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The Bush Which Burned But Was Not Consumed
The bush from which God spoke to Moses is a symbol
of the Theotokos, and also of theosis and transfiguration
by the Uncreated Light. The actual bush, transplanted
once around the year 1000, is still alive and is guarded
by the monks of
St. Catherine's in the Sinai.
It has been identified as a specimen of Rubus sanctus,
a plant normally found in Central Asia but also known to
grow wild at high elevations in the Sinai Peninsula. (The flora of
the Sinai Massif includes a number of Central Asian species,
presumably relics of an earlier era.)
Rubus sanctus plants can live for many centuries,
so even without invoking the supernatural there is no reason
to doubt that the monks' bush dates back to Moses's time.
Under construction --- far from complete! Read with caution.
- ABOUT:
- Joseph J. Hobbs:
Mount Sinai, (1995).
Austin: University of Texas, 1995. Passim.
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