FAIR Study Aids/Gospel Doctrine/Book of Mormon/Lesson Three

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Lesson 3: "The Vision of the Tree of Life"

Disclaimer: The information provided here is a supplement to the lesson manual to assist teachers in addressing issues that might arise in the course of teaching. It is in no way intended to replace or supplant the lesson materials provided by the Church. It is intended only to be used as background information for prior preparation by teachers and should not be used in any way to replace correlated lesson materials.

LDS Lesson Manual

Lesson 3: The Vision of the Tree of Life: off-site

1. The Symbols in the Vision of the Tree of Life

Helpful Insights

• This is a rare instance in the scriptures in which we have the same dream discussed two times; once by Lehi and once by Nephi. Lehi appears to immediately grasp the symbolism and meaning of the dream, whereas Nephi appears to be less familiar with those symbols and requires an explanation (Gardner, "Second Witness", 2007, Kofford Books, vol. 1 pp. 153).
• The Tree of Life was a very ancient symbol that represented a number of things among various cultures around the world. Notably, the tree was the symbol of the ancient Hebrew goddess Asherah who was anciently believed by many to be the wife or companion of God. When Nephi asked his guide what the tree in his dream represented the answer was associated with "the mother of the Son of God" (1 Nephi 11:18) [1] [2]
• The symbol of Asherah, a pole carved in the shape of a tree, was a part of worship in Solomon's temple for almost 2/3 of the temple's existence. [3] Asherah and her symbols were purged from Israel by King Josiah ~50 years before Lehi's ministry. Lehi would have been familiar with her symbols.

Faith Affirmations

• An ancient Hebrew document called "The Narrative of Zosimus", dating to before the time of Christ, is an account of a dream