The Tree of Life: From Eden to Eternity

Each of the authors of this fine book adds information about the tree of life while, at the same time, reinforcing the information throughout the book. For anyone wanting to delve deeper into the subject, The Tree of Life: From Eden to Eternity is one of the books to have.

Historical perspective on the Tree of Life throughout history. A must have for those seeking truth in all culture.

Just what I expected. A beautiful book.

Another great book by Welch.

Lehi's vision of the tree of life, together with the expanded explanation revealed to Nephi, contains many essential elements of Latter-day Saint theology. But the tree of life as a symbol of faith is not unique to Mormonism. It is found in many religions and cultures, all celebrating the mystery of life and renewal.Following a successful symposium held at Brigham Young University, John W. Welch and Donald W. Parry have assembled papers focusing on the tree of life from diverse perspectives. Eleven authors discuss how the tree of life is used symbolically in the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, and the Qurʾan; in ancient Maya and Catholic traditions; in the art, folklore, and traditions of Asia; and finally in Book of Mormon art. Many beautiful illustrations enhance these studies (see the seventy-one figures listed on pp. vii-xi and the sixteen color plates identified on pp. xi-xii and inserted between pages 128 and 129).It would be hard for a single volume to contain a full survey, but as an introduction to the tree of life as a persistent religious symbol, this book fulfills its purpose. Without going into each of the eleven excellent articles, I will just highlight three that I particularly enjoyed. Daniel C. Peterson ably presents insights into the Islamic tree of life tradition (pp. 193-216). With his brief introduction to the Qurʾan as a preface, Peterson opens up this important world to the lay reader. Equally, Andrew C. Skinner leads us into the use of the symbol in the perhaps mystical world of later Jewish thought, as well as the more traditional Hebrew Bible (pp. 25-54). John W. Welch takes us from the world of the New Testament to early Christianity (pp. 81-107).It would not be fair to dismiss the other studies by Donald W. Parry (pp. 1-24), Margaret Barker (pp. 55-79), C. Wilfred Griggs (pp. 109-27), Charles Swift (pp. 129-49), Allen J. Christenson (pp. 151-70), Jaime Lara (pp. 171-92), John M. Lundquist (pp. 217-40), and Richard Oman (pp. 241-60), as well as Daniel B. McKinlay's useful selected bibliography of Latter-day Saint sources (pp. 261-64) and non-Latter-day Saint sources (264-68), since time spent with this volume will expand our knowledge and understanding of the tree of life and help us put in context Lehi's vision, both through the written word and visually through artwork from around the world.Alison Coutts

Really good to read and ponder this Easter