36 



What actually is the plant referred to? 



Many varying answers have been given to this question. 

 L. Fonck,* in his "Streifzijge durch die Biblische Flora" thinks 

 that it is the Lilium candidum. But this is not found at all in 

 Palestine and one would have to go to the Lebanon to find it. 

 Furthermore, the Lihum candidum is not the Greek krinon but 

 the leuiron. Tristramf in his "Natural History of the Bible" 

 is of the opinion that it is the Anemone coronaria. 



But this plant is not thrown into the oven. 



Others think it to be Ranunculus asioMcus. Post| proposes the 

 Gladiolus. Kitto§ suggests the Lotus, while others propose the 

 Crocus, the Colchicum, the Tulipa praecox, the Iris, the Lil- 

 ium Martagon and the Lilium cephalodonium. P. Souciet^ in 

 his "Recueil de dissertations critiques sur les endroits difihciles 

 dans I'Ecriture sainte" is of opinion that it is the Fritillaria im- 

 perialis. But this also is not in keeping with the phrase "and 

 tomorrow it is cast into the oven. " 



In view of all these doubts and uncertainties some, therefore, 

 feel that in these words Jesus was not referring to any specific 

 plant but to the plants of the field in general. But anyone read- 

 ing this in its plain sense must realize that here the reference is 

 to some specific plant which grows abundantly, to which Jesus 

 could point and which his hearers would recognize for its out- 

 standing beauty. In my opinion, scholars have strayed very far 

 afield from a correct solution to this problem. They have not 

 proceeded from a correct conception of the question involved. 

 They have looked for a plant outstanding in size and color.]] 

 Many of them have demanded that it be a plant with red or 

 purple coloring, because, in their opinion, King Solomon was 

 robed in regal purple. 



But it seems to me that a more refined taste gets more aesthetic 



*FoNCK, Leopold. Streifztige durch die Biblische Flora. Fribourg, 1900 



PP- 53-77- 



ITristram, Henry B. The natural history of the Bible. London. 1889 

 p. 464. 



I Post, George, E. Flora of Syria, Palestine and Sinai. Beirut, p. 773 



§KiTTO, J. A cyclopedia of biblical literature. 3rd Ed. London. 1886 

 Vol. 3. p. 845. 



fSouciET, P. Recueil de dissertations difificiles de I'Ecriture Sainte. Paris 

 17I.S. pp. 158, 9. 



IILevesque, E. Dictionnaire de la Bible de F. Vigourant. Vol. 55. p. 283 



