My question is not aimed at the history of crosses, rather the history of
the cross as a Christian symbol, bearing in mind that a 'fish' symbol and
the combined Greek letters -- chi-ro -- were already popular symbols of
Christ/Christians by the time of Helena and Constantine.
I suppose one place to look for early Christian use of the Cross as a symbol
would be in the Roman catacombs.
A quick look in Benjamin Scott's THE CONTENTS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATACOMBS
AT ROME shows an inscription with a 'cross' at the head:
Cross -- Lannus, Christ's Martyr Rests Here. He Suffered Under the
Diocletian Persecution. This Grave is for His Posterity.
This makes me wonder whether early Christian's used a cross as a specific
symbol for martyrs.
interesting.
just let me add some elucubrations there...
Chi in Greek and Ro , combined, give Ch-ri, ok, so Christianity ( "to be
standing for Christ" or his "cross", but much later.... (I think)
The Romans used probably more latin, not greek in their palestine property
when a judean predicator ( first named yaveh/jesus, not "christ" ) began to
be more succesfull than some of his contemporaries, also preachers of some
new form of faith .
Jean the baptist was one of those.
many of those preachers were causing trouble for the Romans. Jesus of
nazareth became a kind of successfull star in the local set of
"revolutionaries" trying to change things around and resist to some external
occupants, generally romans, ( but the region inhabitants - and tribes- were
used to be a kind a fighting backyard for many other civilizations including
egyptians pharaons....
(let's remember the crossing of the sea by the fugitives from egypt),
so , let's consider that the X, from Chi ( pronounced Khi), could also have
been used as the symbol of chi-ro(stianity) , after the death of Jesus (
happening on the "cross" under his name mentioned as I.N.R.I. above his
head. No Christ word painted there )
I mean there could be a relation between the X from the greek Chi or Khi,
the crossing of the two / and \ to form a X, wich also a very easy and
common mark still used now as a kind of easy way to indicate a belonging
to a secret group. or for any purpose. trees marked to be cut down are
crossed in old forrests... a cross is an easy mark to find , and possibly
was first re-used in Rome by the Yehovans ( as followers of Jesus-Yahveh)
under a new name of their group as Christians.
In Rome, after the apparition of the so-named then Christianity , many years
after the death of Jesus on the cross , meaby such cross became used as a
symbol of the suffering martyr, meanwhile the disciples of Jesus could have
re-used the name of the torture instrument ( we now name such a cross, but
how was it named around 33 ac? ) ,
a patibulum ? or was a patibulum any kind of torture instrument used to
expose the sacrified to the general public? see,
just quoted also from/on the list
"The punishment of the cross remained in force throughout the Roman Empire
until the first half of the fourth century. In the early part of his reign
Constantine continued to inflict the penalty of the cross (affigere
patibulo) on slaves guilty of delatio domini, i.e. of denouncing their
masters (Cod. Th. ad leg. Jul. magist.)."
--excerpt from "Archaeology of the Cross and Crucifix" in THE CATHOLIC
ENCYCLOPEDIA, 1908 at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04517a.htm
So the name cross was probably not already used by the romans, but the
patibulum , instead....
the crucifix is a combination of the cross( cruce, croix, or cruz in
spanish) with the fixion (to appose or unite on something).
funny, the "croyants" (faithfulls or believers, in the french) comes from
the croix/cross/cruz.
(and crusaders in english, (those who "ad-estare > ad-ere" to the cross) ,
or croisés in french.)
also the writers of the sacred testaments testified in those "biblical ( for
catalogued in "booked") testimonials" wich are "written registers" of oral
beliefs, traditions and eventual legends, including facts happening really
or not , around the year 33 of our era or before.
Those writers also could have applied it to the name of the new religion (
using Chi and ro, if not already Christ, as such name was not securely
established to this religion until the testaments were actually written..)
so the origin can be a kind of smart reutilization of an easy symbol, a kind
of secret mark to convene under Rome in the catacombes before becoming
public , as imposed by some Caesar.
And extend after the barbarians invasions kept those followers out of sight
for centuries in the west (in Byzance they stayed Christians even if evolved
into orthodoxism)
the Christian name was not used in Judea when Jesus died there. I think i'm
right on this, at least...
Also the cross was generally and extensively used by Rome, remember the
Spartacus final odyssey. Some crosses were actually T ( no vertical part
over/up the horizontal line).
So the sign of the cross is discutable, but...
( just wondering here: imagine you take in your hand, but reverted, from the
spade, a sword - saber(sabre) - "épée" , glaive or similar metallic weapon,
instead of using the glaive as a weapon you could use it as a vertical
cross, with small "arms", certainly, but still a cross.... )
(therefrom the pacifism of the christians dying in the Coliseum ?)
Pat.
