Listening to the Raven and Dove

The two birds of Noah.

This lesson was originally introduced as part of the immersive catechism class we attended at our Parish on October 7, 2021.

Near the close of his voyage on the ark, Noah sent out two birds: a raven and a dove. And these two birds, in their own way, became emissaries that conveyed two different messages to Noah. The raven “flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth,” This bird did not return to the ark. It came back with no good news. It winged its way here and there around the surface of the earth, but it remained outside the ark. It was not a herald of peace, completion, and comfort. All it did was fly and noise abroad its caw. The dove was sent out three times. The first time she “found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to the ark,” (9:9). The second time that Noah released her, she returned to the ark at “evening; and behold in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth,” (9:12). And the third time she did not return to him.

There are some stories that seem so familiar that they prevent us from listening to the details. This reminds us of dedication that is required for listening. You are familiar with the story of flood and ark. Noah had two birds: a raven and a dove. The dove is familiar, but the raven?  The raven is the first bird mentioned in the Bible but often forgotten and deserves more of our attention. When we think of the raven as a symbol it is often associated with a form of evil. *

Note about these birds: The dove and raven were not counted among the paired animals on the ark. Noah was allowed to bring these two birds because they were domesticated fowl belonging to Noah’s household. ¹ (See more on doves and ravens.)

Death surrounded the ark. As the rain fell, the pounding of fists on the closed doors and screams grew from outside. After the flood water started to recede, the smell of death continued to hang thick in the air. After waiting several months on the ark, Noah finally opened the hatch to see the world after the flood. The reality of the death was made evident. Noah choose to release the raven from the ark. ² The raven flew back and forth until the water dried. That is it; to hear the details we need to listen to the raven’s symbolism so that the story can tell us why the raven is sent. There are two symbols of the raven: trickster and mediator. 

Trickster

The raven is a large opportunistic bird. The black eyes and feathers of the raven contribute to the trickster image. Ravens are highly intellectual birds, but this intellectual is seen as being used selfishly for evil rather than good. Known to be a strong flier and a scavenger able to digest carrion, a bird with an unfettered appetite. Ravens will put on elaborate performances to steal food.
They will fake injuries or create distractions. A group of ravens is called an unkindness or a
conspiracy. Their reputation as liars and thieves is deserved. The raven being trapped on the ark, would grow impatient. We would all grow impatient sitting idle.  More importantly the raven is a land-sighting bird. All of these strength would be a benefit to Noah, who also wants to enter the post-flood world. Using these strength the raven convinces Noah to release him first. One would therefore expect the raven, when released from the ark, to check its surroundings for food. Finding none in the immediate vicinity, the raven flew back to the ark, where it knew food was available

Once the raven is released, then the raven flies without purpose by going back and forth. Instead of using the strengths, the raven now tricked Noah and is using his release to spread evil and sin over the post-flood world. We can see this once we understand that the other character in the bible that goes back and forth is Satan. 

Mediator

Ravens are also seen as a mediator between life and death. Being a scavenger the raven is comfortable with decay. Death was a fact of the post-flood world. He did not send the raven to make sure that the earth was dry enough to leave the ark. Noah feared that the ground was dry but strewn with corpses. After the Flood, the ark came to rest…on the mountains of Ararat (Gen. 8:4). From that place Noah would not have been able to discern its condition in any greater detail.³ He therefore dispatched a scavenging bird capable of eating carrion to see if his fears were real. Since the raven did not find food of any kind, Noah (with a sense of relief perhaps) had the answer to his question. Noah did not want to leave the ark–the only place of life–and enter the post-flood world without attending to the dead.

Regardless of the evil of those who died in the flood, the human need is to attend to the dead. Thus, the symbol of the raven flies from death to life; back and forth. The raven’s movements are not without purpose but to shepherd Noah from the death of flood into life of the post-flood world. 

Contrast with Dove

By listening to symbols allows us to view the raven as standing in contrast to the dove. The dove is a gentle creature, faithful to its partner until death, and the familiar image, a sign of peace. The dove represents a clean slate based on trust and hope in a post-flood world. Like the blind man who gains sight, we clearly see the sign of the peace by placing the dove next to the raven.

