RELIGIOUS TREES 169 



crucified came directly from the Garden of Eden. 

 Adam is represented as carrying from the Garden 

 a number of seeds from the Tree of Life. One of 

 these he planted in Hebron. This tree (or its de- 

 scendants, it is not clear which) was always care- 

 fully preserved and protected by the Biblical 

 patriarchs. When the Israelites set forth on their 

 forty years' wanderings Moses carried the tree 

 with him. Established in the land of Canaan, it 

 was the tree under which David sat to compose 

 his psalms. Solomon decided to accord it a promi- 

 nent place in his temple, but after it had been cut 

 to shape, it was rejected and flung into a marsh 

 where it served as a bridge for many years. After 

 a while it either sunk or was buried in the earth, 

 and from a position beneath the bottom of the Pool 

 of Bethesda imparted healing properties to the 

 water. At the time of the crucifixion, the beam rose 

 to the surface of the pool and was seized upon by 

 the infuriated Jews as a convenient log upon which 

 to crucify the Christ. Records which have some 

 historical value say that the Cross was refound by 

 the Empress Helena in the year 326. It is often 

 stated that the Cross was made of oak, though many 

 legends name cypress, cedar, pine, and box. There 

 is a pretty, though comparatively recent legend, 

 which maintains that the Cross was made from 



