Why would Nephi see a connection between a tree and a virginal mother of a divine child? His vision sems to reflect a meaning of a "sacred tree" that is unique to the ancient near east and, in israelite history. Specifically to the period before the babylonian captivity-Nephi's era.
Daniel Peterson: How Nephi understood the Tree of Life (and why the Book of Mormon is an ancient record) Mormon Times
After reading the above article feel free to watch this video for further information on archeological finds involving the role of Asherah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOGB_QWoNG0
for a more thorough paper check out this link to Dr. Petersons original transcript through the Neal A. Maxwell Institute.
ReplyDeletehttp://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=13&chapid=94