant on this planet is afire with His presence. for example, in the plant realm, the cornflower has ultraviolet pigments in its blue petals, which are invisible to the human eye, but irresistible to a pollinating bee. In the realm of trees, the seed of the maple is equipped with a neat pair of wings, which enables it to sail away from the parent on a current of air. Jesus used trees and plants as metaphors, and early monks and missionaries took up the torch, relabeling a number of trees and plants with holy names as an educational tool. In this book, I have sought to rescue some of these legends from obscurity, concentrating on those within the Judeo-Christian tradition: in a few instances I have taken the liberty of linking biblical references to botanical names. It is my hope that this collection, with its beautiful photographs and simple text, will reach a wide readership, to inform, inspire, and entertain.

This book celebrates the plants of the Old Testament and New Testament, including the Apocrypha, and of the Quran. From acacia, the wood of the tabernacle, to wormwood, whose bitter leaves cured intestinal worms, 81 fascinating chapters—covering every plant that has a true botanical counterpart—tell the stories of the fruits and grains, grasses and trees, flowers and fragrances of ancient lore. The descriptions include the plants' botanical characteristics, habitat, uses, and literary context. With evocative quotations and revelatory interpretations, this information is all the more critical today as the traditional agrarian societies that knew the plants intimately become urbanized. The unusually broad geographic range of this volume extends beyond Israel to encompass the Holy Land's biblical neighbors from southern Turkey to central Sudan and from Cyprus to the Iraq border. Richly illustrated with extensive color photography and with a foreword by the incomparable Garrison Keillor, this delightful ecumenical botany offers the welcome tonic of a deep look into an enduring, shared natural heritage.

This groundbreaking walk through Scripture by former physician and carpenter Dr. Matthew Sleeth makes the convincing case that trees reveal more about God and faith than you ever imagined. “Christians looking to reconnect to the natural world will relish Sleeth’s passionate call to Christian stewardship of the Earth.”—Publishers Weekly Fifteen years ago, Matthew Sleeth believed that science and logic held the answers to everything. But when tragedy struck, he opened the Bible for the first time and was surprised to find that God chose to tell the gospel story through a trail of trees. There’s a tree on the first page of Genesis, in the first psalm, on the first page of the New Testament, and on the last page of Revelation. The Bible’s wisdom is referred to as a tree of life. Every major biblical character and every major theological event has a tree marking the spot. A tree was the only thing that could kill Jesus—and the only thing Jesus ever harmed. Reforesting Faith is the rare book that builds bridges by connecting those who love the Creator with creation and those who love creation with the Creator. Join Dr. Sleeth as he explores the wonders of life, death, and rebirth through the trail of trees in Scripture. Once you discover the hidden language of trees, your walk through the woods—and through Scripture—will never be the same.