[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Friday, October 18, 2013

[Paul]

Well, another Friday has come around for most of us as I'm writing this, but for you in Australia and New Zealand it's already a very early Saturday morning.  Whatever day it is or whatever time of day it is in your part of the world, I hope that everything's going well for you.

As promised at the end of yesterday's Daily Thought Message, here's an article about the fruit called "apple." Now perhaps you in Australia and New Zealand have never heard of an apple, but maybe I'm mistaken about that.  If so please forgive this compiler's ignorance.  Anyway the title of this article by Michele Arieh is entitled "The Apple, Nature's Gift To Man," and is rendered as follows:

Tasty and nutritious and readily available all year long, the apple is commonly taken for granted.  This juicy, sweet fruit, eaten in a variety of ways, has been a source of food for man throughout the ages.  Scholars surmise that apples may have originated in Southwest Asia where, coincidentally, the Bible places the Garden of Eden.  It is a known fact, however, that apples were used by primitive man long before recorded history.  Archaeologists have found carbonized remains of apples in prehistoric lake dwellings in Switzerland dating back to the Iron Age.  There is also evidence that apples were eaten and preserved by slicing and sun-drying as far back as the Stone Age in Europe.

Information about apples can be found in some of man's earliest recordings.  The ancient annals of Babylon, Egypt, and China reveal that man understood, as many as 20 centuries ago, that apples do not reproduce true from seed but must be bud grafted in order to maintain a particular variety.  Invading Roman legions under Caesar introduced apples to the British Isles, where they have flourished ever since.  In time, apples were planted throughout Europe.

The first settlers in this country found that the apples they knew were not indigenous to their new homeland.  The closest substitute was a sour crabapple, which was of limited use for food and not cultivated by the Indians.  So fond were they of the apple, however, that the settlers sought ways to provide their families and themselves with this favorite fruit.  Governor Endicott of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is credited with growing the first apple tree in this country from a seedling brought from Europe.  The first apple crops in the New World were harvested by the Pilgrims in Massachusetts and the colonists in Jamestown, Virginia.  Even George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both diligent students of agriculture, planted and maintained beautiful apple orchards on their estates.

As the early settlers traveled west in covered wagons, they carried, as carefully treasured and protected cargo, apple trees and "scion wood" for grafting.  Apples were also carried by traders, Indians, and missionaries into the new frontier.

In the early 1800's, a man by the name of Jonathan Chapman gained a wide reputation for his travels through the territories of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, preaching his Swedenborgian faith and planting apple trees wherever he went.  He lived frugally, never owned a home, dressed in meager clothes, and often went barefoot in summer and winter.  Upon his head he wore a tin pan, which served the dual purpose of hat and stew pan for cooking his food.  With a pocketful of apple seeds, he traveled throughout most of the Ohio Valley, working his way west.  As he went along, he planted and tended seedling apple tree nurseries for the early frontier settlers.  Thus, the legend of Johnny Appleseed was born.  A peace-loving man, Johnny Appleseed was also a friend to the Indians and sought no harm to any living creature.  He became known for his courage and dedication to his fellowman, as well as for the thousands of apple trees he planted.  Today, his life and work are commemorated in a park and memorial in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he died in 1845.

Throughout antiquity the apple has been used symbolically.  The Book of Genesis describes a certain tree bearing fruit in the Garden of Eden to which God forbade access to Adam and Eve.  Although this "forbidden fruit" is never directly named in the Bible, the implicit assumption has always been that it was an apple that led to man's downfall.  The "knowledge" inherent in the tree and its fruit is taken to mean the ability to distinguish good and evil.

The Lord Jehovah's great regard for the Israelites is implied several times in the Old Testament by the expression, "the apple of his eye." "For he that touches you toucheth the apple of His eye," Moses warns in Deuteronomy.

Jeremiah alludes in Lamentations to the more commonly understood use of the phrase when he says, "let the tears run down like a river day and night; give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease." This statement links the pupil of the eye with its likeness, the apple, a solid sphere, meaning that the Israelites were as precious to God as the pupils of man's eyes are to him.

In classical mythology, the apple is often made of gold, a clear measure of the esteem in which it was held.  One story tells of a beauty contest between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, which the mortal Paris is chosen to judge.  Aphrodite bribes Paris, offering him the most beautiful mortal woman for his wife if he will grant her the golden apple inscribed, "to the fairest." Paris accepts the offer--though his bride is to be Helen, who is already married to Menelaus--thus igniting the long and tragic Trojan War.  In both Greek and Roman mythology, the apple was often a symbol of love and beauty.

Another story describes a wonderful tree that grows in the Garden of the Gods, having sprung up on the day that Zeus and Hera were wed in that garden.  This magnificent tree bears golden apples with a taste of honey and the ability to cure all illnesses.

Ages later in Devonshire, England, the saying arose, "Eat an apple before going to bed.  Makes the doctor beg his bread." Today we claim that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." There is more truth in that saying than might be expected, since recent studies show that apples contain certain substances that aid in the body's digestion and regulatory systems, help fight body toxins, and control the levels of cholesterol in the blood.  Studies have also shown that the eating of apples results in a marked reduction in dental decay because apples act as their own toothbrush.

The apple is also the focal point of many stories which have grown up around actual characters.  Sir Isaac Newton is said to have "discovered" the law of gravity while sitting under an apple tree.  Supposedly, by watching the simple act of apples falling to the ground, Newton was able to make his insightful observations.  Legend also has it that William Tell shot an apple off his son's head at the order of Austrian invaders of Switzerland.

In today's storehouse of phrases and expressions, the apple still has a prominent place.  "Mother, apple pie and baseball" is a phrase that connotes wholesomeness and all-American standards.  "Apple polisher" or "apple shiner" became an expression in this country in the 1920's and refers to a flatterer or one who is trying to impress another, deriving its meaning from the older tradition of the eager student who gives his teacher an apple.  The expression, "apple knocker," for a rustic type, has come into use in this century, as has the term "Big Apple," meaning New York City.

It may be surprising to discover that the ordinary little apple is quite a famous and historically illustrious fruit.  Man has known for a long time that the apple is one of nature's miracles--a colorful and delicious "package" of health-giving nutrients and eating enjoyment.  Maybe Eve was tempted by an apple, but it has been a blessing to mankind ever since.

And now you know as much about the apple as I do, and I hope you also learned a bit of info yourself.

In preparing for this message, I was drawn inextricably to a book of the Old Testament that has seen its share of controversy throughout the centuries.  The book in question is called "The Song of Songs," and there are some rather peculiar turns of phrase.  In chapter 2, verse 5 in the New King James Version it is rendered:  "Sustain me with cakes of raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love." This is the Shulamite woman talking to her beloved.  And in chapter 7 verse 8 the Shulamite's beloved says:  "I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its branches.  Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples," and, in the next verse, "and the roof of your mouth like the best wine." For anyone here who knows his/her Bible, what do apples signify here?  This inquiring mind wishes to know, and perhaps others also.  Thanks in advance for any help in this matter.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing tomorrow we will present yet another article dealing with the subject of autumn.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul