In Christian iconography, an Agnus Dei is a visual representation of
Jesus as a lamb, since the Middle Ages usually holding a standard or banner
with a cross. This normally rests on the lamb's shoulder and is held in its
right foreleg. Often the cross will have a white banner suspended from it
charged with a red cross, though the cross may also be rendered in different
colors. Sometimes the lamb is shown lying atop a book with seven seals hanging
from it. This is a reference to the imagery in the Book of Revelation 5:1-13,
ff. Occasionally, the lamb may be depicted bleeding from the area of the heart
(Cf. Revelation 5:6), symbolizing Jesus' shedding of his blood to take away the
sins of the world (Cf. John 1:29, 1:36). In Early Christian art the symbol
appears very early on. Several mosaics in churches include it, some showing a
row of twelve sheep representing the apostles flanking the central Agnus Dei ■
