Six-pointed orthodox cross meaning. What do the letters on the cross mean? Is it possible to wear a scapular and a cross on the same chain
In Orthodoxy, the six-pointed crucifixion is considered canonical: the vertical line is crossed by three transverse ones, one of them (lower) is oblique. The upper horizontal bar (the shortest of the three transverse ones) symbolizes a tablet with the inscription in three languages (Greek, Latin and Hebrew): "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." This tablet, by order of Pontius Pilate, was nailed to the Cross of the Lord before the crucifixion.
Origin and history of the Path of the Cross
The Franciscans extended this devotion to the Way of the Cross as they did in the nursery school. The Path of the Cross in Orthodoxy. The Path of the Cross does not exist in orthodoxy because it appeared after the Eastern schism. In Orthodoxy there is a procession of the Epitaph tomb, which symbolizes the burial of Christ. The procession is followed by believers holding candles, and it goes around the parish. During the Epitaph procession, the inhabitants bring scenes of Christ's passion to life. This procession of the Epitaph takes place in Good friday.
Cross Path Stations
However, the Church never held liturgy. Most churches and chapels have a Way of the Cross. It consists of 14 wooden crosses attached to the walls of the church, usually accompanied by painting or sculpture representing the subject of the station. The crosses are spaced at intervals as they mark the path, and so as you look over the faithful, take a full tour of the church.
The middle, shifted closer to the upper (longest) crossbar, is the immediate part of the Cross - the Savior's hands were nailed to it.
The lower slanting bar provides a leg support. Unlike Catholics, in Orthodoxy, on the Crucifixion, both feet of the Savior are shown with pierced nails. This tradition is confirmed by research on the Shroud of Turin - the board in which the body of the crucified Lord Jesus Christ was wrapped.
Where to put the blackened or broken cross?
Stations outside of churches. There are also stations of the Cross outside churches, often in nature. Thus, in Lourdes, there are two chains on the outside. Scheme located in the mountains, the path of the Espelug cross with real works of art. Scheme for the sick located in the meadow of the sanctuaries. The Diocese of Paris organizes outdoor ceremonies on Good Friday.
There are several stations on the traditional Way of the Cross that do not correspond to the gospel episode of passion, but this comes from tradition. We can make 14 stations from gospel scenes. Usually one makes the Holy Crosses a priest or deacon. In front of each station, one prays, sings a hymn and listens to the exhortation of the priest. Between each station we often say to the Father, Hail Mary, Glory to the Father and these words.
It should be added that the oblique shape of the lower crossbar carries a certain symbolic meaning... The raised end of this crossbar rushes up to the sky, thereby symbolizing the robber crucified along right hand from the Savior, who, already on the cross, repented and entered the Kingdom of Heaven with the Lord. The other end of the crossbar, facing downward, symbolizes the second robber, crucified on left hand from the Savior, who blasphemed the Lord and was not worthy of forgiveness. The state of mind of this robber is a state of being forsaken by God, hell.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you! You have redeemed the world with your holy cross. Some of the paths of the cross are done outside, such as in Rome. Where can I find meditation texts? On the Internet, you can find meditation texts at each station. These texts can be used for personal use or for limited use.
Way of the Cross for children. It is advisable for the children to live on Good Friday in order to simplify the ceremony with fewer stations, after the sermon in the form of dialogue with the children. A ceremony can be done to show that Jesus conquers passion. When to participate in the celebration?
There is another option Orthodox Crucifixion, the so-called full or Athonite cross. It carries even more symbolic meanings. Its peculiarity is that certain letters are inscribed above the canonical six-pointed Cross.
What do the inscriptions on the cross mean?
Above the topmost crossbar is inscribed: "IS" - Jesus and "XC" - Christ. Slightly below, along the edges of the middle crossbar: "SN" - Son and "BZHI" - God. There are two inscriptions under the middle crossbar at once. Along the edges: "TSR" - Tsar and "SLVY" - Glory, and in the center - "NIKA" (translated from Greek - victory). This word means that by His suffering and death on the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ conquered death and atoned for human sins.
It is recommended to participate in the celebrations on Good Friday and Lent Friday. Many parishes hold the ceremony every Friday during Great Lent. During Great Lent, which is a period of repentance and prayer, one should meditate on the passion of Christ in order to prepare for his resurrection.
This is in the form of a procession organized by the brotherhoods of the "penitents". Stations of some of the ways of the Cross. Abbey stations for men. The early Christians had two symbols that were popular, which signified belonging to Jesus. Why "fish" - it is widely known and easily found on the Internet. Christians from the following letters of this word led to the confession of faith: Jehou Christ Teu Cheyos Soterion, or Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior. So the fish issue is more or less resolved.
On the sides of the Crucifixion are depicted a spear and a cane with a sponge, designated, respectively, by the letters "K" and "T". As we know from the Gospel, they pierced the Lord's right rib with a spear, and on a reed they offered Him a sponge with vinegar in order to relieve His pain. The Lord refused to ease His suffering. Below, the Crucifixion is depicted standing on the base - a small elevation, which symbolizes Mount Golgotha, on which the Lord was crucified.
