The Descending Dove or Divine Dove Symbol

       The Holy Ghost, the dove appears in most of the early representations of scenes in Christ's life-- most frequently, perhaps, in pictures of his baptism, literally rendering the words from the Gospel of John "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove." Chapter 1:32

This Divine Dove, in a radiating aureole is from a French Miniature.

  

Dove typifying grace of the Holy Spirit descending upon Christ
in his baptism. (From a painting, "Baptism of Verrocchio," in
 Florence.)

Scriptural Reference for The Descending Dove Chrismon:

• "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him." Matthew 3:16 (NIV)
• "For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body--whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. "1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)
• "What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.' Acts 22:16 (NLT)
• "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."  Galatians 3:27 (ESV)

The Eagle With Her Eaglets Chrismon Symbol...

Offspring of eagles are called "eaglets." This term is used when three
or more Eagles are shown on a field. They represent immature Eagles.
Above is a stained-glass Chrismon of an eagle and her eaglets; color it
and hang it on your Christmas tree to remind you of the eagle scriptures
in the Bible.

       The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. The eagle with its keen eyes symbolized perspicacity, courage, strength and immortality, but is also considered "king of the skies" and messenger of the highest gods. With these attributed qualities the eagle became a symbol of power and strength in Ancient Rome. Mythologically, it has been connected by the Greeks with the god zeus, by the Romans with jupiter, by the Germanic tribes with odin.
       In the Judeo-Christian scriptures eagles are associated with those who hope in God (Isaiah 40:31), and in Christian art with Saint John the Evangelist.
       An eagle lectern is a lectern in the shape of an eagle on whose outstretched wings the Bible rests. They are most common in Anglican churches and cathedrals. Read more...

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. The founders of the United States were fond of comparing their new republic with the Roman Republic, in which eagle imagery (usually involving the golden eagle) was prominent. On June 20, 1782, the Continental Congress adopted the design for the Great Seal of the United States depicting a bald eagle grasping 13 arrows and an olive branch with its talons. Both olive branches and arrows have very specific meanings in Judeo-Christian culture.

Scripture References for Eagle Chrismons:

• "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions. " 2 Samuel 1:23
• "Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31
• "When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens." Proverbs 23:5

More About Eagle Imagery in The Bible:

• Traits of the Eagle and How It  Pertains To Our Christian Walk
• Spiritual Meanings of The Eagle in The Bible
• Birds (In Symbolism) from New Advent
  

The Phoenix Rising as A Christian Symbol

         In Greek mythology, a phoenix (Ancient Greek: φοῖνιξ phoinix; Latin: phoenix, phœnix, fenix) is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn.

       Associated with the Sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. According to some sources, the phoenix dies in a show of flames and combustion, although there are other sources that claim that the legendary bird dies and simply decomposes before being born again. According to some texts, the phoenix could live over 1,400 years before rebirth. Herodotus, Lucan, Pliny the Elder, Pope Clement I, Lactantius, Ovid, and Isidore of Seville are among those who have contributed to the retelling and transmission of the phoenix motif.

       In the historical record, the phoenix "could symbolize renewal in general as well as the sun, time, the Empire, metempsychosis, consecration, resurrection, life in the heavenly Paradise, Christ, Mary, virginity, the exceptional man, and certain aspects of Christian life".

Scriptural References for the Phoenix Rising Chrismon:

• "He is not here, but He has been resurrected! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day?" Luke 24:6-7 (HCSB)
• "When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief. Matthew 17:22-23 (NIV)
• "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence." Hosea 6:1-2 (NLT)
• “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:1-2 (ESV)

The phoenix resurrection symbol
depicts the bird emerging from
it's nest of flames.

Three Pelican Chrismon Symbols...

       In medieval Europe, the pelican was thought to be particularly attentive to her young, to the point of providing her own blood by wounding her own breast when no other food was available. As a result, the pelican became a symbol of the Passion of Jesus and of the Eucharist since about the 12th century.

Scripture References for the Pelican Chrismon Symbols:

• "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock." John 10:11 (NLT)
• "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood." Hebrews 9:15-18 (NIV)
• "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:28 (BSB)
• "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life." Leviticus 17:11 (ESV)

Pelican-in-Her-Piety

The Peacock Symbol

 

       The peacock is certainly a religious emblem, and with almost equal assurance we may declare it to belong to our LORD. Martigny says it is an emblem of the Resurrection. S. Augustine says it figures Immortality, because its flesh is incorruptible. This particular peacock version is from the Catacombs. It is seen here to dominate the Globe, and shows the victory that overcometh the world.

Scriptural References for The Peacock Chrismon:

• "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:15 (KJB)
• "for the LORD your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." Deuteronomy 20:4 (NHEB)
• "I have spoken these things to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (BLB)

The peacock symbol inside a medallion.