The phoenix’s rebirth from fire appealed to emergent Christianity, where it was interpreted as an allegory of resurrection and life after death. St. Clement I used the myth as an illustration of God’s capacity to resurrect those who have faith. Tertullian and St. Ambrose invoked the phoenix as evidence of the possibility of resurrection and as an analogy of Jesus’ resurrection. In early Christian art it symbolized Jesus’ immortality and kingship.
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