Trees of Eden

thebiggestlie

In the garden of eden was there a difference between the tree of the knowledge of good and bad and the tree of life?

nicolaou

They were absolutely identical. Think about it.

In the extant text of Genesis they might appear to be identical because the tree of knowledge is described as "the tree in the middle of the garden" (3:3) which is how the tree of life is described in 2:9. But the narrative doesn't work very well with only one tree.

The most likely explanation imo is that Genesis 2--3 awkwardly blends two distinct tales, one about how mankind stole knowledge from the gods and the other about how the gods barred mankind from immortality. The tree/plant/food of life is a classic motif in the Ancient Near East, applying it to knowledge is not so common but not too much of a stretch. The seams show but it's still a great story.

Kudra

didn't the dubs say they were two different trees?

mouthy

The Bible says there were many trees...fruit trees-for eating. But there were two MAIN trees that was brought to mans attention... One was the tree of knowledge,the other the tree of life. When man/woman picked the tree of KNOWING!!! God had to block the tree of living forever .Why??? Because He said there is nothing they are not able to do now ...Man has split the atom, had virgin births, gone to the moon, learned how to give new hearts, change men to women /women to men etc> The only thing man cannot do is raise the dead..... The tree of life is guarded. Ruddy good job in mY opinion when I see what man/woman has done with KNOWING it all. & will do ...

Ahem,.... I swill now step out of the Pulpit, and wait for your nasty replys

tetrapod.sapien

joseph cambpell spoke eloquently of the two trees, imo.

http://www.csulb.edu/~dsteiger/Adam%20and%20Eve%20(Campbell).pdf

tetra

Narkissos

Great read tetra

lovelylil

I am with Grace on this one. I don't see the blending of two stories at all. I see one complete story and two trees highlighted. The tree of knowledge and the tree of life. Peace, Lilly

Leolaia

Moreover, the theory of an identity between the "tree of life" and the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" in an underlying strata of the story has in its favor the relationship of the goddess Asherah (the name "Eve" being cognate to an actual epithet of Asherah meaning "serpent [lady]," and Asherah was iconicized as either a tree or a pole) with both wisdom and life, and the imagery in Proverbs 3:13-18 which calls wisdom "a tree of life ('ts chyym)" and which claims that those "who lay hold of her" become "happy" ('shry in v. 13 and m-'shr in v. 18, possibly a pun on the name 'shrh "Asherah").

RAF

I'm with Mouthyconceptually on this one. Why? Because

He said there is nothing they are not able to do now

Why? because since your ego/satan will take too much place you'll gonna eat me (God is in everyone) NO WAY ... Prove me that you wont eat me and you'll get access to real life (that's why he separated his wisdom /Christ) from him he is the tree of life (biblicaly - the one who created life and preserve life but it can only be preserved if we really learn/want to not eat each other)

why not going a bit farest :
Ego : What about being all alone nowhere? Ok you still can think but on what? Creating ... what will you create? you'd better create something which can think otherwise well you're still alone ... and if it can think you can't be the only one to create (even in just having your own opinon) but since you only want to take over everything ... it's all about you and only you and nobody else is happy.

Trees of Eden

Share this