Article

The Olive Tree

Lemon tree very pretty. Olive tree very pretty too! In fact, the olive tree has always had a significant role in much of the history of mankind.

During biblical times, olives were one of the most important crops. In addition to being used for food, they were crushed and made into cooling oil, fuel for lamps, medicine to soothe cuts or bruises or dress wounds, and used as a skin moisturizer. Olives are still used that way today. The Mount of Olives, a prominent place in Bible times, is covered with dense olive groves. The name "Gethsemane" means "oil press". The Aramites revered it as a blessed tree and the Canaanite and Philistines tried to spread its cultivation. There are Egyptian reliefs with images of olive trees. Oil from the olive crops was and still is used for cooking, ointments, medicines, and perfumes. Health benefits of olive oil include: aiding in the growth of normal bones; reducing bad cholesterol levels, and the risk of gallstones development; and preventing constipation.

The Olive Tree in Palestine

Another name for olive tree is Olea Europaea.

Palestine was known as Canaan during Bible times and olive trees grew on the hillsides in Samaria. These trees were also plentiful in Galilee, the childhood home of Jesus.

The olive tree not only played a vital part in the economic development of both the Greek and Roman empires; but olive wood carving was and still is a cottage industry, i.e. a common home business for many families living and working in Palestine.

There are artists today who live and work in the Holy City of Bethlehem and together they create unique gift items and art treasures. Their area of expertise is olive wood carving or sculptures. They craft statues, ornaments, music boxes, pendants and other decorative gifts which can easily become heirlooms to be kept in the family for generations.

This artwork is made available through an export house, an international marketing company which is based in Jerusalem, Israel, to customers in the United States of America and other world markets. The gifts may have religious significance for most people but they are also beautiful artistic expressions and some are very practical.

Below are examples of my favorite pieces of olive wood sculptures.

* * IMPORTANT NOTE: Products are not made by killing live olive trees. The wood is taken from the branches that have been cut off for pruning or those trees that have died due to old age.

Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus Hand Carved Olive Wood Statue Figure Holy Land

Lion with Lamb - olive wood figure - one piece , Revelation 5:5-6 ( 20x16x12 or 8x6.5x5 inches )

$69.77

A Very Interesting Fact About the Olive Tree

* Some would like to believe a drop of rain touched by the leaves of the legendary ancient "Angel Olive" or the "Angel Tree" will cure anything. *

The Angel Tree: The Enchanting Quest for the World's Oldest Olive Tree

$14.95

Olive Tree 25 Seeds - Olea europaea - Great Houseplant
9GreenBox
FREE shipping for each additional item
$9.99 $3.28

Vincent Van Vogh clearly loved painting olive trees.

Vincent Van Gogh Premium Thick-Wrap Canvas Wall Art Print entitled The Olive Grove

$49.99

The Olive Grove, c.1889 Poster by Vincent van Gogh 28 x 22in

Wall26 - Olive Trees by Vincent Van Gogh - Oil Painting Reproduction on Canvas Prints Wall Art, R...

Bless the Harvest.

Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World

$40.97 $45.68

Nature's Way Olive Leaf

Nature's Way Olive Leaf 20% Oleuropein, 60 Vcaps (2 x 60)

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Comments

frankbeswickJan 18, 2016

Olive trees can in the right conditions live five hundred years or more, which explains why they may have been a symbol for longevity, as Psalm 128 blesses Israelites with the promise that their children will be "like the shoots of the olive around your table." There were two olive trees reputed to be over 2000 years old. One was the olive tree under which Plato was said to have taught his students 2400 years ago, but this was destroyed when a bus hit it. The other was Pisistratus' olive, named after the tyrant of Athens, thought to have been 2500 years old. I have heard, but not been able to confirm that Plato's olive began to sprout from one of the few remaining roots.

cmoneyspinnerJan 18, 2016

@Tolovaj - Yes. It was new to me when I found out about it as well. But the pieces are so very lovely. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a few words. It's good to hear from you. Happy New Year!

