February 2 marks the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. St Bede wrote of Christ as the Temple itself A sublime if slightly rubbed illumination stands at the start of the Gospels in the Codex ...
In the Western culture, snakes are often associated with temptation, sin and evil forces, famously symbolized by the serpent in the Bible who lured Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. It is also ...
The snake comes sixth in the 12-animal rotation used by the Chinese to represent the year, following the loong and preceding the horse. Others in the zodiac include rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, sheep/goat, ...