Lamb - Dating back to as early as the Christogram or the fish , the use of the lamb as a symbol of Christ is one of the favorite and most frequently used symbols in all periods of Christian art. Many scriptural passages give authority for the symbolism . A typical reference is John 1 :29: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith , Behold
the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world." The lamb symbol i zes innocence, gentleness, and purity. The lamb holding the pennant, the Agnus Dei , signifies the Risen Lord and victory. At one point in history, however, it was forbidden to depict Christ as a lamb . At the Council of Trullo (692) the East condemned this western custom , stating that persons and events of sacred history should be portrayed directly and not by symbols . 89 Aside from these four classical symbols of Christ , there are others: Phoen ix - The phoenix has been taken as a type of the Risen Lord or of the resurrection of the dead because he is supposed to be consumed by fire and to rise alive fro
his
ashes . That is another legend , and a very pagan one. Pelic an - The "pious pelican" as a symbol of Christ i s well established in Christian tradition though probably not earlier than the 13th century. At the same time , we may recognize in the st ory that it opens its breast to feed its young , a symbolic meaning derived from the third century work Phys i ologus , a pure fable and another invention of the Middle Ages . Griffi n - This mythical creature , half路animal and half路 bird , was used to represent the two natures of Christ. Peacock - This ancient pagan symbol of eternity and divinity was adopted by the Christians and was used in connection with symbols of the Savior to show his divine nature.
SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Dove - The most important use of the dove in Christian art is as the symbol of the Holy Spirit. This symbolism first appears in the Bible in the story of the baptism of Christ.