Evidence #44 | September 19, 2020
Tree Planted in Heart
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Scripture Central
Abstract
The imagery of a sacred or symbolic tree being planted within and then growing from a human heart, as described in Alma 32–33, has close parallels in ancient Mesoamerican iconography.In his famous sermon on faith, Alma compared the word of God to a seed that “may be planted in your heart” (Alma 32:28). Later on Alma explained that if properly nourished, this seed would grow into a “tree of life” (v. 40). This imagery of the seed of the Tree of Life being planted and then growing from an individual’s heart has fitting parallels in ancient Mesoamerican iconography.
As seen in the image below, the Dresden Codex depicts what Mesoamerican archaeologist John E. Clark described as “a sacrificial victim with a tree growing from his heart, a literal portrayal of the metaphor preached in Alma, chapter 32.”1 The Dresden Codex dates to the late classic period, possibly during the 13th or 14th centuries AD.2 Yet scholars have noted that it “appears to be a book that was copied and recopied, passed on for generations and expanded cumulatively over centuries of time. Thus, while the Dresden itself was written at a late date in Maya history, the content of its pages is considerably more ancient.”3
A similar depiction can be seen in Stela 11 from Piedras Negras:
Here is one from the post-classic Codex Borgia:
Illustrations from the post-classic Codex Fejervary-Mayer likewise depict trees growing out of humans (in these cases from a human head):
Still relevant but even further afield is the sarcophagus in Palenque’s Temple of the Inscriptions (tomb of K’inich Janaab’ Pakal) which depicts ancestors sprouting as fruit trees:
Conclusion
John E. Clark, “Archaeology, Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14, no. 2 (2005): 46.
Kirk Magleby, “Anthropomorphic Trees,” Book of Mormon Resources, Feb. 3, 2016, online at bookofmormonresources.blogspot.com.
Alma 32:28, 40- 1 John E. Clark, “Archaeology, Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14, no. 2 (2005), 46.
- 2 Edwin L. Barnhart, “The First Twenty-Three Pages of the Dresden Codex: The Divination Pages,” 1. This article is a revised (2006) version of Barnhart’s May 1996 thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin.
- 3 Barnhart, “The First Twenty-Three Pages of the Dresden Codex,” 1. Dates clustering in the ninth century AD cause many scholars to think the original upon which the current Dresden is based was likely painted in the 800’s. Some of the dates, though, go back into the 4th century AD. See Harvey M. Bricker and Victoria R. Bricker, Astronomy in the Maya Codices (Philadelphia, PA: American Philosophical Society, 2011), 489–682.
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