Russian Orthodox cross. The difference between the Orthodox cross and the Catholic

The eight-pointed cross consists of a vertical component and three crossbeams. The upper two are straight and the lower one is oblique.

There is a version that says that the upper part of the crossbar of the Orthodox cross is facing north, and the lower part - to the south. By the way, this is exactly how the cross is installed today.

Even theologians can hardly explain why the lower crossbar of the cross is oblique. The answer to this question has not yet been found. There are many versions, each of which reflects a certain idea and is often supported by convincing arguments. But, unfortunately, there is no exact evidence of any version at the moment.

Versions based on biblical legends

The options for why the lower crossbar of the cross is oblique are varied. The everyday version explains this fact by the fact that Jesus stumbled on the foot, so it was skewed.

There is also an option that the upper part of the lower crossbar of the Orthodox cross points to the path to Paradise, and the lower to Hell.

Also, there is often a version that after the coming of Jesus Christ the balance of good and evil was disturbed on Earth, all previously sinful people began their journey to the light, and it is this disturbed balance that is shown by the skewed crossbar.

Household versions

The version that the lower crossbar is a symbolic image of such a special crossbar for the feet of a person who was crucified looks most plausible. Previously, this form of execution was common. The person was crucified, but in the complete absence of support, it is likely that under the weight of his own weight, the person simply fell from the cross, since under his weight the arms and legs nailed to the cross were simply torn apart. It is precisely with the aim of maintaining a person in a hanging position, in order to prolong his torment, and such a stand was invented, which was symbolically reflected on the Orthodox eight-pointed cross. On average, as indicated in some sources, the time to death in this type of execution was approximately 24-30 hours.

There is also an option in the literature that the lower crossbar is only conventionally designated as oblique. In fact, this is only a schematic representation of a three-dimensional figure in a two-dimensional plane. But in fact, the surface of the crossbar was still flat.

In which version of the proposed to believe, it seems that everyone has to choose for themselves, because after so many years the truth is unlikely to be revealed to anyone.

Sources:

• The second Worship Cross is installed

The process is very individual. But, despite this, like the process of birth, it has its own mechanisms and symptoms, by which it is possible to accurately predict the approach of death.

Apathy

What happens to a dying person. How it changes and. What signs can tell exactly that a person is dying? The dying person becomes drowsy. He sleeps almost all the time, the periods of wakefulness are becoming more and more shorter, the energy is gradually extinguished. Apathy sets in, a person loses interest in life and the world around him.

"Death rattle"

His breath is out of breath. Its rhythm is broken, fast and intermittent is replaced by complete stops. Towards the end, "death rales" appear. Breathing becomes noisy as fluid accumulates in the lungs, and the weakened body does not remove it outside.

Decreased appetite

Decreases appetite. The functions of the urinary system and gastrointestinal tract are impaired. Stool retention occurs due to the process of constipation (constipation) in the intestine and urine darkens due to an increase in its concentration as a result of impaired filtration function of the kidneys. The dying person refuses to eat and drink, because his metabolism slows down, and he does not need the amount of food and liquid that he needed before. In addition, the ability to swallow is reduced.

Body temperature

Body temperature also changes. This is due to a disruption in the activity of the part of the brain that is responsible for the regulation of body temperature. Moreover, the dying person may experience a fever, that is, the temperature is too high, alternating with a cold snap of the extremities and a temperature significantly below normal.

Hallucinations

Hearing and vision changes occur. A person may not see and not hear what is happening around - deterioration of vision and darkening in the eyes is especially frequent, but begins to notice what others do not see. Visual or auditory hallucinations appear. Revitalization, hallucinations and unconsciousness followed by revival are symptoms of the so-called “delirium tremens” that often accompanies the process of dying.

Spotted skin lesions

The skin of the dying person turns pale and becomes covered with yellowish-bluish spots. The face and limbs undergo especially strong changes. Changes in the color of the skin of the face, hands and feet are called patchy lesions, and they almost unmistakably indicate the approach of the last hours of a person's life.

Psycho-emotional changes

Often, before death, a person “withdraws into himself,” closes in on his feelings and stops responding to what is happening. It is also possible a state of painful excitement, in which the dying person always strives to "go" somewhere. He can also conduct conversations with long-dead people or rethink his life, recalling all the events in detail and reliving them.

Here I would like to recall an incident that happened more than four centuries ago. Spanish ships under the command of Christopher Columbus, who were looking for the shortest route from Europe to Asia, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and approached the shores of a land unknown to Europeans. The sailors did not know what kind of country lay in front of them, did not know that on that day they became the discoverers of the largest continent, which later received the name of America.

They went ashore, with interest they got acquainted with the life and life of local tribes, the existence of which the Europeans did not even suspect. The customs, religious beliefs and rituals of the Indians - everything amazed the Spanish sailors. But, perhaps, most of the Spaniards were amazed that one of the tribes of the natives worshiped ... the cross as a sacred sign. It seemed incomprehensible. After all, the Indians did not even hear the name of Jesus Christ, they did not know anything about the Christian religion, and at the same time they venerated the cross, which is a symbol of the Christian faith!

