We read in the Holy Writings “Now Hiram the King of Tyre had
furnished Solomon with cedar-trees and fir-trees, and with gold, according
to all his desire, that then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the
land of Galilee.” Lebanon is famous for the cedars, which besides being used in
K.S.T., according to legend were also used in the construction of
Noah’s Ark, the Ark
of the Covenant, the cross on which Christ was crucified and in the
rebuilding of the Temple by Zerubbabel. Cedars were especially abundant in
Biblical times, but there is more symbolism attached to cedars. For
example, cedars produce purple cones, purple is the symbol of royalty.
Cedars are famous for lasting a long time (the roof of the temple of
Apollo is said to have lasted 1170 years), and that they are
indestructible by rot or borers, hence being compared to immortality and
incorruptibility. The ancient Egyptians used it to coffins for their
mummies, the Romans carved many of their gods and ancestors using cedar.
Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria (412-444 AD) likened the cedar to the flesh
of Christ which remained unspoiled. Only the wrath of God was said to be
mightier than cedar “The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars.....” (Psalm 29:5).
The cedar is prominently displayed on the national flag
of Lebanon, where, ironically, it is close to extinction.
