Bible Dictionaries
Serpent
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
An emblem of Satan and sin. The tempter appeared in that form to our first parents in Eden. In Christian art it is associated with
- Blessed Virgin Mary where it is often placed beneath her feet: "the seed of the woman shall crush his head."
- Saint Benedict of Nursia
- Saint Christina of Bolsena
- Saint Hilary
- Saint Hilda of Whitby
- Saint Honorat
- Saint James of the Marches
- Saint John the Evangelist
- Saint Julius of Novara
- Saint Luis Beltran
- Saint Patrick
On the other hand, a serpent twined around a cross is an emblem of Our Lord, recalling the brazen serpent which Moses erected to cure the Israelites in the desert.
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Bibliography Information
Entry for 'Serpent'. 1910 New Catholic Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ncd/s/serpent.html. 1910.