You can learn a lot from a sycomore fig tree. Ask author Christine Norvell.
The first thing is the spelling of “sycomore.” I had to fight with AutoCorrect (not to mention Google) to keep it from changing the spelling to “sycamore.” Sycamore is the American tree; the British sycamore is actually a maple. The sycomore fig’s official name is Ficus Sycomorus, and it’s native to the Middle East and some parts of Africa. It’s similar to the common fig (Ficus Carica) we know today.
It’s also found in the Bible, and that’s the sycomore Norvell writes about in The Sycomore Fig Tree: Biblical Botany & Scriptural Truth. Her starting point is the prophet Amos, who, when told to go prophesy somewhere other than the northern kingdom of Isreal, says, “I was no prophet, nor prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now therefore hear the word of the Lord” (ESV). (Yes, I see that the ESV spells it “sycamore.”)
It is with Amos that Norvell begins her study. The amazing thing is that she adroitly condenses her research in commentaries, ancient Mediterranean horticulture, archaeology, botany, and the Bible into a compact, readableg work of 120 pages. Her thesis: “How the sycomore fig tree and the tending of all trees parallel our life in Christ and the challenges we face.” What follows is something beautiful.
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| Christine Norvell |
She provides a history of the sycomore fig (it was originally native to Israel), explaining how it takes root, tended, harvested and gathered, and pruned, and how caring for tree is a communal function. Amos called himself a herder and dresser of figs, but he worked with other people to do his work. She also goes beyond the sycomore fig and describes the trees she and her family care for on their property. She applies the discussion in each chapter applies to living the Christian life.
Norvell is a freelance writer who’s published on literature, education, music, and the Bible. She received a master’s degree in Humanities from Faulkner University’s Great Books program. She published Till We Have Faces: A Reading Companion in 2020. She’s also written for The Imaginative Conservative, Front Porch Republic, Mere Orthodoxy, Public Discourse, and University Bookman. The Sycomore Fig Tree also includes notes, a bibliography, and a recommended reading list, and Norvell uses numerous photographs and reproductions to illustrate the text.
We can learn from trees, trees like the sycomore fig. We can also learn, as Norvell, did, from the trees in our own yards and parks. The Sycomore Fig Tree also is one of the most engaging Bible studies I’ve read. Amos the herdsman and fig dresser was called to be a prophet, because he had the experience and qualities that were needed.
Some Monday Readings
Phyllis Bray, Artist and Doreen Fletcher’s New Paintings – Spitalfields Life.
Wendell Berry’s Wisdom for Living in Time – Anne Ryan at Plough Magazine.
Poor Bastard: Henry Fielding’s Triumphant Tom Jones – Joel Miller at Miller’s Book Review.
“free and Independent States”: The 250th Anniversary of the Lee Resolution – Kevin Pawlak at Emerging Revolutionary War Era.
Social Media Is Not for Everyone – Terry Whalin at The Writing Life.
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