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)
