The story of the symbol of the Christian Cross

Symbols, such as the Cross, are tools for transporting ideas and beliefs.

While symbols are part of our daily lives, some bring some people a more intense and deeper emotional and spiritual burden.

Two perpendicular lines create one of the most iconic geometric shapes in human history.

The Cross has been a symbol for centuries, which has been used in all cultures in mathematics, architecture, religion and art.

The ancient symbol has been particularly linked to Christianity and the crucifixion of Jesus at the end of the week of Passion.

Although the exact time of the Cross is unknown, the use of the Cross preceded Christianity.

The symbol dates back to one of the first periods of human history, the stone era.

Crosses of crosses were even found in stone designs in European caves.

Ancient forms

The cross had many forms before Christianity adopted the symbol.

Two forms that are usually observed were the Cross and the meander.

Meander first appeared in Eurasia and was adopted by some African and American cultures.

The symbol, which represents peace and prosperity, is a cross with arms that end at a right angle, all focused in the same rotational direction.

Hindu Sacred of Bali

It is an important symbol in Hinduism, it also appears in the ancient Greek religion, associated with Jupiter as lightning.

The cross tau

The form of Ta, also known as the cross of St. Francis, resembles the Greek letter « T. »

Throughout the mythology of ancient cultures, the Cross Tav was a recurring symbol.

The Cross represents both the Roman god Mithra and the Phrygian god Attis.

This symbol also affects astrology, as the astrological sign of the Taurus is named after the cross.

The Egyptian Ank

One of the first uses of the Cross as a symbol was in ancient Egypt.

Ankh, or Crux Ansata, looked like a cross with a loop on top. Sometimes the symbol was decorated, but it was usually a simple golden cross.

Ankh is one of the oldest symbols of Egypt.

In ancient Egypt, Ankh symbolized life and was often depicted in the hands of the goddess Sekhet.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the existence of people on Earth was not their full experience and that after death they would continue in the afterlife.

Ankh represented life, both on Earth and in the afterlife.

In the 4th century AD, the Christians in Egypt took Ankh as an emblem of the Christian Cross.

The cross as a method of torture

The Cross as an instrument of torture appears as early as the 9th century BC. to Assyrians and Babylonians.

The Persians used it around the 6th century BC, posting convicts in wood as an example.

In the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great introduced the method in the Mediterranean and the Romans established the crucifixion from the 3rd century BC. as the most shameful form of execution for slaves, revolutionaries and criminals.

The 19th century depiction of the crucifixion of revolutionary leaders by the Carthaginians in 238 BC.

Indeed, for the Jews of the Age of Christ, death on wood – that is, on a cross – was not just a harsh execution. According to the Law (Second 21:23), it was a sign of curse: « Cursed by God is who hangs on wood. »

Thus, the crucifixion of Jesus deeply scandalized the Jews. How could the « Messiah of God » die like a cursed?

Ultimately, according to Christianity Jesus, he took over the curse of the Cross, to redeem man from the curse of sin.

Constantine’s role in the spread of the cross

In the Roman Empire, Christianity was illegal, but there were still people devoted to faith.

In the Christian community, the Cross of Christ was referred to as « wood of life » and as a « victorious cross ».

Eventually, under the rule of Emperor Constantine, Christianity was legalized.

Emperor Constantine was an idolater who converted to Christianity and ordered the excavation of the places where Christ lived and proclaimed the sites as « Holy Earth ».

During the excavations, a rumor began that Constantine’s mother, Helen, found pieces of the Holy Cross, as a sick woman was healed when she touched her with a piece.

Above what they thought was the tomb of Jesus was built a church called martyrdom.

During the fourth and fifth centuries of the Roman Empire, many churches were built and during the sixth century, more and more artists were painting the crucifixion.

Modern crosses

Not all branches of Christianity accepted the Cross as a symbol.

For example, during the reform, the Protestants rejected the use of the cross. They considered him human invention instead of a sacred symbol.

In Western Christianity, the different illustrations of the Cross were a source of controversy.

Cross in a Catholic church

Today, the Cross is a Christian symbol used in many branches of Christianity, including Catholics and Protestants.

Some branches of Christianity, such as Catholicism, believe that the point of the Cross is a way to prevent evil.

Distortions of the cross

In addition to its use in religion, the Cross was also a political symbol.

Ku Klux Klan was wearing white robes and burned crosses on the lawn of African Americans, Jews or Catholics.

Cross Cross Ceremony by Ku Klux Klan in London, Ontario, Canada, in late 1925.

Sometimes the crosses were burned in their meetings.

The swastika, that is, the meander, or otherwise an anchored cross, was used by the Nazi party. Adolf Hitler used the symbol as a monument to a movement that sought the prosecution of the Jews.

The durability of time

Throughout history, the Cross was a symbol of eternal life, prosperity and a source of faith for humans.

This has both divided and unite the populations.

Today the Cross is a symbol associated with the Christianity and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Ultimately the durability of a symbol to withstand social changes for centuries and still maintain its importance indicates the power of a symbol.