By Marcellus D’Souza

Apr 14: As Christians around the world observe the holiest of weeks in the liturgical calendar culminating in Easter or the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Cross is used to bless the faithful. On Good Friday the cross will be Venerates, in the three part ceremony that commemorates the passion and death of the Lord.
Today the Cross has become the central symbol of Christianity. But the Cross too has undergone changes with the passage of time.

In pre-Christian times it was a pagan religious symbol throughout Europe and Western Asia. Two pre-Christian cross forms - the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol of life - the ankh, a tau cross surmounted by a loop and known as ‘crux ansata’ - was adopted and extensively used on Coptic Christian monuments. The swastika, called ‘crux gammata’, composed of four Greek capitals of the letter gamma, is marked on many early Christian tombs.

Other crosses used were ‘crux quadrata’, or Greek cross, with four equal arms; the ‘crux immissa’, or Latin cross, whose base stem is longer than the other three arms; the ‘crux commissa’, in the form of the Greek letter tau, sometimes called St. Anthony’s cross; and the ‘crux decussata’, named from the Roman decussis, or symbol of the numeral 10, also known as St. Andrew’s cross for the supposed manner of his martyrdom. The Maltese Cross is an Eight-Pointed Cross, wherein the four “V” lines pointing inwards.

There have been many types of crosses since the birth of civilization. The symbol of the cross was actually not created by Christians. Since the dawn of time, Egyptians, Indians, Persians, Greeks, Europeans, and Syrians, have been using the cross as a symbol of their faith. Some of them used it as an ornament as well.
There was also a time when drawing crosses meant extreme torture and punishment. Historians and archeologists call this period the Diocletianic Persecution or the Great Persecution. Roman emperors such as Galerius, Maximian, Constantius, and Diocletian enforced restrictions on Christians. Many patron saints were beheaded, abused, publicly humiliated, and even forced to denounce Jesus. Cross symbols had then become a mockery solely for Christianity. During this time, Christianity was considered a fool’s religion.

The 4th century king Emperor Constantine who had converted to Christianity, abolished crucifixion as a death penalty and promoted it as a symbol of Christian faith. The cross and the chi-rho monogram were issued in Christ name.

There is a difference between heraldic crosses and religious crosses. Heraldic crosses were used as identification between enemy and foe. Many of these crosses were used to proclaim their faith in God while in battle. Most religious crosses involved Christianity. However, there were those that involved pagan religions, Buddhism, and Jainism as well.

The Jerusalem Cross was the coat of arms for the city of Jerusalem during the 1800s. It’s known as the Five-Fold Cross or Cross-and-crosslets. The crosslets are a symbolism of Christ’s five holy wounds. The Five Sacred Wounds of Christ are the two wounds on his hands, the two on his feet, and the one on his chest which was said to be inflicted by the Staff of Longinus.
The Chi Rho Cross is also known as the Chrismon or Constantine’s cross. Christograms are letters forming symbols. The Chi Rho Cross is one of the earliest created Christograms. Chi and Rho are Greek letters that are first used to spell Christos. The Roman Emperor Constantine used the Chi Rho Cross as a symbol for his military. He believed that this was a way to bring God’s grace over them as they battled against their enemies.

The Huguenot Cross, is boutonné, the eight points symbolising the eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12) Between the arms of the cross is the stylised fleur-de-lys (on the French Coat of Arms), each has 3 petals; the total of twelve petals of the fleur-de-lys signify the twelve apostles. Between each fleur-de-lys and the arms of the Maltese cross with which it is joined, an open space in the form of a heart, the symbol of loyalty, suggests the seal of the French Reformer, John Calvin. The pendant dove symbolises the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16). In times of persecution a pearl, symbolizing a teardrop, replaced the dove.

The earliest crucifixes depict Christ alive, with eyes open and arms extended, his Godhead manifest, even though he is pierced and dead in his manhood. By the 9th century, however, artists began to stress the realistic aspects of Christ’s suffering and death.

Crucifixes of the Roman era often show a royal crown upon Christ’s head, but later Gothic types replaced it with a crown of thorns. Protestant Reformation, the Lutherans of the 16th-century retained the ornamental and ceremonial use of the cross. The Reformed churches, however, resisted such use of the cross until the 20th century. The Church of England retained the ceremonial signing with the cross. Since the mid-19th century, Anglican churches have witnessed a revival of the use of the cross. The crucifix, however, is almost entirely confined to private devotional use. A number of Protestant churches and homes display an empty cross, without a depiction of Christ, to memorialize the Crucifixion.

The Marian Cross is a term invented to refer to Saint Pope John Paul II’s combination of a Latin cross and the letter M, representing Mary being present on Calvary.
The Divine Mercy center at Potta, in Kerala as well as the Archdiocese of Bombay venerates the relic of the ‘True Cross’ on Good Friday. The ‘True Cross’ is said to be found by St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in about 326. The earliest historical reference to veneration of the ‘True Cross’ is in the mid-4th century. The Feast of the Finding of the Cross was celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on May 3 until it was omitted from the church calendar in 1960 by Pope John XXIII.

The next time you sign yourself or are blessed with the sign of the cross or venerate the cross, remember there is more to the cross that meets the eye. The cross is immortalised from the time we are born to the time we pass from this earth. It has become a fashion statement, captured in art, in Literature and in song.