Allegory & Parable | Sacred Symbolic

The Garden of Eden’s Tree of Life, Not a Tree

Posted on: 12-11-2011

Category : Allegory & Parable, Divine Potential, New Testament, Old Testament, Pearl of Great Price, Temple

Note from Tevya: this is a guest post from Curtis Ross. Curtis is an amazing web developer who’s put together an incredible webapp that makes scheduling home teaching and visiting teaching, super easy. As you’ll see below, he’s also a very thoughtful guy who really studies the doctrines.

How better to get us started than to ask my first question. Why and how could Adam have lived for ever in his sins after partaking of the Tree of Life? This is a very specific question and sounds like it would have a very straight forward answer, nope. This is the question that after getting an answer completely changed the way I see the story of Adam and Eve and many of the basic principles of the gospel.

I’m going to start my proposed answer to this question by bursting a few bubbles. The book of Genesis was written as the words of Moses spoken to the children of Israel. These are the same children of Israel who started worshiping a golden calf while Moses was getting the Ten Commandments. I’m guessing he was asking himself how exactly he was going to explain the beginning of man to a people who couldn’t even remember who their God was. This is a story where the principles of the gospel are so intertwined it is hard to navigate through them and explain the events.

Lost: A Sheep, A Coin, & 2 Sons – Part 4: The Prodigal Son #1

Posted on: 13-07-2011

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Category : Allegory & Parable, Jesus Christ, New Testament, Scriptures

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11–32 contains the longest of the 3 parables recorded in Luke 15, and perhaps Jesus’ most famous parable (at least one of the top few): the parable of the Prodigal Son. The parable is often seen quite literally as a not much of a parable at all, but rather an example story about forgiveness. But as we will see, it definitely contains deeper, symbolic meaning, fits well the label of “parable,” and also goes very nicely with the previous two parables from this chapter. Make sure to read parts 1, 2, and 3 of this series of articles first, if you have not already read them.

Definition of a Parable

First let’s briefly look at what a parable is. Dictionary.com defines the word like this: “A statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like.” So a parable is essentially a story of some sort that parallels the actual meaning of the story. Thus the common root between “parable” and “parallel.” Based on that, if we take the “parable” quite literally as merely a fictional moral example, then it’s no longer a parable at all. However, if there’s deeper meaning understood through “comparison, analogy, or the like” then suddenly it’s both a parable, and something of a mystery to be studied and understood in new ways.

First Clues: The Target Audience

The first clue in my reading, is one we discussed in a previous post in this series, and that is the setting. Since it’s taken me so long to write this concluding article, let’s review those verses:

1. Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. (Luke 15:1–2)

The Symbolism of Trees & the Sacrament

Posted on: 27-05-2011

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Category : Allegory & Parable, Book of Mormon, Ceremony/Ordinances, Jesus Christ, Old Testament, Pearl of Great Price, Sacrament, Scriptures

This is a guest post from Nick Galieti, the author of the new book Tree of Sacrament. I have not yet read the book but hope to soon. It explores deeply the symbolism of the sacrament and related doctrines, a topic we’ve explored previously on Sacred Symbolic. The following is an original article from Nick introducing some of the symbolism, doctrines, and ideas that he explores in-depth in his book. See the bottom of this post for information on how to get a free preview chapter of the book.

Throughout the scriptures there are many symbolic references to trees in a wide variety. “The Tree represents not only life, regeneration, and immortality, but also, “knowledge and wisdom” and “the world or universe.” It is “the most wide spread of symbols, and in considering Christian architecture it can be regarded as second only to the cross.”¹ In the Garden of Eden two trees are spoken of specifically: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. In conjunction with these two trees is the fruit that each one bears. Both types of fruit had an effect on those who partook of it. That effect was dependent on, or in relation to, their current state or condition. Partaking of the fruit of the tree of life was offered freely as long as the partaker was clear of wrongdoing.

I Have Dreamed A Dream, Swift, Charles A., April 2003, P.173 ↩

Clash of the Titans & Jesus Christ

Posted on: 09-09-2010

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Category : Allegory & Parable, Ancient Religions, Media & Internet, Pop-culture, TV & Movies

My Mom enjoys a certain amount of notoriety in her and my Dad’s house for a conversation she had with a few of her children. Several years ago when Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was the new popular movie on DVD, a few of my siblings wanted to watch it at home. My Mother rejected the idea stating, “it’s just two hours of violence!” To which my brother quickly replied, “no Mom, this is the extended edition… its four hours of violence!” I don’t think my Mother liked it, but either the humor won her over, or my siblings were old enough at the time, that she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.

