NCV1 Two Trees in Eden: The Tree of Life

Published in: Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 19 (2009): 83–107.

This study explores the meaning of the marvellous tree depicted in chs. 24–25 of the Book of the Watchers. Scholars generally refer to this tree as the ‘tree of life’, mentioned in the paradise story in Genesis 2–3. However, such an interpretation leaves several questions unanswered. Although a few scholars seem to be aware of the problems, a serious reconsideration of the interpretation of the tree has not yet been undertaken. This article proposes linking the tree in chs. 24–25 with wisdom. Evidence for such a conclusion is drawn from the Book of the Watchers itself, but also from other early Jewish writings, including Proverbs and the book of Sirach.

Актуальные вопросы церковной науки № 2, 2019, 2019

In Genesis 2, 9 we come across a very enigmatic motif of the Tree of Life. At the first glance we percieve the Tree as a plant which can provide immortality to a man. However, such a tree we donʼt find in everyday experience. That leads us to the thought that this motif is not to be understood literally, but rather metaphorically. If it is to be understood literally, then we must admit that still, somewhere in the east, there is a Garden of Eden with the Tree of Life in its midst, unaccessible due to the cherubim who guard it. If the Tree does exist and it was accessible, a free passage to it, the problem of death would have been resolved long ago. But then: is it even possible that there is an earthly thing, more precisely, fruit from this specific tree that can bestow immortality upon a person who eats it? By Orthodox theological thought, if only God is immortal, then He is the only one who can bestow eternal life. That brings us finally to our question as Orthodox scholars: how then, can we understand the Tree of Life? Is it possible that the Tree of Life could be understood as a metaphor, more precisely, that the whole passage of Genesis 2 could be understood allegorically? Does this train of thought lead to the notion that Eden did not exist in geographical sense at all? Through the history of the Church, many Holy Fathers gave the answers to these questions. The primary task of this paper is to find those answers, present and analyse them.

2017

Master's Thesis: Dallas Theological Seminary

There is so much more to the story of Garden of Eden than what is typically revealed in a Sunday School Class. And while many will never see beyond this veiled view those who do often approach the subject from beyond the contextual framework and from a modern bias. When stripped of such obstacles one will begin to see that the symbolism within the story, and the context, brings with it the possibility of truly beginning to understand who God is, what He intended (and intends) mankind’s relationship with Him to be, and how one may develop a sound theological perspective of this relationship.

Coniectanea Biblica. Old Testament series, 2011

Biology continues to use the Tree of Life image to show the temporal continuity and discontinuity of the living beings. Moreover, the development of genetic, molecular biology and paleontology has originated phylogenetics. This discipline studies evolutionary relatedness among various groups of organisms through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices. The Tree off ers interesting points for semiotic perspectives and for theological approaches too. The symbolic reading of the Tree of Life, on the one hand, and the analogies with the Biblical genealogies and some Christian images, on the other hand, will be explored.

This is a work in progress…of a fascinating story…stimulated by reading/hearing many interpretations of this story over the years. I wish to attempt to break the story down to a "basic" level, if possible.

Tendances et directions dans les recherches actuelles des théologiens orthodoxes roumains de la diaspora, 2022

Various representatives of the early Christian and the Byzantine theological traditions interpreted the paradise narrative in Genesis 2-3 contemplatively. The same goes for their approach to the garden’s trees. The patristic sources reviewed here discuss the paradisal trees as one, two, and many. In the background of this representation can be discerned a layered object that sometimes signifies the many strands of cosmic reality and at times the complex architecture of human nature. Represented as a cosmological cypher as well as an existential metaphor, the trees of paradise inspire wonder and respect. Indeed, they possess a hierophantic quality and connect realities. This patristic strand of interpretation offers enriching insights into the mysteries of nature and our own existence.

This article braids together "The Tree" by J. Fowles and "The Tree of Life" (dir. Terrence Malick) to explore an oedipal ecology at work on the page and on film.