Dafni Amots
Institute of Evolution, the University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2007 Feb 25;3:10. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-3-10.
This article surveys the beliefs concerning the supernatural characteristics and powers of sacred trees in Israel; it is based on a field study as well as a survey of the literature and includes 118 interviews with Muslims and Druze. Both the Muslims and Druze in this study attribute supernatural dimensions to sacred trees which are directly related to ancient, deep-rooted pagan traditions. The Muslims attribute similar divine powers to sacred trees as they do to the graves of their saints; the graves and the trees are both considered to be the abode of the soul of a saint which is the source of their miraculous powers. Any violation of a sacred tree would be strictly punished while leaving the opportunity for atonement and forgiveness. The Druze, who believe in the transmigration of souls, have similar traditions concerning sacred trees but with a different religious background. In polytheistic religions the sacred grove/forest is a centre of the community's official worship; any violation of the trees is regarded as a threat to the well being of the community. Punishments may thus be collective. In the monotheistic world (including Christianity, Islam and Druze) the pagan worship of trees was converted into the worship/adoration of saints/prophets; it is not a part of the official religion but rather a personal act and the punishments are exerted only on the violating individual.
本文调查了以色列人关于圣树超自然特征和力量的信仰；它基于一项实地研究以及文献调查，包括对穆斯林和德鲁兹人的118次访谈。本研究中的穆斯林和德鲁兹人都将超自然维度归因于圣树，这与古老的、根深蒂固的异教传统直接相关。穆斯林赋予圣树与他们圣徒坟墓类似的神圣力量；坟墓和树木都被认为是圣徒灵魂的居所，而圣徒灵魂是其神奇力量的源泉。任何对圣树的侵犯都会受到严厉惩罚，同时也会留下赎罪和宽恕的机会。信仰灵魂转世的德鲁兹人在圣树方面有类似的传统，但宗教背景不同。在多神教中，神圣的树林是社区官方崇拜的中心；任何对树木的侵犯都被视为对社区福祉的威胁。因此惩罚可能是集体性的。在一神教世界（包括基督教、伊斯兰教和德鲁兹教）中，对树木的异教崇拜转变为对圣徒/先知的崇拜；这不是官方宗教的一部分，而是个人行为，惩罚仅施加于违规个人。
