The Enduring Symbolism of Doves

The Enduring Symbolism of Doves Biblical Archaeology Society
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The Enduring Symbolism of Doves

From Ancient Icon to Biblical Mainstay
Dorothy D. Resig 02/01/2013
In addition to its symbolism for the Holy Spirit, the dove was a popular Christian symbol before the cross rose to prominence in the fourth century. The dove continued to be used for various church implements throughout the Byzantine and medieval period, including the form of oil lamps and this 13thcentury altar piece for holding the Eucharistic bread. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Few symbols have a tradition as long and as rich as the dove. A particular favorite in art and iconography, the dove often represents some aspect of the divine, and its use has been shared, adapted and reinterpreted across cultures and millennia to suit changing belief systems. From the ancient world to modern times, this simple bird developed layer upon layer of meaning and interpretive significance, making it a complex and powerful addition to religious texts and visual representations. In the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean world, the dove became an iconic symbol of the mother goddess. Small clay shrines from the Iron Age Levant depict doves perched atop the doorways of these mini-temples. On one example from Cyprus, the entire exterior of the goddesss shrine is covered with dovecotes. The doves represented feminine fertility and procreation, and came to be well-recognized symbols of the Canaanite
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goddess Asherah and her counterpart Astarte, as well as her Phoenician and later Punic embodiment, Tanit. First-century B.C. coins from Ashkelon bore a dove, which represented both the goddess Tyche-Astarte and the city mint. In Rome and throughout the Empire, goddesses such as Venus and Fortunata could be seen depicted in statues with a dove resting in their hand or on their head. There is strong evidence in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the archaeological record, that many ancient Israelites believed the goddess Asherah was the consort of their god Yahweh. Perhaps it is not so surprising, then, that the heirs of this Israelite religion incorporated the feminine symbol of the dove to represent the spirit of God (the word for spirit, ruach, is a feminine word in Hebrew). The Babylonian Talmud likens the hovering of Gods spirit in Genesis 1:2 to the hovering of a dove. Indeed, this same hovering language is used to describe Gods spirit in the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as the New Testament.
A dove and two bird-like female Dovecotes, or niches for doves, dot figures perch atop this Iron Age the exterior of this small clay house house shrine to symbolize Asherah shrine from Cyprus, while the and her counterparts Astarte and goddess beckons to devotees from Tanit. Ardon Bar Hama within. Erich Lessing But that is not the only allusion to a dove in the Hebrew Bible. The best-known example comes from the flood story of Genesis 69. In Genesis 8:812, after the ark has landed on the mountains of Ararat, Noah sends out a dove three times to see how far the flood waters have receded. The first time it found nothing and returned to the ark. The second time it brought back an olive leaf, so Noah could see that Gods punishment was over and life had begun again on the earth. (The image of a dove holding an olive branch continues to be a symbol of peace to this day.) The third time, the dove did not return, and Noah knew that it was safe to leave the ark. A similar flood story is told in parallel passages in the ancient Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. There, too, the hero (Utnapishtim) sends out a dove, which returns to the ship unable to find a perch. In fact, from Ancient Near Eastern records to nautical practices as recent as the 19th century, sailors the world over used doves and other birds to help them find and navigate toward land. So, while Noah made use of an ancient sailors trick, the dove came to represent a sign from God.
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A white dove represents the spirit of God in Genesis 1:2 in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Nuovo in Monreale, Italy. Photo by the Casa Editrice Mistretta, Palermo, Italy Dove imagery is also utilized in several of the prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible. The low, cooing sound of a dove served as mournful imagery to evoke the suffering of the people of Judah (see Isaiah 38:14, 59:11; Ezekiel 7:16 and others).
A dove returns to Noahs ark with an The Epic of Gilgamesh, a Babylonian olive branch in its beak, a sign that narrative that has several parallels in the life had returned to the earth after the early chapters of Genesis, tells the story
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great flood. Sailors throughout history have used birds to guide them to dry land. Victoria & Albert Picture Library
of Utnapishtim, who (much like Noah) survived a flood that destroyed the earth and sent out a dove to try and find dry land. The British Museum
But doves were more than just a soundtrack for a people who had fallen away from God; they were also an instrument of atonement. Several passages of the Torah (especially Leviticus) specify occasions that require the sacrifice of two doves (or young pigeons)either as a guilt offering or to purify oneself after a period of ritual impurity (including the birth of a child). Several columbaria, or dovecotes, have been excavated in the City of David and the Jerusalem environs. These towers were undoubtedly used to raise doves for sacrificial offerings, as well as for the meat and fertilizer they provideda popular practice in the Hellenistic and Roman periods that continued into the modern period.
Columbaria, or dovecotes, have been discovered in archaeological excavations in Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land. The scarce remains of the tower on the left show a few rows of niches still standing in the City of David, whereas the underground dovecotes such as the one on the right, from Luzit, have been remarkably well preserved. Doves and pigeons were raised for their meat, and their droppings were collected for fertilizer, but they also played an important role in Temple sacrifice. Boaz Zissu The atoning quality of doves led to comparisons in the Talmud and the Targums with Isaac and Israel. According to these extra-Biblical sources, just as a dove stretches out its neck, so too did Isaac prepare to be sacrificed to God, and later Israel took on this stance to atone for the sins of other nations.
