The Lamb, in Early Christian Symbolism
One of the few Christian symbols dating from the first
century is that of the Good Shepherd carrying on His
shoulders a lamb or a sheep, with two other sheep at
his side. Between the first and the fourth century
eighty-eight frescoes of this type were depicted in the
Roman catacombs.
The signification which may be attached to this symbol,
according to Wilpert's interpretation, is as follows.
The lamb or sheep on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd
is a symbol of the soul of the deceased being borne by
Our Lord into heaven; whereas the two sheep
accompanying the Shepherd represent the saints already
enjoying eternal bliss. This interpretation is in
harmony with an ancient liturgical prayer for the dead
of the following tenor: "We pray God . . . to be
merciful to him in judgment, having redeemed him by His
death, freed him from sin, and reconciled him with the
Father. May He be to him the Good Shepherd and carry
him on His shoulders [to the fold] May He receive him
in the following of the King, and grant him to
participate in eternal joy in the Society of the
saints" (Muratori, "Lit. Rom. Vet.", I, 751). In
catacomb frescoes this petition is represented as
already granted; the deceased is in the company of the
saints.
Another cycle of catacomb paintings (not numerous)
represents a lamb, or a sheep, with a milk-pail either
on its back or suspended from a pastoral staff. A
unique fresco of this order shows a shepherd milking a
sheep, while still another shows milk-pail on an altar
between two sheep. The frescoes of this type (of the
sheep and milk-pail) were, until recently, generally
regarded as symbols of the Eucharist, but Mgr. Wilpert
dissents from the received opinion, and regards all
frescoes in which allusions to milk occur as symbolic
of the joys of Heaven. Both the earlier and the later
interpretations depend on a well-known text of the Acts
of Sts. Perpetua and Felicitas. While in prison
awaiting martyrdom, St. Perpetua tells us she beheld in
a vision an immense garden, and in the centre thereof
the tall and venerable figure of an old man in the
dress of a shepherd, milking a sheep. Raising his head,
he looked at me and said, 'Welcome, my daughter.' And
he called me to him and he gave me of the milk. I
received it with joined hands and partook of it. And
all those standing around cried 'Amen'. And at the
sound of the voice I awoke, tasting an indescribable
sweetness in my mouth." The community of ideas between
this description and the catacomb frescoes of the sheep
and milk-pail is so apparent that, at first view, the
current interpretations of this class of
representations would seem to be obviously accurate.
Wilpert, however, calls attention to the fact that the
things described in the vision of St. Perpetua took
place not on earth, but in heaven, where the Eucharist
is no longer received . Hence he regards the frescoes
of the milk-pail class as symbolic of the joys which
the soul of the deceased possess in paradise.
The lamb, or sheep, symbol, then, of the first class
described, has, in all catacomb paintings and on
sarcophagi of the fourth century, always a meaning
associated with the condition of the deceased after
death. But in the new era ushered in by Constantine the
Great the lamb appears in the art of the basilicas with
an entirely new signification. The general scheme of
apsidal mosaic decoration in the basilicas that
everywhere sprang into existence after the conversion
of Constantine, conformed in the main to that described
by St. Paulinus as existing in the Basilica of St.
Felix at Nola. "The Trinity gleams in its full
mystery", the saint tells us. "Christ is represented in
the form of a lamb; the voice of the Father thunders
from heaven; and through the dove the Holy Spirit is
poured out. The Cross is encompassed by a circle of
light as by a crown. The crown of this crown are the
apostles themselves, who are represented by a choir of
doves. The Divine unity of the Trinity is summarized in
Christ. The Trinity has at the same time Its own
emblems; God is represented by the paternal voice, and
by the Spirit; the Cross and the Lamb denote the Holy
Victim. The purple background and the palms indicate
royalty and triumph. Upon the rock he stands Who is the
Rock of the Church, from which flow the four murmuring
springs, the Evangelists, living rivers of Christ" (St.
Paulinus, "Ep. xxxii, ad Severum", xxxx 10, P. L. LXI,
336). The Divine Lamb was usually represented in
apsidal mosaics standing on the mystic mount whence
flow the four streams of Paradise symbolizing the
Evangelists; twelve sheep six on either side, were
further represented, coming from the cities of
Jerusalem and Bethlehem (indicated by small houses at
the extremities of the scenes) and proceeding towards
the lamb. The lower zone, no longer in existence, of
the famous fourth-century mosaic in the church of St.
Pudenziana, Rome, originally represented the lamb on
the mountain and probably also the twelve sheep; the
existing sixth-century apse mosaic of Sts. Cosmas and
Damian at Rome gives a good idea of the manner in which
this subject was represented.
According to the "Liber Pontificalis", Constantine the
Great presented to the Lateran baptistery, which he
founded, a golden statue of a lamb pouring water which
was placed between two silver statues of Christ and St.
John the Baptist; the Baptist is represented holding a
scroll inscribed with the words: "Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce
qui tollit peccata mundi." From the fifth century the
head of the lamb began to be encircled by the nimbus.
Several monuments also show the lamb with its head
surmounted by various forms of the Cross; one monument
discovered by de xxxx in Central Syria shows the lamb
with the Cross on its back.
The next step in the development of this idea of
associating the Cross with the lamb was depicted in a
sixth-century mosaic of the Vatican Basilica which
represented the lamb standing on a throne, at the foot
of a Cross studded with gems. From the pierced side of
this lamb, blood flowed into a chalice whence again it
issued in five streams, thus recalling Christ's five
wounds. Finally, another sixth-century monument, now
forming part of the ciborium of St. Mark's, Venice,
presents a crucifixion scene with the two thieves
nailed to the cross, while Christ is represented as a
lamb, standing erect at the junction of the crossbeams.
One of the most interesting monument showing the Divine
Lamb in various characters is the sarcophagus of Junius
Bassus (d. 358). In four of the spandrils between the
niches of
* raising Lazarus, by means of a rod, from the tomb;
* being baptized by another lamb, with dove dominating
the scene;
* multiplying loaves, in two baskets, by the touch of a
rod;
* joining three other lambs.
Two other scenes show a lamb receiving the Tables of
the Law on Mount Sinai and striking a rock whence
issues a stream of water. Thus in this series, the lamb
is a symbol, not only of Christ, but also of Moses, the
Baptist, and the Three Children in the fiery furnace.
The fresco the cemetery of Praetextatus, showing
Susanna as a lamb between two wolves (the elders), is
another example of the lamb as symbol of one of the
ordinary faithful.
MAURICE M. HASSETT Transcribed by Michael C. Tinkler
[New Advent Catholic Website]
http://www.knight.org/advent
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright � 1913 by the
Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright �
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