Dove

Dove. In Christian art, as early as the 6th century, the dove was employed as an emblem of the Holy Ghost, of course from the words of Luke, iii. 22, which do not, however, state that the Spirit descended on our Lord at his baptism in the bodily form of a dove, but simply 'in a bodily form, as a dove'—i.e. with the fluttering motion of a dove. From the dove being also used to symbolise purity, it is generally represented white, with its beak and claws red, as they occur in nature. In the older pictures, a golden nimbus surrounds its head; the nimbus being frequently divided by a cross, either red or black. In stained glass windows we see the dove with seven rays proceeding from it, terminating in seven stars, significative of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Holding an olive branch, the dove is an emblem of peace. When seen issuing from the lips of dying saints and martyrs, it represents the human soul purified by suffering. A dove with six wings is a type of the Church of Christ; and when so employed it has the breast and belly of silver, and the back of gold, two wings being attached to the head, two to the shoulders, and two to the feet. The pyx containing the host was sometimes made in the form of a dove, and suspended over the altar; and the dove is often placed on the covers of fonts. In this position it may still be seen in some parish churches in England.