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The Egyptian Symbol of Life “Ankh“

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and may go through the gates into the city.” (Revelation of John 22, 13-14)

The first description of the Tree of Life in the Bible is done along with the description of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil: “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2, 9). The enjoyment of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was –as we know– forbidden Adam and Eve: “And the Lord God commanded the man, ’ You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die ’” (Genesis 2, 16-17). And when Adam and Eve disobeyed this commandment, they gained knowledge of good and evil: “ And the Lord God said, ’The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat, and live forever ’” (Genesis 3, 21). The Tree of Life should therefore be withheld from man, as before, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil: “After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden Cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of Life" (Genesis 3, 24).

“Christ is risen from the dead. In death he defeated death and gave the death their life.” (Medieval church song)

The way to the Tree of Life, however, can be done with a donkey, without being slain by the Cherubim. The 4th book of Moses (Numbers 22, 21-35) tells about a speaking donkey, who recognizes an invisible angel with a sword –presumably this Cherubim– in his way, evades him, and thus saves the life of his rider, Balaam: “ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, ’ What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times? ’ Balaam answered the donkey, ’ You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now. ’ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you? ’ - ’ No, ’ he said. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. The angel of the Lord asked him, ’ Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it. ’ Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ’ I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back ’” (Numbers 22, 21-35).

Jesus also rode on an ass through Jerusalem on his way to the Tree of Life. For the cross stands for the Tree of Life, since Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of the dead and thus for eternal life. It was no coincidence that Jesus rode here on the ass, because this had been foreseen (John 12, 9-16): “Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. - Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King - The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ’ Hosanna! ’ - ’ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ’, ’ Blessed is the King of Israel! ’ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: ’ Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt. ’ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him” (John 12, 9-16).

The gospel of Matthew also refers to a corresponding earlier prophecy (Matthew 21, 1-11): “ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ’ Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away. ’ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. ’”The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ’ Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ’ ’Hosanna in the highest heaven! ’ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, ’ Who is this? ’ The crowds answered, ’ This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee’“ (Matthew 21, 1-11).

These references to earlier predictions of the entry of a king on a donkey into Jerusalem refer to the prophecy of the prophet Zechariah (9. 9-10): “The Coming of Zion’s King - Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9. 9-10). That this earlier prophecy links the donkey to the kingship of Israel has historical roots. As we will see in the following, these roots go back to the establishment of the first king of Israel "Saul" by the prophet Samuel, and even further back to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

“ He will tether his donkey to a vine,

his colt to the choicest branch;

he will wash his garments in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes."

(Genesis 49, 11)