So, the history of this symbol is as follows: in the book of Genesis, Abraham defeated 318 people. The early Christians symbolically took the number of Abraham's soldiers. Well, in Greek the number 318 saves 18. Full name Order - Society of Jesus, in the Latin Societies Yesu. Anyone who wants to follow Me in order to deny himself, accept his cross and follow Me, means in his thinking and Christian life any struggle with evil, with our sin, with possible sources of sin, selfishness, struggle for the purification of our being, flowing from the filth of thoughts and troubles, and outraged feelings to make it a clear source of inner and outer life.
Inside the mountain is depicted the skull and crossbones of the forefather Adam. In accordance with this, on the sides of the elevation are inscribed - "ML" and "RB" - Place Lobnoe and Crucified Byst, as well as two letters "G" - Golgotha. Inside Golgotha, on the sides of the skull, are the letters "G" and "A" - the head of Adam.
The image of the remains of Adam has a certain symbolic meaning. The Lord, being crucified, sheds His blood on the remains of Adam, thereby washing, cleansing him from the fall he committed in paradise. Together with Adam, the sins of all mankind are washed away. In the center of the crucifix, a circle with thorns is also depicted - this is a symbol of the crown of thorns, which was worn on the head of the Lord Jesus Christ by Roman soldiers.
The cross is defeat from evil and ugly gestures, from unspeakable and selfish greed, from pleasure that decays to anger and envy, from hatred of brothers, from a barrier and from all degrading actions that we want to do to others.
Thus, the cross means the strength of a person of wise will and a well-meaning mind before the waves of lower falls in us. The cross signifies resistance against the attacks of these impulses, defeating anything that seduces us with instant gratification, but with bad consequences for us and others. The cross signifies patience in carrying weights and trials, which we cannot avoid by hasty action, but allow them even more. The cross signifies the well-being and wisdom of responding to the offensive and unjust acts of others.
Orthodox cross with a crescent
It is also worth mentioning another form of the Orthodox cross. In this case, the cross has a crescent at its base. Such crosses very often crown the domes of Orthodox churches.
According to one version, the cross emerging from the crescent moon symbolizes the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. V oriental tradition the crescent moon is often considered a symbol Mother of God- just as the cross is considered a symbol of Jesus Christ.
The cross is, in a word, self-control that unites wisdom, willpower, and good intentions in everything. The cross is an action or defeat from action from a broad view of the connections of every moment in which we are placed with the future moments of our life with the lives of other people.
The cross embraces itself and understands suffering, and often people stop at this stage of their suffering. But the cross also signifies suffering only because it defends itself against the voluptuous pleasures that cause the corruption of our being, from the sweetness of revenge that poisons our lives, from satisfying the blows given to others by envy, but which allow us to turn into torment of our own being, If we will think that these pleasures are mixed with poisons for ourselves, so that they turn out to be short-lived and superficial, and then painful remorse, severe troubles and difficult problems, we realize the cross, helping us to avoid them, this is not really the cause of suffering, but rather to get rid of the suffering of suffering, in order to heal the falls, sometimes long scattered in eternity, and to raise oneself to real joy.
Another interpretation explains the crescent moon as a symbol of the Eucharistic cup with the blood of the Lord, from which, in fact, the Cross of the Lord is born. There is another interpretation regarding the cross emerging from the crescent moon.
This interpretation suggests understanding this as a victory (or elevation, advantage) of Christianity over Islam. However, as studies have shown, this interpretation is incorrect, since the very form of such a cross appeared much earlier than the 6th century, when, in fact, Islam arose.
Who does not feel a more real joy, a higher, more substantial joy, when he could protect himself from the appearance of one of his acquaintances? Who does not feel the joy of purer and more lasting when, restraining himself at the expense of sumptuous food, can give the suffering of this country without standing in the street dirt at least one-fourth of that count? The joy of producing it by using your cross in these moments is a joy that refreshes in it your whole life, not riddled with agonizing regrets about any uninfected or evil deed.
Christian spiritual discourse says that the cross melts ghosts, tempted by temptations, destroying evil doctrines. In fact, there is a fantasy of greed, envy, hatred, which increases the attractiveness of things, or a plasma of antipathic traits and intentions of the enemy to those whom we do not love. Greed and inclination to enjoy the unsurpassed beauty of desired objects, and hatred disfigures the imagination of what we see and the souls of people whom we do not love. Through the wise serenity of disobedience, patience, the cross, we oppose these enthralled assumptions, we overwhelm some of the false realities generated by the evil in us, and by this we stop and weaken our lower impulses to those that seem to be false.
Word NIKA (Win) symbolizes the victory of Christ over death, His resurrection.
The inscription on the cross ICXC- Jesus Christ King of Glory... Sign ~
located above the letters denotes the abbreviation of words.
