Any religious tradition has its own set of spiritual symbols. They can both play the role of brand logos and carry a deep sacred and mysterious meaning. Christianity is no exception to this rule. For all its distrust (in the orthodox course) of various kinds of symbolism and esotericism, it has developed its own, sometimes ornate and multifaceted symbols. One of these signs, namely the so-called cross of Tsar Constantine, will be considered in this article.
The legend of the origin of the cross of Constantine
Strictly speaking, this sign is not a cross. Correctly, he will be called a monogram - a symbol formed of several letters, reflecting the image of a specific character of religious doctrine - Jesus Christ. According to Christian tradition, the Constantine cross played an extremely important role in the history of the church. In strength and importance, it is second only to the ordinary cross.
Why is it so important to Christians? The answer to this question is given by the following legend: at the dawn of the Christian era, at the beginning of the fourth century, in the Roman Empire, a conflict arose between two representatives of power - Maxentius and Constantine. The result of contention was the battle known as the Battle of Mulvian Bridge (312). On the eve of the battle, a specific symbol appeared in the sky to Emperor Constantine, accompanied by the inscription "You will conquer under this sign." Inspired by the miraculous phenomenon, Konstantin ordered to reproduce this sign on military shields, as well as place it on the labarum - the military imperial banner.
Indeed, having won a brilliant victory in the battle, Konstantin made this sign the basis for the personal press and a symbol of his state. However, he himself inwardly became an adherent of the Christian faith. And although for a long time he remained unbaptized, having asserted his authority, he forever stopped the persecution and persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. This Constantine cross is the current Christogram used in churches. Her other name is Chrism.
Whether this legend reflects historical reality or not, but it makes it clear why Christians value and value this sign so much. He turned the tide of history, turning the emperor - the supreme pagan priest - to the side of the Christians, as a result of which the small sect of the followers of Jesus became the most numerous religious movement on the planet.
The first mention of the Christogram
The first known source of information today that mentions the cross of Constantine the Great is the work of the church historian Lactantius (320). It reproduces the above version of events with the addition that the phenomenon was accompanied by a voice that in Greek repeated the Latin inscription.
Another church historian, and also Constantine's personal biographer, Eusebius, bishop of Neocaesarea, at different times reported on two versions of the origin of the Christogram. According to the earlier, she appeared to the future emperor long before the year 312, when he was in Gaul. However, later he abandons this version, subordinating his description to the generally accepted opinion. At the same time, referring to the personal oral message of the emperor himself, he clarifies that the symbol that appeared was overshadowed by the sun and, together with Konstantin, this sight was watched by the entire army, consisting of forty thousand people.
The third source just presents the testimony of one of those soldiers who took part in the battle at the Mulvian Bridge and with his own eyes contemplated the Constantine Cross in the sky. His name is Artemy, and his story is aimed at exposing the emperor Julian the Apostate, who, as you know, renounced Christianity by deciding to reanimate pagan institutions in the Roman Empire. It was Artemy who was executed.
The origin of the Christogram
Historical research suggests that Christ has a pre-Christian origin and was most likely borrowed and adapted by church leaders for two reasons:
Since Christians were outlawed for a long time, they were forced to conspire and use common pagan symbols, filling them with their own content. In the same way, among Christians, images of Orpheus, Helios and other gods were popular. And the Konstantinov’s cross itself is most likely an adapted solar symbol of the ancient Chaldeans.
The Greek word “hrestos,” meaning “auspicious,” could also be graphically depicted in the first two letters. Because of this, the symbol was easily Christianized in the circles of the followers of Jesus, who gave it the meaning of "Christ."
One way or another, in pre-Constantine times, several types of Christian monograms and their pagan prototypes were known.
Chrysma spread
Before the Christogram became known as the cross of St. Constantine, it was used mainly in the meeting places of Christians. The most ancient examples of it were found in catacombs - underground cemeteries, which church members used as venues for meetings and services. Similar symbols brought to us the funeral monuments and sarcophagi of Christians.
After legalization, this symbol began to be used as a religious sign in newly built temples. On the other hand, it served as an element of decoration and decoration - they decorated bowls, lamps, caskets and other church utensils. In secular circles, as already mentioned, the Christogram was the state seal of Constantine himself and a number of his successors, as well as the official military symbol of the labarum, replacing the traditional Roman eagle in this place.
Monogram ιχ
Among other things, the Christogram, visually similar to the Russian letter “Z”, was used in Christian churches as early as the 3rd century, that is, long before the accession of Constantine to the throne. There was no letter ρ (ro) in it - instead of it stood ι (iota), meaning "Jesus." It is even possible that this letter later acquired a symbolic form of a shepherd’s (i.e., episcopal among Christians) rod - a staff with a twisted end. It was he who later became associated with the letter ρ.
Monogram χρ
This version of this symbol is basic and, so to speak, canonical in the Christian church. It is he who is called the "Cross of Constantine." A photo of him is presented below.
About the meaning of chrysism
Various mystical groups, both among the Orthodox church and among other movements, attached importance to the internal meaning of Greek letters. Even the New Testament contains unambiguous references to gematria - a method of finding the secret meaning by calculating the numerical correspondences of the letters of words and names. In the same way, you can analyze the cross of Constantine.
The meaning in it is given to the first two letters of the word "Christ." The sum of their numerical values is exactly 700, which was played out in a special way in complex Gnostic theology. Therefore, in the ancient, but little-known tradition today, the number 700 acts as a synonym for Christ. And if, for example, we consider the letters of the Christogram separately, then we get the following: χ (chi) - means the macrocosm, the whole universe. The numerical value is 100. And ι (iota), on the contrary, denotes the microcosm. Its value is 10. Thus, we get a clear symbol of the unity of microcosm and macrocosm - the relationship of part and whole, great in the small. In the case of a later version of chrysism, where ι is replaced by ρ, the symbol means divine creation (due to the semantics of the letter ρ). It carries the meaning of creative power, world order, female generative energy.
Associated characters
Very often, along with chrism, two more letters of the Greek alphabet are used - α (alpha) and ω (omega), which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and denote the beginning and end of the world, as well as its entire ontological essence, enclosed in intermediate letters. The beginning of this symbolism in Christianity was given by the Bible, or rather the book of Revelation of John the Theologian, where the words "I am Alpha and Omega" are embedded in the mouth of Jesus Christ.