According to the Bible, in Exodus 3:2, Moses heard the voice of God coming from a Burning bush that was not consumed by fire. This occurred after he had to flee Egypt, and was when he was called to go and demand the release of the Israelites.
In Byzantine times, Saint Catherine's monastery was built on the supposed site of the biblical event. What was claimed to be the original burning bush is now dead, but a claimed descendant is on view today.
Burning bush is also a common name applied to several different, unrelated plants:
The herb Dictamnus albus, also known as false dittany, white dittany, or gas plant, belonging to the family Rutaceae. It gets its name from comparison to the Bible account; the leaves (and indeed the whole plant) produce aromatic oils that can catch fire readily on hot days, though not without injury to the plant.
Shrubs in the genus Euonymus, mostly known as spindles, in the family Celastraceae, are also called burning bush in North America, because of their bright red foliage in fall.
The motto of the Church of Scotland is nec tamen consumebatur (Latin) - 'Yet it was not consumed', an allusion to Exodus 3:2 and the burningbush.
A stylised depiction of the burningbush is the symbol of the Church of Scotland.
Shrubs in the genus Euonymus, mostly known as spindles, in the family Celastraceae, are also called burningbush in North America, because of their bright red foliage in fall.
Christiansymbolism is the use of actions or objects to represent the truths of the Christian faith, either as a reminder of those truths or as a way of spiritually connecting with the underlying truth or act.
To focus on one stream of the development of this late Christiansymbol, the Christmas tree symbolizes, in part, the promised "Branch", the Messiah, who must be the "Root of Jesse", the descendant prefigured by Jesse's royal son, David.
This connection to the cut-off line is symbolized by the cut-down tree, and is indirectly a symbol of the Son of God.
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