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Thus, by the time of Jesus, the dove was already rich with symbolism and many interpretationsas a representation of Israel, atoning sacrifice, suffering, a sign from God, fertility and the spirit of God. All these meanings and more were incorporated into the Christian use of dove iconography. Doves appear in the New Testament at scenes associated with Jesus birth, baptism and just before his death. The Gospel of Luke says that Mary and Joseph sacrificed two doves at the Temple following the birth of Jesus, as was prescribed in the law mentioned above (Luke 2:24). Yet in the Gospel of John, Jesus angrily drives out all of the merchants from the Temple, including those who sold doves to worshipers there (John 2:16).
During Benjamin Mazars excavations at the southwest corner of Jerusalems Temple Mount, he recovered a stone bowl that bore the inscription korban (sacrifice), as well as finely scratched drawings of two upside-down (dead) birds. The bowl was probably intended for devout Jews to bring their offering of two doves or pigeons to the Temple for sacrifice, as commanded in the Books of Leviticus and Numbers. Erich Lessing
The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in the form of a dove, as shown in a 14thcentury Byzantine mosaic from the Baptistery in the Church of San Marco in Venice. Alinari/Art Resource, NY
But perhaps the most familiar dove imagery from the New Testament is recounted in all four of the Gospels (though in varying forms) at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. After Jesus came up out of the water, the [Holy] Spirit [of God] came from heaven and descended on him like a dove (see Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). The baptism story built on the pre-existing symbol of the dove as Gods spirit (and its many other meanings) and firmly entrenched it as the preferred representation of the Holy Spiritespecially in later artistic depictions of the Trinity. In Renaissance art, a dove became a standard element in the formulaic Annunciation scene, representing the Holy Spirit about to merge with the Virgin Mary. Doves were also shown flying into the mouths of prophets in Christian art as a sign of Gods spirit and divine authority. Even contemporary pop artist Andy Warhol used a (much more commercial) image of a Dove to represent the Holy Spirit in his, The Last Supper (Dove).
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The Word enters Mary via rays of light emanating from a dove (representing the Holy Spirit) in Fra Filippo Lippis Annunciation scene. National Gallery, London
This strange juxtaposition of modern brand labels and a classic Last Supper scene in Andy Warhols The Last Supper (Dove) nonetheless has hidden religious meaning. The dove hovers over Jesus head, representing the Holy Spirit, while the GE logo represents God the Father by recalling their famous slogan, We bring good things to light. 1996 The Andy Warhol Foundation, Inc./Artists Rights Society, NY
Another source associates a dove with the beginning of Jesus life. According to the second-century Protoevangelium of James, when the Temple priests were trying to choose a husband for Mary, a dove flew out of Josephs rod and landed on his head, marking him as the one selected by God. In fairytales throughout the world, birds have often been used to signify the chosen one, the true king or even the divine. Before the cross gained prominence in the fourth century, the second-century church father Clement of Alexandria urged early Christians to use the dove or a fish as a symbol to identify themselves and each other as followers of Jesus. Archaeologists have recovered oil lamps and Eucharistic vessels in the shape of doves from Christian churches throughout the Holy Land. Since ancient times the dove was used to identify and represent the divine. It then helped countless peoples to envision and understand the many aspects of a God who could not be embodied by an idol or statue. It continues to be a favorite way to show the hand and presence of God in the world and remains one of our most enduring symbols.
