Monotheism, the belief in One God, is the link that binds Judaism, Christianity and

Islam. From the late Roman period, the acclamation of faith in One God is found on

numerous objects ranging from graffiti to monumental inscriptions and is evidence of

the popularization of monotheism at this time. A basic tenet of this belief is the

incorporeality of the divine and the proscription on such representation. This absence,

together with the need to have a defining image to unite believers, led to the

employment of symbolic substitutes. Thus, the external face which each religion projects

outward — its signs and symbols — has become the identifying and rallying point of the

three monotheistic faiths.

Symbolism is the key to understanding the religious world. Symbols enable people to

bring the incomprehensible into the realm of the tangible. The menorah, the star and the

cross seen on countless objects, are related to complex ideas and traditions. The

archetypal Jewish symbol, the menorah, symbol of light and hope, was carved not only

on synagogue lintels but also on the walls of Christian catacombs in Rome and impressed

on Umayyad coins in Jerusalem. Images of doves decorated pagan gravesites where they

symbolized the souls of the dead and their ascent to heaven as well as tombstones from

the Jewish catacombs in Rome. The Midrashim and Apocrypha exalt the dove as a

symbol of the Jewish people. During this same period, Christians frequently likened the

dove to the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16, John 1:32). The star serves in many cultures as a

symbol of the cosmic order or celestial light. In Canaan the morning star was considered

one of the children of the gods (Isaiah 14:12) and Jesus proclaimed himself "the light of

the morning star" (Revelation 22:16). During the Hasmonean period a five-pointed star

was stamped on the royal coins and on the handles of implements as a symbol of

Jerusalem. Byzantine artists were no exception and decorated clay lamps and handles of

various implements with stars. With the advent of Islam in the seventh century CE,

Islamic artists, who worked in clay, borrowed this motif. The five-pointed star was used

as the symbol of the  Umayyad capital city, ar-Ramla.