Three trees are figuratively portrayed in the Scriptures: one that grew in the garden of Eden, bearing two kinds of fruit—good and evil; one, as described by the Psalmist, that grew by rivers, which had leaves that did not wither, and brought forth its fruits in its season; and also "the tree of life," which appeared to St. John in a vision and which bore "twelve manner of fruits," and yielded her fruit every month. The leaves of this tree were for the healing of the nations.
Regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden, there was a command that none should eat any of its fruits lest they die. Although it has been clearly understood, through the years, that the evil fruit of this tree should not be eaten, it has not been so clearly understood that its good fruit—the supposedly good fruit of material sense —should just as definitely be refused. So subtle have been the arguments that such fruit is good, and greatly to be desired, that many who could not be tempted to partake of the evil fruit, yet ignorantly have eaten of the so-called good fruit and suffered the consequences.
But just what kind of tree was this one that grew in a garden, and why should mortals not eat at least of its seemingly good fruit? Through Christian Science we learn that this tree typifies nothing that is real, but rather the falsity of material intelligence or human knowledge. Even its so-called good fruits are but misconceptions or false beliefs of the un-illumined human mind. Though such material beliefs may seem better than others, yet how can they satisfy the hunger for spiritual truth or real life? No wonder that mentalities filled with human knowledge of personal good and evil become spiritually undernourished.
