The Study of the Christian Symbolism of the Rose

WU+Zhi-Jie

【Abstract】The rose， as the queen of flowers， evidently represents beauty， the season of spring and love. It became a relatively important symbol through the Christian ages. Nevertheless， when we study how the rose became a symbol in Christian iconography， we see that it could furnish matter for considerable research. This article gives some outlines about the origin and the development of this symbolism.

【Key words】rose； Christian symbolism； religious iconography； universe； Virgin Mary； moral emblem

I. Introduction

For thousands of years， the flower of rose has become a relatively important symbol in religious iconography. In many ancient cultures， the rose was a sacred flower， reserved for goddesses， such as Venus， Isis and Aphrodite. This flower even made its way into the legal language. The Latin phrase “sub rosa”， literally “under the rose”， denotes a secret. The saying derives from the Romans hung a rose over meetings to indicate the meeting was confidential. Attendees understood that whatever was said under the rose had to remain a secret. The rose also has religious meaning as it is often used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary， Jesus Christs mother. Early Christians identified the five petals of the rose with the five wounds of Christ， and the red rose was adopted as symbolizing the blood of Christian martyrs. It is also part of Indian， Persian and Islamic traditions and is associated with symbol of love， secrecy and death.

II. The Origin of the Symbolism of Rose

Why did the rose become， through the Christian centuries， a powerful religious symbol？ Is there a Biblical foundation？

Although wild roses grew in Palestine at the time of Israel and of Jesus， the rose is mentioned neither in the Hebrew Bible nor in the New Testament. But the flower does appear in Greek Old Testament texts.

The primal Christian use of the rose appears in scenes representing the next world， Paradise. Together with flowers of lilies， it became symbols of virtues and of categories of the elect： the red rose for martyrs， lilies for virgins. In Rome the feast called “Rosalia” was a feast of the dead. This symbolism is in reality even more complex and we see it in Christian developments.

III. The Development of the Symbolism of Rose

1. The Symbolism of Rose — Universe

The universal symbolism of rose is well illustrated by Dante， in his description of Paradise. His guide， Beatrice， invites him to contemplate among the heavenly inhabitants： “Why are you so enamored of my face that you do not turn your gaze to the beautiful garden which blossoms under the radiance of Christ？ There is the rose， in which the divine word became flesh； here are the lilies whose perfume guides you in the right ways.”

Dante uses a general symbolism of the flower： the rose is the symbol of the universe， like the lotus in Asia. Indeed， with its multiple petals， it is a beautiful image of the expanding cosmos. Much later， from the seventeenth century on， the confraternity of the Rosi-crucians had as its emblem the Cross， with its branched expanding in all directions of the world， with the rose in the middle， as a symbol of the universe. Dante uses this symbolism for the final， eternal World in Heaven：

“In the form of a resplendent white rose， the holy army （meaning the saints）， appeared to me， that Christ made his bride in his own blood. The other army （meaning the angels）…like a swarm of bees that enter one moment into the flowers， and then return to the place where their work finds its savor…descended into the great flower， beautiful with all its petals， and then ascended again to the eternal indwelling of its love （ meaning God）… When they descended into the flower， from rank to rank， they sent peace and ardor….”

Wonderful examples of this symbol are found in the gothic cathedrals and their rose windows， the circular stained-glass windows that enhance the three entrances of these churches. These immense roses symbolize the World of Salvation offered and revealed by God to the lost human race through the Old and New Testament. Christ is at the center of these roses， where he appears chiefly either as judge or in the mystery of his incarnation.

In the latter example， we see Mary presenting the Child Jesus， all around are figures and scenes of the Bible illustrating the history of the salvation. In this artistic creation， the universal symbolism of the rose probably found its highest illustration.

2. The Symbolism of Rose — Virgin Mary

The rose finally became privileged as the queen of flowers. As the queen of flowers， the rose was evidently a privileged symbol for Mary， Queen of heaven and earth. The symbolism of the rose became Marian in a privileged manner through two iconographical themes： The rose garden and the devotion of the Rosary.

During the Middle Ages the theme of the rose garden developed through an interpenetration of the rose symbolism found in the literature of courtly love， using the rose as symbol of the beloved lady. Mary was honored as the model of our union with God， the rose became a privileged symbol of the union between Christ and Mary. Mary holding a rose appears at the end of the thirteenth century. The theme of Mary in a rose garden or rose arbor or pictured before a tapestry of roses， inspired many artists of the Rhineland.

During the Renaissance， the rose garden became more a theme for the representation of human love and lovers. At the same time， the religious Marian symbolism of the rose， developed by the devotion of the Rosary， became very popular. The devotion give rise to all kinds of representations （ paintings， statues， engravings， etc.）， showing Mary and the Child Jesus honored with roses. It is a remarkable example of how the Bible and changing human cultures merge in the history of Christianity.

The structured form of 150 Hail Marys received the name Rosary， because it was the title given to the works collecting the best of some teaching； for example， Arnold of Villanova wrote a Rosarius philosophorum， explaining that it was a compendium， a thesaurus： a treasury of philosophy. We see how the symbolism of the rose ended here in an abstract use. The Rosary then appears as a precious anthology of spirituality.

Our Lady of the Rosary is Our Lady of the roses because these flowers are the iconographic symbol of the greeting offered to the Mother of God. We greet with spiritual flowers.

The internationally-renowned Marian Library at the University Dayton， as the worlds largest assemblage of Marian publications and materials， possesses a number of artistic portrayals of the rosary. In some are a circle of fifteen medallions depicting the main events of the lives of Jesus and Mary， which constitute the rosary prayer. Each medallion is separated from the others by ten roses representing the ten Hail Marys that accompany the contemplation of each mystery of the Christian faith.

3. The Symbolism of Rose — A Moral Emblem

Another use of the rose as a spiritual symbol， although not strictly iconographical， is emblematic. The rose became a moral emblem to illustrate various adages or maxims of life. For example， “Life is a rose： its beauty fades rapidly，” or “As the rose blossoms under the sun， I shall blossom under the eyes of God.” Indeed in another emblem， the rose of our life blossoms among thorns， meaning pains， hard work， wickedness； but God brings good out of miseries.

4. The Symbolism of Rose — True Direction

Rosa rugosa， one of the oldest species of rose， had five petals， just like the guiding star of Venus， giving the rose strong iconographic ties to true direction and navigating ones way. For instance， the Compass Rose- drawn on almost every map- indicated North， East， South， and West. Originally known as the Wind Rose， it denoted the directions of the 32 winds， blowing from the directions of eight major winds， 8 half- winds， and 16 quarter- winds. When diagrammed inside a circle， these 32 points of the compass perfectly resembled a traditional 32- petal as a Compass Rose， its northernmost direction still marked commonly by the symbol of a rose.

On a globe， a Rose Line—also called zero longitude- was an imaginary line drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole. Today that line was in Greenwich， England.

IV. Conclusions

Coming back to the universal symbolism of the rose， as an important symbol through the Christian ages， rose represented universe， the mother of heaven and earth—Virgin Mary， and also a moral emblem to illustrate life and true direction. And in modern cultures， roses still represent important symbolism， including love， beauty， balance， passion， wisdom， etc.

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作者簡介：吳質潔（1981-），女，天津人，天津海運職業學院外語教學部專任教師，副教授，碩士，主要研究英語語言學，旅游英語。