Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Revelation 22:1-3

1: And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2: In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3: And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

Overview – This pericope ties the imagery of the holy city directly to the Garden of Eden. The water of life reminds the reader of the river proceeding “out of Eden to water the garden" (Gen 2:10-14). The water in the holy city waters the tree of life, just as the river in Eden watered the garden, in which was found the first tree of life. Finally, explicit reference to the “curse” (katathema – Gr.) is made. As Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God had placed a “curse” (arur – Heb.) upon the ground, that it would bring forth thorns and thistles. The world became a wilderness and the effects of this curse were mentioned with regularity by biblical authors and prophets. When the people returned to God, prophets promised a reversal of the effects of the curse, and promises were made that in the last days the land would return to its Edenic, pre-curse state. Instead of the land making life more difficult for the descendants of Adam and Eve, it could support them and even heal them, as with the leaves of the tree of life (vs. 2).

A good example of this curse reversal is found in Isaiah 55:7-13 – “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon… Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Another example of curse reversal shows how water could heal a dry wilderness. This example is found in connection with a reversal of the difficulty of child birth that came to Eve as a result of the fall – “Thus saith the Lord…. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant…. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses" (Is 44:2-4).

In these verses from Revelation, the curse has truly been reversed. The sorrows and pains promised to Eve (Gen 3:16) are taken away as “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,: for the former things are done away. (21:4)” The “former things” have been reversed as well in the ability of the ground to bring forth life without the toil and sweat of man, as with the tree of life found in the midst of the city.

Verse 1 – and he showed me This section begins with a reminder that there is an angelic tour guide for John’s vision of the holy city. This is the third time that the angel, who was one of the seven angels holding the seven vials of plagues (21:9), has been mentioned. As discussed earlier, Nephi is also guided in his vision by an angel who constantly points out different items of import (compare the angel’s commands to “Look!” in 1 Ne 11 with “And he shewed me” of Rev 22). Ezekiel also had an angelic guide in his vision of a temple that had many characteristics in common with the holy city of Revelation – flowing water, specific measurements, etc. What is the importance of the heavenly guide? Does his presence signify that the nature of the city is far above that of a temporal city and is not the type of location that could be accessed by an earthly explorer? Does his presence indicate that God has authorized this vision, or that God wants to make sure that the vision is viewed and understood correctly? If the holy city symbolizes a return to the paradise of Eden, then the angel might be considered necessary. Since cherubim were placed to guard the way to the tree of life, as a result of the curse on Adam and Eve, then theoretically an angel would be required to permit access back to the tree of life.

Verses 1 & 2 – water of life (vs. 1); tree of life (vs. 2) The images of nature, life, and motion represented by the water of life and the tree of life soften the angular, brilliant beauty of the perfectly-proportioned city. This is a city that can be lived in. It is not just a perfected, modern, cement-city devoid of any evidences of God’s creation, but instead contains central reminders of the creation and the Garden of Eden story. The water flows from the throne of God, much like water flows from the temple in Ezekiel’s vision (Ez 47:1). There has been quite a bit of excellent discussion about whether the image of Rev 21-22 is anti-temple, since it replaces the Old Testament version of the temple as a central source of communal life with God and the Lamb as the central source of life. The author of Revelation purposefully connected the images of his vision with those of Ezekiel’s temple vision (Ezekiel 40-48). To me it seems that he did this not to discount or discredit the earlier, temple-centered vision, but to show the perfect realization and triumph of the symbolic truths offered by the temple – that God can dwell in the midst of his people and that the chaos of a fallen world can be conquered by the order and beauty of the heavens.

Verse 1 – clear as crystal Enough comments have been offered already on the “clear” color and quality of the gold of the holy city. This recurring quality, connected now with the waters of life, reveals it as a very important image for the author. Could the clearness symbolize clarity, sight, and even clairvoyance (a power required if one is to have a vision of heavenly things)? The LDS reader might be reminded of the opposite imagery in Lehi’s vision of the fountain of water that ran near to the tree of life. In Lehi’s/Nephi’s vision, the waters were “filthy” (1 Ne 12:16), were repugnant to Nephi, and symbolized the depths of hell. Nephi’s later love of simplicity and clarity might have some connection to the repugnance of these hellish waters, as might his focus on the importance of the sanctifying waters of baptism (2 Ne 31:4-6). It is interesting that when discussing the importance of entering into the waters of baptism he referred back to images he had seen in his pivotal vision.

