The Dolphin

This intelligent and friendly animal was an important symbol of redemption in the myths of many cultures that lived by the sea. The dolphin was believed to carry the souls of the dead to their final rest. Early Christians often took the opportunity to illustrate their message with popular stories of their era, so they adopted the dolphin legend as a symbol of Christ’s redemptive work. (Image from the PowerPoint, Symbols of a Faith)

Ebed-Melech

Ebed-Melech's story is one that is not told often enough. He was a servant in the court of Zedekiah, the last King of Israel who was in the line of King David. The Prophet Jeremiah had been thrown into a cistern to die because the weak king had given in to the advice of his council, men who hated and feared Jeremiah for telling the king that Israel's only hope for survival was to surrender to their invading enemies, the vastly superior Chaldeans. Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian and also a eunuch, had compassion for the prophet of peace and requested to be allowed to rescue Jeremiah from the muddy well. The king must have respected Ebed-Melech, since he sent 30 men along to help with the rescue and to protect the noble Ethiopian in his dangerous mission. He lowered a rope into the cistern along with some old rags for the aging prophet to use as padding between his armpits and the rope. Jeremiah told Ebed-Melech that his life would be spared for this selfless act after the inevitable invasion of Israel's powerful enemies. This man who was marginalized both because of his ethnic origin and gender issues, was and is one of the most admirable of Hebrew Scripture heroes. (Image from Prints of the Prophets) 

The Griffin

 The Griffin (also Gryphon) is a fantastic composite animal of ancient myth and another of many familiar story creatures adapted by the medieval Christians as reminders of the various aspects of their faith. The Griffin, a very popular symbol in heraldry, reminded them of the dual nature of Christ. The earth-bound lion represented the human nature and the flying eagle was the divine nature.(Image from the Powerpoint, Symbols of a Faith)

Lydia and the House Church

The story of Lydia in the Book of Acts is an important chapter in the continuing saga about the roles influential women played in the formation of the early church. Like Joanna, Susanna and Mary Magdalene before her, Lydia was a self supporting individual who was inspired to make a significant contribution toward spreading the Good News. She offered Paul and his traveling companion Silas a place to stay after they had been beaten and jailed illegally by the city's authorities. A wealthy dealer in expensive purple fabric, Lydia was the head of her household, all of whom she made sure were properly baptized to establish and facilitate the first House Church of Continental Europe. (Image from PowerPoint series, The Early Church)

Gifts of the Spirit

There is always debate as to how many Gifts of the Holy Spirit the Apostle Paul lists, since he addresses the subject several times. The circle of seven doves around the center cross have been a symbolic reminder of the gifts since the Middle Ages, numbering the gifts as seven: wisdom, understanding, counsel, courage, knowledge, faithfulness and respect for God. The dove has been a symbol of the Holy Spirit since the gospel visions of its descent during the Baptism of Jesus. The circle, another divine symbol, is probably the oldest symbol of the never ending and without beginning attribute of God. (Image from PowerPoint, Symbols of a Faith)

King Nimrod

In the Tower of Babel story of Genesis, there are no names given to the monarch or anyone else in this short account about the confusion of languages. Another obscure biblical reference to a king at the time who was named Nimrod connected him to the narrative through later story tellers and interpreters. In our day, Nimrod is a slang term meaning clumsy or slow witted. The meaning originated in a Bugs Bunny cartoon in the 1940's, when Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs, referred to Elmer Fudd, who was hunting Bugs with no luck, as "Poor little Nimrod." Mel Blanc, a language scholar, would have known that "Nimrod" means "hunter." People at the time however, especially teenagers, started using the term in reference to people they felt displayed the characteristics of Bug's perpetual loser foe, Elmer. King Nimrod became the bigger loser however, with his name associated with two negative characters to whom he had no connection at all. (Image from PowerPoint, From Eden to Esau)

The Rooster

Of the many animal Christian Symbols, the rooster has two notable meanings. In an old Christmas legend, it is said that the only time a rooster ever crowed at midnight was the night Jesus was born. In a story in the Gospels, Jesus mentions the bird when he tells Peter that the intensely loyal disciple will deny knowing him three times before the rooster crows at dawn. Of course, Jesus' prophecy comes true later that same evening. The Rooster is therefore an important symbol of St. Peter and a reminder to all about being careful about what we promise. (Image from the PowerPoint, Symbols of a Faith)