TolovajJan 18, 2016

I have heard a lot of great things about olive oil and it's a regular in my kitchen. Olive wood art is new to me. It's amazing! Thanks for sharing this article:)

WriterArtistMar 23, 2014

Looks like the good old olive tree has many uses other than the olive oil. The carving is beautiful - love the art.

cmoneyspinnerMar 18, 2014

@Holistic_Health - I didn't know it was a cottage industry in Palestine and that the monks who came there showed the locals how to make some money. That's why I liked to read the mystery books and also watch the series about Brother Cadfael. Yeah it's a work on fiction but it's based on facts. Catholic monks are really smart.

Thanks for visiting!

Holistic_HealthMar 18, 2014

Had no idea olive wood was used for carving. Nice one!

cmoneyspinnerJan 22, 2014

- My late mother always kept a bottle of olive oil on hand. Strangest thing though. She never cooked with it. She used it for medicinal purposes. When I grew up and discovered how tasty olive oil was, I'm like: "Mom! (???)"

Thanks for visiting @Tolovaj. :)

TolovajJan 22, 2014

Olive oil is essential component of every kitchen. Not just for cooking. It has many health and cosmetic benefits too. It is not a surprise to give so much importance to olive tree in history. Thanks for all the interesting info.

cmoneyspinnerJan 17, 2014

@DerdriuMarriner - Very easy to understand. Thanks for your comments. As always, it's a pleasure.

DerdriuMarrinerJan 17, 2014

cmoneyspinner, Olives are always a refreshing treat for me. It's such a storied tree, with so many spiritual associations and connotations. It's easy to understand that this tree would be connected with angels.

cmoneyspinnerJan 11, 2014

@VioletteRose - Thanks for letting me know you were here.

VioletteRoseJan 11, 2014

Very nice presentation, I have never seen an olive tree yet.

cmoneyspinnerJan 11, 2014

@younghopes -Well hello nice lady! Thank you for visiting. It's good to see you here.

younghopesJan 11, 2014

This is such an informative post and i love the wood work too, pretty amazing

cmoneyspinnerJan 11, 2014

@ologsinquito - Found it! Thank you!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/482588916292387648/

cmoneyspinnerJan 11, 2014

@ologsinquito - Thanks for reminding me to pin this. I pin other Wizzles and then forget to pin my own! (O.o)

ologsinquitoJan 11, 2014

This really is a lovely article. Thank you also for the link. You are so kind and generous. I'm pinning this to My Wizzley Writing Board.

cmoneyspinnerJan 10, 2014

@KathleenDuffy - Thank you. Wish I had the space to show more of the art. It's exquisite!

KathleenDuffyJan 10, 2014

Lovely article! Thank you for the link to my article. I love olive trees - I've had mine growing indoors now for about three years. There's something so special about them. And as you point out, they have such a rich symbolic history. Love that sculpture! :)

The Olive Tree in Palestine

Another name for olive tree is Olea Europaea.

Palestine was known as Canaan during Bible times and olive trees grew on the hillsides in Samaria. These trees were also plentiful in Galilee, the childhood home of Jesus.

The olive tree not only played a vital part in the economic development of both the Greek and Roman empires; but olive wood carving was and still is a cottage industry, i.e. a common home business for many families living and working in Palestine.

There are artists today who live and work in the Holy City of Bethlehem and together they create unique gift items and art treasures. Their area of expertise is olive wood carving or sculptures. They craft statues, ornaments, music boxes, pendants and other decorative gifts which can easily become heirlooms to be kept in the family for generations.

This artwork is made available through an export house, an international marketing company which is based in Jerusalem, Israel, to customers in the United States of America and other world markets. The gifts may have religious significance for most people but they are also beautiful artistic expressions and some are very practical.

Below are examples of my favorite pieces of olive wood sculptures.

* * IMPORTANT NOTE: Products are not made by killing live olive trees. The wood is taken from the branches that have been cut off for pruning or those trees that have died due to old age.

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Drinking Olive Oil - Healthy or Not?

The first time I heard about the whole 'drinking olive oil' concept, I thought: OK, big detail, isn't that the same as cooking with and eating olive oil? But the idea IS different

Comments

frankbeswickJan 18, 2016

cmoneyspinnerJan 18, 2016

@Tolovaj - Yes. It was new to me when I found out about it as well. But the pieces are so very lovely. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a few words. It's good to hear from you. Happy New Year!