How could it happen that this sign, which, according to the clergy, is inherent only in Christianity, became known to the native tribes?

The explanation is simple. The cross is not at all a Christian invention. He was revered by various peoples of antiquity for many years before the Christian religion arose. This is confirmed by numerous excavations that have been carried out in different countries of the world. The image of the cross was found on objects discovered during excavations in Babylon and Persia, in India and Egypt, in China and Mexico.

In museums in many countries of the world, you can see stone figurines of ancient pagan gods who were revered by our distant ancestors. Some of these figurines bear a cruciform mark. This sign can be found on the images of the Egyptian god Osiris, the Indian - Buddha, the Chinese - Tamo, the Greek god of love Cupid. The image of the cross was found on the walls of ancient temples in Mexico and Tibet, on the graves of natives in New Zealand, on ancient Jewish and Egyptian coins. All this irrefutably proves that the veneration of the cross dates back to ancient times.

Science gives a well-founded answer to this question. In the religious beliefs of many primitive peoples the cross was a sacred symbol of fire... And fire in the life of our distant ancestors played an extremely important role.

The life of primitive people was full of hardships and hardships. Man was helpless in the fight against nature, in the fight against cold, hunger, disease. Therefore, one can imagine what the greatest significance in the life of a person was the opening of fire. The fire warmed people during cold weather, protected them from predatory animals. Thanks to him, people learned to cook and fry food. With its help, the processing of metals became possible in the future. But, having learned to use fire, people at first did not yet know how to get it. In the beginning, they used fire that occurs naturally, for example, in forest fires that flashed from a lightning strike. They supported the fire for long months, carefully stored and protected it. After all, if it faded away, it was a real disaster for primitive people.

Only many years later did man learn to make fire himself. The first weapon with which people began to receive fire were two pieces of wood. They were put on top of each other and began to rub. After much effort, the bars heated up and began to smolder. It is quite understandable that people began to look at the two pieces of wood folded in a cross as a shrine. This fire-making tool was revered as sacred.

Subsequently, people began to read the sign depicting this instrument. They saw that fire protects them from wild animals, protects them from the cold, and they began to believe that the cross, which was depicted as a weapon for receiving fire, was also able to save them from adversity, from evil forces. They began to draw this sign on clothes, on weapons, on various utensils, and household items. It was placed in ancient temples, placed on the statues of the gods, on the graves of people. So the cross began to be revered by different peoples who had different beliefs, lived in different parts of our land.

In the Christian religion, the cross is a sacred symbol, since Jesus Christ was allegedly crucified on the cross. In fact, Christians borrowed the veneration of the cross from the pagan religions of their day. They began to consider the cross as their sacred symbol only from the 4th century.

The early Christians did not venerate the cross. Moreover, they despised him, looked at him as a pagan symbol, "the mark of the beast." Only at the end of the 4th century, the churchmen composed a story that Christ appeared in a dream to the Roman emperor Constantine and commanded him to inscribe the image of a cross on military banners. At the same time, another legend was composed - about how the mother of the Emperor Constantine Helen made a pilgrimage to Palestine, found the tomb of Christ there and dug up a wooden cross in the ground, on which Christ was allegedly crucified. In honor of this event, a special holiday was established - the erection of the cross of the Lord. The cross has become a sacred symbol of the Christian religion.

Both of these legends are, of course, fictional from start to finish. Elena could not see the "life-giving" cross in any way, with all her desire. The fact is that the Romans never used the cross as an instrument of execution. The execution of criminals was carried out in the Roman state on a pillar with a crossbar - in the form of the letter "T". In addition, if Elena really managed to find the cross on which Christ was crucified, then, obviously, all believing Christians would revered just such a cross as a sacred symbol. But in reality, Christians can find crosses of various shapes: four-pointed, six-pointed, eight-pointed. There is an eleven-pointed and even an eighteen-pointed cross. So on which of them was Christ crucified? Of course, not a single minister of the church can answer this question, because all their stories about the execution of Jesus Christ, about the discovery of the cross on which Christ was allegedly crucified, are just fiction.

Having officially recognized the cross as a symbol of their religion, the Christian church turned it into a symbol of suffering and submission. Referring to the Gospel legends about how Christ, in atonement for human sins, meekly bore the shameful cross on Mount Golgotha, and then was crucified on it, the clergy inspires believers that all their sufferings on earth are, in fact, the cross of Christ, which rests on the shoulders of every Christian. And people who believe in God must patiently bear this cross on themselves in the name of salvation in the “next world”. It is easy to see that these assertions of the clergy have a specific purpose - to make people believe in the necessity of slavish obedience to "fate", to weaken the will of the working people, to make them come to terms with their position, to distract from the struggle for the reconstruction of society, for their happiness on earth.

So, after going through many millennia of human history, an ordinary tool for making fire, which was used by our distant ancestors, became an instrument of spiritual enslavement of believers.

