Cross history and everyday life

The Cross – what is it and what does it mean 

What is the cross and crucifixion?

We all know, off course, what the cross and crusifixion is – the wooden object in which Jesus was crucified 2000 years ago in the event that changed modern history. But such an everyday event in the Roman empire, gruesome as it may be, change the course of history and provide the bedrock for the morals and codes that lead us today? But how?

First, where did the word Cross come from?

The word “Cross” is a mix of the Latin word “Crux”, old Celtic Irish “Cros”, and old Norse “Kross”. All three words eventually replaced the Germanic (i.e. old english) word “Rood”, which meant cross. Scholars are not quite sure when the word, as we know it today, was created however presumably after the viking invasions when all three languages mixed. Even though the Latin was not the street language in Old Britain, Latin was the language of the church.

Meaning for believers 

The cross is the most identifiable Christian and religious symbol in the world, ever. The cross represents Christianity and Is the most profound symbol for the believer. For him, it means love, compassion, forgiveness and victory, and divine connection to a higher spirit that gives him protection. It offers him a spiritual structure to his existence and a divine elevated sense that strengthens him from the inside. The cross is interwind in our physical, emotional and physical well-being…24/7. It’s everything, almost the entire core of a believer’s existence…the root spiritual DNA. The cross is a symbol of culture and embedded in societies and encompasses nearly the entire Christian world – almost all the western world, Latin America, Russia, South America, and most of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Cross Presence in our daily life

It is so powerfully present in the daily life of the believers that it appears in the biggest and most symbolic places, the smallest things we wouldn’t even notice subconsciously, and in all shapes and forms throughout our life and surroundings. The cross appears on streets, mountain tops, lawns, billboards, schools, TV screens, buildings, and of course, Churches. On daily physical things like, not only our cross keychain but also our clothes, wallets, bags, etc. In spiritual life junctions like Birth, weddings, death, etc. And on national symbols like flags, organizations like the Red Cross, and other organizations and universities worldwide. Even the most secular liberal nations have the cross flying high – like New Zealand, Iceland, and Sweden.

What does the cross shape mean?

But what does the cross, the form we know today, even mean, if anything? After all, it’s just the physical object the Romans crucified Jesus more than 2000 years ago. And why a cross, not some other symbol, like a square? Part of the answer is historical (which we explain in the next 2-3 paragraphs). But part of the reason may be spiritual – or more like the spiritual meaning of the cross shape itself. One possibility you hear theologians and scholars echo is that the vertical line represents a higher entity – God. While the Horitonzal one is daily real-life human existence, outside our souls and spirits. Another possibility is that it’s the body and spirit meeting point, even female and male. And the crucifix itself heals and reconciles God and its most important creation – the human race – from its sins and failures.

The Cross Paradox 

And there is also a strange paradox with the cross, as it directly represents one of the most gruesome and horrifying experiences mankind can witness – the crucifixion. The crucifixion means death, terror, torture, and suffering, yet for the Christian world, it means love, forgiveness, compassion, and triumph. How can that be?

The answer is that the crucifixion is part of a more significant chronological event with a spiritual victory. The bare cross means resurrection, Jesus’s victory, his rising to heaven, and that god sacrificed his son for humanity’s sins and saved humanity. The gruesome crucifixion was just a stepping stone to the resurrection of salvation.

The Negative side of the cross

But the cross, and this has to be said, was also used negatively throughout history. Various political, military, and even religious forces used it for motives like wars, Ku Kux Klan, crusades, political violence, etc. However, that holds true for all religions as well, when political forces used beliefs to suit their cynical needs. No doubt, human nature can be corrupt…

Cross History

Who built the first cross – Pre-christian cross

And how did it become what we know today, such a powerful pillar of our spiritual, cultural, and physical existence? Some Historical context:

The cross has a surprising and highly diverse history, dating long back to pre-Christian paganism. The cross appears in dozens of pre-Christian cultures, societies, tribes, and kingdoms across the ancient world. Nobody knows 100% where the origins are from, but some places in antiquity you can find the cross are Babylonia (present-day Iraq), India, ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, etc. The cross appears in ancient Egyptian and Persian tombs, Celtic societies, European pre-historic caves, Subcontinent Indian tribes, etc. Also, Early Christian Armenian and Syrian manuscripts show clear signs of Turkic tribal and other eastern influences on it.

One of the most shocking versions of the cross may be the Indian symbol, the Svastika, which we know today as the infamous Nazi Swastika (which the original Indian one, of course, means peace). It may also have been rooted in the ancient greek letter T, called the Tau cross, or the ancient Egyptian symbol called the Ankh, which looked similar to the cross, only with a loop on top. Because of the Ankh’s similarity to the cross, it was later adopted by the Egyptian Christian Copts, one of the earliest Christian groups, and to this day, you can see the symbol in many of the Coptic churches.

The new Christian religion cross

The cross itself, as we know it today – the plain cross – became associated with Christians around the 2nd century, but in a negative context…“the icon of that sect”. Also, among Christians themselves, they viewed the cross negatively because Christianity was still an illegal underground religion, and early Christians didn’t want to attract negative attention.

