The Tree of Life

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
I know there have been countless discussions about the next artifact, heck I have even started some, but I think I may truly be onto something here and wonder if it merits another thread.

Considering current world events (specifically the middle east and dna cloning) Is it possible the artifact could be the Tree of life mentioned in Gen. 3:22-23? Not only would it fullfill and challenge Biblical prophesy, but it would serve as a symbolic cinematic mark of the beliefs of George and Speilburg. (They are so fond of 'preaching' in their more current endeavors.)

For those who need specifics:

Man had become like God by eating of the tree of knowledge. (Which means can be omnicient)

If we eat of the Tree of life, we will live forever.

Unfortunately there is so much I can spin off this, I have to stop and see if anyone can entertain these concepts in the same way.
 
Indiana Jones and the Tree of Life? Needs a little work...

Indiana Jones and the Garden of Life, Indiana Jones and the Fruit of Knowledge, Indiana Jones and the Garden of Knowledge, needs more B-movie flair but has some potential. Just needs more action in the title. Indiana Jones and the Garden of the Serpent, Indiana Jones and the Final Temptation, well, you might have something, but I'll be damned if I can find a title....
 

bob

New member
I really think that Indy going after a big tree would not have the same impact as the Ark or the Grail; after all it is still an oversized shrub. I just have this horrible nightmare vision of Indy going through an enormous CGI Eden
 
Why is everybody around here so revolted by CGI? I didn't mind it in the Oscar winning Gladiator. It didn't bother me in Forrest Gump (The Savannah House was all Digital - to my own surprise) so what's the problem? Chances are you won't even notice anyway...
 

bob

New member
thegreatimposter said:
Why is everybody around here so revolted by CGI? I didn't mind it in the Oscar winning Gladiator. It didn't bother me in Forrest Gump (The Savannah House was all Digital - to my own surprise) so what's the problem? Chances are you won't even notice anyway...

Let us look at the last Indy esque example of CGI - The Mummr Returns; whole environments were CGI it just looked really out of place. Even more so in an Indy film because the Indy films generally depend on interaction with his environment Indy is an earthy hero and does not belong in CGI Environments
 
Three Words-- Director Director Director

Mummy returns, sure, but Indy's directed by Spielberg, the man who brought Dino's to life and made 'em look spectacular. I crapped my pants when the T-Rex ravaged the car with the kids in it.

I think he can pull off a background or two...
 

swords

New member
I think there can be a compromise: Most of the film can be CGI free until the end. This is where the bad guy(s) die, and we can see them die in a particularily awe-inspiring way. For instance, I think if we updated the opening of the Ark with today's technology it would look a little more polished.
 

wolfgang

New member
guys, im gonna have to agree with thegreatimposter on the director thing. spielberg is a genius, and unless he's out of his mind, he won't screw indy four with CGI...if he even uses
 

Randy_Flagg

Well-known member
I don't know why people are so quick to dismiss the possibility of a tree. Look at what we've seen so far:

1. The Ark (okay, that was cool.)
2. A few rocks... whoopee!
3. A shoddy looking cup

So why not a tree? With a good enough story surrounding it, I think it could work.

Oh, and if we have The Tree of Life and The Garden of Eden, wouldn't that be a great chance to have a bit of fun with Indy's fear of snakes? ;)


[Edited by Randy_Flagg on 06-02-2003 at 08:46 am]
 

lornconner

New member
I've mentioned this before, but I don't know that anybody has ever responded...

The Garden of Eden idea seems to be the popular theory these days, but didn't it also say that the Garden was protected by a Sword of Fire that would strike down anybody who found it?

Not much room to wiggle, there...




Lorn
 

lornconner

New member
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Genesis 3:24
 

Randy_Flagg

Well-known member
lornconner said:
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Genesis 3:24

That could make the Eden thing more interesting than if it were just an apple tree in a garden. I'm not sure how Indy would get past it... maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd be trying to stop a friend who was obsessed with finding the garden. In any case, it opens some possibilities for cool looking scenes.

It also opens up more title possibilities:

"Indiana Jones and The Flames of Eden" sounds pretty cool.





[Edited by Randy_Flagg on 06-05-2003 at 08:37 am]
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Stop a Friend

I think this is one of the most insightful thoughts to grace these pages in a while. Indy is old, tired and done with "hunting" for the most part. A prodigy (or friend) comes along, hears of some fun (yet dangerous) artifact and decides to find it. Indy, having almost died several times before, has to keep him from getting it.

I think it's brillant.

I really don't think Indy is the type of archeologist who would go looking for Eden, but maybe someone under him is.
 

