The Symbolism of the Cross in the Catholic Church Religious groups throughout the world have used symbols to represent the historical events, deities, and beliefs of a faith. Symbols express the moral values of the teachings of religion and bring the ones who practice the belief closer to the divine. The catholic church uses the cross or crucifix to represent the belief that Jesus died on the cross to redeem humanity. The crucifix is similar to the cross, but depicts the body of Jesus Christ, representing his sacrifice. While the cross and the crucifix differ because of the image of Jesus Christ, the meaning of the image is a sacramental sign that prepares Catholics to receive the grace of God. In the following, a history of the cross will …show more content…
When the sign is made, a Catholic is professing the belief in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a sacrament for Catholics which signifies a rebirth, similar to what Jesus Christ did on the cross. When the sign of the cross is made during baptism, it symbolizes how the individual died with Christ and rose back to life. This act is similar to the meaning of the circumcision. Discipleship is marked by the cross and according to the book of Luke shows obedience to the scripture. Catholics also use the cross as a symbol of ownership, meaning a Catholic belongs to, obeys, and is obedient to God and the law of God. This is also an example of self-denial, one is going under the ownership of Christ and no longer belongs to themselves. When suffering occurs, the sign of the cross is a symbol of acceptance. When suffering occurs or when one feels like God is no longer there, the sign of the cross bring the presence of God to the individual and acknowledges to the individual God is with them in his or her time of need. In Catholicism, the greatest defense against Satan is the cross. When a Catholic believes that protection is needed from Satan, he or she will make the sign of the cross showing Satan that he or she is willingly owned by God and the He is protecting them. In modern times, this is portrayed in cinematic displays such as movies and books. The movie “The Exorcism”, portrays how Satan is expelled from a young child using the Holy Bible, a cross, and the words of Christ done by a priest of the Catholic church. Lastly, the cross signifies the triumph over self-indulgence. The temptation of the flesh, such as lust, fear, greed, and anger, can all be destroyed and conquered through the cross. To a Catholic, the sign of the cross is sacred and reminds them daily of his or her obedience to God and
Some people think the swastika, a cross with four arms of equal length, with the ends of each arm bent at a right angle, was created by Nazi Germany, but it wasn’t. The swastika is actually an ancient symbol that is used in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In the Western part of world, the swastika since the 1930’s has mostly been associated with the infamous flag of Nazi Germany and the Nazi Party. The swastika was also created 5,000 years before it was used by the Nazi Party, and the symbol represents “good fortune.”
Symbolism, helps even the uneducated to understand even the basics of the morals of life.The bible is a very religious journal which has many symbols such as a rainbow representing a promise and many others. "Tell the angel who will watch over your life to pry now and then for a man who, like Satan, believed himself for an instant to be equal to God, but who realized in
The swastika, or twisted cross, is an ancient symbol that architects have found on pottery and coins dating back as far as 1000 BC (Rosenberg). Cultures used the swastika to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck (Rosenberg). The swastika was used by many cultures around the world, but th...
A universal symbol arises from the symbol's relationship to reality; thus, such a symbol remains the same across cultures and with different individuals. While symbols can be created, such created symbols are subjective and must be given meaning within their context and because the context is different among individuals and societies and can vary over time, the meanings of the symbols are, likewise, highly variable.
The iconic Irish trinity symbol a.k.a. the trinity or Celtic knot has been a revered symbol in Ireland for centuries. The trinity represents the Power of Three or triquetra (try-KET-ra). The Power of Three is an immutable law that when three entities combine powers, they increase their power far greater than three times.
When we think of the word cross, what usually comes to mind is an upright beam projecting above a shorter cross piece 3. This is the form of the cross which traditional Christian art depicts Jesus dying upon. In fact, the Romans used five different types of crosses for crucifying people. It is unknown which type of the cross Jesus was crucified on.
Christianity has had a major impact in European history as the majority of the populations were Christians, and as many nations started out as Christendom. Even today, it has a profound impact in the decision making of nations and billions of people who follow its doctrine. Therefore, representing Christianity through the medium of art was an important factor artists had to consider. Many artists decided to paint the scene of the Crucifixion of Jesus as it is considered to be the most important scene for many Christians. Some artists, like Christus, opted for a more emotionally muted route while other artists, like Crivelli, went on to capture the emotional distress of the scene. Neither method is objectively better than the other as both artists
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different concepts and experiences. All communication is achieved through the use of symbols. Symbols take the form of words, sounds, gestures, ideas or visual images and are used to convey other ideas and beliefs. A symbol is an energy evoking, and directing, agent. Symbolism that is something that stands for another, it can be place, object, or a person. Human cultures use symbols to express specific ideologies and social structures and to represent
In his Crucifixion, with the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist Mourning (c.1460), a piece within the Northern Renaissance collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rogier van der Weyden portrays a stark image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The right panel of the diptych depicts the gruesome image of a crucified Christ. Weight pulls the emaciated body down into a Y-shape, contrasting the T-shape of the cross it is mounted on. The only movement comes from the loincloth wrapped around Christ’s waist that dances in the wind. Blood visibly trickles from the corpse’s wounds. Behind the body, a red cloth is draped down the grey wall. At the base of the cross sits a skull and bone. The left panel portrays the Virgin Mary swooning in despair as Saint John attempts to support her weight. Her hands are clasped in prayer as she gazes up at her lifeless son. Both figures are clothed in pale draping robes. The vibrant red of the cloth that hangs from the grey wall in the background contrasts the subdued colors of the
What it is a symbol? A symbol is most understandably defined by The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy as “something that represents or suggests something else… often takes the form of words, visual images, or gestures that are used to convey ideas and beliefs”. This definition is pretty self explanatory, it not only emphasizes the functional purpose of a symbol, that of being solely representative of something else, but also suggests that a symbol is not complete in itself - it makes a comparison by pointing to something else. Symbols are metaphors; they help us to better understand those things that humans can quite put into words, in doing this they serve as life guides, as they help us to express and shape world views (Christ 139).
Symbolism plays an important role in the Scarlet Letter. The scarlet "A" is used to represent sin and anguish along with happiness. The "A" has different meanings to people other than what was originally intended. The scaffold is used as a place of repentance and judgment by God. Pearl is another major symbol used as a reminder of the scarlet letter.
Saint Sebastian was regarded as one of the most popular plague Saints in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. He was the chief defender of the plague because of his endurance and defense of his faith. Death was considered God’s punishment for sin, so devotees sought pictorial and spiritual methods using Sebastian’s imagery to appease God. Louise Marshall’s, The Body of a Plague Saint, focused on the invention of two pictorial devices that shifted the way St. Sebastian was seen as an object of prayer. Sheila Barker’s, Making of a Plague Saint, discussed how Sebastian’s imagery evolved from religious and secular themes over the course of the threat of plague. Different methods of iconography involving political, therapeutic,
Christians believe that God’s son, Jesus, sacrificed his life on the cross to save everyone's souls from sin. Buddist are told to sacrifice their well being to end other people's suffering. Hindus offer a sacrifice of various spices and wood into a fire to express their devotion to their religion. They do this at weddings and other special events. The Jews would sacrifice animals to God in the past for the forgiveness of their sins. Muslims in the past would sacrifice an animal that is a goat, sheep, cow, or camel to their God, Allah. The animal must be
Christianity and Judaism are the few examples of religions that are originated from Western Traditions. These religions take different approaches to representational art and iconography which is found in their religious festivals. The Christian celebration of Easter and the Jewish Passover differentiate in their approaches to these icons in the history, the celebration and the symbols used during the commemoration of these holidays.
There is a circle in the center of the symbol, which represents the circle of life.