In Christianity, the veneration of the cross belongs to Catholics and Orthodox. The symbolic figure adorns the domes of churches, houses, icons and other church paraphernalia. The Orthodox cross is of great importance for believers, emphasizing their endless commitment to religion. No less interesting is the history of the appearance of the symbol, where the variety of forms allows one to reflect the depth of Orthodox culture.

The history and significance of the Orthodox cross

Many people perceive the cross as a symbol of Christianity.... Initially, the figure symbolized the murder weapon in the executions of Jews during the time of Ancient Rome. In this way, criminals and Christians who had been persecuted since the reign of Nero were executed. A similar type of killing was practiced in ancient times by the Phoenicians and migrated through the Carthaginian colonists to the Roman Empire.

When Jesus Christ was crucified on a stake, the attitude towards the sign changed in a positive direction. The death of the Lord was the atonement for the sins of the human race and the recognition of all nations. His suffering covered people's debts to the Father God.

Jesus carried a simple crosshair to the mountain, then the soldiers attached the foot, when it became clear to what level the feet of Christ could reach. In the upper part there was a plaque with the inscription: "This is Jesus, King of the Jews," nailed by the order of Pontius Pilate. From that moment on, the eight-pointed form of the Orthodox cross was born.

Any believer, seeing the holy crucifixion, involuntarily thinks about the martyrdom of the Savior, accepted as deliverance from the eternal death of mankind after the fall of Adam and Eve. Emotional and spiritual load is carried by the Orthodox cross, the image of which appears to the inner gaze of the believer. As Saint Justin asserted: "The cross is a great symbol of the power and authority of Christ." In Greek, “symbol” means “connection” or manifestation of invisible reality through naturalness.

The inculcation of symbolic images was difficult during the time of the Jews with the emergence of the New Testament church in Palestine. Then adherence to tradition was revered and images considered as idolatry were prohibited. With the increase in the number of Christians, the influence of the Jewish worldview declined. In the first centuries after the execution of the Lord, the followers of Christianity were persecuted and performed rituals in secret. The oppressed situation, the lack of protection of the state and the church directly affected the symbolism and worship.

The symbols reflected the dogmas and formulas of the Sacraments, contributed to the expression of the word and were the sacred language of the transmission of faith and protection of church doctrine. That is why the cross was of great importance for Christians, symbolizing the victory of good and over evil and giving the eternal light of life over the darkness of hell.

How the cross is depicted: features of external manifestation

There are different types of crucifixes where you can see simple shapes with straight lines or complex geometric shapes, complemented by a variety of symbolism. The religious load is the same for all structures, only the external design differs.

In the Mediterranean eastern countries, Russia, in the east of Europe, they adhere to the eight-pointed form of the crucifixion - Orthodox. Its other name is "The Cross of St. Lazarus".

The crosshair consists of a small upper crossbar, a large lower crossbar and an inclined foot. The vertical crossbar, located at the bottom of the pillar, was intended to support the feet of Christ. The direction of inclination of the crossbar does not change: the right end is higher than the left. This position means that on the day of the Last Judgment, the righteous will stand on the right hand, and the sinners on the left. The kingdom of heaven is bestowed on the righteous, as evidenced by the right corner uplifted. Sinners are thrown into the lowlands of hell - indicates the left end.

For Orthodox symbols the monogram style is characteristic mainly at the ends of the middle crosshairs - IC and XC, denote the name of Jesus Christ. Moreover, the inscriptions are located under the middle cross-bar - "Son of God", then in Greek NIKA is translated as "winner".

The small crossbar contains an inscription with a tablet made by order of Pontius Pilate, and contains the abbreviation Inci (ІНЦІ - in Orthodoxy), and Inri (INRI - in Catholicism) - this is how the words "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews" are denoted. The eight-pointed display accurately conveys the instrument of Jesus' death.

Construction rules: proportions and sizes

Classic version of the eight-pointed crosshair is built in the correct harmonious proportion, which consists in the fact that everything embodied by the Creator is perfect. The construction is based on the law of the golden ratio, which is based on the perfection of the human body and sounds like this: the result of dividing the size of a person's height by the distance from the navel to the feet is 1.618, and coincides with the result from dividing the size of growth by the interval from the navel to the crown. A similar ratio of proportions is contained in many things, including the Christian cross, the photo of which is an example of construction according to the law of the golden section.

The drawn crucifix fits into a rectangle, its sides are brought into relation to the rules of the golden ratio - the height divided by the width is equal to 1.618. Another feature is that the size of the span of a person's arms is equal to his height, so the figure with outstretched arms is harmoniously enclosed in a square. Thus, the size of the middle intersection corresponds to the span of the Savior's arms and is equal to the distance from the crossbar to the sloped foot and is characteristic of the growth of Christ. Anyone who is going to write a cross or apply a vector pattern should take into account such rules.

Pectoral crosses in Orthodoxy are considered those that are worn under clothing, closer to the body. It is not recommended to flaunt the creed over clothing. Church items have an eight-pointed shape. But there are crosses without upper and lower crossbars - four-pointed, these are also allowed to be worn.

