DSC04567-An ancient olive tree twisted and gnarled
Credit
Holly Hayes
Status
  Creative Commons BY
Date Created
November 9, 2007
Date Added
January 23, 2013
Last Updated
May 1, 2024
File Size
3.08 MB
Resolution
3072 x 2304 pixels
Coordinates
31.7792460° N, 35.2396240° E

DSC04567-An ancient olive tree twisted and gnarled

The Garden of Gethsemane is one of the sacred places in the Christian tradition. It is still rich today in olive trees hundreds of years old and it is possible that these may be shoots of the same trees that witnessed Jesus' last night before his arrest. Gethsemane is derived from the Hebrew expression Gat Shemen which means olive press, a reference to the natural abundance of these trees and to the presence of oil presses in the region.
Gethsemane holds an important place in the Gospel story, since Jesus spent there the night before his arrest, after eating the Last Supper with his disciples.