Dove with Olive Branch

DOVE WITH OLIVE BRANCH - Is the Universal symbol of peace "the dove" and forgiveness "the olive branch".  The Biblical story of Noah and the Flood tells of a dove returning to the Ark with a freshly plucked olive leaf.  The leaf reveals proof of land, the end of the flood, and for Christians the parallel of baptism.  In the New Testament, the Spirit of God that descended upon Jesus during his baptism is compared to a dove.  In early Christian art the dove is often used to represent the peace of the soul.

(KJV Matthew 3:16) - “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:” 

(KJV Gen 8:11) - And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.