|
           
What to know more about birds in the Bible ? Click here
The Dove
 
Click on Dove above to go back to the Award Program Icon page
To be a real Hero one must pocess LOVE!
Did you know? In all, the dove is mentioned about fifty times in the Bible.
A symbol is a picture that stands for an idea. One very special symbol is the dove. It stands for the idea of peace and love. Sometimes an artist will add a dove to a picture to say "Peace on Earth".
The dove has been a symbol for a long, long time. In an ancient Greek myth, Aphrodite was the goddess of love. She kept a dove as a pet. The dove became a symbol for love.
Later, Christians used the dove to symbolize the Holy Ghost. Artists often painted a dove above Christ's head. Here's an example. This is part of a picture that was painted over 500 years ago. It's called "The Baptism of Christ".
Psalm 55 6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then Would I fly away, and be at rest.
The early Hebrews, having been in close contact with, and possibly related to , the adjoining polytheistic cultures, assumed many of the thoughts, reactions, and doctrines of their neighbors.
We find that the sacrifice of doves and pigeons in the early Hebrew rituals of expiation was a remnant of the ancient rites of the god, Astarte. Doves, turtledoves, and pigeons were the only birds or fowls, specifically mentioned in the Old Testament, which were allowed under the law of Moses to be sacrificed in early Hebrew rituals of purification. (Langdon, 1931, p.59) Not only did the dove hold a high place for sacrificial purposes, but it was the dove that was given the honor of bearing the glad tidings of land to Noah. Noah sent out a raven, but the raven failed him and did not return; he sent out a dove which returned when it could not find land; again the dove was sent out and this time it found land but, instead of staying, it returned to Noah with the olive leaf; a demonstration of trustworthiness which remains one of the most endearing qualifies of the dove to this day.
This is the Hebraic version of the Great Flood, a flood which archaeologists believe depicts the historical flooding of the Black Sea basin. Other cultures in the region had their own versions of the deluge, and, in the vast majority, the dove plays an honorable part. The Hebrew version is said to be patterned after the Arcadian. According to the early Arcadian version, Utnapishtim (Noah) first released a dove, which returned; then a swallow, which returned; then a raven, which did not return, so that Utnapishtim knew the flood had abated and released the animals.
(Drury, 1902, p.109)
The foregoing references to the dove are not the only ones in the Old Testament. There are numerous others, each one of which is deferential, referring to the dove as an emblem of peace, of purity, of tenderness, and of affection. The Song of Solomon and the Psalms have a number of such references:
Psalms 68:13: A song of David- (A prayer at the removing of the ark)
"Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold."
Leviticus 1 :14:
"And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons."
Clefts of the rocks
2:21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Dove - In the wild doves generally build their nests in the clefts of rocks, but when domesticated "dove-cots" are prepared for them (Cant. 2:14; Jer. 48:28; Isa. 60:8). The dove was placed on the standards of the Assyrians and Babylonians in honour, it is supposed, of Semiramis (Jer. 25:38; Vulg., "fierceness of the dove;" comp. Jer. 46:16; 50:16). Doves and turtle-doves were the only birds that could be offered in sacrifice, as they were clean according to the Mosaic law (Ge. 15:9; Lev. 5:7; 12:6; Luke 2:24). The dove was the harbinger of peace to Noah (Gen. 8:8, 10). It is often mentioned as the emblem of purity (Ps. 68:13). It is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:2; Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32); also of tender and devoted affection (Cant. 1:15; 2:14. David in his distress wished that he had the wings of a dove, that he might fly away and be at rest (Ps. 55:68).There is a species of dove found at Damascus "whose feathers, all except the wings, are literally as yellow as gold" (68:13). (From Eastons Dictionary)
In the Keyboards for Christ Music Program the symbolic bird is the "dove". For many years this bird has been my favorite
.
Why the Dove is such a important symbol to me
I can tell you one day that I was so beat down with the storms that I listened outside my bedroom window to the sound of a rain dove. And to this day when I am down God reminds me in such ways that are only from him. On another day I went outside and wanted just to Shout out as we all want to sometimes and I looked up into the sky and beheld a dove painted in the clouds. My neighbor saw it and was amazed. April 29, 2004
My son, forget not my law;
but let your heart keep my commandments:
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:
and happy is every one that retains her. (Proverbs 3:1, 18)The olive tree read more about it click on the banner below.
 
There are numerous references to doves in The Bible, both literal and symbolic, here are just a few:
The Lord used doves in an analogy, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16 )
In some translations of The Bible, the word dove is sometimes used interchangeably with the word pigeon:
In one of the most famous incidents of Bible History, Jesus Christ drove out those who were selling doves and exchanging money within the Temple area-- "And when He entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." And Jesus entered the Temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the Temple, and He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers." (Matthew 21:10-13 )
Columbbids occupy a prominent and generally revered position in most cultures and religions. Doves have been historically important in both Protestant and Catholic religions.
Doves are harmless, peaceful birds which came to be used as a symbol of The Holy Spirit: "And when Jesus was baptized , He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on Him." (Matthew 3:16)
The Turtle Dove is not the only species of dove mentioned within The Bible.
The early Christian religion, being the offspring of the Hebraic, naturally adopted the sentiments of its parent religion about the dove and pigeon. They brought this reverence to a higher degree, for when reference is made to the dove in the New Testament, we find that the dove is emblematic of the Holy Spirit.In Christian art, as early as the sixth century, the dove was employed as an emblem of the Holy Ghost, most likely because of the passage from Luke above. In stained glass church windows the dove is portrayed with seven rays leading form it to seven stars, symbolic of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In paintings, the dove, issuing form the lips of dying saints and martyrs, represents the human soul purified by suffering.
Matthew 3:16: "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:"
When Jesus was Baptised
Mathew 3: 13-16
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
| Jesus being Baptised and the Dove
|
|