In a hand-drawn miniature, in the work of the Greek monk Anastasius Sinaita (VI-VII centuries), for the first time is depicted eight-pointed cross... The upper crossbar symbolizes the titlo - a tablet on which Pilate inscribed: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews ( IНЦI). Hands are nailed to the middle bar. The lower Beveled crossbar symbolizes the foot on which Christ's feet rested. This crossbar (especially in Russia) is credited with a special symbolic meaning. Together with Christ, two robbers were crucified. One cursed Jesus, the other, on the contrary, calmed him and said: "... we are justly condemned, but He did nothing wrong." Prudent robber confessed his guilt and asked the Lord to forgive him for all his sins. And Jesus said to him: "Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Thus, this crossbar as a symbol of the scales God's judgment, through repentance, raising to heaven and casting (the unrepentant robber) into hell. This miniature later became the prototype of most of the Byzantine and Russian Crucifixes.
The idea of the Resurrection was transmitted on the crosses through the image of the skull (head of Adam) at the base of the cross (sometimes next to the letters GA). The Church Fathers call Christ the New Adam, who atoned for the original sin - "The blood of Christ washed away the sin of Adam." Therefore, the image of Adam's head under the cross speaks not only of his fall and death, but also of his redemption by Christ and resurrection.
We are destroying this false world for us and our false being for this world, as the apostle Paul says, restoring real world and our true self. The cross is so overwhelming in this sense. The cross is, first of all, a star in resisting evil, a star in protecting our being with aggressive waves of lower temptations that want to conquer, crush, weaken it; in this sense, fasting is a cross, and wearing the cross also means standing at the post, defending self-defense. Our whole life should be in this defense post, or we can carry our cross, because in our whole life there is Navy lower movements in us along the leading and responsible part of our being, to force him to evil, waves of patience and powerlessness, so that no one resists the evil in us.
FAQ:
Can a scapular and a cross be worn on the same chain?
Can. There are no restrictions on this.
Should the chain be consecrated?
There is no special rite of consecration of the chain, but it is good to give it to the priest along with the cross - he will sprinkle it with holy water. If you buy chains in the trade at the temple, then, as a rule, the chains have already been consecrated.
But the cross should not be understood only in this negative or defensive sense. Even standing behind the protection of what is good in us, the cross strengthens our being, the good in us. Through the cross, we build day after day, as an unshakable being in goodness; through the cross, we make our being grow in its infinite beauty, in the image of a divine pattern.
The cross is the diamond instrument of the will with which we chase every day, hours, moment by moment, our true face, pulling it out of the material without the form in which it is buried and from which it seeks to emerge. And since each person must struggle with other ways, temptations and specific evidence, with other shortcomings and shortcomings, in other situations everyone has a different cross to wear, other painful operations to perform, that is, he must use a tool that is suitable for unscrupulous and resilient material that he must remove from his stubborn face.
What should be a pectoral cross according to church canons?
This question requires a very widespread answer. In order not to delve into the jungle of symbolism and the history of the Church, we can simply assure that all the crosses that you find on this site are canonical.
Can a small cross tattoo be done?
It is worth figuring out why you have such a tattoo and what you expect from it. If you want it to replace pectoral cross- it is impossible. In general, the holy fathers speak very strictly about images on the human body, in best case not recommending to apply them.
Everyone should use the cross that suits him, pick up the cross and start with Christ so that he becomes more like him. But the cross is a positive force in a different sense. He is inspired and supported not only by the desire to strengthen our own being, but also by the will to increase our love for others. Also, you cannot decorate your own being except out of habit to do good to others, to serve others for the sake of love. Thus, on the cross we serve not only new ones, but others as well.
Both are combined with a certain amount of pain and pain, but with a good effect, with a lasting and pure joy. His mother is tired of watching a sick child, it is a cross, but it is fatigue from pure and lasting joy. It is exhausting and painful for the son of the Motherland to defend her in times of disaster, but it is weariness and pain with great joy.
Where to put the blackened or broken cross?
The main thing to be guided by in this matter is that the image of the Cross should not be trampled in any way, and therefore should not be thrown away along with the slops. It is best to give a cross or a small icon to the nearest temple. It is also worth noting that blackened silver is perfectly wiped off with specialized products, and sometimes with simple soda. Also crosses from precious metals can be re-melted.
Each ministry of others is burdened with weight because it is an antigonist. But this is what brings joy to the highest. Christ is our parable and the source of authority in wearing the cross out of love for others. He, the greatest, served us by cutting the most, instead of waiting for our service. But that is precisely what His true enlargement showed. We also ascend to resurrection through this cross of service. For the joy of the resurrection is the joy of fellowship to which we advance through service.
There is a close connection between service and the cross, therefore, between service and resurrection. He who cannot serve people, does not bear the cross following Christ, and does not strive for marriage and resurrection with Christ in the joy of communion. On the other hand, humanity today needs more than ever to serve everyone. She needs to be helped to overcome the danger of war and so many shortcomings in many parts of the world, to make an era of brotherhood, justice and prosperity, joy in love.