Saints: Life & Times
Lesson 1: Holiness
Faith in Promises
In Ur of the Chaldees lived Thare, nine generations removed from Noah. He took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (son of Aran) and headed for the land of the Chanaans. He got as far as Haran, where he died. Abram was unsure of what to do next: stay in Haran or go on to Chanaan. He prayed, and God answered.
The Lord said to Abram: “Leave your country, your kinsfolk and your father’s house, for the land which I will show you; I will make a great nation of you. I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you shall be a blessing. I will bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you. In you shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1-3)Did Abram know which god said this? Some scholars speculate that Abram worshipped a number of gods and may not have known which one spoke to him. However, he was very sure of the message. And God, for His part, was now pleased to be known as the God of Abram.
Image at right is a Russian Icon of St. Abraham. Photo courtesy of Olga's Gallery; used with permission of copyright owner.
Abram packed up his goods, deployed his livestock, marshaled his servants and arranged accommodations for Sarai and Lot to travel with him. He set out from the headwaters of the Tigris, crossed the plains of Syria, walked the length of Lebanon’s Baaka valley to the headwaters of the Jordan River. After following the Jordan Valley, he detoured to the highlands of Samaria, to the city of Sichem and its “sacred place . . . near the terebinth of More.” (Gen.12:6)
What was this sacred place? Was it a shrine to a particular deity or a place so ancient and mysterious that simply being there overwhelmed you with God’s presence? The sacred place is near a terebinth. Terebinths are mentioned several times in Genesis. They are trees, members of the Sumac family, related to the pistachio, cashew, mango and magnolia. A terebinth can live for over a thousand years and grow to more than 20 feet in diameter. Such an impressive tree would certainly be a landmark and a grove of them would provide wonderful shelter, yet Scripture associate them with sacred places. Are they simply part of the ancient road map to a sacred spot, developing linguistically into part of that spot’s title, so that the name would still be used long after the tree was gone?
The terebinth is known by another title, which may explain its sacred association. The terebinth tree is also called the turpentine tree. It produced a balsamic oil which was the original oil of turpentine (a far gentler substance than the distilled turpentine we know today) and its resin, described by Theophrastus as emitting a fragrant and delicate scent, was used in perfumes. It was highly valued and an important item of commerce and ceremonial gifts of tribute. A Bronze Age shipwreck, more than 6,000 years old, carried a ton of terebinth resin, housed in Canaanite jars. The world’s oldest wine jar, more than 7,000 years old, contained terebinth resin to help preserve the wine and cover any bad tastes or odors. One specie of terebinth produced the Tears of Hourus, the most sacred and most expensive gum incense used in the ancient world. Equally important was the use of terebinth oil and resin for medicinal purposes, as an all-purpose liniment and a healing balm, the balm of Gilead. With its liturgical use and medicinal properties, a terebinth tree would easily have been the sacred site referred to in Genesis, a place where men encountered God and did homage to the god they perceived, perhaps even worshiping the tree itself. Abraham would have known better. He had spent months on the road, pondering his encounter with the Almighty, often deep in prayer, sensing a Presence within him. At the terebinth of More, that Presence would become visible.
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