Saint George´s Church, Hattingen - Flowers in the Bible
- Written by Portal Editor
The Protestant Saint George´s Church is located in the historic town centre of Hattingen on the church square, which is always busy in good weather due to its numerous restaurants.
We once again set our sights on this square by cycling from the Horster Ruhrbrücke campsite. The bike ride along the Ruhr River alone is always full of positive impressions, apart from the so-called recreational racing cyclists who show little consideration for others.
Saint George´s Church in the centre of Hattingen
The Saint George´s Church, like many other buildings in Hattingen later, was built around 1200 from Ruhr sandstone. During renovation and restoration work in 1972, the remains of a Romanesque pillar base and two column bases dating from after 820 were discovered inside the church. The church has always been the centre of Hattingen's development, although wars in 1424 and 1429 led to the destruction of Hattingen and the church. Remains of the reconstruction include Gothic vault pillars, bricked-up pointed arch windows, ribs, and the keystone above and behind the organ case. It was probably a shallow groined vault with three naves, supported by six stone pillars. Reconstruction was completed around 1450.
When a stone fell loose from the vault in 1804 due to its dilapidation, services had to be postponed. Between 1807 and 1810, further reconstruction took place, during which the vault was replaced with a wooden plank ceiling. The Baroque furnishings were removed. Some niches, windows, and doorways were bricked up. The church was originally plastered and whitewashed.
The Saint George´s Church tower was re-tiled in 1976. It has a height of 56.73 m, including the weather vane, although the tower is said to have been even taller before 1807. The Gothic spire leans sharply to the southwest. But popular wisdom also speaks of the revenge of an underpaid carpenter. The Saint George's Church, with its twisted spire, has therefore been accepted into the "Association of Twisted Spires in Europe." 90 such spires are registered in Europe (see also the leaning church spire of Suurhusen).
The 26 gravestones in the green area surrounding the church, part of the former churchyard, are worth seeing. The oldest stone dates from 1617. From the 9th century until March 31, 1813, the Hattingen parish buried its dead in the churchyard. The last graves were leveled in 1848. So much for the church square and Saint George's Church.
Exhibition on the topic of plants in the Bible
Things got interesting again when we entered the church, however, because we unexpectedly came across some display boards that ultimately inspired us to write this article: Plants in the Bible. Especially with the sedentary lifestyle, the importance of plants for human nutrition and health became increasingly important, so it's clear that they also became a topic in the Bible.
Of course, plants in the Bible are understood to refer specifically to the plants that grow in the Middle East, especially in the area of the ancient land of Israel, and which are mentioned in the Bible. Of the approximately 2,600 plant species native to Israel, approximately 110 are mentioned in the Bible, although their precise identification remains sketchy for various reasons; after all, 2,000 years ago, there were no botanists in the modern sense of the word. Most of the plants mentioned in the Bible were of great importance to the people of that time, whether as food, building material, for cultic purposes, or as medicine. From their mention, one can therefore also draw conclusions about the culture and way of life of the population of Palestine in biblical times.
Saint George´s Church - Religious Regulations on the Handling of Plants
The culture of the Jewish population in biblical times was characterized by a multitude of religious rites and regulations. These also include regulations regarding the handling of plants. Compliance with these regulations makes sense, in part, for the fair distribution of daily goods and enables the sustainable feeding of many people in a small country. Examples of such regulations include:
- A portion of the harvest had to be left in the fields for the poor who did not own land. They were entitled to glean the harvest. For the same reason, the fields could not be mown all the way to the edges.
- A tenth of all produce had to be paid to the Temple in Jerusalem. It was used to feed the priests and their families. Later, this developed into a tax for the poor.
- Trees and shrubs were not allowed to be harvested within the first three years after planting.
- Every seven years, the fields were to lie fallow (the so-called sabbatical year of the land) so that the soil could recover. What grew naturally in the fields was to be available to the poor.
Considering these rules, it quickly becomes clear that they were actually very sensible and, for their time, forward-looking rules, which one would also wish for in the modern world. Unfortunately, today the gap between rich and poor is widening ever wider, as capitalists dominate the system. Money to live on is hardly "earned" enough through work anymore, but rather with money that large sections of the population don't even have enough to cover their costs. And appropriate taxation of the rich is not taking place. Thus, divisions within the population are becoming increasingly greater, frustration is growing, which ultimately contributes to the dwindling of faith in democracy. It is good that food banks exist to support the "poor." But isn't it rather a tragedy of our politics that food banks are even necessary?
The Prophet said: "People are like grass that wither; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wild flowers. The grass withers and the flowers fade. Song of Songs 7:12 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the field and spend the night among the wild flowers.
Saint George´s Church - Is this the life of so many people? Is this the meaning?
Many plants and flowers were also used to make scents and perfumes, which played an important role in religious ceremonies and rituals. Furthermore, flowers served as powerful symbols for divine messages, moral teachings, and important events in the Bible.
"Look how the wild flowers grow! They do not toil or spin; yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these" (Luke 12:27). Similar to Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew, Luke 12:27 also underscores the connection between flowers and God's providence.
Flowers are symbols of purity and holiness. It is believed that by offering flowers, one receives good luck, prosperity, and deliverance from sin through God's grace. Only clean, fresh, and fragrant flowers should be offered to God.
White represents purity, innocence, honesty, and elegance. Pink flowers symbolize tenderness, love, and longing. Red flowers like roses are particularly known for romantic love and passion. Bright yellow blossoms express warmth, happiness, and joie de vivre, but also suffering and jealousy.
Here is a small selection of other religiously inspired plant names: angel's trumpet, crown of thorns, bishop's weed, Joseph's mantle, Jerusalem thorn, Indian basil, St. Bernard's lily, rosary pea, and St. John's wort. Charles Reynolds is a member of the Garden Writers' Association of America. September 11, 2010
Supposedly, the Romans already celebrated a festival called "Lupercalia" on February 14th, during which it was customary to offer flowers to Juno, the patron goddess of marriage and family (Hera in Greek). On this day, unmarried girls and boys were drawn in a kind of lottery to remain together for a year.
The lotus flower has many names. It is called the "sacred flower" or the "flower of life." In addition to the aforementioned qualities symbolizing purity and enlightenment, the lotus flower has another special feature. After sunset, the flower closes and sinks into the water.
Thank´s to all the organisation: They were quite lovely information boards at Saint George's Church.
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