Verse 2 – in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, the tree of life Like the pearls/gates of Rev 21:21, this is a difficult image for me to mentally solidify. The tree is in the middle of the street (also from 21:21). It is also on either side of the river, but it is seems to be one tree (xulon) in the singular (in contrast to the connected image from Ez 47:12, that has many trees growing on both sides of the river, with fruit that lasts through the seasons and leaves that are for medicine). The tree of Rev 22:2 appears to be in more places than is physically possible. Does the river run down both sides of the road, and a gigantic tree (picture redwood forests, but bigger) span them all? Does the road follow along both sides of the river and the tree spans the river, but not the road, thus standing in the middle of the road? Does the road cross the river as a bridge, with the river running through the middle of the tree (so that the tree can be on either side of the river) and the bridge splitting in two so that the tree can be in its center? Does the tree send out shoots, so that there are numerous trees that are only one tree? This type of concrete solidifying of the vision appears to be almost impossible, and may be exactly what the description was designed to prevent. The tree is almost ubiquitous, and becomes a dominant image in the city. It is also connected with the image of the street/way and the water of life in a way that emphasizes their interdependence. I am reminded of the famous verse from John 14:6, when Christ describes himself as “the way, the truth, and they life.” He is all of these things at the same time, and the life-giving tree, the street that guides to God and the Lamb and its center, and the renewing river of water all symbolize together the multi-faceted joys and glories of celestial redemption and eternal life with God. These three images could also be seen as symbolic manifestations or descriptions of God and the Lamb, who stand at the center of the city. Either from an LDS viewpoint, or from the perspective of traditional Christianity, these three images would be a beautiful way to describe the unity and uniqueness of each member of the Godhead.

Verse 2 – twelve fruits… and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations The number “twelve” is emphasized again here. This time a new connection to the repeating cycle of twelve months is given, in addition to the previous connections with the tribes of Israel and the apostles of the Lamb. Are Israel and the apostles (the destinies of God’s Old and New Testament organizations?) to be woven inextricably into the eternal cycle of time? It is somewhat surprising that months and time are even alluded to in a heavenly city where the light of God’s glory never sets. However, mentioning months and the constant flowering of the tree can serve as a reminder that there is a new order of things now -- the ongoing progression of months doesn’t lead to winter and death, but instead the tree continues producing fruit throughout the year.

The image of the tree of life is a persistent one in many world religions, and also becomes important in the story of the Book of Mormon. How does this tree of life in the holy city compare to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, that had to be guarded by cherubim? How does it compare to the burning bush of Moses’ vision, with God in the midst of the bush? How does it compare to the tree of life in Lehi’s/Nephi’s dream/vision, that people approached after considerable effort, that produced a fruit “desirable above all other fruits,” and that people could abandon even after having partaken of its fruit? How does it compare to the tree of Alma 32, that grows within an individual after the planting and nourishing of a seed, and that also produces fruit in the end? There is a lot of room for “fruitful” discussion, I believe, in analyzing the similarities and differences in these different manifestations of the tree of life.

Verse 3 – the throne of God At the focal point of the tabernacle was found the ark of the covenant, also known as the mercy seat, symbolizing God’s presence. Inside of the mercy seat were found stone tablets containing the law of Moses, Aaron’s rod that had miraculously bloomed, and manna from the trek through the wilderness. These objects teach what the presence of God does, since it was His power and presence that allowed them to come among the children of Israel. God provides law and order in the midst of chaos, as symbolized by the stone tablets. He provides new life, even on a rod that could not possibly bloom any longer. He provides food in the midst of the wilderness. Even so the throne of God in the holy city is found to give evidence that the curse has been done away with. God provides order (as the symbol of a kingly throne demonstrates), food (from the tree of life), and life (from the flowing waters).

