What does the lamb symbolize in Biblical scripture?
In many stories from the Bible, the lamb serves as a sacrificial donation to atone for the sins of man. After the crucifixion of Christ, the lamb becomes synonymous with Jesus himself who made the ultimate sacrifice in order to cleanse the sins of mankind and give salvation to all. Images of the lamb in scripture typically indicate Jesus’ gift to humanity through his death.This image has become crucial to the way modern Christianity understands and interprets human salvation.
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29
Overall, the representation of the biblical lamb in various forms of media demonstrates the medieval practice of making the Bible more accessible to all. In a time when Catholic Masses were conducted entirely in Latin (before the Protestant Reformation and Henry VIII founding the Church of England) and many people were illiterate, these physical representations of scripture provided a bridge between the common man and the noble’s Bible. As a result, more people were able to make connections with the stories beyond sermons alone.
“What does it mean that Jesus is the Lamb of God?” gotQuestions.org. Got Questions Ministries, 2016. Web. 22 July 2016.
John. King James Bible. King James Bible Online, 2016. Web. 24 July 2016.
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