You can imagine my surprise when I heard that my Mother “liked” Clash of the Titans. Based on the trailers, I’d assumed it was a film long on action and special effects, and short on plot or character development. But after getting my Mom’s opinion (2nd hand), I just had to see this film. So I reserved it at a local Redbox the day it released, and gave it a watch.

And I was right… mostly. It was long on special effects and action, but surprisingly not so short on plot. All that aside, and at the risk of sounding like a real symbolism geek, the following is why I really quite enjoyed it, and am writing about a movie on a blog called Sacred Symbolic. Warning: spoilers ahead. Go watch it if you haven’t already, before reading this.

Lost: A Sheep, A Coin, & 2 Sons – Part 3

Posted on: 30-07-2010

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Category : Allegory & Parable, New Testament, Scriptures

Make sure you read parts 1 & 2 before reading this.

The Lost Coin

In Luke 15: 8–10 Jesus tells a parable with similarities to that of the lost sheep, but some key differences. Here, a woman looses a coin, then lights a candle, sweeps the house, searches diligently, and rejoices when she finds it.

detail of 'Parable of the Lost Drachma', by Domenico Feti, 1618-22, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

Context

Just like the shepherd in the previous parable, the woman can be compared to Christ in many ways. Also like the shepherd, she doesn’t represent Christ in this parable. But who does she represent? The leaders of the Church like the shepherd? Or somebody else? In many scriptural references an unspecified woman represents the church. This comes from the symbolic imagery of the church as a woman or bride. A quick example of this recurring scriptural theme is found in Isaiah 62:5 “…as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” Jesus is the bridegroom, the church is his bride. First of all, the value of the silver coin is about a day’s labor. Remember though, that they didn’t have an 8 hour workday in those days. So the value of that coin was probably more like 10-12 hours of hard labor. Lets just say $200 in modern US money. Where did the money come from? Well most likely from the man of the house. He goes out and works, and she has the result of his 10 days hard labor. She looses one day’s worth. If the woman is the church and Christ is the husband, then his work is that of saving souls, of bringing them unto him. Thus, if we’re to put His work in mortal terms, this coin might represent a lost soul (just like the sheep) or perhaps several people, like a family. Understanding these symbolic constructs, the parable applies to all of us members of the church, perhaps even more so than that of the shepherd. With that in mind, what instruction can we pull from Christ’s parable?

Lost: A Sheep, A Coin, & 2 Sons – Part 2

Posted on: 21-06-2010

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Category : Allegory & Parable, New Testament, Scriptures

If you have not already, read Part 1 of this article by clicking here.

Philippe de Champaigne: The Good Shepherd - 1650. From OceansBridge.com

Missunderstanding the Shepherd

One of our main misconceptions of who the shepherd in this story is, comes from within the story itself. There is an undeniably Messianic message in this story. If the shepherd were Christ, he descends into the wilderness (this telestial world) to save the sinner from their sins. Literally carrying them, because His grace—born of the Atonement—does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. So we see pictures of Christ carrying the lost sheep back to the fold. Even The Book of Mormon refers to Jesus as “the good shepherd,” and suggests we need to be his sheep (see Alma 5:38 & Mormon 5:17). Its only natural that this parable should also have a type of Christ in it, as “all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him” (2 Ne. 11:4).

Faith Before Evidence

Posted on: 13-06-2010

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Category : Allegory & Parable, Apologetics

Apple seeds

Jesus said, “Faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe” (D&C 63:9). In short: believe first, then see the sign.

Many who don’t believe in God claim that there is no evidence of him. But if what Jesus said is true, they’ll never find this evidence until they believe.

I’m holding an apple seed in my hand. It came from inside an apple.

If you take this seed and plant it in the ground, and if you nurture it for a long time, years perhaps, with water and sunlight, then it will produce apples. Real apples, with seeds in them like this one I’m holding. But it’s a long process.

A sign seeker is one who picks up the seed and says, “If you show me an apple from this seed, THEN I’ll know it works, and THEN I’ll make the effort to help it grow into a producing apple tree. I will be completely willing to do what it takes. But just show me an apple from this seed first.”

In the real world, nobody would ever ask to see the apple before the seed. It goes contrary to logic.

Maybe that’s why God responds this way when people expect that from him. He said, “Signs come by faith, unto mighty works, for without faith no man pleaseth God; …wherefore, unto such he showeth no signs, only in wrath unto their condemnation” (D&C 63:11).

An apple really can grow from this seed. But there’s only one way to find evidence of this.