The Holy Spirit Descending as a Dove

Painting: St. Thomas Aquinas by Francesco Solimena, from The Basilica of San Dominico Maggiore in Naples, Italy.

Occasionally, over the past few months, I have done postings from the writings of the saints and blesseds on the symbolism of the dove as related to the Church as the bride of Christ.  The dove, in the Song of Songs, is seen as symbolic of the Church in the writings of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. John of the Cross and a chant by Bl. Hildegard of Bingen.  In St. Augustine, the dove in Matthew 10:16 is seen as an object for us to imitate: "the dove may you imitate securely. Mark how the doves rejoice in society; everywhere do they fly and feed together; they do not love to be alone, they delight in communion, they preserve affection; their cooings are the plaintive cries of love, with kissings they beget their young. . ." (see the Dove category link for discussions of these writings).

Now I have a couple of postings, yesterday and today, from the writings of the saints and blesseds on the symbolism of the dove as related to the Holy Spirit.  While the dove in Scripture sometimes appears as the Church, the dove elsewhere appears as the Holy Spirit.  in the Gospel accounts of the baptism of our Lord, the Holy Spirit appears as a dove, including the following account from Mark's Gospel, the Gospel reading from this past Monday's feast of the baptism of our Lord:

"This is what John the Baptist proclaimed:
  “One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
  he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
  and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open
  and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens,
  “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  

Mark 1:7-11 (NAB)

Here are two discussions of the dove at the baptism of Jesus, from St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas:

St. Thomas Aquinas on the Holy Spirit and the Dove:

The Holy Ghost appeared over Christ at His baptism, under the form of a dove, for four reasons. First, on account of the disposition required in the one baptized---namely, that he approach in good faith: since! as it is written (Wis. 1:5): "The holy spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful." For the dove is an animal of a simple character, void of cunning and deceit: whence it is said (Mt. 10:16): "Be ye simple as doves."

Secondly, in order to designate the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, which are signified by the properties of the dove. For the dove dwells beside the running stream, in order that, on perceiving the hawk, it may plunge in and escape. This refers to the gift of wisdom, whereby the saints dwell beside the running waters of Holy Scripture, in order to escape the assaults of the devil. Again, the dove prefers the more choice seeds. This refers to the gift of knowledge, whereby the saints make choice of sound doctrines, with which they nourish themselves. Further, the dove feeds the brood of other birds. This refers to the gift of counsel, with which the saints, by teaching and example, feed men who have been the brood, i.e. imitators, of the devil. Again, the dove tears not with its beak. This refers to the gift of understanding, wherewith the saints do not rend sound doctrines, as heretics do. Again, the dove has no gall. This refers to the gift of piety, by reason of which the saints are free from unreasonable anger. Again, the dove builds its nest in the cleft of a rock. This refers to the gift of fortitude, wherewith the saints build their nest, i.e. take refuge and hope, in the death wounds of Christ, who is the Rock of strength. Lastly, the dove has a plaintive song. This refers to the gift of fear, wherewith the saints delight in bewailing sins.

Thirdly, the Holy Ghost appeared under the form of a dove on account of the proper effect of baptism, which is the remission of sins and reconciliation with God: for the dove is a gentle creature. Wherefore, as Chrysostom says, (Hom. xii in Matth.), "at the Deluge this creature appeared bearing an olive branch, and publishing the tidings of the universal peace of the whole world: and now again the dove appears at the baptism, pointing to our Deliverer."

Fourthly, the Holy Ghost appeared over our Lord at His baptism in the form of a dove, in order to designate the common effect of baptism---namely, the building up of the unity of the Church. Hence it is written (Eph. 5:25-27): "Christ delivered Himself up . . . that He might present . . . to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing . . . cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life." Therefore it was fitting that the Holy Ghost should appear at the baptism under the form of a dove, which is a creature both loving and gregarious. Wherefore also it is said of the Church (Cant 6:8): "One is my dove." 

Summa Theologica, Part III, Question 39, Article 6, Reply to Objection 4, translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province, Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

St. Augustine on the Holy Spirit and the Dove:

“If, therefore, He is said to be sent, in so far as He appeared outwardly in the bodily creature, who inwardly in His spiritual nature is always hidden from the eyes of mortals, it is now easy to understand also of the Holy Spirit why He too is said to be sent. For in due time a certain outward appearance of the creature was wrought, wherein the Holy Spirit might be visibly shown; whether when He descended upon the Lord Himself in a bodily shape as a dove, or when, ten days having past since His ascension, on the day of Pentecost a sound came suddenly from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and cloven tongues like as of fire were seen upon them, and it sat upon each of them. This operation, visibly exhibited, and presented to mortal eyes, is called the sending of the Holy Spirit; not that His very substance appeared, in which He himself also is invisible and unchangeable, like the Father and the Son, but that the hearts of men, touched by things seen outwardly, might be turned from the manifestation in time of Him as coming to His hidden eternity as ever present.”
 

