Five Trees
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(May 2007) |
TheFive Trees inParadiseis an esoteric or allegorical image from theCopticGospel of Thomas,a collection oflogia(sayings) ofJesus.
(19) Jesus said, "Blessed is he who came into being before he came into being. If you become My disciples and listen to My words, these stones will minister to you. Forthere are five trees for you in Paradisewhich remain undisturbed summer and winter and whose leaves do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted with them will not experience death. "[1]
"Blessed is he who was before he came into being" is similar to other Enigma tic statements commonly found inmysticism,and may[citation needed]refer to the benefits ofself-awareness(knowledge of one's true nature) beforedeveloping one's ego-identity."If you [listen], these stones will minister to you," may refer to "listening" to the true self within – accurately tracing the internal by observing the external — or it may[citation needed]mean that only through self-awareness are we able to understand Jesus' symbolic language and master external reality.
In theActs of Thomasch. 27, during an anointing ceremony, the apostle implores, "Come, elder of the five members, mind, thought, reflection, consideration, reason; communicate with these young men."[2]According toTheodore bar Konai,[3]the five words for 'mind' are the equivalents ofhauna(sanity),mad'a(reason),re'yana(mindfulness),mahshebhatha(imagination),tar'itha(intention) – considered the Five Manifestations of the Father of Greatness which may provide the clue to the meaning of the five trees. These five would therefore be the causal factors in the experience of the Real.
Marvin Meyer writes: "The" five trees "in paradise are mentioned frequently in gnostic texts, ordinarily without explanation or elaboration. InManichaeanPsalm Book 161,17-29, it is said that various features of life and faith are put together in groups of five. This section opens with the statement, 'For [five] are the trees that are in paradise... in summer and winter.' On the trees in paradise according toGenesis,see Genesis 2:9. "[4]
Senses
[edit]According to theNaassenes,[citation needed]"Paradise" in this allegory represents the human head. It has been suggested[by whom?]that the "five trees" represent the five human senses which produce one's internal worldview, knowledge of which is a requirement for purification and enlightenment. However, the body's five senses – representative of lower-level egoism and learned misperception — would more likely[citation needed]be considered an impediment to reunion with the divine.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Thomas Oden Lambdin.Craig Schenk (ed.)."The Gospel of Thomas".sacred-texts.Retrieved2023-02-27.
- ^Curtin, D. P.; James, M.R. (June 2018).The Acts of St. Thomas in India.Dalcassian Publishing Company.ISBN9781087965710.
- ^Franz Cumont(1908).Recherches sur le manichéisme.Vol. 1. Bruxelles: H. Lamertin. p. 19, note 3.
- ^Marvin Meyer(2004).The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus(2nd Revised ed.). San Francisco:HarperOne.pp. 77–78.ISBN006065581X.
External links
[edit]- "Five" in Manichaean mythArchived2004-12-12 at theWayback Machine
- Gospel of Thomas