CHAPTER 1

God the Father

In the 1938 book Church Symbolism, F.R. Webber and Ralph Adams Cram sumup the central problem surrounding images of God the Father:

For about a thousand years, no attempt was made to portray the First Person ofthe Holy Trinity in human form. The early Christians believed that the words ofExodus 33, 20, "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see Me andlive," and St. John 1:18: "No man hath seen God at any time," were meant toapply not only to the Father Himself, but to all attempts at picturing Him aswell.

Despite these potent words, western art eventually required some way toillustrate the presence of the Father, so the following representationsdeveloped, with the human form of the Father finally making its appearance inand after the tenth century C.E.

The Hand of God

Modern Stained Glass

Victorian Stained Glass

Twelfth-Century French Manuscript

Victorian

Victorian

Stained Glass; Leeds, England

God the Father in Human Form

God in the Burning Bush of Moses: the Naples Bible

Rohan Master illuminated manuscript; French, circa 1420

God the Son

Star

Revelation 22:16b: "I am the root and the descendant of David, the brightmorning star."

Agnus Dei

Modeled after a fourteenth-century stained glass. Carrying the banner ofVictory.

Agnus Dei

After a tenth-century Italian sculpture.

Agnus Dei

On the book of seven seals from Revelation 5:1-6.

Pelican In Its Piety

see Birds section

Pelican In Its Piety

see Birds section

Good Shepherd

After the mausoleum of Gella Placidia, in Ravenna, Italy.

Good Shepherd

After several statues from the third century C.E.

Sun

Arguably from the Hours of the Virgin: "Verily thou art happy o sacred virginMary, and most worthy of all praise: Because Christ our God the sun ofrighteousness is sprung from thee."

Fish

Other Fish

An acronym for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" in Greek.

See also Peacock, Pelican, and Hen in Birds.

God the Holy Spirit

Seven-Fold Flame:

The "cloven flame" of Pentecost.

Menorah:

A seven-branched candelabrum representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:spiritual strength, knowledge, true godliness, counsel, understanding, wisdom,and holy fear. (Can also be rendered as seven lamps.)

Dove:

The oldest and most common rendering of the Holy Spirit is the descending dove,cited in all four Gospels as the herald of the Father's approval of his Son onearth.

The Holy Trinity

This symbol of the Trinity is common in ecclesiastical embroidery. Thisillustrates that man's salvation is the work of the Son of God, prompted bydivine love, and brought to pass by means of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Greek form "I-Am-That-I-Am"

The manifestation of the three as commonly seen in brasses and illuminatedmanuscripts starting as early as the eleventh century.

Fleur-De-Lis.

Also a symbol of the Virgin, where it is seen to represent the lily of purity.

Early Trinitarian symbol of the three fish

The Shamrock.

Familiar legend tells of Saint Patrick being faced with a group of pagans whodemanded that he prove how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can be three personsand one in essence at the same time. Patrick is said to have plucked a shamrockfrom the turf and proceeded to question the pagans: "Is this one leaf or three?If three, why does it have only one stem? If one, why does it have three lobes?"When they could not answer, he said: "If you cannot explain the simple mysteryof the shamrock, how can you hope to understand the profound mystery of the HolyTrinity?"

Triangle within a circle

Circle within a triangle:

The Trefoil: three circles joined as one

Coat-Of-Arms

Sometimes referred to as the Holy Trinity's "coat-of-arms," this diagramillustrates the relationships between the three Persons of the Trinity and theLord God: God in the center; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in each of thethree corners, and paths between each Person marked either "IS" or "IS NOT" inLatin, highlighting the mystery of the simultaneous uniqueness, equality, andoneness of each in the wholeness of God.

Inspired by late fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript from Avignon, France.Note God the Father in the pope's miter.

Triangle that reads "Holy, Holy, Holy".

The Vírgín

Crescent Moon:

Refers to Mary, whose glory is borrowed from the Sun of Righteousness as thelight of the moon is reflected from the sun. Originally a symbol of the Greekgoddess Diana, the fathers of the early church adopted this sign to ease thetransition for converted Hellenic Christians.

Fleurs-De-Lis:

Many authorities believe that the fleur-de-lis is stylized of the Annunciationlily, thus its association with the Virgin Mary.

Madonna And Child:

typical from the twelfth century to modern times.

Modern Monograms:

These types of monograms were common in stained glass and manuscripts as well asin stone-carving. Note that in all three of these examples, every letter in boththe name MARIA and its Hebrew form MIRIAM are beautifully woven together.

Pierced Heart:

Recalling the prophecy of Simeon in Luke 2:35: "... so that the inner thoughtsof many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too;"refers to Mary's suffering for her son.

Starry Nimbus:

Refers to Revelation 12:1. See also forms of the nimbus, halo, and aureola.

Six-Pointed Star:

Refers to Miriam, meaning "star of the sea."

See also the following entries in flowers and plants: almond, rose,carnation, marigold,...