What did Noah hope the dove would tell him that he did not already know?

Doves unlike ravens are used to flying over long distances. It is where they fly that provides an understanding this narrative. Doves fly home. (Think of Homing Pigeons) Doves are nesting birds and will be driven to nest seasonally. When the dove was unable to return to its original home it decided to make its nest on the ark its home for the past several months. Upon its return from the second release the Dove was bearing an olive branch. The olive branch is a symbol of the peace established through baptism between Heaven and Earth. St. Augustine of Hippo wrote in On Christian Doctrine (De Doctrina Christiana) that, “perpetual peace is indicated by the olive branch which the dove brought with it when it returned to the ark.”  The olive branch with seven leaves, representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit given through Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation. 

When Noah sends the dove out a third time and it fails to return (Gen.8:12), he knows that it is safe to leave the Ark and go back home. Noah gave little thought to the destruction God had foretold until it actually happened. By then it was too late. Once the waters began to recede revealing the devastation did Noah begin to appreciate the consequences of his lack of empathy. This guilt was the reason for his unruly and destructive behavior and finally death. A man chosen to listen to God’s word found empathy to understand the severity of his experience.

*In the Old Testament the raven is not specifically mentioned as a wicked bird. To the contrary, Jesus uses a raven in an example of God’ s gracious provision in Luke 12:24. However, it was Philo of Alexandria who would compare the raven with evil during the 1st century AD by writing that:

“[…] as a raven is a black, and arrogant, and speedy animal, it is a sign of wickedness, which brings night and darkness over the soul, and it is also swift to meet all the things of the world in its flight. […] But those birds, the raven and the dove, are symbols of wickedness and virtue: for the one, whether it is wickedness or the raven, has no house, nor habitation, nor city, being an insolent unsociable bird; but the other, namely virtue, has a regard to humanity, and to the public good”⁴

We begin to see additional writings emerge that allude to the concept that the Raven is to be portrayed as a bird with evil connotations. The reason for this opinion was that the raven, unlike the dove, which is vegetarian, is carnivorous: it is a scavenger able to survive on carrion and therefore had no need to return to the ark for food. This explanation can be seen in the works of both early Christian and Jewish writers. In one of his homilies John Chrysostom (347–407) wrote to elaborate on the raven’s opportunistic eating habits. Multiple other writers continued on this theme using far more descriptive imagery to draw conclusions about the evil behavior of the raven. According to St. Ambrose of Milan, the raven symbolized sin. St. Augustine, a student of St. Ambrose, likened the raven to impure men and even procrastinators. St. Ambrose uses the story of Noah in his baptismal catechesis. He notes that at the flood the raven represents sin sent out never to return. Just as it is to be for us as we go through the baptismal waters; sin is washed away.⁵

The list could go on. Not all references to the raven in the Bible are negative. 1 Kings God sends a raven to feed Elijah in the desert. In the Psalms and in Job ravens are symbols of God’s provision. In Song of Songs, beautiful hair is described as black like a raven. What we can conclude is that the raven is smart, adaptable, loyal, communicative, deceitful, and greedy. In short: A raven is a complicated animal one worthy of our attention to its message.

Sources

1.) Noah and the Dove: The Integral Connection Between Noah and Jonah, Sheila Tuller Keiter Jewish Bible Quarterly pp. 261-265 Vol. 40 No. 12 2012

2.) Why Did Noah Send Out a Raven? R.W.L. Moberly Vetus Testamentum Vol. 50, Fasc. 3 (July 2000) pp. 345-356

3.) The Mission of The Raven (Gen. 8:7) David Marcus Journal of the Ancient Near East Society pp. 71-80

4.) Apostle Horn. Philo of Alexandria ‘Questions and Answers on Genesis Books I-III, p 63

5.) St. Augustine of Hippo. De Doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine / On Christian Teaching) Books I-III c.397 Book IV c.426.