Long before Christ appeared on earth, the cross served as a symbol of life and eternity for many peoples of the world. It had many meanings in different corners of the planet, it was often associated with sky and space, since its ends denoted the four cardinal points. He also acted as a symbol of the union of a man and a woman, a union, this is indicated by two crossed lines that create the symbol of the cross. In Asia, he was a sign of happiness, in America - life and fertility, in Syria - a sign of four elements, in Arcadia, on the contrary, they put a cross on the graves, it meant only one thing - death. When Christianity entered our lives, the cross became an integral sign of religion, a powerful symbol that embodied the victory over death.
Varieties
Ancient Egypt, East, Asia and Europe introduced the symbol of the cross into everyday life at the beginning of the birth of civilization. From that moment, it was transformed, transformed, and its significance changed with the appearance of new attributes in appearance. The ankh is more familiar to the Egyptians, combining a circle and a tau cross, drawn without a top line. There are many other varieties of the
symbol: Latin, Maltese, patriarchal, papal, Orthodox, Masonic, Celtic, the cross of Constantine. The swastika also belongs to its varieties, only with curved edges. Maltese, Masonic, iron, as well as the well-known red and pacifist crosses are considered symbols of various organizations and groups.
Latin cross
The name is derived from the Latin crux ordinaria, but there are other options - crux immissa and crux capitata. Latin crux means “wooden object intended for execution”, for example, the gallows. One of the generative words of cruciare, from which crux went, is “to torment”, “to torture”. The name "immission", which means "suffering", received the cross in the West.
The Latin cross is of no small importance in the history of other faiths. Raskolniki he is called in the Polish manner "Kryzh Latin" or "Kryzh Roman". In paganism, he symbolized heaven and earth, in Scandinavian mythology he was a sign depicted on the tool of the god of Thor - Mjolnir, the Scandinavians wore it around his neck as a protective amulet. Long before Christianity in ancient Greece and China, he was associated with the figure of a man, with outstretched arms, which was a good sign. The Latin cross has the same shape as the staff of the god of the sun, the son of Zeus - Apollo. In genealogy they designate death, but in Russia he considers them incomplete, there he was given the name "kryzh", which means "oblique".
Latin cross in christianity
The Latin cross in form is closest to the one on which Jesus Christ was crucified, which is why it became the most widespread, and other varieties appeared from its form. It is also believed that the three short ends indicate the three holy spirits - the Trinity. The fourth, the longest, personifies God. The first mention of it was found in
Roman catacombs at the beginning of the third century. From the moment Christ was crucified, the cross on which he accepted his death acquired a new meaning, displacing all previous meanings. After these events, he became a symbol of death and life after it, resurrection, guilt, hence the phrase "bear your cross."
Latin cross shape
In another way it is also called the "long cross." The horizontal line on it is located above the middle, and it is shorter than the vertical. Before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on a cross in ancient Rome, robbers were executed, since the form was most suitable for martyrdom. The Latin cross is a symbol of the human figure with outstretched arms. His form almost did not change until he firmly established himself in religion. After that, other details began to be added to it, for example, a leg support and a plate over his head in Orthodoxy, although the lower crossbar also had a symbolic meaning. The inclined form of the lower part downward signified the fall of the soul, the overthrow burdened by the sins of man, and the part that rushed upward went to God and salvation. Instead of one horizontal crossbar, as many as three were added to the “papal" cross as a designation of triple rule: a priest, teacher and pastor. The Evangelical cross contains the Greek and four horizontal lines from below, forming a pyramid - from the smallest to the largest. These four lines symbolize the four evangelists: Mark, Matthew, John and the
Apostle Luke.Types of the Latin Cross
Their varieties, one way or another connected with the religion and crucifixion of Christ, are not so many, but each has its own story. One of the most popular is the Latin cross, but there are many other similar forms. Apostle Andrei died on an oblique cross, denoting the sign "X", he was also subsequently called Andreevsky. Close to Latin - Greek or heraldic, in the form of a square, where the horizontal and vertical axes intersect exactly in the middle. It was especially popular in Byzantium, whence it received the name "Greek".
The cross of St. Peter is also similar to the Latin one, only it is upside down, since the apostle Peter, the closest of the followers of Jesus Christ, was crucified upside down. The cross-hammer is a type of Greek cross, to the vertical and horizontal lines of which the supports are drawn.
Latin group of crosses
The Latin group is opened by the Latin cross (see photo in the article). Others from this group: seven- and eight-pointed, Calvary, patriarchal, trefoil, drop-shaped, crucifix, Antonievsky. The first four of the list relate to Orthodoxy. The teardrop-shaped evangelical story has such a shape because of the drops of blood of Christ that sprinkled the cross when it was crucified. The Antonievsky cross is made in the shape of the letter “T”, in the Roman Empire it was attributed to the times of ancient Egypt and the prophet Moses, the execution of criminals on it. Crucifixion dates back to the fifth century, its purpose is not only to be a symbol of faith, but also to remind of the suffering through which Jesus Christ had to go.
Latin crosses in the orthodox group
In the Orthodox religion, seven- and eight-pointed
crosses, Calvary, trefoil, and patriarchal, are most often used. In the seven-pointed upper crossbar completes the cross from above, in the eight-pointed, it is omitted, which allows us to count all eight ends.
Golgotha is an eight-pointed one, at the bottom of which a staircase has been added, under which is depicted the skull of Adam, buried in the same place where Jesus Christ was crucified. The inscriptions on both sides of the cross indicate the following: THE COLOR OF THE WORDS is “the king of glory,” IS XC is “the name of Christ,” CHR BZHI is “the son of God,” NIKA is the “winner”, the letters “K” and “T” are nearby with spears - “spear and cane”, M. L. R. B. - “the frontal place was crucified”, G. G. - “Mount Golgotha”, G. A. - “the head of Adam”.
Shamrock is depicted on the emblem of the Tiflis and Orenburg provinces, on the emblem of the city of Troitsk. The patriarchal cross has six ends, in the west it is called Lorensky, and it was he who was depicted on the seal of the governor of the Byzantine emperor from Korsun, a cross of this form belongs to Abraham of Rostov.
Other meanings of the Latin cross
Its form is also used for other purposes, for example, to indicate on the map the location of churches or cemeteries. The Latin cross is also depicted next to the date of death or the name of the deceased. In the printing house, the cross denotes footnotes.
This symbol is depicted on the flags of some cities in Brazil and Argentina. On the flags of the Scandinavian countries, such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Finland, he is depicted upside down 90 degrees to the left.