Sheep god of fertility). Other deities occasionally shown with ram features include the goddess Ishtar, the Phoenician god Baal-Hamon, and the Babylonian god Ea-Oannes. In Madagascar, sheep were not eaten as they were believed to be incarnations of the souls of ancestors. There are many ancient Greek references to sheep: that of Chrysomallos, the golden-fleeced ram, continuing to be told through into the modern era. Astrologically, Aries, the ram, is the first sign of the classical Greek zodiac, and the sheep is the eighth of the twelve animals associated with the 12-year cycle of in the Chinese zodiac, related to the
Sign of the Dove Sign of the Dove In Christianity, the Sign of the Dove was a prearranged sign by which John the Baptist would recognize the Messiah. The Four Gospels each record an account of the sign of the dove. "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him." In Hebrew, Jonah (יוֹנָה) means dove. The "sign of Jonas" in is related to the "sign of the dove". The Christian symbol of a dove with an