The Eternal Nile: Aquatic Imagery in Egyptian Christian Art

Abstract

Aquatic life is frequently used as a symbol in Biblical and early Christian symbolism, from the plague of frogs in Exodus to the fish in early Christianity. Aquatic life has its most enduring and vibrant expressions in Coptic art, where baptismal scenes of Jesus have rivers rich with aquatic life. Many of these symbols are not necessarily Christian and have their roots in pre-Christian art. For example, the frog, potentially a negative symbol in Christian art on account of the plague of frogs in Exodus, is a positive symbol of regeneration in Egyptian pre-Christian and Christian art. The prevalence of aquatic life in Coptic art may explain the unique and vibrant river scene in the twelfth-century Annunciation icon at St. Catherine’s Monastery at Sinai (fig. 1). Aquatic life in Coptic art represents an interesting intersection of pre-Christian and Christian symbolism. The key to understanding these symbols is a reading of the images that draws from the Christian theology of baptism and pre-Christian descriptions of the Nile. These symbols may be interpreted not just as mere decoration but as having a significant theological role in the artistic programs in which they appear.