Christian Symbols

This picture is a depiction of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is, to put it lightly, an important event in Christianity. The picture depicts a couple symbols that were developed because of the events summarized by the picture. The painting also makes use of other, previously established symbols, to emphasize the importance of the images. The star directly above the baby Jesus is a symbol that was created as a result of the story told in this painting. The star, in Christianity (and this painting), is used in reference to the star that the three kings from the east used to guide them to the baby Jesus. The images of the animals and the manger represent, in Christianity, the lowly nature of the birth of Christ. They show the sacrifice made by Jesus, by not only becoming human, but being born into a low class, where a crib could not be provided for him, born among animals. The baby itself is also a symbol established in the events depicted, the child is one of the first, and definitely one of the most important symbols in Christianity. The child is the first image of Christian salvation. These are symbols that prior to this event did not exist; they are, essentially, the basic building blocks (chronologically) of the Christian religion. Christianity exists because these symbols carry on the meaning of the story they represent.

Within the picture there are also symbols that, I would assume, previously existed. For example the image of angels, is no doubt an established image, even prior to the New Testament event occurring in the painting. Angels have, previous to the birth of Christ, been used as mediums through which God communicates with humans. Another widely used symbol that is present in the picture is the halo. Around the head of any sort of holy being within the picture is a ring of light (halo). The ring of light is used to help identify those beings in the picture that are holy.

This picture contains different religious symbols, old and new. The older symbols perpetuate the ideas that had previously been established; the new ones help to form new ideas and present them in a memorable fashion. Any sort of biblical painting similar to the one above, is usually packed with old news, it is the image itself as a whole that takes the old and adds to it the new. All religious symbols are used to take something intangible and put it into an image that can be comprehended. This picture uses previously established symbols (angels and halos) and puts them together in order to introduce a new symbol (the picture as a whole) in order to convey a message (Christ our savior is born (Jesus is no ordinary kid)) which ultimately has symbols pulled from it (star, animals, manger) which represent highlighted parts of the story. Symbols... gotta love 'em.