Olives, a skull, water and mountains

Dear Editor,

My tour of Israel 24 years ago left a lasting impression on me.

Important symbols can be found in the New Testament.

Olives are produced there in modern times in large quantities. The olive tree, or olea-europea, was extensively cultivated in Palestine for its oil.

In the Garden of Gethsename on the slope of the Mount of Olives, we saw olive trees growing abundantly.

The Hebrew word gath means press and shamen means oil. Large stone wheels squeezed oil from the olives.

When Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane (see March 14:33-36) he felt pressed under the weight of the world.

His crucifixion took place on a hill known as the greek word Golgotha, or Calvary, Latin for skull. During our visit there, we saw a rock formation with an imprint representing a skull. Its resemblance to a skull was uncanny.

Water in the River Jordan resembles some of the streams in the mountains of Colorado. It is the lowest body of fresh water on the earth. Jesus was baptized there by John the Baptist (see Matthew 3:15)

In my younger years, I spent every moment that I could enjoying the mountains of colorado.

My friends and I climbed mountains. We discovered that mountains were difficult to climb I Corinthians 13:2 states that “and though I have the gift of prophecy, an understandeht all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.”

Basic symbols of the New Testament are olives, a skull, water and mountains.

Geographical locations for them are the Mount of Olives, Golgatha or Calvary, and the River Jordan.

Mount Hermon is in northern Israel and is 9,232 feet above sea level.

Mount Tabor is 1,828 feet above seal level and is southwest of the Sea of Galilee.

Symbols of the New Testament are the signs that we follow along the highway of life:

Olives, a skull, water and mountains. The road map for them is the New Testament.

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trenton, Neb.