Is this an accurate interpretation?

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Navy_Ken

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Forgive me because I do not have a Bible handy so I cannot quote directly from scripture, but am going from memory.

During recent meditations on the Eucharist I’ve been thinking: Is it possible that the fruit of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden is the Eucharist? The Bible says that (my paraphrase) God exiled Adam and Eve from the Garden and placed one or two angles to guard the entrance lest they eat from the Tree Of Life. Am I correct in interpreting that the tree of life is another forshadowing of Christ and the Eucharist, since He is the bread of life and was crucified on a tree? The cross, tree, was the consumation of his sacrifice and the institution of the Eucharist (the giving of his flesh for the world).

Also in many chruches there are two statues of angels placed on either side of the tabernacle. Is this symbolic of the cherubim on the Arc of the Covanent or of the angels guarding the tree of life?

Thanks and God Bless,

Ken
 
Navy Ken:
Forgive me because I do not have a Bible handy so I cannot quote directly from scripture, but am going from memory.

During recent meditations on the Eucharist I’ve been thinking: Is it possible that the fruit of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden is the Eucharist? The Bible says that (my paraphrase) God exiled Adam and Eve from the Garden and placed one or two angles to guard the entrance lest they eat from the Tree Of Life. Am I correct in interpreting that the tree of life is another forshadowing of Christ and the Eucharist, since He is the bread of life and was crucified on a tree? The cross, tree, was the consumation of his sacrifice and the institution of the Eucharist (the giving of his flesh for the world).

Also in many chruches there are two statues of angels placed on either side of the tabernacle. Is this symbolic of the cherubim on the Arc of the Covanent or of the angels guarding the tree of life?

Thanks and God Bless,

Ken
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In my opinion no on the first part and yes this symbolic of the cherubim on the Arc of the Covanent.
 
Navy Ken:
The Bible says that (my paraphrase) God exiled Adam and Eve from the Garden and placed one or two angles to guard the entrance lest they eat from the Tree Of Life. Am I correct in interpreting that the tree of life is another forshadowing of Christ and the Eucharist?
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Adam and Eve were created as perfect beings, in perfect communion with God. Of all humans, they would have been the most worthy to receive the Eucharist, far more so than you or I, yet they were forbidden to eat from the Tree of Life. This suggests that whatever the fruit was, it wasn’t the Eucharist, or even a foreshadowing of it.
 
Dr. Colossus:
Adam and Eve were created as perfect beings, in perfect communion with God. Of all humans, they would have been the most worthy to receive the Eucharist, far more so than you or I, yet they were forbidden to eat from the Tree of Life. This suggests that whatever the fruit was, it wasn’t the Eucharist, or even a foreshadowing of it.
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Exactly right.
 
Dr. Colossus,

I understand what you said, but I would like to try to clarify my original statment a little and see if, with some references this time, it may make a little more sense.

You said.
Dr. Colossus:
Adam and Eve were created as perfect beings, in perfect communion with God. Of all humans, they would have been the most worthy to receive the Eucharist, far more so than you or I, yet they were forbidden to eat from the Tree of Life. This suggests that whatever the fruit was, it wasn’t the Eucharist, or even a foreshadowing of it.
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I’m sure this would be true given Adam and Eve’s original state when they were first created. And at that point God does not forbid them from eating from the Tree of Life, but only from the Tree of Knowledge. It is only after they have sinned and are from that point in need of salvation to obtain Life that God says:

22Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”-- 23therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. -Gen 3:22-24

Maybe, again this is just my uneducated speculation, the cherubim on the Arc of the Covenant were symolic of these cherubim who were protecting the garden and the Arc contained manna which was a forshadowing of the Eucharist. What do you think?

I may still be streching the imagry a bit, but this is the reasoning behind my thoughts.

I’m sure you understand that I’m not trying to develop my own doctrine or anything, its just that since becomeing Catholic so much more of scripture has been opened to me and it’s exciting seeing so many aspects of teh Chruch forshadowed in the Old Testement. I just hope I’m not getting a little too eagar to “see” these forshadowings that I begin inventing my own.

Thanks in advance for your critiques,

Ken
 
I read “tree” and “garden” and I guess I immediately thought you were referring to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. I should have paid more attention. Looking at your post again, I can see how the Fruit of the Tree of Life could be a foreshadowing of the Eucharist, as those who partake of it do not die.
 
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