The canonical version looks like eight-pointed items with or without the image of the Savior in the center. The custom of wearing church crosses made of various materials on the chest originated in the first half of the 4th century. Initially, it was customary for followers of the Christian faith to wear not crosses, but medallions with the image of the Lord.

During the periods of persecution from the middle of the 1st to the beginning of the 4th century, there were martyrs who expressed a desire to suffer for Christ and applied a crosshair to the forehead. By a distinctive sign, the volunteers were quickly calculated and martyred. The formation of the Christian religion introduced the wearing of crucifixes into the custom, at the same time they were introduced into the establishment on the roofs of churches.

The variety of forms and types of the cross does not contradict the Christian religion. It is believed that every manifestation of a symbol is a true cross, carrying life-giving power and heavenly beauty. To understand what they are Orthodox crosses, types and meaning, consider the main types of design:

In Orthodoxy, the greatest importance is given not so much to the form as to the image on the product. Six-pointed and eight-pointed figures are more common.

Six-pointed Russian Orthodox cross

On the crucifix, the inclined lower bar acts as a measuring balance that evaluates the life of each person and his inner state. The figure in Russia has been used since ancient times. The six-pointed worship cross introduced by Princess Euphrosyne of Polotsk dates back to 1161. The sign was used in Russian heraldry as part of the coat of arms of the Kherson province. The number of its ends contained the miraculous power of the crucified Christ.

Eight-pointed cross

The most common type is a symbol of the Orthodox Russian Church. It is called differently - Byzantine... The eight-limbed was formed after the act of the crucifixion of the Lord, before that the shape was equilateral. A special feature is the lower foot, in addition to the two upper horizontal crossbars.

Together with the Creator, two more criminals were executed, one of whom began to mock the Lord, hinting that if Christ is true, then he must save them. Another condemned person objected to him that they were real criminals, and Jesus was falsely condemned. The defender was on the right hand, so the left end of the foot goes up, symbolizing the height above other criminals. The right side of the crossbar is lowered, as a sign of humiliation of the others before the justice of the words of the defender.

Greek cross

Also called "korsunchik" Old Russian... Traditionally used in Byzantium, it is considered one of the oldest Russian crucifixes. Tradition says that Prince Vladimir was baptized in Korsun, from where he took out the crucifix and installed it on the banks of the Dnieper of Kievan Rus. The four-pointed image has survived to this day in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, where it was carved on a marble slab of the burial of Prince Yaroslav, who was the son of St. Vladimir.

Maltese cross

Refers to the officially accepted symbolic crucifixion of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem on the island of Malta. The movement openly opposed Freemasonry, and, according to some reports, participated in organizing the assassination of Pavel Petrovich, the Russian emperor who patronized the Maltese. Figuratively, the cross is represented by equilateral rays expanding at the ends. Awarded for military merit and courage.

The figure contains the Greek letter "Gamma" and resembles in appearance the ancient Indian sign of the swastika, meaning the highest being, bliss. First depicted by Christians in the Roman catacombs. It was often used to decorate church utensils, the gospels, and was embroidered on the clothes of Byzantine church ministers.

The symbol was widespread in the culture of the ancient Iranians, the Aryans, and was often found in China and Egypt during the Paleolithic era. The swastika was revered in many areas of the Roman Empire and ancient Slavic pagans. The sign was depicted on rings, jewelry, rings, signifying fire or the sun. The swastika was christianized and many ancient pagan traditions were rethought. In Russia, the image of the swastika was used to decorate church items, ornaments and mosaics.

What does the cross on the domes of churches mean?

Dummy crosses with a crescent have decorated cathedrals since ancient times. One of these was the Cathedral of St. Sophia of Vologda, built in 1570. In the pre-Mongol period, the eight-pointed shape of the dome was often found, under the crossbar of which there was a crescent, turned with its horns up.

There are various explanations for this symbolism. The most famous concept is associated with a ship's anchor, which is considered a symbol of salvation. In another version, the moon is marked by the font in which the temple is clothed.

The month value is interpreted in different ways:

• The Bethlehem baptismal font that received the infant Christ.
• The Eucharistic Cup containing the body of Christ.
• Church ship, led by Christ.
• The serpent trampled down by the cross and laid at the feet of the Lord.

Many people are worried about the question - what is the difference between the Catholic cross and the Orthodox. In fact, it is quite easy to tell them apart. In Catholicism, a four-pointed cross is provided, on which the hands and feet of the Savior are crucified with three nails. A similar display appeared in the III century in the Roman catacombs, but still remains popular.

Features:

Over the past millennia, the Orthodox cross invariably protects the believer, being a talisman against evil visible and invisible forces. The symbol is a reminder of the Lord's sacrifice for salvation and the manifestation of love for humanity.

Among all Christians, only Orthodox and Catholics venerate crosses and icons. Crosses decorate the domes of churches, their homes, and are worn around the neck.

