Beastly Confirmation: Christ & Animal as Symbol & Meaning
By Kerry A. Shirts
Louis Charbonneau-Lassay’s 467 page book The Beastiary of Christ,Parabola Books, reprint1991, is certainly the most profound and extensive texts on this subject I have ever seen. Not that I have read a lot of beastiarys, but the scope of this one is incredible!
The analysis and research into this subject is really quite amazing. It is almost as if any and all animals are used to represent some aspect of Christ. Perhaps this is not so far off either as he is the Creator after all, and we read in latter day scripture that all things are for the signifying of Christ.
The Tetramorph, that is the four animals of the book of Ezekiel and Revelation was a good chapter. They are, we read, the epitome of creation. (p. 5). Interestingly, these same four animals are also represented on the Egyptian hypocaphalus in the Book of Abraham, as the four canopic jars.
The lion as King of the Beasts, is a rather obvious animal symbol of Jesus Christ. Lassay notes that the lion symbol however was in vogue in the Pre-Christian centuries and was adapted by Christians at a later time to represent Jesus. (p. 6). The lion is linked to the virtue of justice, as it is depicted in the Bible’s description of King Solomon’s throne of justice, guarded by twelve lions (1 Kings 10:18-20).
The bull is another good symbol, though it also is a Pre-Christian symbol heavily used, especially in Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia. The God was usually depicted as a bull, connoting strength, majesty and of course, fecundity. The bull also is depicted on the rim of the hypocephalus in the Book of Abraham.
The bird symbolism is another interesting thing Lassay discusses. A number of birds represented Christ, such as the dove, pelican, stork, crane, eagle, phoenix, swan, etc. The visions of Ezekiel and John are the basis for Christians adapting this bird for a symbol of Christ. (p. 25). The eagle is considered the conductor of souls to heaven as it is a bird of the sun as well. (p. 29).
I thought Lassay’s description of the horn as a symbol of Christ was interesting. I immediately thought of ancient Israel’s horned altars they built for one thing. In St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate we read Dominus judicabit fines terrae, et dabit imperium regi suo, et sublimabit cornu Christi sui: "The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and he shall give empire to his king, and shall exalt the horn of his Christ." (p. 57).
Lassay notes the Ox is another animal used in Christian symbolism. He mentions the twelve oxen of the baptismal font in King Solomon’s temple anciently. (p. 61). Also the bull was a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel as well, such as the red heifer without blemish.
I was fascinated to learn that the ancient Christians also used the stag, or deer as a symbol for Christ. (p. 117) One reason, is because the stag if the enemy of the serpent. (p. 118) The stag is thus a symbol of the triumphant Christ.
The panther was another surprise for me to learn about. Panther skins were thought to be a source of higher emanations of a higher kind. (p. 128) The panther provided a rich source of symbolism for Christian iconography. By dying and bequeathing his skin to mankind, the ancients believed, the panther obtained for human beings the gift of holy inspiration and placed humans under the sway of celestial influences. (p. 130). Along with the elephant and the unicorn, the ancient Christian symbolists regarded the panther as one of the three animals of chastity. (p. 130). So its not a far run to the allegorical concept of virginity.
The weasel? Yes the weasel was also used for an interesting reason. Since it could pack a punch and win combats with much bigger animals than itself, it was perfect for the Christians who , no matter how weak in themselves, can still triumph over Satan, the most terrifying monster of hell. (p. 147)
When I first saw the vulture included in this massive collection I was very curious how this was going to be symbolized. It is. The vulture was sometimes allegorized as the purifier of the world and the vanquisher of the infernal serpent. But the western symbolism is more interesting still. The one supposed virtue it posessed, was the legendary quadratus stone mentioned by Pliny. Around 1490, Joannes de Cuba reminded his fellows that this stone is sometimes found in the vulture’s head. He showed a woodcut of a man breaking a vulture’s head open to obtain the stone, which had virtuous powers. The allegory for Christians? Just as we have to break the vulture’s skull to obtain happiness, so must we also break the head, that is, our inclination toward our besetting sin in order for us to find the peace, happiness and quietness of the soul. (p. 192) I thought this little legend was interesting.
The bee was interesting as it depicted the souls hope for the soul’s survival after death.(p. 320). In Christian symbolism this was a symbol of the resurrection and immortality. (p. 323).
The dragon, the same as the serpent, is a weird symbol. It has a negative and positive function. The later Christians even went so far as to collect dragon blood which was used for healing! This turned out to be a natural substance though. (p. 412). The dragon, in one way however, was thought as a symbol of God’s word. Specifically the divine word of creation! (p. 412)
I have hardly done justice to the incredible amount of lore and legend and excellent scholarship this book presents. I thought much of it was quite interesting and the connections were ingeniously presented. This review gives you the flavor of what, in my opinion, is a remarkably interesting read, one which I said "aha!" time and time again.