On the Trinity, Chapter V , Para. 10, translated by A.W. Haddan, Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

One of the interesting things in the description given by St. Thomas is that he connects the appearance of the Holy Spirit as a dove with the description of the Church as a dove in the Song of Songs.  The last sentence of his fourth point is "Therefore it was fitting that the Holy Ghost should appear at the baptism under the form of a dove, which is a creature both loving and gregarious. Wherefore also it is said of the Church (Cant 6:8): "One is my dove." The loving and gregarious nature of the dove is what St. Augustine mentioned, in a different passage quoted above, with reference to Matthew 10:16 ("wise as serpents and innocent as doves").  The Holy Spirit thus appeared as an animal understood to be loving, as God is loving, and as God calls the Church to be loving.  It is a picture of God's love, and also a picture of communion, as St. Augustine said concerning Matthew 10:16, "they delight in communion, they preserve affection; their cooings are the plaintive cries of love, with kissings they beget their young." 

St. Augustine's view and St. Thomas Aquinas's view here both could here be described as, in some sense, nuptial.  The symbolism of a dove is seen, by both, as one of marriage.  St. Thomas references Song of Songs 6:8 "One is my dove," while St. Augustine wrote, "with kissings they beget their young."  While the nuptial symbolism of Scripture is more commonly seen between the Church as the bride of Christ, and Christ as the bridegroom, here something similar is seen with respect to the dove mentioned both in Matthew 10:16 and the appearance of the Holy Spirit as a dove at the baptism of Christ.  God's love is intimate.  God's working in our lives is intimate and loving.  God's longing for His people, and our longing for God, is an intimate, longing loving, like that of the dove for its mate.  God is not distant from us. 

As the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism, the Father also was present, as a voice was heard from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  Again, the words of the Father were words of love.  Christ, in His baptism, identified with humanity.  As God, He had no need for John's baptism for repentance because He was without sin.  The expressions of love from the Father and the Holy Spirit toward the Son reflect the love that existed within the Trinity before creation, described by St. Albert the Great and, more recently, by Hans Urs von Balthasar:

"God's love is so complete in itself -- he is lover, responding beloved, and union of the fruit of both -- that he has need of no extradivine world in order to have something to love.  If such a world is freely created by God, apart from any compelling need, then this occurs, from the viewpoint of the Father, in order to glorify the beloved Son; from the viewpoint of the loving Son, in order to lay everything as a gift at the Father's feet; and from the viewpoints of the Spirit in order to lend new expression to the reciprocal love between Father and Son.  Hence, the one triune God is Creator of the world.  If this creation is attributed specifically to the Father, then that is because, within God, he is the Origin behind which nothing more can be sought."

Hans Urs von Balthasar, Credo, Ignatius Press.

The nuptial view of love in Christ and the Church was also mentioned by Pope Benedict XVI in an essay "Wounded by the Arrow of Beauty", recently published in On the Way to Jesus Christ, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Ignatius Press, speaking of the beauty of Christ in a Lenten antiphon which says "You are the fairest of the children of men and graciousness is poured upon your lips"  (taken from Psalm 45):

"It is clear that the Church reads this psalm as a prophetic and poetic depiction of the spousal relationship of Christ and the Church.  She thus acknowledges Christ as the fairest of men; the graciousness poured upon his lips refers to the inner beauty of his words, to the glory of this message.  So it is not merely the external beauty of the Redeemer's appearance that is praised: rather, the beauty of truth appears in him, the beauty of God himself, who powerfully draws us and inflicts on us the wound of Love, as it were, a holy Eros that enables us to go forth, with and in the Church, his Bride, to meet the Love who calls us."

On the Way to Jesus Christ, pp. 32-33.  The rest of the Holy Father's essay, written when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, spoke of the beauty of truth, and of beauty as knowledge, as seen in icons and the beauty that the faith has generated, and in the saints.  While awaiting his first encyclical, which we are told is about God as love, referencing "Eros", his use of the concept of "Eros" in this earlier essay gives us a glimpse of how the Holy Father views Eros and God's love.  There is no mention of the dove symbolism in his essay from On the Way to Jesus Christ, nor was there any in the book mentioned above by Hans Urs von Balthasar.  But in their view of God's love as intimate, the love of the Bridegroom for the Bride, they parallel the views shown above from St. Augustine and from St. Thomas Aquinas.  The symbolism of the dove, in reference to God and to the Church, is one of love.

Comments

[Owen Compton]

I very much enjoyed this posting. Blessings as you continue your labor of love. God bless your work!