The reason why a person wears a pectoral cross is different for everyone. Someone thus pays tribute to fashion, for someone the cross is a beautiful piece of jewelry, for someone it brings good luck and is used as a talisman. But there are those for whom the pectoral cross worn at baptism is really a symbol of their infinite faith.

Today, shops and church stalls offer a wide variety of crosses of various shapes. However, very often, not only the parents who are going to baptize the child, but also the sales assistants cannot explain where the Orthodox cross is and where the Catholic one, although it is, in fact, very simple to distinguish them. In the Catholic tradition, it is a quadrangular cross with three nails. In Orthodoxy, there are four-pointed, six and eight-pointed crosses, with four nails for the arms and legs.

Cross shape

Four-pointed cross

So, in the West, the most common is four-pointed cross... Since the 3rd century, when such crosses first appeared in the Roman catacombs, the entire Orthodox East still uses this form of the cross as equal to all others.

Eight-pointed orthodox cross

For Orthodoxy, the shape of the cross does not really matter, much more attention is paid to what is depicted on it, but the most popular are eight-pointed and six-pointed crosses.

Eight-pointed orthodox cross most consistent with the historically accurate form of the cross on which Christ was already crucified. The Orthodox cross, which is most often used by the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches, contains, in addition to a large horizontal crossbar, two more. The upper one symbolizes a tablet on the cross of Christ with the inscription “ Jesus the Nazarene, king of the Jews"(INCI, or INRI in Latin). The lower oblique crossbar - the support for the feet of Jesus Christ symbolizes the "righteous measure" weighing the sins and virtues of all people. It is believed that it is tilted to the left, symbolizing the fact that the repentant robber crucified on the right side of Christ (first) went to heaven, and the robber crucified on the left, with his blasphemy against Christ, further aggravated his posthumous fate and fell in hell. The letters IC XC are the Christogram symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov writes that “ when Christ the Lord bore the cross on His shoulders then the cross was still four-pointed; because there was not yet a title or a foot on it. There was no foot, because Christ had not yet been raised on the cross and the soldiers, not knowing where the feet of Christ would reach, did not attach a foot, having finished this already at Calvary". Also, there was no title on the cross before the crucifixion of Christ, because, as the Gospel says, at first “ crucified him"(John 19:18), and then only" Pilate wrote the inscription and put it on the cross”(John 19:19). It was at first that “His garments” were divided by lot by the soldiers “ who crucified him"(Matt. 27:35), and only then" placed over His head an inscription signifying His guilt: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS”(Matt. 27:37).

The eight-pointed cross has long been considered the most powerful protective agent against various kinds of impurity, as well as visible and invisible evil.

Six-pointed cross

Widespread among Orthodox believers, especially during the time of Ancient Russia, was also six-pointed cross... It also has an inclined crossbar: the lower end symbolizes unrepentant sin, and the upper end symbolizes deliverance by repentance.

However, it is not in the shape of the cross or the number of ends that all of its strength lies. The cross is famous for the power of Christ crucified on it, and all its symbolism and miraculousness is in this.

The variety of forms of the cross has always been recognized by the Church as quite natural. In the words of the Monk Theodore the Studite - “ a cross of every shape is a true cross”And has unearthly beauty and life-giving power.

« There is no significant difference between Latin, Catholic, Byzantine, and Orthodox crosses, as well as between any other crosses used in the service of Christians. In essence, all crosses are the same, the only difference is in the form”, - says the Serbian Patriarch Irinej.

Crucifixion

In the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, special importance is attached not to the shape of the cross, but to the image of Jesus Christ on it.

Until the 9th century, inclusively, Christ was depicted on the cross not only alive, resurrected, but also triumphant, and only in the 10th century did images of the dead Christ appear.

Yes, we know that Christ died on the cross. But we also know that then He was Risen, and that He suffered voluntarily out of love for people: to teach us to cherish the immortal soul; so that we too can be resurrected and live forever. This Easter joy is always present in the Orthodox Crucifixion. Therefore, on the Orthodox cross, Christ does not die, but freely stretches out his arms, the palms of Jesus are open, as if he wants to embrace all of humanity, giving them his love and opening the way to eternal life. He is not a dead body, but God, and his whole image speaks about it.

The Orthodox cross above the main horizontal crossbar has another, smaller one, which symbolizes a tablet on the cross of Christ indicating the offense. Because Pontius Pilate did not find how to describe the guilt of Christ, the words appeared on the tablet “ Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews»In three languages: Greek, Latin and Aramaic. In Latin in Catholicism, this inscription has the form INRI, and in Orthodoxy - IHTSI(or INHI, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"). The lower slanting bar symbolizes the leg support. It also symbolizes two robbers crucified to the left and right of Christ. One of them repented of his sins before his death, for which he was awarded the Kingdom of Heaven. The other, before his death, blasphemed and reviled his executioners and Christ.

The inscriptions are placed above the middle crossbar: "IC" "XC"- the name of Jesus Christ; and below it: "NIKA"- Winner.

