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The Christian cross is the best-known Religious Symbol of Christianity . It is generally seen as a representation of the Crucifixion of Jesus . It is related to the Crucifix (a cross that includes a representation of Jesus' body) and to the more general family of Cross symbols. HISTORY OF USE OF THE SYMBOL Pre-Christian cross symbols The cross-shaped sign, represented in its simplest form by a crossing of two lines at right angles, greatly antedates, in both East and West, the introduction of Christianity. It goes back to a very remote period of human civilization. It is supposed to have been used not just for its ornamental value, but also with religious significance."Various objects, dating from periods long anterior to the Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every part of the old world. India, Syria, Persia and Egypt have all yielded numberless examples . . . The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times and among non-Christian peoples may probably be regarded as almost universal, and in very many cases it was connected with some form of nature worship" (Encyclopaedia Britannica (1946), Vol. 6, p. 753. Some have sought to attach to the widespread use of this sign, in particular in its Swastika form, a real ethnographic importance. It may have represented the apparatus used in kindling fire, and thus as the symbol of sacred fire (Burnouf, La science des religions) or as a symbol of the sun, Bertrand, La religion des Gaulois, p. 159; and cf. "These crosses were used as symbols of the Babylonian sun-god, book , and are first seen on a coin of Julius Caear, 100-44 B.C., and then on a coin struck by Caear’s heir (Augustus), 20 B.C. On the coins of Constantine the most frequent symbol is book ; but the same symbol is used without the surrounding circle, and with the four equal arms vertical and horizontal; and this was the symbol specially venerated as the ‘Solar Wheel’. It should be stated that Constantine was a sun-god worshipper, and would not enter the ‘Church’ till some quarter of a century after the legend of his having seen such a cross in the heavens" The Companion Bible, Appendix No. 162 denoting its daily rotation. It has also been interpreted as the mystic representation of lightning or of the god of the tempest, and even the emblem of the Aryan pantheon and the primitive Aryan civilization. Another symbol that has been connected with the cross is the ansated cross (ankh or crux ansata) of the ancient Egyptians, which often appears as a symbolic sign in the hands of the goddess Sekhet, and appears as a hieroglyphic sign of life or of the living."The cross in the form of the ‘Crux Ansata’ . . . was carried in the hands of the Egyptian priests and Pontiff kings as the symbol of their authority as priests of the Sun god and was called ‘the Sign of Life.’"(The Worship of the Dead (London, 1904), by Colonel J. Garnier, p. 226. In later times the Egyptian Christians (Copts), attracted by its form, and perhaps by its symbolism, adopted it as the emblem of the cross (Gayet, "Les monuments coptes du Musée de Boulaq" in "Mémoires de le mission française du Caire", VIII, fasc. III, 1889, p. 18, pl. XXXI-XXXII and LXX-LXXI). In the Bronze Age we meet in different parts of Europe a more accurate representation of the cross, as conceived in Christian art, and in this shape it was soon widely diffused. This more precise characterization coincides with a corresponding general change in customs and beliefs. The cross is now met with, in various forms, on many objects: fibulas, cinctures, earthenware fragments, and on the bottom of drinking vessels. De Mortillet is of opinion that such use of the sign was not merely ornamental, but rather a symbol of consecration, especially in the case of objects pertaining to burial. In the proto-Etruscan cemetery of Golasecca every tomb has a vase with a cross engraved on it. True crosses of more or less artistic design have been found in Tiryns, at Mycenæ, in Crete, and on a fibula from Vulci.. Early Christian use During the first two centuries of Christianity, the cross may have been rare in Christian Iconography , as it depicts a purposely painful and gruesome method of public Execution . The Ichthys , or fish symbol, was used by early Christians. The Chi-Rho monogram, which was adopted by Constantine I in the fourth century as his banner (see Labarum ), was another Early Christian symbol of wide use. However, the cross symbol was already associated with Christians in the second century, as is indicated in the anti-Christian arguments cited in the ''Octavius'' of could designate the body of Christian believers as ''crucis religiosi'', ''i.e.'' "devotees of the Cross". ''Apology''., chapter xvi. In this chapter and elsewhere in the same book, Tertullian clearly distinguishes between a cross and a stake. In his book ''De Corona'', written in 204, Tertullian tells how it was already a tradition for Christians to trace repeatedly on their foreheads the sign of the cross."At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign" ( ''De Corona'', chapter 3 ) The Jewish Encyclopedia says: :The cross as a Christian symbol or "seal" came into use at least as early as the second century (see "Apost. Const." iii. 17; Epistle of Barnabas, xi.-xii.; Justin, "Apologia," i. 55-60; "Dial. cum Tryph." 85-97); and the marking of a cross upon the forehead and the chest was regarded as a talisman against the powers of demons (Tertullian, "De Corona," iii.; Cyprian, "Testimonies," xi. 21-22; Lactantius, "Divinæ Institutiones," iv. 27, and elsewhere). Accordingly the Christian Fathers had to defend themselves, as early as the second century, against the charge of being worshipers of the cross, as may be learned from Tertullian, "Apologia," xii., xvii., and Minucius Felix, "Octavius," xxix. Christians used to swear by the power of the cross (see Apocalypse of Mary, viii., in James, "Texts and Studies," iii. 118). In contemporary Christianity In Christendom the cross reminds Christians of God's act of Love and Atonement in Christ's sacrifice at Calvary - "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The cross also reminds Christians of Jesus' victory over Sin and death, since it is believed that through His death and resurrection He conquered death itself. is the Exaltation Of The Cross on September 14 , which commemorates the consecration of the basilica on the site where the (allegedly) original cross of Jesus was discovered in 326 by Helena Of Constantinople , mother of Constantine the Great. The Catholic Church celebrates the feast on the same day and under the same name ("In Exaltatione Sanctae Crucis"), though in English it has been called the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican bishops place a cross {Link without Title} before the name when signing a document. See Also: True Cross FORMS OF THE CROSS The cross is often shown in different shapes and sizes, in many different styles. It may be used in personal jewelry, or used on top of church buildings. It is shown both empty, and with the body of Christ (''corpus'') nailed to it, in which case it is typically called a Crucifix , though this word, in its original sense, denotes the body affixed to the cross. Roman Catholic and High Anglican depictions of the cross are often crucifixes, in order to emphasize Jesus' sacrifice. Many Protestant traditions depict the cross without the corpus, interpreting this form as an indication of belief in the resurrection rather than as representing the interval between the death and the resurrection of Jesus. Crosses are a prominent feature of Christian Cemeteries , either carved on Gravestone s or as sculpted Stela s. Because of this, planting small crosses is sometimes used in countries of Christian culture to mark the site of fatal accidents, or to Protest alleged deaths. In Catholic countries, crosses are often erected on the peaks of prominent mountains, such as the Zugspitze or Mount Royal , so as to be visible over the entire surrounding area. Forms of the Christian cross include:
For further information on the forms in which the cross is represented, including its Heraldric use, see the article Cross . The Dagger symbol also represents the Christian cross. In Unicode , it is U+2020(). LEGITIMACY OF THE CHRISTIAN CROSS SYMBOL See Also: Cross or stake as gibbet on which Jesus died Jehovah's Witnesses , noting the pre-Christian use of the cross symbol and disputing its early use by Christians (see above), reject it as essentially Pagan in origin. They hold that the "cross" on which Jesus died was really a single-beamed "stake". REFERENCES SEE ALSO
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GALLERY Here are some examples of crosses: Image:Rock of Cashel-cross.jpg Image:Muiredach s Cross.jpg Image:Ireland-High-Cross-large edit.jpg Image:Rookwood cross.jpg Image:Coventry Cathedral burnt cross.jpg Image:A Commonwealth Cross of Sacrifice or War Cross.jpg Image:BozeatCross.JPG Image:Mount-royal-cross.jpg Image:Sterzing-Vipiteno and Elzenbaumer Wetterkreuz.JPG Image:Normandy cemetery.jpg Image:Papal Cross.JPG Image:Tomb of francisco franco.jpg |
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