Peace and pacifism in politics edit White dove with olive branch, stained glass window in the
Doves are frequently connected to the ideas of pacifism and peace. They frequently show up in political cartoons, on placards and banners at peace-promoting events (like the Olympics), at different anti-war and anti-violence demonstrations, etc. ), and in pacifist literature. One who favors the use of military force over diplomacy in American politics is sometimes referred to as a hawk. Similarly, a pacifist is sometimes called a dove.
Picasso’s lithograph La Colombe (The Dove), which depicts a traditional, realistic image of a pigeon devoid of an olive branch, was selected as the World Peace Council’s emblem in April 1949 and was held in Paris. [29] Picasso stated that his father had taught him how to paint doves at the 1950 World Peace Congress in Sheffield, adding, “I stand for life against death; I stand for peace against war.” The 1952 World Peace Congress in Berlin featured a banner featuring Picasso’s Dove above the stage. The peace dove was interpreted differently by anti-communists. The Paix et Liberté group distributed posters titled La colombe qui fait BOUM, or the dove that goes BOOM, which depicted the peace dove changing into a Soviet tank. [32].
Christianity editSee also:
The symbolism of the dove in Christianity is first found in the Old Testament Book of Genesis in the story of Noahs Ark, “And the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth”. Genesis 8:11 And, also, in the New Testament Gospels of Matthew and Luke, both passages describe after the baptism of Jesus, respectively, as follows, “And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him”. Matthew 3:16 and, “And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”. Luke 3:22 The Holy Spirit descending on Jesus and appearing in the bodily form of a dove is mentioned in the other two Gospels as well (see Mark 1:10 and John 1:32). White dove with olive branch pictured in the coat of arms of the
The early Christians were the ones who first used the dove and olive branch as a symbol of peace. They used them on their tombs and depicted the act of baptism with a dove carrying an olive branch in its beak. [15][16].
Greek philosophy, which included the use of the olive branch symbol[17] and the narrative of Noah and the Flood, is where Christians got their inspiration for the dove and olive branch symbols. Despite the fact that Jews never used the dove as a symbol of peace, early Christians did, and St. Augustine of Hippo established this meaning in his book On Christian Doctrine. [18].
A dove is also used in Christian iconography to represent the Holy Spirit. This is seen in Matthew 3:16 and Luke 3:22, where the Holy Spirit is compared to a dove at Jesus’ baptism. [19][20].
Early Christians in Rome included images of a dove holding an olive branch and the word “Peace” in their funeral decorations. They appear to have taken this from the Gospels’ simile and combined it with the olive branch, which the Greeks and Romans had used as a symbol of peace. The olive branch and dove were also depicted in Christian depictions of Noah’s ark. The Hebrew word alay zayit, which means “leaf of olive,” in Genesis 8:11 was translated as “ramum olivae” (branch of olive) by the Vulgate in the fourth century. “Perpetual peace is indicated by the olive branch (oleae ramusculo) which the dove brought with it when it returned to the ark,” wrote Augustine of Hippo in On Christian Doctrine in the fifth century.
The dove symbolized spiritual peace rather than political harmony in the first Christian artwork, but starting in the third century, it started to show up in Old Testament and Apocryphal conflict scenes like Daniel and the lions, the three young men in the furnace, and Susannah and the Elders. [21][22].
Before Constantine’s conversion and the Peace of Constantine (313 AD), when Rome stopped persecuting Christians, Noah was typically depicted in a pious pose with a dove carrying an olive branch either flying toward him or landing on his outstretched hand. Graydon Snyder states that the story of Noah provided the early Christian community with a means of expressing peace and piety in a vessel that could withstand the perilous circumstances of Roman persecution. [21] Ludwig Budde and Pierre Prigent claim that the dove represented the arrival of the Holy Spirit rather than the tranquility connected to Noah. Noah was depicted less frequently in Christian art following the Peace of Constantine, when persecution came to an end. [21].
The Holkham Bible and other medieval illuminated manuscripts depicted the dove bringing a branch back to Noah. [23] “A braunche of olyue tre with greene leeuys” (a branch of an olive tree with green leaves) is used in Genesis 23 of Wycliffes Bible, an English translation of the Vulgate published in the fourteenth century. 8:11. [24] Some Jewish illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages, such as the Golden Haggadah (circa 1420), also featured Noah’s dove holding an olive branch. [25][26].
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