Greek letters were necessarily written on the cruciform halo of the Savior UN, meaning - "truly I am", because " God said to Moses: I am who I am”(Ex. 3:14), thereby revealing His name, which expresses the identity, eternity and immutability of the being of God.

In addition, in Orthodox Byzantium, nails were kept with which the Lord was nailed to the cross. And it was known for sure that there were four of them, not three. Therefore, on Orthodox crosses, Christ's feet are nailed with two nails, each separately. The image of Christ with crossed feet, nailed by one nail, first appeared as an innovation in the West in the second half of the 13th century.

Orthodox Crucifixion Catholic Crucifixion

In the Catholic Crucifixion, the image of Christ has naturalistic features. Catholics depict Christ dead, sometimes with streams of blood on his face, from wounds on his arms, legs and ribs ( stigmata). It manifests all the human suffering, the torment that Jesus had to endure. His arms sag under the weight of his body. The image of Christ on the Catholic cross is plausible, but this is an image of a dead person, while there is no hint of the triumph of victory over death. The crucifixion in Orthodoxy just the same symbolizes this triumph. In addition, the Savior's feet are nailed down with a single nail.

The meaning of the Savior's death on the cross

The emergence of the Christian cross is associated with the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, which he accepted on the cross under the forced sentence of Pontius Pilate. Crucifixion was a common method of execution in ancient Rome, borrowed from the Carthaginians - the descendants of the Phoenician colonists (it is believed that the first crucifixion was used in Phenicia). Usually robbers were sentenced to death on the cross; many early Christians who were persecuted from the time of Nero were also executed in this way.

Crucifixion among the Romans

Before the suffering of Christ, the cross was an instrument of shame and terrible punishment. After His suffering, he became a symbol of the victory of good over evil, life over death, a reminder of God's endless love, an object of joy. The incarnate Son of God sanctified the cross with His blood and made it a conduit of His grace, a source of sanctification for believers.

The Orthodox dogma of the Cross (or Atonement) undoubtedly implies the idea that the death of the Lord is the ransom of all, the vocation of all peoples. Only the cross, unlike other executions, made it possible for Jesus Christ to die with outstretched hands calling "all the ends of the earth" (Is. 45:22).

Reading the Gospels, we are convinced that the feat of the Cross of the God-man is the central event in His earthly life. By His suffering on the Cross, He washed away our sins, covered our debt to God, or, in the language of Scripture, “redeemed” us (redeemed). In Golgotha ​​is hidden the incomprehensible mystery of the infinite truth and love of God.

The Son of God voluntarily took upon Himself the guilt of all people and suffered for it a shameful and painful death on the cross; then on the third day he rose again as the conqueror of hell and death.

Why was such a terrible Sacrifice needed to cleanse the sins of mankind, and was there an opportunity to save people in a different, less painful way?

The Christian doctrine of the death of the God-man on the cross is often a "stumbling block" for people with already established religious and philosophical concepts. Both many Jews and people of the Greek culture of the apostolic times found it contradictory to assert that the almighty and eternal God descended to earth in the form of a mortal man, voluntarily endured beating, spitting and shameful death, that this feat could bring spiritual benefit to mankind. " It's impossible!"- some objected; " It's not needed!"- asserted others.

St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Corinthians says: “ Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in the wisdom of the word, so as not to abolish the cross of Christ. For the word about the cross is foolishness for those who perish, but for us, who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the understanding of the prudent. Where is the sage? where is the scribe? where is the co-questioner of this age? Hasn't God turned the wisdom of this world into madness? For when the world by its wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, then it was pleasing to God to save the believers by the foolishness of preaching. For both the Jews demand miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, for the Jews a temptation, and for the Greeks madness, for the very called ones, the Jews and Greeks, Christ, God's power and God's wisdom"(1 Cor. 1: 17-24).

In other words, the apostle explained that what in Christianity was perceived by some as a temptation and insanity, in fact, is a matter of the greatest Divine wisdom and omnipotence. The truth of the atoning death and resurrection of the Savior is the foundation for many other Christian truths, for example, about the sanctification of believers, about the sacraments, about the meaning of suffering, about virtues, about deeds, about the purpose of life, about the impending judgment and resurrection of the dead, and others.

At the same time, the atoning death of Christ, being an event inexplicable in terms of earthly logic and even “tempting for the perishing,” has a regenerating power that the believing heart feels and strives for. Renewed and warmed by this spiritual strength, both the last slaves and the most powerful kings bowed before Calvary with trembling; both the dark ignoramuses and the greatest scientists. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were convinced by personal experience of what great spiritual benefits the atoning death and resurrection of the Savior brought them, and they shared this experience with their disciples.

