Romans and Egyptians considered the wolf a symbol of valour and used wolf statues to guard monuments. In legend the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-wolf. Therefore, the power of Rome and maternal love were represented by the wolf. Oddly, Romans also considered the she-wolf a fit symbol for prostitution.
In the Baltic regions, the wolf's glittering eyes caused it to be associated with celestial events such as lightning, comets, the full moon, and falling stars. These events were thought to increase the wolf's natural ferosity and strength tenfold and awaken psychic and other worldly forces within him. If a wolf came across amber, he was believed to sniff the stone in order to receive power and enter into a mystical communication with astral forces.
Among Christians, the wolf suffered the same reputation as all predatory animals. He came to symbolize cruelty, gluttony, covetousness, heresy, anger, rapacity, and other evils. In medieval times, wolves were considered such creatures of the Devil that witches were believed to ride upon them. Above all the wolf came to represent ferosity against the flock of Christ, especially from within. Christ, himself says, "Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves" (Lk 10:3) and "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves" (Mt. 7:15). Paul adds, "I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock" (Acts 20:29).
The Church looked forward to the time when "The wolf will live with the lamb...and a little child will lead them (Is. 11:6). In images of the New Jerusalem, the wolf and lamb living peacefully together was as popular as today's image of the lion and the lamb lying down in peace: "The wolf and the lamb will feed together...They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain" (Is. 65:25).
In the Old Testament, God sent destruction to nations whose officials came against their own people as a wolf attacks his prey: "Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain" (Ez. 22:27); Her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning (Zeph. 3:3).
On the other hand, wolflike fierceness in battle was to be praised. When Jacob blesses his son Benjamin, he says, "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder" (Gen. 49:27). The wolf came to be the emblem of the tribe of Benjamin ­ a tribe as fierce and undaunted in battle in the morning as it is at night. The witness is in its conquests under Ehud (Judges 3:15-30) and Saul (1 Sam. 14:47-48).
In Christian art, the wolf is an attribute of St. Francis of Assisi who made a pact between the people of Gubbio and the fierce wolf who was attacking them.
All scripture quotes are from the NIV Bible.
Comments© 1997 by Suzetta Tucker
To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "ChristStory Wolf Page." ChristStory
Christian Bestiary. 1997. http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/wolf.htm
().