Aug 24 Mon
Since when has the cross been the symbol of Christianity?
Early Christians were hesitant to use a crucifix, which they saw as degrading. For two centuries, followers of the new Christian faith avoided making a badge of honor out of the instrument of Christ’s death. Wearing a crucifix was like hanging an electric chair trinket around one’s neck.
Crucifixion was a form of execution designed to be both excruciating and humiliating.
Christ loved words and telling stories with them. “I am the Alpha and the Omega” is used multiple times in the New Testament. The Greek first letter of the alphabet and the last described God as the beginning and the end.
To this day, the Hebrew word for God, Yahweh (abbreviated to YHWH) is seldom spoken or written in full. It is referred to as “The Name.”
The early Christians used the image of a “fish” as a reference to Christ, partly because their Savior spoke of being a “fisher of men,” and also because the Greek word for fish (ichthus) represents the initials of: Jesus (Iesus) Christ (Christos) of God (Theou) Son (Uios) Saviour (Soter).
Around the year 200, the theologian Hippolytus wrote about making the sign of the cross on the forehead “as this is a sign of His Passion.” The symbol of the cross had clearly taken hold.
A contender for the earliest physical representation of Christ’s cross is the Staurogram. Composed of the Greek letters Tau and Rho, its sound was reminiscent of the Greek word to crucify, “stauroo.” Used mostly in written texts from the 2nd century, it actually resembles a person on a cross.
More widespread in its use was the Chi Rho symbol, which combined the first two letters of Christ’s name in Greek to form an image that looked less like a cross. The Chi Rho is more reminiscent of the papal crossed-keys symbol. These symbols convey some of the imperial splendor of Constantine the Great, who first adopted the Chi Rho. For good measure, the letters Alpha and Omega are sometimes added.
As Christianity traveled westwards, it encountered cultures that not only enjoyed graven images but often had no written language.
My favorite contender as the first unequivocal representation of Our Lord’s death is an ivory casket, made in Rome around 420. It has all the attributes that we would recognize today. Mary and St. John mourn at the foot of the cross, while the Roman soldier Longinus spears Christ's side. The victim is attached with nails. As a bonus, we can see the remorseful Judas hanging from a tree. Most convincing of all is that it brings us back to the written word. Above the head of the crucified man is half of the Latin title we know so well: “King of the Jews.”
Now, “Your Crucifix. – As a Christian, you should always carry your Crucifix with you. And place it on your desk. And kiss it before going to bed and when you wake up: and when your poor body rebels against your soul, kiss it again."
Some excerpts from Lucien de Guise