London Bay Stationery

Since earliest times the dove has been seen in Judeo-Christian symbolism as a sign of purity, innocence, peace and harmony. The first biblical mention of a dove occurs in Gen. 8:8 when Noah sent a dove out from the ark to see if the waters had begun to recede. Even earlier, in Gen. 1:2 the Spirit of God is said to hover over the waters of the earth. Here, a dove is not mentioned, yet the spirit of God is said to “hover” over the waters as one imagines a dove or other type of bird might hover. The dove too, in the Old Testament symbolized the love of God for his chosen people the Israelites.
Doves in both the Old and New Testaments were used as sacrifices of the poor when they couldn’t afford to sacrifice a lamb as an offering at the temple in Jerusalem.

In the New Testament, the dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Each of the gospels describe the Spirit descending on Jesus after his baptism in the form of a dove (Matt. 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22, and John 1:32). Christian art through the centuries has made frequent use of the dove to symbolize the Holy Spirit or to signify those whose lives are particularly godly such as saints. Doves are painted on the walls of the catacombs of Rome as a symbol of peace and are often seen on early tombs as a symbol of grief or martyrdom.

Filed by Cheryl at 10:14 pm under History of Symbols, Symbols, Uncategorized
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