(The mystery of the redemption of mankind is closely related to a number of important religious and psychological factors. Therefore, in order to understand the mystery of redemption, it is necessary:

a) understand what actually is the sinful injury of a person and the weakening of his will to resist evil;

b) it is necessary to understand how the devil's will, thanks to sin, got the opportunity to influence and even captivate human will;

c) it is necessary to understand the mysterious power of love, its ability to positively influence a person and ennoble him. Moreover, if love reveals itself most of all in sacrificial service to one's neighbor, then there is no doubt that giving life for him is the highest manifestation of love;

d) from understanding the power of human love, one must rise to understanding the power of Divine love and how it penetrates into the soul of the believer and transforms his inner world;

e) in addition, in the atoning death of the Savior there is a side that goes beyond the human world, namely: On the cross, a battle took place between God and the proud Dennitsa, in which God, hiding under the guise of a weak flesh, emerged victorious. The details of this spiritual battle and divine victory remain a mystery to us. Even the Angels, according to ap. Peter, do not fully understand the mystery of the atonement (1 Peter 1:12). It is a sealed book that only the Lamb of God could open (Rev. 5: 1-7)).

In Orthodox asceticism there is such a concept as bearing one's cross, that is, patient fulfillment of Christian commandments throughout the life of a Christian. All difficulties, both external and internal, are called "the cross." Everyone carries their own cross of life. The Lord said about the need for personal achievement: “ He who does not take up his cross (deviates from the deed) and follows Me (calls himself a Christian) is not worthy of Me”(Matthew 10:38).

« The cross is the guardian of the entire universe. Cross the beauty of the Church, Cross of kings orb", - affirms the absolute Truth of the luminaries of the feast of the Exaltation of the Life-giving Cross.

The motives for the outrageous desecration and blasphemy of the Holy Cross by conscientious cross-haters and crucifixes are quite understandable. But when we see Christians involved in this heinous affair, it is all the more impossible to be silent, for - according to the word of Saint Basil the Great - “God is given over to silence”!

Differences between Catholic and Orthodox cross

Thus, there are the following differences between the Catholic cross and the Orthodox:

Catholic cross Orthodox cross

1. Orthodox cross most often it has an eight-pointed or six-pointed shape. Catholic cross- four-pointed.
2. Words on the plate on the crosses are the same, only written in different languages: Latin INRI(in the case of the Catholic cross) and Slavic-Russian IHTSI(on the Orthodox cross).
3. Another principled position is the position of the legs on the Crucifix and the number of nails... The feet of Jesus Christ are positioned together on the Catholic Crucifixion, and each is nailed separately on the Orthodox cross.
4. Different is the image of the Savior on the cross... The Orthodox cross depicts God who opened the way to eternal life, and the Catholic one depicts a person in torment.

Prepared by Sergey Shulyak

For more than two thousand years of its existence, Christianity has spread across all continents of the Earth, among many peoples with their own cultural traditions and characteristics. Therefore, it is not surprising that one of the most recognizable symbols in the world, the Christian cross, has such a variety of shapes, sizes and uses.

In today's article, we will try to talk about what crosses are. In particular, you will learn: are there “Orthodox” and “Catholic” crosses, can a Christian treat the cross with contempt, are crosses in the shape of an anchor, why we also honor the cross in the shape of the letter “X” and many more interesting things.

Cross in the church

First, let's remember why the cross is important to us. The veneration of the cross of the Lord is associated with the atoning sacrifice of the God-man Jesus Christ. Honoring the cross, the Orthodox Christian gives reverence to God Himself, incarnate and suffering on this ancient Roman instrument of execution for our sins. Without the cross and death, there would be no redemption, resurrection and ascension, there would be no organization of the Church in the world and no opportunity to walk the path of salvation for every person.

Since the cross is so revered by believers, they try to see it as often as possible in their lives. Most often, the cross can be seen in the temple: on its domes, on sacred utensils and vestments of priests, on the chest of priests in the form of special pectoral crosses, in the architecture of the temple, often built in the form of a cross.

Cross behind the church fence

In addition, it is common for a believer to expand his spiritual space to the entire surrounding life. The Christian sanctifies all its elements, first of all, with the sign of the cross.

Therefore, in the cemeteries above the graves there are crosses as a reminder of the future resurrection, on the roads there are worship crosses that sanctify the path, on the bodies of Christians themselves there are cross-worn crosses, reminding a person of his high vocation to follow the path of the Lord.

Also, the shape of the cross among Christians can often be seen in home iconostases, on rings and other household items.

Pectoral cross

The pectoral cross is a special story. It can be made from a wide variety of materials and have all kinds of sizes and decorations, keeping only its shape.

In Russia, the pectoral cross is accustomed to seeing as a separate item hanging on a chain or string on the chest of a believer, but other cultures also met other traditions. The cross could not be made of anything at all, but applied to the body in the form of a tattoo so that a Christian could not accidentally lose it and so that it could not be taken away. This is how the Celtic Christians wore the pectoral cross.

It is also interesting that sometimes the Savior is not depicted on the cross, but an icon of the Mother of God or one of the saints is placed on the field of the cross, or even the cross is turned into a kind of miniature iconostasis.

