The Significance of the Dove as a Christian Symbol

Throughout history, a dove has been considered a creature embodying various values and virtues, especially when it comes to Christianity. In religious discourse, the bird starts to carry fairly profound and considerable meanings. The significance of the dove as a Christian symbol is immense. It appears both in the Old and New Testament where it plays a vital symbolic role.

The dove’s importance has also been acknowledged in iconography because icon painters usually depict it as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at this and other interpretations of the dove as a Christian symbol and try to grasp its real significance.

Dove and the Bible

Not surprisingly, the dove is the most mentioned bird in the Bible. The first major reference is Noah’s dove carrying an olive branch in its beak during the great flood. The meaning here is quite straightforward: the bird seems to be a heavenly messenger.

Throughout the Holy Writ, the dove appears to be a multi-faceted creature and represents a gamut of concepts and ideas. For example, according to the Bible, the dove is also the symbol of true love, purity, peace, hope, and freedom. Orthodox Christians even consider the bird to be the incarnation of the soul of a deceased person. As you see, the symbolism may markedly differ if we take into account different cultures and religious denominations.

Dove as the symbol of the Holy Spirit

The broadest understanding of the dove appeared with the advent of Christianity. It became a solid symbol of the Holy Spirit and the Baptism of Jesus. If to go a little bit deeper, you can notice cross-references between Jesus and the dove, such as “the promise of new life” or “Prince of Peace.”

All in all, the dove comes across as the notion brimming with religious symbolism essential for understanding both religion and religious icon art.