TolovajJan 18, 2016

I have heard a lot of great things about olive oil and it's a regular in my kitchen. Olive wood art is new to me. It's amazing! Thanks for sharing this article:)

WriterArtistMar 23, 2014

Looks like the good old olive tree has many uses other than the olive oil. The carving is beautiful - love the art.

cmoneyspinnerMar 18, 2014

Holistic_HealthMar 18, 2014

Had no idea olive wood was used for carving. Nice one!

cmoneyspinnerJan 22, 2014

TolovajJan 22, 2014

cmoneyspinnerJan 17, 2014

@DerdriuMarriner - Very easy to understand. Thanks for your comments. As always, it's a pleasure.

DerdriuMarrinerJan 17, 2014

cmoneyspinnerJan 11, 2014

@VioletteRose - Thanks for letting me know you were here.

VioletteRoseJan 11, 2014

Very nice presentation, I have never seen an olive tree yet.

cmoneyspinnerJan 11, 2014

@younghopes -Well hello nice lady! Thank you for visiting. It's good to see you here.

younghopesJan 11, 2014

This is such an informative post and i love the wood work too, pretty amazing

cmoneyspinnerJan 11, 2014

@ologsinquito - Found it! Thank you!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/482588916292387648/

cmoneyspinnerJan 11, 2014

@ologsinquito - Thanks for reminding me to pin this. I pin other Wizzles and then forget to pin my own! (O.o)

ologsinquitoJan 11, 2014

This really is a lovely article. Thank you also for the link. You are so kind and generous. I'm pinning this to My Wizzley Writing Board.

cmoneyspinnerJan 10, 2014

@KathleenDuffy - Thank you. Wish I had the space to show more of the art. It's exquisite!

KathleenDuffyJan 10, 2014

The Olive Tree

The Olive Tree in Palestine

Another name for olive tree is Olea Europaea.

Palestine was known as Canaan during Bible times and olive trees grew on the hillsides in Samaria. These trees were also plentiful in Galilee, the childhood home of Jesus.

The olive tree not only played a vital part in the economic development of both the Greek and Roman empires; but olive wood carving was and still is a cottage industry, i.e. a common home business for many families living and working in Palestine.

Below are examples of my favorite pieces of olive wood sculptures.

* * IMPORTANT NOTE: Products are not made by killing live olive trees. The wood is taken from the branches that have been cut off for pruning or those trees that have died due to old age.

A Very Interesting Fact About the Olive Tree

* Some would like to believe a drop of rain touched by the leaves of the legendary ancient "Angel Olive" or the "Angel Tree" will cure anything. *

Vincent Van Vogh clearly loved painting olive trees.

Bless the Harvest.

Nature's Way Olive Leaf

More Reading

Suggested Links of Interest

* More Fun Olive Facts

* Olive Oil, Olives, Olive Tree Facts

More Wizzles Like This One!

Thanks for Stopping By!

Comments

The Olive Tree

The Olive Tree in Palestine

Another name for olive tree is Olea Europaea.

Palestine was known as Canaan during Bible times and olive trees grew on the hillsides in Samaria. These trees were also plentiful in Galilee, the childhood home of Jesus.

The olive tree not only played a vital part in the economic development of both the Greek and Roman empires; but olive wood carving was and still is a cottage industry, i.e. a common home business for many families living and working in Palestine.

Below are examples of my favorite pieces of olive wood sculptures.

* * IMPORTANT NOTE: Products are not made by killing live olive trees. The wood is taken from the branches that have been cut off for pruning or those trees that have died due to old age.

A Very Interesting Fact About the Olive Tree

* Some would like to believe a drop of rain touched by the leaves of the legendary ancient "Angel Olive" or the "Angel Tree" will cure anything. *

Vincent Van Vogh clearly loved painting olive trees.

Bless the Harvest.

Nature's Way Olive Leaf

More Reading

Suggested Links of Interest

* More Fun Olive Facts

* Olive Oil, Olives, Olive Tree Facts

More Wizzles Like This One!

Thanks for Stopping By!

Comments