ChristStory Bestiary

CAMEL

TEMPERANCE

Because of its strange appearance, the camel is a symbol of awkwardness. In some places a large, clumsy person might, very rudely, be called a camel. Its features give it the appearance of haughtiness and so it symbolizes the arrogant, ill-tempered person. In countries unfamiliar with this hard-working animal, it is a symbol of laziness. In ancient Persian texts and in the Zohar, the serpent in the Garden of Eden is said to have been a flying or dragon-camel. Such camels are also thought to be Eden's guards.

The camel is the symbol of desert places such as Asia and Arabia where it was frequently used in caravans. It is often called the "ship of the desert." This creature is symbolic of vehicles, strengths, people, or happenings which enable one to reach spiritual oases hidden in the deserts of life. It is used not only for transportation but to pull ploughs and turn waterwheels. Camel racing is a popular sport in desert countries. Bedouins call the one-hump Arabian camel "Ata Allah" or "God's gift." He is their main source of meat, clothing, rugs, tents, and milk. The camel was considered a valuable sacrificial animal among desert peoples. However, the Israelites considered this animal unclean "because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves" (Lev 11:4; Deu 14:7).

For many centuries, the camel was believed to store water in its hump. Therefore it became best-known as a symbol of sobriety, temperance, stamina, and moderation. It can indeed go for several days without eating or drinking but its hump is actually a mass of fatty tissue which it draws nourishment from in times of scarcity.

Camels were a sign of wealth in the ancient world (Gen 12:16; 24:35; 30:43; 32:15; Job 1:3; 42:12) Their rich trappings, even during the Renaissance, were used to indicate royalty and prosperity (Judg 8:21, 26). The three wise men are usually shown riding camels to Bethlehem where the beasts knelt to worship the Christ Child. According to legend, the wise men's camels journeyed to Bethlehem without food, water, or rest in order to reach the Babe in only twelve or thirteen days.

In biblical times, camels were beasts of burden and travel (2 Ki 8:9; Gen 24:10, 61; 37:25; 1 Sam 30:17; 1 Ki 10:2; 1 Chr 12:40; 27:30; 2 Chr 9:1; Is 30:6; 60:6; 66:20). They were able to carry almost 1000 pounds of cargo and travel at speeds of 25 miles a day. Rebekah first saw Isaac while riding upon a camel (Gen 24:64). Jacob "set his sons and his wives on camels" when he left Laban to return to Canaan (Gen 31:17).

Camels were also beasts of war. Before Gideon drove them out, raiding parties of the Midianites and the Amalakites descended upon the Israelites, riding camels that "were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude" (Judg 7:12; 6:5). In Isaiah's prophecy, "The Burden of the Desert of the Sea" or "The Burden Against Babylon," the Media-Persian invasion of Babylon is symbolized by a chariot of donkeys and a chariot of camels, or, as some interpret the verse, a chariot drawn by a camel and a donkey yoked together, representing Darius and Cyrus (Is 21:7). Camels were destroyed or taken away as spoils of war along with their masters and in the judgments of the Lord (1 Sam 15:3; Zec 14:15; Ex 9:3; 1 Sam 27:9; 1 Chr 5:21; 2 Chr 14:15; Jer 49:29, 32).

St. John the Baptist is often pictured wearing a camel's hair loincloth or tunic as one of his attributes because of his penitential lifestyle (Mk 1:6).

Macarius the Egyptian was tormented by the Devil in the shape of a huge camel.

A talking camel ensured that the twin saints, Damian and Cosmas were buried together after their martyrdom. These Arabian doctor-vets were nicknamed "the moneyless ones" because they refused to accept any payment for their services. However, one day, a patient forced some eggs upon Damian. Disgusted by his brother's weakness in this matter, Cosmas declared that he would not be buried with him. Unbeknownst to his followers, the saint later had a change of heart. So when the mourners began burying the twins in separate graves, a camel just had to step in and set things straight.

Abraham's servant knew that Rebekah was the girl for Isaac because, in answer to his prayer for a sign, she offered to water his camels (Gen 24:11-19). In Islamic legend, Mohammed's camel, Al Adha, bore him all the way from Jerusalem to Mecca in four gigantic steps.

The camel's habit of kneeling to be loaded up made it a symbol of prayer and of the uncomplaining Christian taking up his burden or cross. It was rumored to worship the Creator upon its knees. Because the camel instinctively refuses to carry burdens which are too heavy for it, this animal has become a symbol of discernment and of laziness. The familiar bawling and grunting the camel makes when rising under a heavy burden were misinterpreted by some as a sign of stubbornness.

Since the Arabian camel may grow as much as seven feet tall and weigh more than 1500 pounds, it has become a symbol of large creatures. Jesus told His disciples, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mt 19:24; Mk 10:25; Lk 18:25). He also called the scribes and Pharisees "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (Mt 23:24). Augustine told his readers not to worry that the Godhead had been in any way cramped or restricted by the smallness of the body of the Christ Child since God was able to give tiny ants and bees abilities superior to those of large camels.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible.