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[Alexandr Korol]

And the Lord God made to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. — Gen. 2:9

The first man was forbidden to taste the fruits from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17). According to the JEB, the fruits of the Tree of Life were not forbidden. During the expulsion from paradise after the Fall, Adam and Eve lost access to this tree.

And the Lord God said: Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever. — Gen. 3:22

In the Apocrypha

In the apocryphon “Testament of Levi,” which is part of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, it is foretold that at the Judgment the sword that hindered Adam from entering paradise will be removed and the saints will eat of the Tree of Life.

In the Second Book of Enoch it is reported that the Tree of Life is on the third heaven. Upon it rests the Lord when He comes into paradise, and this tree is inexpressibly beautiful in fragrance.

In the non-canonical Third Book of Ezra it is said about the righteous: “For you is opened paradise, the Tree of Life is planted, the future age is prepared, abundance is made ready” (3Ezra 8:52).

In Christianity

St. John of Damascus wrote that “The Tree of Life was a tree which had power to impart life, or was fit to be eaten only by those who were worthy of life and not subject to death.” He called the Tree of Life the contemplation of God, by which man, being clothed with the grace of God, delighted and was nourished. The sweetness of divine communion imparts to those who participate in it immortal life.