The extensive text of the “peaceful kingdom,” is a subject derived from the Book of Isaiah 11:6, that used juxtapositions of animals that are natural enemies to generate a vision of the peaceful kingdom to come. Because of its appealing message of a peaceful future, this particular subject was popular in churches and synagogues alike.
The full row of animals from Isaiah (wolf and lamb, goat and leopard, lion and bull, bear and cow, stag and elephant) in the mosaic of the western side of the central aisle of the Basilica illustrates the popularity of the motif under Christians in Cilicia Campestris in the late 5th and early 6th century AD.