Donkeys are frequently mentioned in religious
books, tales and representations. They can found depicted in Egyptian,
Mussulman, Jewish, Judeo-Christian and even in Indian culture and stories. For
example, this animal is the vehicle for the Hindu goddess Kalaratri, one of the
fiercest depiction of Hindu gods. She rides a donkey, which is a symbol of
loyalty and destruction of darkness and ignorance.
Kalaratri riding a donkey,
symbol of loyalty
However,
the donkey is very frequently cited and artistically represented in Christianity.
Since it was a regular animal, spread among several areas as a common resource
of load transportation, it is portrayed many times in the Bible (Old and New
Testaments) becoming a solid part of this tradition. Often compared to horses,
donkeys were not a kind of animal for war battles or for pushing cavalry and
fancy chariots. Actually, these animals were a representative of the humble and
lowly peoples, always loyal and a source of arduous money or supplies to provide
human family survival. In the Bible, we have the passage: “Behold, your King is
coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A
colt, the foal of a donkey!" (Zechariah 9:9). This meant that the Messiah would
appear to everyone riding a donkey for peoples’ salvation. In the New
Testament, Jesus is the one who appears on a donkey, triumphantly entering into
Jerusalem, period known as Palm Sunday.
Jesus riding a donkey on Palm
Sunday. Notice that the animal is depicted in a central placement, and in a
high dimension.
When
Jesus came into Jerusalem gates, the whole crowd recognized the Messiah
prophecy because of the donkey and shout: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord!” (Mt 21:9), which is still done as a salutation when the
Holy Sacrifice is celebrated. The donkey represented Jesus as a humble rustic
man, on a peaceful mission. This animal, then, became the sacred throne for a
King. In addition, Jesus also challenged the way of how most of the people
perceived those animals: they were frequently mistreated and considered as
having no soul, no right to receive respect and compassion. Thence, we can also
interpret Jesus’ triumphal arrival as a questioning regarding our treatment
toward animals as well.
A
contemporary consequence of this could be the common association of donkeys to
humble people, and especially the religious ones. Because of this kind
relationship, these animals can be seen as peaceful, significant and even holy
animals.
Famous depiction of Jesus'
arrival at Jerusalem
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