Bees For Peace
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Christianity and bees

Bees as role models
Many monks and nuns have practiced beekeeping and the bee colony has often been described as a role model not only for monasteries but for society as a whole. In the context of monasteries, the imagined chastity of the worker bees attracted particular attention: like them, the celibate monastics forsook family to devote themselves fully to the good of the community.

Bees helped cardinal Maffeo Berberini to become a pope. His family coat originally bore horseflies, which Berberini transformed into bees. Bees not only seemed more noble and prestigious, they were well-known symbols of dedication and eloquence since antiquity. Moreover, their hive was a beloved symbol of the church and its community of the faithful. As Pope Urban VIII, he thanked the bees by placing their images all over Rome, including on the columns of St Peter’s Basilica.

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Honey and beeswax
In many cultures and religions, such as ancient Greece and Judaism, the natural sweetness of honey has come to symbolize the sweet words of gifted orators. This is also the case in Christianity, as shown by a legend concerning the early church father St. Ambrose (339-397). According to the legend, when he was a child, Ambrose’s father saw a swarm of bees land on his mouth. Even though the father feared for his child, the bees did not sting the boy but brought him honey instead. His father interpreted this event as a sign from God that his son would become a great orator. St. Ambrose later became known as the honey-tongued doctor and was famous for his preachings. To this day, he is honored by beekeepers as their patron saint.
Not only honey but also beeswax has played an important role in Christianity. In the medieval  Catholic Church, honey and wax were considered sacred substances. For a long time, beeswax candles were the preferred and often only method for illumination of Catholic Churches. Unlike the heavy, dark smoke produced by candles made from animal fat, beeswax candles produce a light, clear smoke.
© 2021 BEES FOR PEACE
Bees for Peace is a program of 
Pollinator Partnership Canada, a federally recognized charitable organization
(charitable registration no. 84169 5174 RR0001)
Validation of Pollinator Partnership Canada's charitable registration may be found here.

Bees for Peace acknowledges that it is operating primarily on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, in territory covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Why and How
    • Team
    • Achievements
  • Finding Value in the Web of Life
    • Bees in Religious and Cultural Traditions >
      • Buddhism and Bees
      • Christianity and Bees
      • The Gurung and Bees
      • Hinduism and Bees
      • Islam and Bees >
        • Unani medicine
      • Judaism and Bees
      • The Kawaiwete and Bees
      • The Mayas and Bees
      • The Ogiek and Bees
      • Bees in Indigenous Cultures
    • Web of Life >
      • Buddhism and Nature
      • Christianity and Nature
      • Hinduism and Nature
      • Islam and Nature
      • Judaism and Nature
      • Sikhism and Nature
      • The Golden Rule
    • Faith and Environmentalism >
      • Bees for Peace Israel
      • Islamic Help
  • Bee Protection Made Easy
    • Bees and Other Pollinators
    • Bee Hotels
    • Pollinator Gardens
    • COVID-19 and Community
  • Our Networks
  • Support us!
    • Contact and Privacy
    • Get Involved!