Ancient symbols adapted to be used in new faith The lamb is perhaps the best known animal representing Jesus who is called the Lamb of God, which represents the eternal life brought to man by Jesus Christ.
The lamb was strongly associated with religious sacrifices in the ancient Near East, and was adopted as a symbol of Christ and his sacrifice on behalf of humanity.
The scriptures refer to Jesus Christ as both the Lamb and the Lion (Isa. 31:4; Hosea 5:14; Rev. 5:5). That is to say, Jesus Christ has qualities that remind us of these two animals.
3.1 Animals and God
The Bible describes the Angels around God's throne as having features and characteristics like those of a lion, a bull and an eagle (Ezekiel 1). God Himself is likened in Scripture to a lion, a leopard, a bear (Hosea 13:7, 8), and to an eagle (Deuteronomy 32:11).
The Christ-lion, the Lion of Judah, is a beacon of light, courage, bravery, agility and dignity. And he is a fighter, symbolic of the line of David and of Kings. Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah and is mentioned as being the Lion of Judah in Revelation. The role of the Lion of Judah links to the destiny of man.
The most common, and easily recognisable, Christian symbol is the cross. This refers to the Christian belief that Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross to save mankind.
Jesus is seen as the Lamb of God who sacrifices himself for the sins of man in unconditional love. According to the Christian faith, through his death and resurrection he redeemed mankind. In Christian iconography, the Lamb of God is usually depicted with the victory flag with a red cross on a white background.
The Greek letters for ichthus (meaning “fish”, pronounced “ICK-THOOS”) became an acronym: I=Jesus; X=Christ; O=God's; Y=Son; E=Savior. Today, the person who displays the fish symbol has accepted the same New Testament teaching that these early Christians accepted: that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior.
The Tetragrammaton (/ˌtɛtrəˈɡræmətɒn/; from Ancient Greek τετραγράμματον (tetragrámmaton) '[consisting of] four letters'), or the Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym יהוה (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible.
The first two letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, iota (Ι) and eta (Η), sometime superimposed one on the other, or the numeric value 18 of ΙΗ in Greek, was a well known and very early way to represent Christ.
Jesus tattoos are a symbol of power, faith and love which can relate to religious reasons or just symbolize life. However, for some people, it just shows a sign of hope. The most popular imagery is Christ with the crown of thorns.
Today, the cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. It was not always so. In the early centuries after the time of Jesus Christ, there were other symbols: a dove, a ship, an anchor and a lyre.
Why is Jesus called Lion of the tribe of Judah? Jesus is often referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah by those that follow the Christian religion because it is believed that he is a great leader and he will come back a second time to gather his followers.
Because in being slain, he slew death. Why a lamb in his resurrection? Because his innocence is everlasting. Why a lion in his resurrection?
The tiger is careful, crafty and suspicious in a good way. It is careful to avoid pitfalls and traps. It is rarely taken by surprise. Following the example of the tiger, we must stay alert, we must walk carefully, and we must be wise in the Lord.
In Revelation 4:6–8, four living beings (Greek: ζῷον, zōion) are seen in John's vision. These appear as a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, much as in Ezekiel but in a different order.
The fish is one of the earliest and most important of Christian symbols. The five letters of the word for fish in Greek form an acrostic, signifying Jesus, Christ, Son of God, Savior (see ichthus).
Although Hindus follow no single set of rules, reverence for cows can be found throughout the religion's major texts. Some trace the cow's sacred status back to Lord Krishna, one of the faith's most important figures.
By identifying Jesus as both “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” and “the Lamb who was slain,” Revelation directs our attention back to earlier scripture and establishes his identity firmly in the Old Testament prophecies. Why is this important? It demonstrates God's consistent faithfulness to us.
Often in his teachings, Jesus compared himself to such animals as the lamb and the dove, known for their innocence, meek- ness, and docility.
In sacred art, the Holy Spirit is depicted as a dove, as He appears at the baptism of Jesus, while the finch is associated with Christ's Passion, and the peacock with immortality.
Jesus' name in Hebrew was “Yeshua” which translates to English as Joshua. So how did we get the name “Jesus”?
Alpha (Α or α) and omega (Ω or ω) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and a title of Christ and God in the Book of Revelation. This pair of letters is used as a Christian symbol, and is often combined with the Cross, Chi-rho, or other Christian symbols.