--
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the cross as a Christian symbol, bearing in mind that a 'fish' symbol and
the combined Greek letters -- chi-ro -- were already popular symbols of
Christ/Christians by the time of Helena and Constantine.
I suppose one place to look for early Christian use of the Cross as a symbol
would be in the Roman catacombs.
A quick look in Benjamin Scott's THE CONTENTS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATACOMBS
AT ROME shows an inscription with a 'cross' at the head:
Cross -- Lannus, Christ's Martyr Rests Here. He Suffered Under the
Diocletian Persecution. This Grave is for His Posterity.
This makes me wonder whether early Christian's used a cross as a specific
symbol for martyrs.
interesting.
just let me add some elucubrations there...
Chi in Greek and Ro , combined, give Ch-ri, ok, so Christianity ( "to be
standing for Christ" or his "cross", but much later.... (I think)
The Romans used probably more latin, not greek in their palestine property
when a judean predicator ( first named yaveh/jesus, not "christ" ) began to
be more succesfull than some of his contemporaries, also preachers of some
new form of faith .
Jean the baptist was one of those.
many of those preachers were causing trouble for the Romans. Jesus of
nazareth became a kind of successfull star in the local set of
"revolutionaries" trying to change things around and resist to some external
occupants, generally romans, ( but the region inhabitants - and tribes- were
used to be a kind a fighting backyard for many other civilizations including
egyptians pharaons....
(let's remember the crossing of the sea by the fugitives from egypt),
so , let's consider that the X, from Chi ( pronounced Khi), could also have
been used as the symbol of chi-ro(stianity) , after the death of Jesus (
happening on the "cross" under his name mentioned as I.N.R.I. above his
head. No Christ word painted there )
I mean there could be a relation between the X from the greek Chi or Khi,
the crossing of the two / and \ to form a X, wich also a very easy and
common mark still used now as a kind of easy way to indicate a belonging
to a secret group. or for any purpose. trees marked to be cut down are
crossed in old forrests... a cross is an easy mark to find , and possibly
was first re-used in Rome by the Yehovans ( as followers of Jesus-Yahveh)
under a new name of their group as Christians.
In Rome, after the apparition of the so-named then Christianity , many years
after the death of Jesus on the cross , meaby such cross became used as a
symbol of the suffering martyr, meanwhile the disciples of Jesus could have
re-used the name of the torture instrument ( we now name such a cross, but
how was it named around 33 ac? ) ,
a patibulum ? or was a patibulum any kind of torture instrument used to
expose the sacrified to the general public? see,
just quoted also from/on the list
"The punishment of the cross remained in force throughout the Roman Empire
until the first half of the fourth century. In the early part of his reign
Constantine continued to inflict the penalty of the cross (affigere
patibulo) on slaves guilty of delatio domini, i.e. of denouncing their
masters (Cod. Th. ad leg. Jul. magist.)."
--excerpt from "Archaeology of the Cross and Crucifix" in THE CATHOLIC
ENCYCLOPEDIA, 1908 at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04517a.htm
So the name cross was probably not already used by the romans, but the
patibulum , instead....
the crucifix is a combination of the cross( cruce, croix, or cruz in
spanish) with the fixion (to appose or unite on something).
funny, the "croyants" (faithfulls or believers, in the french) comes from
the croix/cross/cruz.
(and crusaders in english, (those who "ad-estare > ad-ere" to the cross) ,
or croisés in french.)
also the writers of the sacred testaments testified in those "biblical ( for
catalogued in "booked") testimonials" wich are "written registers" of oral
beliefs, traditions and eventual legends, including facts happening really
or not , around the year 33 of our era or before.
Those writers also could have applied it to the name of the new religion (
using Chi and ro, if not already Christ, as such name was not securely
established to this religion until the testaments were actually written..)
so the origin can be a kind of smart reutilization of an easy symbol, a kind
of secret mark to convene under Rome in the catacombes before becoming
public , as imposed by some Caesar.
And extend after the barbarians invasions kept those followers out of sight
for centuries in the west (in Byzance they stayed Christians even if evolved
into orthodoxism)
the Christian name was not used in Judea when Jesus died there. I think i'm
right on this, at least...
Also the cross was generally and extensively used by Rome, remember the
Spartacus final odyssey. Some crosses were actually T ( no vertical part
over/up the horizontal line).
So the sign of the cross is discutable, but...
( just wondering here: imagine you take in your hand, but reverted, from the
spade, a sword - saber(sabre) - "épée" , glaive or similar metallic weapon,
instead of using the glaive as a weapon you could use it as a vertical
cross, with small "arms", certainly, but still a cross.... )
(therefrom the pacifism of the christians dying in the Coliseum ?)
Pat.
--
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To subscribe, send mailto:design-l-subscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To signoff, send mailto:design-l-unsubscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Visit archives: http://lists.psu.edu/archives/design-l.html