Differences in 1 Nephi 8 & 11

Guest contributor Stewart here. I'm the one that's got Roy on this uber-religious posting kick of late. I'm sorry or you're welcome depending on what you think of it. In any case I was mulling over the visions of Lehi and Nephi in the beginning of the Book of Mormon and came to a few conclusions.

First off the Tree of Life is an important symbol, but it is most important within the context of First Temple period worship. Archaeologically we know this motif of the Tree was common throughout the Hebrew lands. Many scholars have put forward that it represented the female consort of God, often attributed to Wisdom.

Now we know that the Tree was used in both kingdoms and that in the southern kingdom the tree was present in the temple prior to Josiah. The canonical text makes quite clear that during the Josiatic reform, a reform which centralized worship away from ancient centers like Shechem or Shiloh to Jerusalem, that the tree was purged from the Temple. While this event is antecedent to Lehi's time it is an important event in understanding the significance of the Tree of Life from Lehi's perspective.

The internal evidence of the Book of Mormon indicates that Lehi was already an exile from the Northern Kingdom. Two items seem to indicate this. First his tribal affiliation with Manasseh. One of the tribes scattered when the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed, while undoubtedly not unique in Judah, this would indicate that Lehi was at the least part of a minority population. When coupled with his prophetic ministry in a society dominated by a tribal priestly class to which he was not affiliated, I would submit that there can be little doubt that Lehi would have been hostile to the reforms that centralized worship, removed the Tree of Life from the temple, and consolidated ecclesiastical authority within one group. We can see Lehi's opposition to this last in the sacrifices he offers in the wilderness, in defiance of constraints within the law relegating this responsibility to the tribe of Levi and the descendants of Aaron.

Now if you take the above for granted than we must look at Lehi's vision in a new light. If this is all true, then the Tree of Life in Lehi's vision was not only the Tree of Life known from the Garden of Eden, but also the Tree removed from the temple under Josiah. Representing the Garden, the fruit of this tree must represent eternal life and salvation. This being of course why its way is guarded, in Eden and following the judgement, by cherubim and a flaming sword.

Now here is where we get to the difference for Lehi and Nephi. Lehi is fixated on the fruit of the Tree of Life, whereas Nephi focuses on the Tree itself, never mentioning the fruit. When given the opportunity to experience the vision of Lehi's vision, Nephi asks instead of the Spirit to know the meaning of the vision. This single choice is vitally important for Nephi. Instead of feeling the joy that Lehi experiences in partaking of the fruit, Nephi sees in vision the Crucifixion, the destruction of his posterity, and the ultimate destruction of all mankind.

In the end Lehi's vision and Nephi's are totally different. Lehi's vision is a saluatory vision. It is the experience of the temple and its antecedent, the Garden of Eden. Nephi's vision is revelatory and has none of the joy that Lehi's does. Perhaps it has something to do with their ages at the time. Lehi, feeling his age, sees the ultimate consolation for his mortal ministry, his calling and election made sure. Nephi full of the piss and vinegar of youth, makes a different choice and wants only to know what his father's vision means. Devoid of the ineffable spiritual experience of the fruit, Nephi's vision becomes a burden that tinges much of his later writings with a sense of melancholy and causes him to end his writings with a statement of sorrow as he soaks his pillow at night with tears for his people.

Or I could be wrong on all fronts.