VLVL(4)(m) Oh Fig!

[pynchonoid]

FYI, a fig tree figures prominently in the Gospel,
too, here in Matthew 21:

18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to
the city, he was hungry.
19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but
found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it,
"May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree
withered. 
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How
did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.
21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have
faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was
done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this
mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it
will be done.
22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask
for in prayer." 


This next one comes in a passage in which Jesus is
talking about the signs that will show the end of the
age -- and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that
Pynchon had this one in mind when he wrote Vineland:

Mark 13

28 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon
as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you
know that summer is near. 

Here's the parable of the fig tree, from Luke 13:

6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree,
planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit
on it, but did not find any. 
7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard,
'For three years now I've been coming to look for
fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it
down! Why should it use up the soil?' 
8 " 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one
more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 
9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut
it down.' " 


This links to what looks like a complete list of fig
tree mentions in the Bible:

<http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?search=fig+tree&x=13&y=9&SearchType=AND&version=NIV&restrict=&StartRestrict=&EndRestrict=&rpp=25&language=english&searchpage=0>



--- Tim Strzechowski <dedalus204 at comcast.net> wrote:
> And, of course, harkening back to the "creeping fig"
> vines hanging in Zoyd's
> window on p. 3. [...] 


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