East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-09-09
LEGENDS OF THE TREE OF LIFE

The account of the Tree of Life in
the second and third chapters of the
Book OF Genesis has puzzled many
bible-readers. who do not know the
origin of this legend. In Genesis,
Chapter H., XVII. is the following:
But of the tree of knowledge of good
and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for
in the day that thou eatest thereof,
thou shalt surely die" AS related
further both Adam and Eve ate of
this tree, and while they were driv-
en- forth from Eden they did not die
on that day, or fol many years af-
terwards.
These apparent contradictions are
explained by scholcrs as being due
to the fact that the editor of the
Scriptures had several sources before
him, and made extracts from each
without taking the trouble to recon-
cile them in every small particular.
But there is much more behind the
legend than this. Every one who has
studied the subject knows that the
Hebrews originated from Ur of the
Chaldees, or Babylonia and that they
brought many traditions of the Baby
lOnians with them at that time, help
ing themselves to other traditions la
ter when they were taken captive in
to Babylon. and then returned to re-
build the Temple at Jerusalem.
The Babylonians had this tradition
of a Great Tree of Life, as is proved
by the tablets and clay cylinders dug
up in Babylonia, on which are found
pictures of a tree, with a serpent coil
ed around it and the figures of man
and woman seated beneath it. But
even more han this. In the famous
Nimrod Epic, the great national po-
EN- preserving some of the most an
cient traditions of the Babylonians is
an account of the great journey which
Nimrod, the hero. made to the I'm
der-world in search of the fountain
of life, whose waters were to cure
him of the dread disease with which
Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love
had inflicted him, because he had re-
jected her advances.
Nimrod goes on the long journey
and finds his ancestors. Pir-Napish-
tim (the Bablonian Noah) who tells
his heroic descendant all about the
creation of the world and the mighty
flood which descended upon the earth
when he was alive. Nimrod is in
structed how to reach the Fountain Of
Life, where he Is cured by the magic
waters.
Other nations have more or less
similar tales about a Tree of Life,
and none are more remarkable than
those preserved in the famous Per-
sian classic called "The Tales of a
Parrot" According TO one of these
stories a prince who Is very i'll sends
a wise parrot to find some fruit of
the Tree of Life When he returns
with it the prince has his doubts. He
then sends some of his servants to
bring him the first apple that fell
from the tree of existence. 1t hap
pened however, that a black serpent
had poisoned it, and when the prince
tries the fruit on an old woman she
drops dead. The prince dooms the
parrot to death, but the parrot begs
the prince first to go to the Tree Of
Life himself and try the fruit. He
goes, and bringing back some of the
fruit gives a part of one to an old
woman "who, from age and infirm-
ity had not stirred abroad for years"
She no sooner tested it than she was
changed into beauty Of eighteen
The prince was convinced, thanked
the wise parrot, ate of the fruit and
is still alive as many believe.-San
Francisco Examiner.