what ever happened to that "tree of life"

JustTickledPink

In Genesis it mentions the "tree of life" that Adam & Eve were never to partake of... they ate off the "tree of knowledge" and then God forbid them from everlasting life. He stationed angels and a flaming sword there to protect the tree.

What happened to that tree, the flaming sword, and the angels?

Do you think the story was literal or like other misunderstood things, symbolic? Do you think a tree that produced fruit that gave everlasting life would actually die itself? Or would a tree producing everlasting life fruit be an everlasting tree itself?

Elsewhere

When I was a kid I asked my mom and she told me that it was destroyed in the Great Flood.

Unfortunately she did not have any scriptural backing for that.

JustTickledPink

If there are angels stationed to guard it, why would God destroy it in the flood?

Nosferatu

Yeah, it was washed away with the flood, just like all the dinosaurs, unicorns, clear Pepsi, and every other tree and plant that existed on earth. Noah carried seeds to replace all the vegetation that had been washed away even though that's not stated in the bible neither.

Also, the idea to invent swords was passed down from Jehovah through his holy spirit so he wouldn't always have to do all the killing.

Doubtfully Yours

They were all retired.

God said: "Screw it, this experiment went wrong!"

DY - Feeling so silly right about now!

Narkissos

Some interesting Mesopotamian parallels about the general idea of explaining human mortality (in contrast to knowledge or wisdom) as a missed "food of life":

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/adapa.html

Another one is in the Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet XI (the Flood story):

Utanapishtim spoke to Gilgamesh, saying:
"Gilgamesh, you came here exhausted and worn out.
What can I give you so you can return to your land?
I will disclose to you a thing that is hidden, Gilgamesh,
a... I will tell you.
There is a plant... like a boxthorn,
whose thorns will prick your hand like a rose.
If your hands reach that plant you will become a young
man again."
Hearing this, Gilgamesh opened a conduit(!) (to the Apsu)
and attached heavy stones to his feet.
They dragged him down, to the Apsu they pulled him.
He took the plant, though it pricked his hand,
and cut the heavy stones from his feet,
letting the waves(?) throw him onto its shores.
Gilgamesh spoke to Urshanabi, the ferryman, saying:
"Urshanabi, this plant is a plant against decay(!)
by which a man can attain his survival(!).
I will bring it to Uruk-Haven,
and have an old man eat the plant to test it.
The plant's name is 'The Old Man Becomes a Young Man.'"
Then I will eat it and return to the condition of my youth."At twenty leagues they broke for some food,
at thirty leagues they stopped for the night.
Seeing a spring and how cool its waters were,
Gilgamesh went down and was bathing in the water.
A snake smelled the fragrance of the plant,
silently came up and carried off the plant.
While going back it sloughed off its casing.'

Leolaia

A very common Jewish belief in the first century was that the Paradise of Eden was not destroyed by the Flood but was taken up into heaven (specifically "third heaven"), and is where the faithful patriarchs (especially Enoch, but probably also Abraham, Elijah, Moses, and others) were transferred after their deaths or assumptions to heaven. It was believed that this Paradise would remain in heaven until after Judgment Day when it would descend with Gehenna to the earth. Revelation draws on this concept considerably, but it appears in many Jewish writings as well.

See my posts in the "third heaven" thread, which furnish some of the details on this:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/79724/1295428/post.ashx#1295428
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/79724/1296107/post.ashx#1296107

BONEZZ

FYI - The "Flaming Sword" is now a gay bar in San Francisco...

The "Tree of Life" is a day spa in Palm Springs...

...and of course all of the Angels are now involved in high school football in the midwest.

-BONEZZ

LittleToe

It was a metaphor. The road to paradise isn't an easy entrance...

...or is it?

"'scuse me, Mr. Angel, mind moving aside a bit so I can get past that flaming swordy thang?"
"Oops, oh sure, here ya go lil fella... "Tree of Life" is just down that road and a little to the left"

AlmostAtheist

Here's some nice Tree of Life's:

http://paganandproud.bravepages.com/tree-of-life%20female%20style.jpg

http://plainjanestudio.com/Mexico/Tree%20of%20Life.jpg

http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/EnvironmentMadden/environmentCartoonGIFS/tree%20of%20life%20chainsaw.gif

what ever happened to that "tree of life"

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