6 comments:

  1. I found your notes, here, particularly interesting, Shon. I especially appreciate the question regarding Israel's place in the "eternal cycle of time." It would be interesting to think about the different ways to calendar time when Revelations was written, and the way in which a certain tradition for dividing the year is appropriated to such interesting ends in the vision.

    A few quick comments:

    I know that over the past couple of weeks we've been using the term reversal to characterize what I have assumed to mean "a return to a desired state." But as you discuss the reversal of the curse of Eden, it sounds as if you might also be including other meanings: to turn upsidedown, to overthrow, to cause to move in the opposite direction (perhaps in order to return, but also to halt the trajectory).

    I haven't been in the habit, I'll confess, of thinking of the consequences of Eve's choice as a curse in the traditional sense, though the outcomes you outline are naturally more challenging than what seems to have gone before. I guess my question is really this: in what sense is the curse reversed? We don't want to lose the consequences of knowledge, experience, growth, etc., but we do want to enter the Eternal city. Is that possible with experience? Or does experience ultimately have to give something back, invert somehow, and become innocence again? This is really a question about what we believe is accomplished by Jesus's life, death, and life.

    Part of this might also be a question about the relationship of the two major symbols in Eden, the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Are their root systems connected? Are they really two different trees, or the same one understood differently depending on perspective?

    My next comment is in response to your beautifully expressed point about the link to Eden and the organic components of the city: "Verses 1 & 2 – water of life (vs. 1); tree of life (vs. 2) The images of nature, life, and motion represented by the water of life and the tree of life soften the angular, brilliant beauty of the perfectly-proportioned city. This is a city that can be lived in. It is not just a perfected, modern, cement-city devoid of any evidences of God’s creation, but instead contains central reminders of the creation and the Garden of Eden story. The water flows from the throne of God, much like water flows from the temple in Ezekiel’s vision."

    This is great. I might even push it further. I'll do that in a second post -- I'm being told there is a 4,096 character limit to my comment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. As I was saying, I might even push it further and say that what is being revealed over these repetitions as we move through the various visionary segments, is the fact that the tree of life, and the water of life, are actually the roots/wellspring of the Divine abode. In which case, these images aren't softening the angular brilliance of an otherwise overly-boxy geometry of perfection, but are the symbols for what makes such forms (the rectitude of justice, the straightness of the way of truth, etc.) even possible. I like the word abode, by the way, because it can simultaneously mean both one's home, and one's sojourn. I mention this because it seems to me that in Mormon theology, there is considerable room for conflating the two -- that a true home (as a place of being and relating)somehow always requires sojourn. Eden's double tree embodies this, to some degree.

    Your last three paragraphs are practically poetic and remind me that in nature, fruitfulness often results from what appears to be a kind of chaos -- and yet, upon closer inspection, there is often not much difference between the order of geometry and the chaos of life. Orderly chaos is that lovely term so often used to explain geometries and calculus in nature. I wonder, in short, if at this point in Revelation the "high" perspective offered is that there is more to the "chaos of the fallen world" than mere chaos.

    If trees and flowing water are at the heart of the Divine abode, then some of what may have seemed disorderly is really only that -- a seeming disorder, the result of a an inability to recognize and appreciate the orderly purpose of things as they are meant to abide.

    That is to say, Divine order may appear chaotic to eyes lacking wisdom, lacking the sustenance and clarity of vision engendered by the fruit of the trees described here. What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brandie, I personally am rather partial to the idea that the two trees of the Garden were in reality a single tree, described as two trees either from different perspectives, as you say, or for the needs of the story perhaps.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shon, this is excellent work and I’m grateful for it. I’ve added a few of my own (belated) comments below.

    1. Shon says: “The tree is almost ubiquitous, and becomes a dominant image in the city. It is also connected with the image of the street/way and the water of life in a way that emphasizes their interdependence. I am reminded of the famous verse from John 14:6, when Christ describes himself as “the way, the truth, and they life.” He is all of these things at the same time, and the life-giving tree, the street that guides to God and the Lamb and its center, and the renewing river of water all symbolize together the multi-faceted joys and glories of celestial redemption and eternal life with God.”