About "Orthodox" and "Catholic" crosses and contempt for the latter

In some modern popular science articles, one can find the statement that an eight-pointed cross with a short upper and oblique short lower additional crossbars is considered "Orthodox", and a four-pointed cross elongated from top to bottom is "Catholic" and the Orthodox, allegedly, belong or in the past belonged to it with contempt.

This is a statement that defies criticism. As you know, the Lord was crucified precisely on the four-pointed cross, which for the above reasons was revered by the Church as a shrine long before the Catholics fell away from Christian unity in the 11th century. How could Christians despise the symbol of their salvation?

In addition, at all times, four-pointed crosses were widely used in churches, and even now on the chest of Orthodox priests you can find several possible forms of the cross - eight-pointed, four-pointed and figured with ornaments. Would they really wear some kind of "non-Orthodox cross"? Of course not.

Eight-pointed cross

The eight-pointed cross is most often used in the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches. This form recalls some additional details of the Savior's death.

An additional short upper crossbar denotes a titlo - a tablet on which the wine of Christ was written by Pilate: "Jesus of Nazareth is the king of the Jews." In some images of the crucifixion, the words are abbreviated and it turns out "INCI" - in Russian or "INRI" - in Latin.

A short oblique lower crossbar, usually depicted with the right edge raised up and left down (relative to the image of the crucified Lord) denotes the so-called "righteous measure" and reminds us of the two robbers crucified on the sides of Christ and their posthumous fate. The right one repented before death and inherited the Kingdom of Heaven, and the left one blasphemed the Savior and went to hell.

St. Andrew's cross

Christians revered not only a straight, but also an oblique four-pointed cross, depicted in the form of the letter "X". Tradition tells that it was on a cross of a similar shape that one of the twelve disciples of the Savior, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, was crucified.

The "St. Andrew's cross" is especially popular in Russia and the countries of the Black Sea region, since it was around the Black Sea that the missionary path of the Apostle Andrew passed. In Russia, St. Andrew's cross is depicted on the flag of the navy. In addition, the St. Andrew's cross is especially revered by the Scots, who also depicted it on their national flag and believe that the Apostle Andrew preached in their country.

T-shaped cross

Such a cross was most common in Egypt and other provinces of the Roman Empire in North Africa. Crosses with a horizontal beam superimposed on a vertical pillar, or with a cross-bar nailed just slightly below the upper edge of the pillar, were used to crucify criminals in these places.

Also, the "T-shaped cross" is called "the cross of St. Anthony" in honor of the Monk Anthony the Great, who lived in the IV century, one of the founders of monasticism in Egypt, who traveled with a cross of this shape.

Arychiepiscopal and Papal crosses

In the Catholic Church, in addition to the traditional four-pointed cross, crosses with the second and third crossbars over the main one are used, reflecting the hierarchical position of the carrier.

A cross with two bars signifies the rank of cardinal or archbishop. Such a cross is sometimes also called "patriarchal" or "Lorraine". The cross with three bars corresponds to papal dignity and emphasizes the high position of the Roman pontiff in the Catholic Church.

Lalibela's cross

In Ethiopia, church symbolism uses a four-pointed cross, surrounded by a complex pattern, which is called the "cross of Lalibela" in honor of the holy negus (king) of Ethiopia Gebre Meskel Lalibela, who ruled in the 11th century. Negus Lalibela was known for his deep and sincere faith, the help of the Church and the generous work of charity.

Cross anchor

On the domes of some churches in Russia, you can find a cross that stands on a crescent-shaped base. Some mistakenly attribute such symbolism to the wars in which Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire. Allegedly, "the Christian cross tramples on the Muslim crescent."

In fact, this shape is called the Anchor Cross. The fact is that already in the very first centuries of the existence of Christianity, when Islam had not even arisen, the Church was called the “ship of salvation”, which delivers a person to the safe haven of the Kingdom of Heaven. At the same time, the cross was depicted as a reliable anchor on which this ship can wait out the storm of human passions. The image of a cross in the form of an anchor can be found even in the ancient Roman catacombs where the first Christians were hiding.

Celtic cross

Before converting to Christianity, the Celts worshiped various elements, including the eternal luminary - the sun. According to legend, when Saint Patrick was enlightening Ireland, he combined the symbol of the cross with the earlier pagan symbol of the sun to show the eternity and importance of the Savior's sacrifice for every new convert.

Chrisma - a hint of the cross

During the first three centuries, the cross, and even more so the Crucifixion, was not depicted openly. The rulers of the Roman Empire opened a hunt for Christians and they had to identify each other with the help of not too obvious secret signs.

One of the closest to the cross in terms of the hidden symbols of Christianity was "chrism" - a monogram of the name of the Savior, usually composed of the first two letters of the word "Christ" "X" and "P".

Sometimes the symbols of eternity were added to the "chrism" - the letters "alpha" and "omega" or, as an option, it was made in the form of St. like "Jesus Christ".

There are many other varieties of the Christian cross that are widely used, for example, in the international award system or in heraldry - on the coats of arms and flags of cities and countries.

Andrey Segeda

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