Another reason was that the cross reminded them of torture, and crucifixion. And at the time it was still legal, and very much a legitimate part of crime and punishment in the roman empire. So naturally, early Christians didn’t want to associate themselves with such a horrible thing and did not adopt the cross as their icon.

The Symbols of early Christians – before the cross

So what did early Christians use to identify each other and places of congregation when Christianity was illegal? Much like the Sephardic Jews during the Spanish inquisition, they had various secret icons and symbols in their places of worship. Icons like the ancient Greek letter Chi-Rho, IX Monogram, Alpha, and Omega, and the closest thing to the cross was the Greek letter T, the tau (like mentioned above), and most of all, the Greek Itchy’s fish. And again, similar to the inquisitions, the symbols were on doors and walls of secret gathering locations. 

Earliest evidence of the Christian Cross

The first actual image of a cross, or crucifixion, was a bloodstone amulet in the 2nd century, found in Syria and now in the British Museum in London. The measurements of the amulet are 3cm X 2.5cm X 0.58, and Jesus is naked on it, with a beard and his head turned to the left, and his hands tied to the horizontal bar. On the surface of the amulet is an inscription in Greek, which roughly says, “Son, Father, Jesus Christ”. The amulet was considered a Greco-Roman “Magical amulet” that people held to strengthen their beliefs but were common at the time with other religions and a lucky charm of sorts.

The Roman Empires cross

Only in the 4th century AD, when Emporer Constantine made Christianity legal and the Roman empire’s official religion, did the bare cross start to have meaning in the Christian world. But 2 specific events gave the cross legitimacy and made it to what it is today. The first was in 337 when Constantine banished crucifixion, which until then, people associated Christians with crucifixion negatively.

And the second event was truly a watershed moment in Christianity’s history. When Helena, mother of Emporer Constantine, traveled on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and founded new churches, charity organizations, and started building Christianity’s infrastructure in Jerusalem.

But she also engaged in archeological digs – hence today, the world knows her as the first archeologist in history. During one of those excavations, she found a tomb and three old crosses. She believed the tomb to be Jesus’s burial site and one of the crosses to be the specific cross Jesus the Romans crucified Jesus – called the “True Cross”. The tomb today is where the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is, the world’s most famous Church. And legend has it that a sick woman touched the “True Cross” which later healed her. That unproven legend obviously enhanced the belief that the “True Cross” was the actual cross Jesus was crucified on.

Both events in the 3rd century eventually paved the way for the cross to become Christianity’s main icon and symbol. And more importantly, graduallly making it an everyday item people

The True cross

Throughout the centuries, some churches worldwide held fragments claiming to be from the original True Cross. However, researchers did carbon tests on one of them, from the Waterford City Church in Ireland. The test showed it to be from the 11th century, not Jesus’s time, to the big disappointment of everyone. Dozens of other churches worldwide also claim to have fragments of the True Cross. (However, none were tested yet for financial reasons and also not to “disrupt” long-held beliefs.).

The First Crucifixes

Only after the 6th century did the Crucifix – the cross with the body of Jesus hanging on it – start appearing in the Christian world. And that was two centuries after Christianity became legal. Nobody knows exactly why crucifixes started to appearing so much later, after the cross became a Christian icon. One can only assume that the trauma from crucifixions, which until the 4th century was still legal and practiced, was still fresh.

But the crucifixes that started to appearing then were inpaintings and art, not in physical crucifixes like we know today. Some images of those first Crucifixes were among other crucifixes (with two other infamous criminals crucified with Jesus) and sometimes with Mary and st. John. Today it’s unclear when and where the physical Crucifix also started appearing on physical sculptures, statues, etc.

Types of crosses – today and throughout History

The cross, of course, has numerous different shapes and forms throughout the Christian world. Some variations represent diversity, but some represent real differences of opinion and dissent. The Orthodox Cross, for example, has mushroom-shaped tips and a skewed bar at the bottom. On the other hand, most protestant dominations completely rejected the Crucifix. The reason being, for them, Jesus is alive, and it’s a violation of the second commandment and even degrades Christ. However, the Lutheranism and Anglican Church retained and still use the Crucifix. Aside from that, there are dozens of other types of crosses worldwide and throughout history.

Domination

The Latin Cross – The most common Christian cross of the Catholic Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church – with both an additional bar slightly tilted under the main bar. Some crosses also have mushroom-tipped edges.

Presbyterian Cross – the cross used by Presbyterians. It has a circle around the cross, similar to the Celtic cross, which may be the inspiration for the ring around the Presbyterian cross.

Regional

The Greek Cross – a perfectly symmetrical cross also called Crux Immissa Quadrata. The cross bars are identical in length, and we see them on the famous Greek Islands. However, like other crosses, this cross was originally in greek society before Christianity and eventually became a Christian symbol.

Celtic High Cross – the cross of the Celtic world – i.e., the British Isles, mostly Ireland. The cross is a tall cross made of ornamental stones. Today the only ones that exist are those built before the Anglo invasions, the youngest one being 800 years old.