Randy_Flagg

Well-known member
Re: Stop a Friend

apalehorse said:
I think this is one of the most insightful thoughts to grace these pages in a while. Indy is old, tired and done with "hunting" for the most part. A prodigy (or friend) comes along, hears of some fun (yet dangerous) artifact and decides to find it. Indy, having almost died several times before, has to keep him from getting it.

I think it's brillant.

I really don't think Indy is the type of archeologist who would go looking for Eden, but maybe someone under him is.

Thanks. I was even thinking that this could tie in to what some people suggested before-- Perhaps it's a former student who goes looking for Eden. He/she ask for Indy's help, but since Indy already knows how close he's come to death in the past, he tries to dissuade the student from getting involved. The student goes anyway, and Indy somehow gets involved reluctantly, and of course, a much bigger threat (whatever that might be) soon presents itself.

Taking it a step further-- the student could be the substitute for a kid. Many of us assume Indy will have a kid, even though Harrison said he won't. But Indy could still be a father figure, and thus feel the need to protect someone.
 

lornconner

New member
Doing some research on this passage last night, I found that some interpret the Sword of Fire as representing the Word of God.

The Tree of Life granted eternal life, while the tree of Knowledge gave man the ability to discern good from evil. Once man had a conscience, he was cast out from the garden.

The way is actually guarded by the Cherubim (angels? spirits?), but the way THROUGH to the garden is by the Sword of Fire (or Word of God.) The sword keeps the way, and only those who come by the sword can pass the cherubim guardians.

If this interpretation were the one that was gone by, I would guess this sequence would be similar to the "Leap of Faith" in the Last Crusade. Cross it with the cherubim (spirits?) and you could have a nice blending of the spirits of those killed by the Ark, and the leap of Faith from Last Crusade.

It would also be a tidy way to explain that the Garden of Eden COULD be found without dying.

Also, I found a reference to an interesting plaque in Babylon that mentioned the Tree of Life and its probably location. I'll have to see if I can dig it up again and post the link.

If this IS the plot that they go with, I'd vote for "Indiana Jones and the Sword of Fire."


Lorn
 

Randy_Flagg

Well-known member
lornconner said:
Doing some research on this passage last night, I found that some interpret the Sword of Fire as representing the Word of God.

The Tree of Life granted eternal life, while the tree of Knowledge gave man the ability to discern good from evil. Once man had a conscience, he was cast out from the garden.

The way is actually guarded by the Cherubim (angels? spirits?), but the way THROUGH to the garden is by the Sword of Fire (or Word of God.) The sword keeps the way, and only those who come by the sword can pass the cherubim guardians.

If this interpretation were the one that was gone by, I would guess this sequence would be similar to the "Leap of Faith" in the Last Crusade. Cross it with the cherubim (spirits?) and you could have a nice blending of the spirits of those killed by the Ark, and the leap of Faith from Last Crusade.

It would also be a tidy way to explain that the Garden of Eden COULD be found without dying.

Also, I found a reference to an interesting plaque in Babylon that mentioned the Tree of Life and its probably location. I'll have to see if I can dig it up again and post the link.

If this IS the plot that they go with, I'd vote for "Indiana Jones and the Sword of Fire."


Lorn

Good job with the research! I'm starting to think this could all really work well as a movie, as long as it doesn't seem TOO similar to Last Crusade (we're treading on dangerous ground in that regard... what with eternal life and Leaps of Faith, etc.)
 

lornconner

New member
The actual passage that I read on the site read as follows:


In Scripture, we first hear of Cherubim in Genesis 3:24, but we are not told what they are. After Adam's sin, we read that the Lord,

drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, (kerubim) and a flaming sword (chereb, destroying weapon) which turned every way, to keep the way of (to, as in the NASB) the tree of life.
Where is "east of the garden?" From Genesis 2:14, we find that the Garden of Eden was in the vicinity of the Euphrates River. Halley's Bible Handbook quotes an interesting ancient Babylonian inscription that shows that the garden was near Eridu, twelve miles south of Ur, where Abraham came from. The inscription said,

Near Eridu was a garden, in which was a mysterious Sacred Tree, a Tree of Life, planted by the gods, whose roots were deep, while its branches reached to heaven, protected by guardian spirits, and no man enters.
In Revelation 22:2, we find that the tree of life truly did reach Heaven. It is now in Heaven. It may come as a surprise, but east of the Garden of Eden can be anywhere between Earth and Heaven, which rises in our eastern sky."

Makes for some interesting speculation. If you're interested in the site where I found this, the link is http://www.prophecycorner.com/agee/cherub.html



Lorn
 

ROTLA

New member
Perhaps Indy is accompanied by Tim The Shrubber. They put a bush next to the Tree, only slightly higher to create a two level effect with a little path running down the middle. The villains will, of course, be the the Knights of Nee!!
 
Top