Dogwood Blossoms
Dogwood Blossoms
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A symbol of resurrection and Jesus Christ
A symbol of resurrection and Jesus Christ
One common recurring detail in the Richmond Temple is the Dogwood Blossom.
The dogwood blossoms are found all over the temple, inside and out. Even the landscaping includes dogwood trees.
On a chandelier
On the capital of the pillars outside the temple
On the altar of the sealing room
On door handles
On the carpeting
On this carpet
On the entablature in the instruction room
Multiple locations in the Celestial room
The dogwood is a local native species, very common to this area. These flowers bloom in my backyard.
Image from: CGP Grey
The dogwood is even the state flower and state tree in Virginia
A dogwood blossom is a symbol of Jesus’ resurrection.
It is one of the first flowers to bloom in the woods in springtime, so it is a good reminder about Resurrection and Easter.
There are indentations in each petal that remind us of the nail prints in the hands and feet of the resurrected savior. They are often stained slightly reddish brown, like the mark of blood.
It is also said that the central flower cluster appears like a crown of thorns.
Image from: arbyreed
The flower has 4 petals (bracts) and they form the shape of a cross.
The image of the cross has the clear symbolism of the crucifixion of our savior, His death, His sacrifice, His atonement. It is the best recognized symbol of Christianity.
The ancient Israelites kept the first Passover by marking the lintel of the door with the blood of their Paschal lamb to be spared the final plague in Egypt when the first born would be taken. God’s First-Born, the Lamb of God, spilled His blood on the cross to spare us from the ultimate curse of death and sin.
Jesus gave up his life on the cross for us. The cross reminds us of the great love of Jesus for us. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
The vertical element of the cross reminds us to keep the first and great commandment “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
The horizontal element reminds us to keep the second commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Detail from the interior of Maria van Jessekerk, Delft, The Netherlands
While I was visiting the Netherlands, I learned that they have a European Dogwood there as well. They use the dogwood symbol, too.
This was from Maria van Jessekerk in Delft.
You can see the dogwood blossom with clear emphasis on the cross.
Note both the large dogwood blossom with the cross engraved inside it, but also the tiny dogwood blossom in the cross above.
The four petals of the dogwood blossom can also be a symbol of the world. Picture a compass. The most basic element is the cross. North, South, East and West.
The circle is a symbol of heaven and eternity.
Combining the cross and the circle creates a shape called a quatrefoil. This is another way to symbolize heaven and earth together.
That quatrefoil is the same shape as this dogwood flower.
It might be considered a combination of the cross and the circle.
The dogwood flower is shown here with four petals and four leaves which takes on some of the same significance as the octagon and the number 8 as a symbol of rebirth and renewal.
The quatrefoil shape is a very common architectural detail.
This a panel from the door of the Florence Baptistery.
Image from: Sailko
I have seen that quatrefoil shape at some other significant sites:
Byzantine and Christian Musem in Athens
Byzantine and Christian Musem in Athens
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
The first letter in the Greek word χριστός Christos (Christ, anointed one) is chi which essentially looks like an x. This is the reason Christmas is frequently shortened to X-mas.
So, the dogwood blossom can serve like an initial of Christ.
Even long before the crucifixion of Jesus, the cross had great symbolism.
In the ancient world, the + or x was used as a tally mark, much like the way we use a check mark today. ✔️
In the ancient Hebrew Alphabet, the letters were derived from pictographs like hieroglyphics. Each letter has some special meaning. Look at the last letter. Tav was originally crossed sticks and had a meaning of a mark or sign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleo-Hebrew_alphabet
Tav or “the mark” is usually understood to be the mark of the believers described in Ezekiel: “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.”
Notice that Tav is the last letter of their alphabet. This gives it the added symbolism of “completed” or “finished” or even “perfected”.
Image source: Getty
Think about the convergence of these symbolic meanings:
According to John’s account, when Jesus Christ (χριστός) was literally on a cross, the very last words that he said in His mortal life were, “It is finished” (perfected).
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