The Snake & The Fall Of Mankind

Since Nature is one of God's creatures, it was only logical that the symbols used by the early Christians as signs of their religion should have been so highly characterized with simple, emblematic fauna and flora. It is true that the symbols of the early Christians were simple with a simplicity that characterized those who used them; but the emblems embodied the profoundest meanings and the most abstract ideas of the Faith in which they believed. The Fish, which stands for Christ, is the symbol of greatest importance and was used as early as the first century.

The idea of an emblem of the fish resulted from taking the first letter of each of the five Greek words meaning "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior," and combining them to form Ichtlius, a Greek word meaning fish. The symbolic fish, of whose true meaning the pagan mind was ignorant, was used as a secret code to identify Christians, and their places of worship, in the early ages of persecution. The symbol of one fish signified the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. The symbol of three fishes represented the Holy Trinity, since all Three Persons figure in man's salvation—God the Father, creating; God the Son, redeeming; and God the Holy Spirit, sanctifying mankind.

For centuries, the snake has been considered symbolic of Satan, and the serpent entwining the tree of life represents the fall of mankind. The tree has always been found in literature. It is a symbol of life, death, and resurrection. The traditional apple is seen hanging on the tree, and the fruit serves as a constant reminder of the fall of mankind. The symbolic snake encircling a globe depicts the universality of man’s fallen condition.

Because the lily is one of the emblems of purity, it is used to symbolize the Virgin and the Annunciation. Many types of lilies are used in the symbols, but the Lilium candidum, often called the Madonna Lily, is used in almost all pictures of the Annunciation. Since the lily is a symbol of virginity and purity, it is used to symbolize the Virgin Birth, hence it is most often pictured without stamens, either growing in a pot or held in the hand of the Virgin or the Angel Gabriel, who brought the message that she was to be the Mother of God to Mary. Many authorities are of the opinion that the fleur-de-lis is a conventionalized form of the Lilium candidum. It is true that the fleur-de-lis is the symbol of the French kings, but they studied and drew from the Christian symbols when designing their emblem.

By: davidbunch

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