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To Schedule a White Dove Release

Call or e-mail

Mark and Caryn

 

Phone: 801-668-6521

E-mail:

UtahDoves@gmail.com

Are you ready to experience an unforgettable moment?  A Dove Release is like a breath of heaven that brings a spiritual drama to your special occasion.  As our carefully trained rock doves take flight, the beauty, symbolism and splendor of the moment may take your breath away.



 From the earliest records, archaeological or documentary, the dove is found to have been closely allied with man. Few of God's creatures have won the interest, affection, and veneration of mankind as has this little bird. In the religions of early man, doves were revered as the sacred companions of the gods.  Many early cultures used white doves as a sacrificial animal, believing that the smoke rising from these burnt offerings would please the gods.  
   Nowhere was this veneration more prevalent than in the Middle East, where the Arcadian, Canaanitish, Aramean, and Arabic peoples all incorporated the dove into their mythology, culture, and history. Before the rise of the Hebrew clans, and before the dawn of Christianity, the people of this region had a reverence for the dove. This adoration extended from the Sumerians, the Accadians, etc., to the Assyrians, the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Persians, the Hindus, and later to the Mohammedans.
   The first archaeological evidence depicting doves as a spiritual animal dates back to 5000 BC, with the Sumerian goddess, Astarte. Her worship as a god of war was widespread throughout the Middle East and Egypt. Numerous artifacts show her accompanied by white doves, which were believed to help guide her on her journeys. Images of the dove adorned the roof and walls of Astarte's temple located in Beth-Shan region of Israel, a region that became the cradle of the Jewish and Christian religions. This particular temple is mentioned in the Old Testament as the place where the Philistines deposited the armor of Saul after he was slain. Recent excavation of this site have produced many small shrines bearing the symbol of the dove.  (Levi, p.4)
 
   The Greek writers, Xenophon, Ctesias, and Lucian, all assert that the the Assyrians worshiped doves and abstained from harming them as being of a sacred nature. Xenophon (455-366 BCE) in his book, Anabasis, refers to the Syrian's regard for them as holy. Latin writers also discussed this veneration. In his Eighth Elegy, Tibullus wrote:
"Why need I tell how the sacred white pigeon flutters unmolested about the numerous cities of Syrian Palestine?"

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Doves In the Hebrew Religion
The early Hebrews, having been in close contact with, and possibly related to , the adjoining polytheistic cultures, assumed many of the thoughts, reactions, and doctrines of their neighbors.
We find that the sacrifice of doves and pigeons in the early Hebrew rituals of expiation was a remnant of the ancient rites of the god, Astarte. Doves, turtledoves, and pigeons were the only birds or fowls, specifically mentioned in the Old Testament, which were allowed under the law of Moses to be sacrificed in early Hebrew rituals of purification. (Langdon, 1931, p.59)
Leviticus 1 :14:
"And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons."

For the purification of a woman after the birth of a child, pigeons and doves were prescribed as an offering.

Leviticus 12:6:
"And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering."

The turtledove is said to be distinguished from the dove and pigeon in that it is a migrant, and, though it was allowed as a sacrifice, it could not be obtained at all seasons as could the pigeon, so the law was laid down in the alternative, that either could be used. The poorer classes were allowed to have their dovecotes or obtain young pigeons at a small price. (Starr, 1886, p.107)

Leviticus 14:21-22:
"And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take..." " And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering."

In the rites and sacrifices for cleansing of the leper, pigeons and doves were designated as suitable. We also find in the law of the Nazarite, in his separation, that pigeons were delineated for sin and burnt offerings.

Numbers 6:10-11:
"And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
"And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day."

Even before the time of the Mosaic laws, doves were well-recognized and favored sacrificial objects. In the early days of the Hebrews (1913 BCE), Abraham was ordered to use them.

Genesis 15:9:
"And he said unto him, 'Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon'."
 