    I don’t actually have anything to add to this – but I did want to repeat and draw additional attention to it.

    2. Shon also says: “The number “twelve” is emphasized again here. This time a new connection to the repeating cycle of twelve months is given, in addition to the previous connections with the tribes of Israel and the apostles of the Lamb. Are Israel and the apostles (the destinies of God’s Old and New Testament organizations?) to be woven inextricably into the eternal cycle of time? It is somewhat surprising that months and time are even alluded to in a heavenly city where the light of God’s glory never sets.”

    With Brandie, I really like this question. And I really like the image of this world’s own branching family order (the house of Israel) being incorporated into that eternal structure of life. Perhaps we could stretch the image and see this as involving two intertwining trees: our world’s own tree of life (that genealogical tree that is Adam’s family) being intertwined with the eternal tree of life.

    3. Brandie says: “We don't want to lose the consequences of knowledge, experience, growth, etc., but we do want to enter the Eternal city. Is that possible with experience? Or does experience ultimately have to give something back, invert somehow, and become innocence again? This is really a question about what we believe is accomplished by Jesus's life, death, and life. Part of this might also be a question about the relationship of the two major symbols in Eden, the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Are their root systems connected? Are they really two different trees, or the same one understood differently depending on perspective?”

    With Shon, I’m very sympathetic to the idea that the tree of life and the tree of knowledge are really the same tree seen from two different perspectives. But even without this, I think that a Mormon theology would need to see their roots as productively intertwined in a way that traditional approaches would not. As Brandie mentions, we might want to think about salvation more as a kind of transcendent recuperation than as a straightforward reversal. The last thin we want is for things to go back to the way they were in the garden of Eden! But I’ve strayed quite a bit here from the text itself.

    4. Brandie says: ”Orderly chaos is that lovely term so often used to explain geometries and calculus in nature. I wonder, in short, if at this point in Revelation the "high" perspective offered is that there is more to the "chaos of the fallen world" than mere chaos.”

    “Orderly chaos” is a nice turn of phrase and it nicely captures the way in which the heavenly city doesn’t simply dispense with “chaos” but incorporates or sublates it. Though the (chaotic) waters of the sea have been banished, the water of life nonetheless flows from the throne of God itself, from the very heart of the city!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for this post.

    The tree is such an interesting symbol. I'd add that I think Daniel Peterson's work "Nephi and His Asherah" might be relevant here. (Can't get the link to work, but if you google the title, you'll find it easily.)

    I love your thoughts on the symbolism of the items in the ark.

    Perhaps someone should consider writing about time markers in Revelation.

    Brandie, I'm intrigued by the idea of the trees in the garden being one; perhaps the impenetrable description of the tree in Revelation hints at this idea as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a belated response to the thought-provoking comments added to 22:1-3. (I've been out of the country for the past two weeks.) The conversation string that intrigued me most was a combination of Brandie's questions with Kevin's and Adam's statements about the interconnectedness of the tree of life and tree of knowledge.

    Brandie asked: "I guess my question is really this: in what sense is the curse reversed? We don't want to lose the consequences of knowledge, experience, growth, etc., but we do want to enter the Eternal city. Is that possible with experience? Or does experience ultimately have to give something back, invert somehow, and become innocence again? This is really a question about what we believe is accomplished by Jesus's life, death, and life."

    These are profound questions and very important ones in the context of LDS theology, which places a very high value on the knowledge and experience gained through the trials and difficulties of a fallen world. With the lens of Brandie's last statement, the atonement of Christ does not just serve to return us to a state of innocent and naive bliss (as some would picture the peaceful cherubic angels of heaven), but possibly His atonement connects with our life experiences and cleanses them in a way that makes them (and us) holy. We do not lose the knowledge that comes from our experience and even our mistakes -- in other words the difficult experiences don't disappear -- but instead we are made whole and holy through the intersection of our experiences and the atonement of Christ. These are just some random musings spurred by Brandie's thoughts, and hopefully I won't look back at them later and wonder what I was thinking. :)

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.