Related Reading
This Place Is for the Birds, BAR 35:03, May/Jun 2009 By Boaz Zissu A Temple Built for Two, BAR 34:02, Mar/Apr 2008 By William G. Dever Jesus Christ, Gods Son, Savior, BAR 33:02, Mar/Apr 2007
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The Spade Hits Sussita, BAR 32:03, May/Jun 2006 By Michael Eisenberg and Arthur Segal The Untouchables: Scholars Fear to Publish Ancient House Shrine, BAR 31:06, Nov/Dec 2005 Sister Wendys Top Twenty Biblical Paintings, BR 21:01, Feb 2005 By Sister Wendy Beckett George Smiths Other Find: The Babylonian Flood Tablet, BR 21:01, Feb 2005 Where John Baptized, BAR 31:01, Jan/Feb 2005 Past Perfect: Among the Vulgarians, AO 6:05, Sep/Oct 2003 How Can This Be?, BR 18:06, Dec 2002 By David R. Cartlidge Seven Luminous Days, BR 18:04, Aug 2002 By Molly Dewsnap Meinhardt The Favored One, BR 17:03, Jun 2001 By David R. Cartlidge and Ronald F. Hock Pagan Yahwism: The Folk Religion of Ancient Israel, BAR 27:03, May/Jun 2001 By Ephraim Stern Gallery, BR 14:04, Aug 1998 By Oscar Wilde Jots & Tittles, BR 14:02, Apr 1998 Underground Metropolis: The Subterranean World of Maresha, BAR 23:02, Mar/Apr 1997 By Amos Kloner Jesus as Pop Icon, BR 12:05, Oct 1996 By Jane Daggett Dillenberger Jesus Baptism: Three Views, BR 12:01, Feb 1996 Rings of GoldNeither Modest Nor Sensible, BR 9:01, Feb 1993 By Cynthia L. Thompson The Baptism of Jesus and a New Dead Sea Scroll, BAR 18:02, Mar/Apr 1992 By Dale C. Allison Jr. Heavens Torn Open, BR 7:04, Aug 1991 By David Ulansey Eroticism and Infanticide at Ashkelon, BAR 17:04, Jul/Aug 1991 By Lawrence E. Stager Dual Impressions, BR 3:04, Fall 1987 By Jane Daggett Dillenberger Bible Quiz, BR 3:02, Spring 1987
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The Baptism of Jesus, BR 1:03, Summer 1985 By William R. Stegner Lighting the Way Through History, BAR 11:02, Mar/Apr 1985 By Varda Sussman An Ancient Coin Depicts Noahs Ark, BAR 7:05, Sep/Oct 1981 By Yaakov Meshorer What the Babylonian Flood Stories Can and Cannot Teach Us About the Genesis Flood, BAR 4:04, Nov/Dec 1978 By Tikva Frymer-Kensky The Holy Land in Coins, BAR 4:01, Mar 1978 By Yaakov Meshorer
Dorothy D. Resig is the Managing Editor of Biblical Archaeology Review. Permalink: http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/the-enduringsymbolism-of-doves/ Email This Post Print This Post Comments RSS
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Witnessing the Divine The Bible Is for Living How Should We Study Ancient Israelite Religion? The January/February 2013 Issue of BAR How December 25 Became Christmas Posted in Daily Life and Practice. Tagged with Ancient Near East, Ancient world, Archaeologists, Biblical Archaeology, Byzantine Mosaic, christian art, Divine, Dove Symbolism, Doves, Early Christian, Gospel of John, Israelites, John the Baptist, Last Supper, New Testament, Symbolism of Doves.
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7 Responses Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post. 1. Gnarlodious says You forgot to mention that the dove is a bird that nourishes its young with milk (bird milk), which must have been interpreted as a divine attribute of maternity. It could even be argued that the maternal aspects of doves (hovering, kiving milk) and its connection to spirituality is a remnant of a long lost vision of God as female. Some say that the manna from heaven was in fact bird milk extracted from doves, as the Israel region is known to host vast flocks migrating between Europe and Africa. Manna may have been used as a euphemism for the bird itself. The ease of catching them on the ground and the name of =portion can refer to the one-meal size of the bird. The bird is kosher, and the migrating bird would be muscular enough to satisfy a hungry Israelite. February 1, 2013, 2:54 pm 2. Francis says Hi, Thanks for the article you wrote about the The Enduring Symbolism of Doves. I am the editor of a magazine called Il-Presepju issued by the Maltese Friends of the Crib-Malta and I would like to translate it in Maltese and publish it. I would like your permission to do so. I really appreciate it if it is in the affermative. I would list from where I got the
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article. Thanks Frans Chircop February 4, 2013, 10:52 am 3. robert says I think a mention by Jesus that his followers were to be as harmless as doves would be fittingsince today most churches bless their males who go off to wars and be anything but dove-like. February 4, 2013, 11:04 am 4. Alfredo says In Hebrew, ynh (yo-naw) is dove. It probably comes from the same root as yayin (yah-yin) = from an unused root meaning to effervesce; wine (as fermented); by implication intoxication: banqueting, wine, wine [-bibber]. Thus, in Acts they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) making them act as if they were mesto (mes-to-o), greek for intoxicated (Acts 2:13) February 4, 2013, 12:19 pm 5. aa says See also : Ziffer, Irit. 1998 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock. The dove allegory in antiquity. Exibition catalogue by Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv February 5, 2013, 1:43 am 6. Rose says There are a lot of doves in the engravings from the works of Jacob Boehme (1682). http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/jpg/Weg_zu_Christ.jpeg http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/jpg/Send-Briefe.jpeg http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/jpg/De_Testamentis_Christi.jpeg February 5, 2013, 7:35 am 7. michael says hi its worth remebering that the association of doves with gods and goddesses extends deeply in to the Greek world, as well as the Holy Land refer to Roman coins that show the snctuary of Aphrodite in Cyprus that clearly show doves flanking the alter. Equally usage of doves as ritual offerings reach in to other Semitic settings in the classical period there is a well known, but so far undated, columbarium at Petra! And many, including me, believe that the grooves along side the main facade of the Khazneh in Petra are dovecotes, and thus associated in some way with whatever ritual took place in, or outside, that building. February 5, 2013, 11:03 pm Leave a Reply
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