Tree of Life

In Genesis 2:9, we see that in the Garden of Eden (ie Paradise) there were all sorts of trees and in the middle of the garden there were two trees that are called out specifically by name. These two trees are:

1. Tree of Life

2. Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Of these trees, God specifically told Adam not to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16-17). He also warned Adam about the consequence of doing that. The consequence was that, Adam would die the very day, that he ate the fruit. As we saw in the article on Intercession Prayer, God was referring to the spiritual death on the same day Adam ate the fruit. And this spiritual death in turn did lead to his fallen state and eventual physical death.

Now, what sin did Adam do when he ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Let us examine it further. God told him not to eat, and warned him that if he ate it, he would die on the very day. Satan told Adam (through Eve), to eat the fruit and if he ate it, he would become like God. Now who did Adam believe ? Adam disbelieved God and believed Satan. Adam trusted Satan and did not trust in God. So the sin that Adam did was that he did not believe God, but believed Satan instead.

Is death a punishment ?

We all know what happened to Adam after he disobeyed God. Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden and sent to till the ground from which he was taken. There was a specific reason why he was expelled from the Garden of Eden. We can see the specific reason in Genesis 3:22-24. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, so that they will not eat from the Tree of Life and live forever. So it was to prevent Adam from gaining eternal life, that he was expelled from the Garden of Eden.

Now, was this a punishment ?

We know that in Heaven there is eternal life. Those in heaven, enjoy the presence of God into eternity. We also know that in Gehenna also there is eternal life. Those in Gehenna, suffer from the presence of God and the glory of His power into eternity (II Thess 1:9). So there is eternity in Heaven as well as in Gehenna. So when our Lord comes in all His power and Glory (Matthew 25:31-33), the way we experience His uncreated energy is dependent on the state of our souls. If we are more like Christ, we experience His uncreated light as pure joy, but if we are not like Christ, we experience His uncreated light as fire and suffering.

Now lets go back to Genesis. At that time Adam's soul was not like God. He had disbelieved God and had believed Satan. So when Adam's soul is in that state and if his soul gained eternal life at that moment, how would he experience the presence of God when the Lord comes in all His power and glory? The answer is clear, Adam would experience the uncreated light of God as fire and suffering. In other words Adam would spend eternity in Gehenna rather than in Heaven. So it is out of the great mercy and love of God, that He allowed the death of Adam's soul. It was better for Adam's soul to be in a 'state of the dead' ie Hades (Sheol) for a period of time, rather than spend eternity in Gehenna.

So it is out of love, that Lord God, expelled Adam from the Garden of Eden, so that he will not eat of the fruit of the tree of life, and gain eternal life at that moment.

[We get this teaching from our father among the saints, Mor Irenaeus of Lyons from his book 'Against Heresies' Book III.23.6; Book III.20.2 ; Reflections in Exile and also from Mor Baselious (St. Basil the Great of Caesarea) from verse 7 of his "Homily Explaining God is Not the source of Evil"; from the book "On the Human Condition", pp. 74-75) ]

So then who gets to eat the fruit of the Tree of Life?

This question is answered in Revelation 2:7, where it says: "To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

We have to understand that everything in the Old Testement is an image or foreshadow of the reality that comes in the New Testement. So the reference to the Tree of Life is to be understood as an imagery. So what reality in the New Testement is the Tree of Life an imagery of ? We can get the answer to it from two Hymns that we use in our Church. The first one is the hymn chanted during the Exaltation of the Cross (Sleeba Aaghosham) towards the east on Good Friday and the other is the Sogiso hymn chanted when the Holy Communion is given to an infant for the first time, immediately after Baptism.

ܐܺܝܠܳܢܳܐ ܕܚܰܝ̈ܶܐ ܕܒܰܥܕܶܝܢ

ܗܰܘ ܕܒܰܡܨܰܥܬܶܗ ܕܦܰܪܕܰܝܣܳܐ ܐܶܬܢܨܶܒ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ

ܠܶܗ ܠܰܨܠܺܝܒܳܐ ܨܳܐܰܪ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ

ܕܦܺܐܪܳܐ ܕܚܰܝ̈ܶܐ ܥܳܠܡܳܐ ܡܶܢܶܗ ܩܛܰܦ

ܥܰܠ ܗܳܝ ܒܝܰܘܡܳܐ ܕܣܶܓܕܬܶܗ

ܫܡܰܝܳ ܘܰܐܪܥܳܐ ܒܚܰܕܽܘܬܳܐ ܡܥܰܕܥܕܺܝܢ

ܘܰܚܢܰܢ ܥܰܡܗܽܘܢ ܢܶܥܢܶܐ ܘܢܺܐܡܰܪ

ܩܘ̄ܪ ܩܘ̄ܪ ܩܘ̄ܪ

Parudeesa madhye nattoo-

redan thannile jeeva-maram

lokam jeeva-bhalam poonda

sleeba-yude drushtaantham thaan

thannude pooja divasathil

paarum vaanum purumodaal

perunnal ghoshiccheedunnu

naamum chernn-otheedenam

kuriyeleison, kuriyeleison, kuriyeleison

Hymn from Baptism Click here to listen to audio

From these two hymns it is very evident that the 'Tree of Life' is an imagery used in the Old Testament about the Holy Cross, and the fruit that hangs from the Tree of Life is nothing but the precious Body and Blood of our Lord that hangs from the Cross. So those who rejects Satan and believes in God, through the sacrament of Holy Baptism is given to eat the Body and Blood of Christ (ie. the fruit of the Tree of Life).

Is 'Wisdom' the Tree of Life ?

In Proverbs 3:13,18, we read that Wisdom "is a tree of life to those who take hold of it." and "Happy is the man who finds Wisdom." In order to understand this better, we have to understand what do we mean by 'Wisdom'.

We see that "Lord by Wisdom (Sophia) founded the earth." (Proverbs 3:19). We see the same theme in John 1:3 where it says "All things were made through the Word (Logos)". So then what is this Divine Word (Logos) or the Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) ? That is answered for us in John 1:14 where we read; "And the Word (Logos) became flesh and dwelt among us." We can also see the answer in I Corinthians 1:23-24 where we read: "Christ the power of God and wisdom of God"

In the mystical theology of the Orthodox Church; Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) is understood as the Divine Logos who became incarnate as Jesus Christ. So we can see Proverbs 3:18 when it calls 'Wisdom' as the tree of life, is very consistent with the two hymns given above.