I thank you all for the suggestions.
I probably was not clear enough in my posting last night. I am hoping to
demonstrate that the use of olives religiously (donatist worship, the
olive wreath/crown of the martyr, various burials where caskets were
lined
with olive leaves, and use in symbolic imagery) reflects a cultural
reverence of the olive which spans the mediteranean. Olives quite
literally were a staple of life, and it is not surprising to me that
they
became so tied up in spirituality. I am hoping to explore all relevant
connections, and so your recommendations will be helfpul, but I am
really
hoping for any insightful ideas on the role of the olive as *imagery* in
sermons or treatises, any "pagan" (pardon the use of this word so
recently after the pagan thread!) connections less obvious than, say,
Athena/Minerva, and any thoughts at all on whether or not I am crazy to
be attempting this. Essentially, I am asking for help in narrowing down
research. Dr. Keefe (my learned professor) has already recommended that
I
limit the liturgical sources to North African writers before 600 AD, and
I've agreed.
again, all and any help will be greatly appreciated
Rabia Geha
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