About Solomon's Wisdom

[eilis]

About Solomon's Wisdom:

In the Bible, Solomon's wisdom is discussed. This is one quote...
I KINGS 5:13 13 And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

Solomon dates from 950BC or so. Could there have been any connection with Druidic "Tree Knowledge" ?

[katie bridgewater]

I doubt it.
However, since trees grow and other-than human animals live in most places where there are humans, and since our ancestors probably spent more time in their company than the average 21st century human, and trees and animals were explicitly of the utmost importance to their survival, it is of little wonder that they might share an understanding of these things. It's a very practical thing for the majority of people to know lots about their local vegetation. But I doubt there is any amazing undiscovered 'connection' between Jewish historical narrative and Celtic tree 'knowledge'!
Sorry.

[DJ Droood]

Solomon dates from 950BC or so. Could there have been any connection with Druidic "Tree Knowledge" ?

I think Celtic culture was still embryonic in 950BC..I doubt if druids had developed....perhaps Solomon "tapped" (har) into some sort of Proto-Indo-European tree lore that the druids later picked up on.

[Zylah]

I've thought about the commonality that seems to exist between diverse cultures as to their understanding of trees, also. Since you brought up one biblical example, here's another, from both testaments!

"Then He (Jesus) spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees."" Luke 21:29.

This reference by Jesus is believed to go back to Judges 9:7-15:

The Parable of the Trees

7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them:

“Listen to me, you men of Shechem,
That God may listen to you!
8 “The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them.
And they said to the olive tree,

‘Reign over us!’

9 But the olive tree said to them,

‘ Should I cease giving my oil,
With which they honor God and men,
And go to sway over trees?’

10 “Then the trees said to the fig tree,

‘You come and reign over us!’

11 But the fig tree said to them,

‘ Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit,
And go to sway over trees?’

12 “Then the trees said to the vine,

‘You come and reign over us!’

13 But the vine said to them,

‘ Should I cease my new wine,
Which cheers both God and men,
And go to sway over trees?’

14 “Then all the trees said to the bramble,

‘You come and reign over us!’

15 And the bramble said to the trees,

‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you,
Then come and take shelter in my shade;
But if not, let fire come out of the bramble
And devour the cedars of Lebanon!’

The point of the parable being that trees who appoint a bramble as their king deserve whatever s**t comes down on them; which of course had to do with the politics of the time. Still, I think it's interesting stuff; the parable seems to me to be packed with symbolism that contains some pretty good universally applicable lessons.

[Jake]

The Talmud goes further and says that Solomon (and others like Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai) actually spoke the language of the trees, as well as the language of the birds and other animals.

Trees, both physically and as metaphor, show up quite a lot in the Jewish tradition. The holiday of Tu B'Shvat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_Bishvat), the New Year of the Trees, is based on the Biblical commandment to allow a newly planted tree to bear fruit for three years before it can be harvested. Part of the contemporary observance of the holiday is the Tu B'Shvat seder meal in which various fruits are eaten and 4 cups of differently-colored wines are drunk representing the kabbalistic Four Worlds.

Here's a pretty cool Tu B'Shvat Haggadah: http://www.joshandrachel.org/documents/ ... ggadah.pdf

"Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B'Shvat Anthology," is a really great resource for anyone interested in learning more about Jewish perspectives on trees in particular and ecological concepts in general and the myriad connections to other cultures and belief systems.

The book includes this beautiful poem by Marcia Falk, written for a Tu B'Shvat seder/protest held in an ancient redwood forest in 1997 where a couple hundred people "trespassed" onto land owned by a corporation intent on cutting down the trees and planted redwood saplings. This is only part of the poem:

1.
Here we are. We are here.
And why, when here, do we always want more?

2.
Here you are, back
in the redwood forest --

how tall the fir trees,
how delicate the pines!

Standing on the winter-dark earth,
you suddenly know these trees

will be your gravestone.
Nothing stirs -- but what

are those sounds?
You balance on the edge

while under your feet
the mushrooms smolder

and the unborn ferns
hum in their bed.

3.
If you sit long enough in the woods,
nothing happens.

Just the earth's breath rising and falling
up and down treetrunks

which go copper-green in the air
as if oxidized.

Just your own breath warming a spot of earth
while your heart beats

and you begin, like all the creatures,
to repeat yourself --

the same thoughts entering your mind --
entering, leaving --

while yearnings rise and fall
like the tails of startled squirrels.

4.
"'And trees -- you're allowed to kill trees?'
a small boy blurted..."

5.
"You do not belong to you,
you belong to the universe,"

and you will be reclaimed
by its constant, ever-changing heart --

your wise body
and your spacious mind

whether you are ready
or not

when you are joyful
or not,

even as you turn away --
to be buffeted

and set aloft,
a twig in the wind.

[Zylah]

Jake - that is truly lovely. Thank you for sharing it

[eilis]

I love posting questions! The members of this message board never cease to amaze me with their richness. What a great wealth of talent and knowledge!

[Fox of the Oaks]

Thanks Jake for posting some interesting Jewish understandings on trees.

I am of the view that all those who look to Nature for wisdom, guidance, and a practical wholesome way of living, will discover the same essence of understanding no matter where they may be - though names and outer forms may differ - yet this is a cause for celebration of diversity, of our human oneness among our unique roots.

What would 'Druids' do if they lived in those lands and times of Solomon? Be called 'Jews' and learn from their natural environment? Tree wisdom is tree wisdom, be it belonging to Druids or Africans, Jews or Noaidi. You can look at the differences of culture/time/place or similarities of universal wisdom/relationship with Nature etc - either way, there's always going to be some things similar and some things different.

Though I have not yet researched Jewish Tradition, this thread has given me more reason to; I would guess there were mystery schools and nature based spiritualities around at that time/locale that had a similar yet unique expression of their relationship with the land not unlike Druidry? Perhaps there is even similar reason for such peoples to look into their own 'ancient traditions' and its relevance for our current day, much like the endeavour to revive Druidry for British/European peoples.

Peace,
Pineraven.

[DaRC]

The various mystical schools all seem to have a tree of life.
The Kabbalah for the Jews,
Yggdrasil for the Germanic/Norse,
within Sufism (Muslim mystical thought) because of their links to neo-platonism have a similar concept.
In Hindu/Buddhist thought there is Asvattha / Bodhi tree and of course Tao-ist thought is heavily rooted (sic ) in nature.

BTW Jake thanks for including that poem

[Fox of the Oaks]

Yeah the asvattaha in Hinduism with its roots up and its branches down. They also have similar metaphors of the cosmic ocean spanning all space and such. And then there's the milky way as Hera's breast milk and similar stories explained through the actions of the Gods and Goddesses.

Some traditions seem more to originate in symbols descending from the heavens, whereas others seem to find their origins in and out of the Earth. Interesting that trees draw from (and give to) both above and below.
Then there is the hermetic idea of the above and the below, or the macrocosm and the microcosm as reflections of one another.
Certainly there are varied interesting common metaphors and connected symbols; while not solely relatable to the tree lore of Solomon, there is a common way of thinking behind all these traditions.