diff --git a/src/helma/framework/core/Application.java b/src/helma/framework/core/Application.java
index e6a8dce4..dd59e380 100644
--- a/src/helma/framework/core/Application.java
+++ b/src/helma/framework/core/Application.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import helma.main.Server;
 import helma.objectmodel.*;
 import helma.objectmodel.db.*;
 import helma.util.*;
+import helma.scripting.ScriptingEngine;
 
 import java.io.*;
 import java.lang.reflect.*;
@@ -69,6 +70,9 @@ public final class Application implements Runnable {
     // otherwise this is managed by the NodeManager and not cached here.
     Object rootObject = null;
     String rootObjectClass;
+    // if defined this will cause us to get the root object straight
+    // from the scripting engine, circumventing all hopobject db fluff
+    String rootObjectPropertyName;
 
     // The session manager
     SessionManager sessionMgr;
@@ -834,7 +838,7 @@ public final class Application implements Runnable {
     /**
      * This method returns the root object of this application's object tree.
      */
-    public Object getDataRoot() {
+    public Object getDataRoot(ScriptingEngine scriptingEngine) {
         // check if we have a custom root object class
         if (rootObjectClass != null) {
             // create custom root element.
@@ -861,9 +865,11 @@ public final class Application implements Runnable {
             }
 
             return rootObject;
-        }
-        // no custom root object is defined - use standard helma objectmodel
-        else {
+        } else if (rootObjectPropertyName != null) {
+            // get root object from a global scripting engine property
+            return scriptingEngine.getGlobalProperty(rootObjectPropertyName);
+        } else {
+            // no custom root object is defined - use standard helma objectmodel
             return nmgr.safe.getRootNode();
         }
     }
@@ -1167,7 +1173,7 @@ public final class Application implements Runnable {
      *  Return the href to the root of this application.
      */
     public String getRootHref() throws UnsupportedEncodingException {
-        return getNodeHref(getDataRoot(), null);
+        return getNodeHref(null, null);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1823,6 +1829,7 @@ public final class Application implements Runnable {
             }
 
             hrefRootPrototype = props.getProperty("hrefrootprototype");
+            rootObjectPropertyName = props.getProperty("rootobjectpropertyname");
 
             // update the XML-RPC access list, containting prototype.method
             // entries of functions that may be called via XML-RPC
diff --git a/src/helma/framework/core/RequestEvaluator.java b/src/helma/framework/core/RequestEvaluator.java
index bddf5c6f..5e725a8e 100644
--- a/src/helma/framework/core/RequestEvaluator.java
+++ b/src/helma/framework/core/RequestEvaluator.java
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ public final class RequestEvaluator implements Runnable {
                         transactor = Transactor.getInstance(app.nmgr);
                         transactor.begin(txname);
 
-                        Object root = app.getDataRoot();
+                        Object root = app.getDataRoot(scriptingEngine);
                         initGlobals(root, requestPath);
 
                         String action = null;
diff --git a/src/helma/scripting/ScriptingEngine.java b/src/helma/scripting/ScriptingEngine.java
index 0895c127..20a9284f 100644
--- a/src/helma/scripting/ScriptingEngine.java
+++ b/src/helma/scripting/ScriptingEngine.java
@@ -116,11 +116,18 @@ public interface ScriptingEngine {
      */
     public void abort();
 
+    /**
+     * Get a global property
+     * @param propertyName the property name
+     * @return the property value, or null
+     */
+    public Object getGlobalProperty(String propertyName);
+
     /**
      * Get a property on an object
      * @param thisObject the object
      * @param propertyName the property name
-     * @return true the property value, or null
+     * @return the property value, or null
      */
     public Object getProperty(Object thisObject, String propertyName);
 
diff --git a/src/helma/scripting/rhino/RhinoEngine.java b/src/helma/scripting/rhino/RhinoEngine.java
index 9bde274d..560cdee0 100644
--- a/src/helma/scripting/rhino/RhinoEngine.java
+++ b/src/helma/scripting/rhino/RhinoEngine.java
@@ -424,6 +424,34 @@ public class RhinoEngine implements ScriptingEngine {
         return wrapped.has(propname, wrapped);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Get a property from the global object.
+     * @param propname the property name
+     * @return the property value if the property is defined, or null
+     */
+    public Object getGlobalProperty(String propname) {
+        if (propname == null) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        try {
+            Object prop = core.global.get(propname, global);
+            if (prop == null
+                    || prop == Undefined.instance
+                    || prop == ScriptableObject.NOT_FOUND) {
+                return null;
+            } else if (prop instanceof Wrapper) {
+                return ((Wrapper) prop).unwrap();
+            } else {
+                // Do not return functions as properties as this
+                // is a potential security problem
+                return (prop instanceof Function) ? null : prop;
+            }
+        } catch (Exception esx) {
+            app.logError("Error getting global property " + propname + ": " + esx);
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Check if an object has a defined property (public field if it
      * is a java object) with that name.