Tale of Two Sons

The Parable most of us call the Prodigal Son certainly teaches us about unconditional love as the father joyfully accepts his younger son home with open arms, even though the boy has shown his father the ultimate disrespect of demanding his inheritance while his parent is still alive and then squandering all of it away. The story does not end there, however, and continues to teach another lesson, this time about inclusion. The older son, grumpy and feeling sorry for himself out of jealousy over his brother's lavish welcome home party, is reminded by his father that no one is excluded from his boundless love. (This image, from the PowerPoint, Luke's Stories at Lent, is rendered in a broader cartoon style than the stories of Jesus' life to distinguish the stories Jesus lives from the stories Jesus tells.)

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala, is the prime example of the loyal disciple, who stood by Jesus' side to the end and even beyond, as she is the only person listed in all four Gospel accounts as the leader of the loyal women who discovered the empty tomb on their mission to anoint Jesus' body. Mary was the Apostle to the Apostles, seen here running excitedly to deliver the resurrection news to Peter and the other male Disciples who had gone into hiding following the crucifixion. She was likely a woman of means, since she is also grouped with Joanna and Susanna who financially supported Jesus' ministry. (Image from The Story and Legends of Easter; a PowerPoint presentation)

Easter Bunny Origins

The Easter Bunny, like so many other Easter time symbols, has nothing to do with the story of the resurrection of Christ, but has its origins in the prolific litters of newborn rabbits celebrated in the springtime festivals of many religions. Joining with the egg as a fertility symbol, the bunny finally achieved its modern definition in the U.S. late in the nineteenth century, marketed by candy companies and greeting card merchants as both a deliverer and layer of brightly colored eggs. In Christian traditions, the colorful eggs were a special treat offered to all after the forty day fast of the Season of Lent, during which the consumption of eggs was forbidden. Not to be upstaged by this Roman Catholic tradition, German Protestants also celebrated the springtime custom of gathering and dying eggs which were arranged in elaborate handmade nests that later translated to Easter baskets. The Bunny version of Santa Claus, delivering decorated eggs as gifts to deserving girls and boys, was the final bonus. (Image from The Story and Legends of Easter; a PowerPoint presentation)

Eostre

Why do we call the day Christianity celebrates the resurrection of Christ Easter? No one can give a definitive answer to this, but a best guess was made by the famous 7th century Christian monk and  scholar, The Venerable Bede, who recognized that a central figure to the springtime festivals of the other Anglo Saxon religions of the time was a mythical goddess named Eostre who found her roots in the pantheon of ancient Egypt. She was depicted in a variety of ways throughout her long history, sometimes surrounded with rabbits or hares, the ubiquitous symbols of fertility. At other times, Eostre was seen having the head of a rabbit herself. The spring harvest festivals became known as Eostre time, translated throughout the years as Easter Time in our vernacular. The old goddess' connection to the Easter Bunny should also be obvious, but that tradition likely developed in our culture without anyone ever hearing of the older myth. (Image from The Story and Legends of Easter, A PowerPoint presentation)

The Butterfly

A Resurrection symbol that has almost become a cliche' is the butterfly. Like the Phoenix of the stories of mythology, the insect does seem to die to its old self and return in a brand new and more glorious form. Of course, the butterfly in its caterpillar state, or metaphoric human nature, also offers the added bonus of entering into a tomb-like cocoon first  before emerging in a state that mortals might consider divine, at least in its appearance. (Image from Our Christian Symbols, A PowerPoint Presentation)  

The Phoenix

There are probably more Christian symbols for the Resurrection than any other aspect of the faith. The central event of Christianity has always been a concept that is difficult to comprehend and depict in representational art, so many artists have opted to explore a long list of metaphors in attempts to explain feelings of awe. The Phoenix, a mystical bird that found a place in the mythologies of numerous cultures many centuries before Jesus, was a natural choice of the early Christians who saw the bird's ability to die in sacrificial flames and then rise again from its own ashes as a familiar story that would remind their followers of the death and return of Christ. (Image from Our Christian Symbols, A PowerPoint Presentation)