   Not only did the dove hold a high place for sacrificial purposes, but it was the dove that was given the honor of bearing the glad tidings of land to Noah. Noah sent out a raven, but the raven failed him and did not return; he sent out a dove which returned when it could not find land; again the dove was sent out and this time it found land but, instead of staying, it returned to Noah with the olive leaf; a demonstration of trustworthiness which remains one of the most endearing qualifies of the dove to this day.

   This is the Hebraic version of the Great Flood, a flood which archaeologists believe depicts the historical flooding of the Black Sea basin. Other cultures in the region had their own versions of the deluge, and, in the vast majority, the dove plays an honorable part. The Hebrew version is said to be patterned after the Arcadian. According to the early Arcadian version, Utnapishtim (Noah) first released a dove, which returned; then a swallow, which returned; then a raven, which did not return, so that Utnapishtim knew the flood had abated and released the animals.
(Drury, 1902, p.109)

 The foregoing references to the dove are not the only ones in the Old Testament. There are numerous others, each one of which is deferential, referring to the dove as an emblem of peace, of purity, of tenderness, and of affection. The Song of Solomon and the Psalms have a number of such references:

Psalms 68:13: A song of David- (A prayer at the removing of the ark)
"Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold."

This passage has been construed by some as referring to the custom existing in a number of eastern countries of making dove nests out of earthenware vessels from which the neck had accidentally been broken. (Starr, 1886, p.109)

Song of Solomon 2:14:
"O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely."

The last verse demonstrates that a form of rock pigeon inhabited the Holy Land in the tenth century BCE. In an account in Isaiah (about 698 BCE), we find:

Isaiah 60:8:
"Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?"

This clearly shows that at this period the Hebrews raised pigeons and doves in a state of domestication. The meaning of the term, 'windows' is lost in translation, but it is likely referring to the small openings people made in their roofs, which allow the birds access to the loft space.

It has been said that there are references in the Talmud as saying "fliers of pigeons are liars." Dr. Jacob Lauterbach or the Hebrew Union College disagrees, and gives this excerpt:
"the Mishnah, Sanhedrin III:3 mentions among those disqualified to act as witnesses 'fliers of pigeons'. The Gemara gives two explanations of this term. According to the one, fliers of pigeons are people who bet on races of of pigeons. They are disqualified as witnesses because they are gamblers, and gamblers are not fit to act as witnesses. According to the other explanation, fliers of pigeons are people who lay snares to catch other peoples' pigeons. They are disqualified because they are poachers or thieves. There is no special statement that explicitly says that 'fliers of pigeons are liars.' (Levi, 1941, p.5)

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Doves and Christianity
The early Christian religion, being the offspring of the Hebraic, naturally adopted the sentiments of its parent religion about the dove and pigeon. They brought this reverence to a higher degree, for when reference is made to the dove in the New Testament, we find that the dove is emblematic of the Holy Spirit.
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:"
Mark 1:10 "And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:"
In the New Testament, we find Luke recording the sacrificial offering of pigeons and doves as a purification for Mary after the birth of Jesus: Luke 2:24 "And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
    In early Christian churches, the Pyx, a vessel of precious metal, hanging over the altar, was ofttimes fashioned into the shape of a dove. In this vessel the Holy Eucharist or Sacrament was placed.
   In Christian art, as early as the sixth century, the dove was employed as an emblem of the Holy Ghost, most likely because of the passage from Luke above. In stained glass church windows the dove is portrayed with seven rays leading form it to seven stars, symbolic of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In paintings, the dove, issuing form the lips of dying saints and martyrs, represents the human soul purified by suffering. (Levi, 1941, p.5)
 
 
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References:
Drury, B. P. (1902) "The Bird of Peace". Birds and Nature, vol. 12. p. 109. Chicago: A. W. Mumford.

Levi, W. M. (1941). The Pigeon. Sumpter: Levi Publishing Co.

Langdon, S. H. (1931). The Mythology of All Races. Boston: Marshall Jones Inc.

Starr, E. S. (1886)."The Breeding of Fancy Pigeons". Century Magazine. 32: 94-10