Novgorod Cross – The cross exists only in the city of Novgorod, Russia. It slightly resembles the Celtic cross and even the Presbyterian cross, with the circle surrounding the cross. Why the cross came to look Celtic is a mystery, but one theory is that the source are Vikings. They had their “hand” in both places, hence the Celtic cross somehow made its way to Novgorod from Ireland.

Tau Cross – A cross that looks like the Greek letter T. It is also called St. Anthony cross because of its connection to Saint Anthony of Eygpt.

Cross of St. Andrews – the cross on the flag of Scotland and in Anglo-Saxon or Scottish decent communities worldwide.

Scandinavian cross – An uneven cross with a long horizontal and short vertical bar and the vertical is slightly left-center. This cross is on all Scandinavian flags and was first introduced in Denmark before copied to all other flags.

Coptic cross – A cross with identical length arms and sharp edges, and beautiful curvy designs in the front. We should not confuse it with the Ankh Cross, a traditional symbol in ancient Egypt, adopted as the central cross when Egypt became Christian.

St. James Cross – Named after James the Great, one of the 12 apostles. Historians believe St James is the martyr who spread Christianity to present-day Spain. Legend says he is buried there in the Galicia region in the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The road to the cathedral is the famous Christian pilgrim road Camino de Santiago St. James way.

Leadership & administrative

Papel cross – The official cross of the Pope in the Vatican. The cross includes 3 bars in different lengths representing the Pope’s different roles. As Rome’s bishop, Patriarch of the west, and the chief of the apostles. Others say the 3 bars represent heaven, earth, and Church… Only the Pope can use it, and any other use is illegal in the Roman Catholic world. However, the Pope gave the Crusaders the Papel cross to take with them on their Crusades.

Patriarchal cross – Eastern Orthodox Cross, only with an additional bar on top to represent all the Orthodox patriarchs and archbishops.

Crusader & MIlitary

Jerusalem cross – A cross that includes the main cross and 4 mini crosses representing the five wounds Jesus had. 2 on his arms, 2 on his legs, and one on his chest. The crusader cross itself is from the 13th century, from the Kingdom of Heaven crusade. The crusaders used it as an emblem of the coat of arms, but its roots go back to the 11th century.

Templar Cross – One of the famous crosses and a cross that templar knights used during the crusades. They wore it on their white or black mantle, surcoat, and black tunic. It is considered one of the most “prestigious” crosses in the ancient world, and to die wearing it was considered martyrdom. An unwritten rule wIt as never to surrender as long as the flag with the cross is flying.

Iron Cross – Known as the Schwarzkreuz in German. It was commissioned first in the Kingdom of Prussia’s , the main state before German unification, war against Napoleon and then went on to be the main military icon and medal of honor of the German army ever since.

Maltese Cross – A cross with four inward “V”’s pointing inward towards each other, representing the Knights of Malta. The Knights of Malta created Hospitals for Pilgrims in Jerusalem and lived by a strict code of honor.

The cross in contemporary culture and everyday life

The cross become an icon since the 4th, since Christianity becaem the main religion of the Roman empire. That, along with the other 2 events we which legitmized the cross in the eyes of christians and others – the True cross, and the banishment of crucifixion in 337. Since then the cross started to appear in places of worship – known later as churches – and afte rthat in art, statues, sculptures, seals, coins and medals. From there on, gradually, the cross started to also appear in daily pop items through the centuries eventually making to casual items we don’t think twice about, like keychains.

Daily Products

The cross appears in clothing, accessories, household products, kitchenware, arts world, various decors, house hold items sports items and etc. Some are actually made by US.

One of those items is our Christ Carrying the Cross Keychain, part of our keychain category. The cross keychains subject is, of course, the episode of Jesus’s final journey to his crucifixion on the road of Calvary. The road to Calvary is the famous via Dolorosa in the old city in Jerusalem from the gospel of John which includes the 14 stations in which Jesus carried the cross on his way to his final destiny. However, historically, the person that actually carried the cross for Jesus was probably somebody called Simon of Cyrene.

The cross keychain is made of zinc alloy metal and the ring is stainless steel. Additionally, the image is embossed 3D and you can actually feel it when gently touching it – it’s not flat! Our cross Keychain, like all our keychains, are meticulously hand-made by artisans honed with these skills over Generations. Additionally, part of the process is via the casting method with the highest degree of finishing for a premium long last cross keychain.

Cross monuments 

 The world is dotted with beautiful, old and new, Cross monuments all over the world. Naturally, most are Churches with the cross towering over them, but some are stand alone monuments. Churches like The St. Peters Bascilia, Saint Basil Cathedral in Moscow, and the famous Le Segrada La Familia in Barcelona which is still being built. And stand alone monuments like the  The Corcovado in Rio De Janeiro (which is a statue of Jesus but in the shape of a cross), the Three cross monument in Vilnius, Cruz del Tercer Milenio in Chile and more. 

Organizations

Of course, the most famous organization with a cross is the international Red Cross. However the cross also decorates most medical services in the Western and Christian world. Additionally, thousands of charity organizations around the world are faith based and naturally the cross is their logo