<P> The Talmud compares the spirit of God to a dove that hovers over the face of the waters . </P> <P> In post-biblical Judaism, souls are envisioned as bird - like (Bahir 119), a concept that may be derived from the Biblical notion that dead spirits "chirp" (Isa. 29: 4). The Guf, or Treasury of Souls, is sometimes described as a columbarium, a dove cote . This connects it to a related legend: the "Palace of the Bird's Nest", the dwelling place of the Messiah's soul until his advent (Zohar II: 8a--9a). The Vilna Gaon explicitly declares that a dove is a symbol of the human soul (Commentary to Jonah, 1). The dove is also a symbol of the people Israel (Song of Songs Rabbah 2: 14), an image frequently repeated in Midrash . </P> <P> The use of a dove and olive branch as a symbol of peace originated with the early Christians, who portrayed the act of baptism accompanied by a dove holding an olive branch in its beak and also used the image on their sepulchres . </P> <P> Christians derived the symbol of the dove and olive branch from Greek thought, including its use of the symbol of the olive branch, and the story of Noah and the Flood . Although Jews never used the dove as a symbol of peace, it acquired that meaning among early Christians, confirmed by St Augustine of Hippo in his book On Christian Doctrine and became well established . </P>

What does the white dove symbolize in christianity