The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

In C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, the Christ character is portrayed as a lion. I was recently asked why he would choose a lion. Obviously some of us have forgotten that one of the “Names” of Jesus is “The Lion of the tribe of Judah”.

The Lion of Judah is an ancient symbol that represents the tribe of Judah throughout the Old Testament. It dates back to the tribe's partiarch, Jacob, who referred to his son Judah as 'Gur Aryeh' or 'the young lion' (Genesis 49:9). In Christianity, the Lion of Judah epithet is used to refer to Jesus Christ. Revelation 5:5 says, “Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed!””

The Bible reveals Jesus' bloodline dating back to Jacob, of the House of David. Judah was Jacob's fourth son and the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Normally the fourth son would not inherit but because of the sins of the three older sons, the inheritance and the birthright fell into Judah's lap. On his deathbed, Jacob prophesied about the coming of Jesus, the Lion of Judah (Genesis 49:8-12). Christians around the world believe that while the ancient tribe of Levi prepared priests, that of Judah prepared Kings.



In St. Peters Square, Vatican City, there is an obelisk that was moved there in the 16th century which says in Latin:
Behold the Cross of the Lord!
Flee, you parties of the adversary;
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has conquered!