The Tree of Life

Series: 

Editor:
Douglas Estes
The tree of life is an iconic visual symbol at the edge of religious thought over the last several millennia. As a show of its significance, the tree bookends the Christian canon; yet scholarship has paid it minimal attention in the modern era. In The Tree of Life a team of scholars explore the origin, development, meaning, reception, and theology of this consequential yet obscure symbol. The fourteen essays trek from the origins of the tree in the texts and material culture of the ancient Near East, to its notable roles in biblical literature, to its expansion by early church fathers and Gnostics, to its rebirth in medieval art and culture, and to its place in modern theological thought.
Copyright Year:
2020
E-Book (PDF)
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-42375-6
Released online:
17 Mar 2020
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-42373-2
Publication date:
19 Mar 2020
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Douglas Estes (Ph.D., University of Nottingham) is Associate Professor of New Testament and Practical Theology at South University. His latest book is Questions and Rhetoric in the Greek New Testament (Zondervan, 2017). He is the editor of Didaktikos (Lexham Press).

Contributors are: Amy L. Balogh, James H. Charlesworth, Charles L. Echols, Mark Edwards, Douglas Estes, Christopher Heard, Dustyn Elizabeth Keepers, Ty David Kieser, Peter T. Lanfer, Jutta Leonhardt Balzer, G. Ronald Murphy, S.J., William R. Osborne, Ken M. Penner, Pippa Salonius, Carl B. Smith II, Beth M. Stovell, Daniel J. Treier.
Foreword
List of Figures
Abbreviations
Notes on Contributors

Introduction
 Douglas Estes

1 The Tree of Life in Ancient Near Eastern Literature
 Charles L. Echols

2 The Tree of Life in Ancient Near Eastern Iconography
 Amy L. Balogh

3 The Tree of Life in Genesis
 Christopher Heard

4 The Tree of Life in Proverbs and Psalms
 William R. Osborne

5 The Tree of Life in Jewish-Christian Legendary Texts
 Peter T. Lanfer

6 The Tree of Life in Ancient Apocalypse
 Beth M. Stovell

7 The Tree of Life in Enochic Literature
 Ken M. Penner

8 The Tree of Life in the Apocalypse of John
 Douglas Estes

9 The Tree of Life in Early Christian Literature
 Mark Edwards

10 The Tree of Life in Philo
 Jutta Leonhardt Balzer

11 The Tree of Life in Gnostic Literature
 Carl B. Smith II

12 The Tree of Life in Medieval Iconography
 Pippa Salonius

13 The Tree of Life in the North
 G. Ronald Murphy, S.J.

14 The Tree of Life in Modern Theological Thought
 Daniel J. Treier, Dustyn Elizabeth Keepers and Ty David Kieser

Conclusion
 Douglas Estes

Bibliography
Indices
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