There were and are a huge number of crosses in the world: the ancient Egyptian Ankh, Celtic cross, solar, Latin, Orthodox, Byzantine, Armenian (“blooming”), St. Andrew’s and other crosses - these are all geometric symbols used in different eras to express different meanings. Most crosses are somehow connected with Christianity.
In the Christian tradition, the veneration of the cross originates from the legend of the martyrdom of Jesus Christ. Execution by crucifixion existed before Christ - this is how robbers were usually crucified - however, in Christianity, the cross takes on the meaning not only of an instrument of execution, but of the salvation of Christians through the death of Jesus.
Church services to the Holy Cross
- Week of the Cross (3rd Sunday of Lent)
- Origin (wear) of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (August 14)
- Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (September 27)
- Wednesday and Friday in the weekly circle of services are dedicated to the Cross of the Lord.
Godfrey of Bouillon - the uncrowned king of Jerusalem
The founder of the Order is considered to be Count Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lower Lorraine. He took part in the First Crusade. After the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, Godfrey was declared king of Jerusalem. The Count of Bouillon accepted power, but refused coronation and anointing. He could not wear a crown (crown), where Jesus Christ wore a crown of thorns on the day of suffering.
But, having received the title “Guardian and Defender of the Holy Sepulcher,” the new ruler of Jerusalem took a coat of arms - a gold cross on a silver base with T-shaped ends of four branches, surrounded by four smaller crosses. According to the laws of heraldry, this was a violation of all existing rules: it was impossible to use metal on a metal base and enamel on enamel.
It is believed that Godfrey was given this coat of arms as a sign of special merit in the Crusade. Later, the Count of Bouillon, as the ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, significantly expanded the borders of the state. Godfrey devoted a lot of attention and time to bring his kingdom to a level of prosperity and provide the people with reliable protection, maintenance and decent governance.
In order to learn in more detail the needs and customs of the common people and to be able to lead them by law and reason, people were specially selected. They scouted out all the necessary information from the residents, collected it together and presented this document to the Duke in writing.
Godfrey called upon the Patriarch, princes and barons to read it, who chose from it the most suitable from the point of view of convenient government. From here an innovation was formed: a legal provision that was called assisi. It was he who guided the rule of the kingdom, so that the people and vassals were protected, led and judged at the proper level.
The ruler of Jerusalem died during the siege of Acre. His tomb is located in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
Inscriptions and cryptograms on Russian crosses:
"M.L.R.B." - the place of execution was quickly crucified,
"G.G." - Mount Golgotha,
"G.A." - head of Adam; Moreover, the bones of the hands lying in front of the head are depicted: right on left, as during burial or communion. The skull under the lower oblique crossbar of the eight-pointed cross is a symbolic image of the head of Adam, who, according to legend, was buried on Golgotha (in Hebrew - “place of the skull”), where Christ was crucified.
The letters "K" and "T" stand for the warrior's copy and the cane with a sponge, depicted along the cross.
Above the middle crossbar are the inscriptions: “IC” “XC” - the name of Jesus Christ;
and under it: “NIKA” - Winner;
on the title or near it there is an inscription: “SN” “BZHIY” - Son of God;
“I.N.C.I” - Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews;
inscription above the title: “TSR” “SLVY” - King of Glory.
How does the amulet work?
Most often, the “cross in a circle” amulet is carved from wood or made of metal (usually silver). However, there is a tradition of applying a magical pattern to human skin. For example, in the form of a tattoo. In this case, you should decide in advance which place on the body is best to choose:
The symbol on the back will provide powerful protection from ill-wishers;
On the right hand will serve to gain wisdom and strength;
On the neck - will allow you to successfully realize your creative potential.
Types of crosses:
- Pectoral cross - worn by Christians under clothing on the body.
- Pectoral (or priestly) cross - worn by a priest over a cassock or phelonion.
- Bishop's cross - worn by the bishop along with the panagia.
- Altar cross - placed on the throne next to the Gospel.
Humanitarian cross symbols (mathematical, medical)
| ✖ | Select and copy the symbol (Ctrl+C) |
The most popular and in demand sign of the humanitarian cross symbol is the multiplication sign ✖ . Almost all mathematical operations are performed with its help. You can copy the multiplication sign symbol directly from our table. The multiplication symbol was approved for Unicode in 1993.
The multiplication sign can be represented as a cross ×, a dot ⋅, or an asterisk ∗.
It is the cross that is considered the most ancient symbol for mathematical operations. William Oughtred, a mathematician from England, used it in his work entitled Clavis Mathematicae. Sometimes the multiplication cross sign is confused with the letter X, but this is a mistake. The multiplication sign is also often used in the game tic-tac-toe.
Medical symbol cross
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For medicine, the symbol of the cross is also of great importance. For example, a medical symbol is a red cross on a white background. The red cross icon was approved in 1863 as a sign of assistance to the wounded in the war. After this, the red cross became a generally accepted sign of medical military service and became one of the three most used symbols of medicine:
Card cross trefoil - this is what is used in card suits. Although card games according to Christian canons are contact with demons, all suits of cards are based on the cross of Christ, on which he suffered for humanity.
Often the cross symbol is used in cross stitch symbols, where crosses are symbols of fire and the sun. Cross stitches are considered a powerful amulet and protection from evil spirits.
Looking for Cross emoji † ? It can be used to decorate and highlight any religious message. It can also be used as symbols for the nickname cross.
The four-pointed cross sign is also used in website designs . This sign means close/cancel . The vector cross symbol in any size and color can be found on special vector stocks for commercial use.
The mystery of the Lord's Cross - the mystery of the salvation of the world
Who can sufficiently explain the mystery of the Cross, which served as the instrument of the Savior’s suffering? Indeed, how many other ways were there by which He could have fulfilled His counsel regarding suffering for us! And yet, of all, He willed and chose this one, as He himself predicted about Himself: “The Son of Man must suffer many things”... (Luke 9:22). Notice how He says here: He does not simply and in general terms predict His suffering, as someone else would do, but, out of some mysterious necessity, designates and, as it were, legitimizes for Himself one kind of death: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners, and be crucified, and rise again on the third day” (Luke 24:7). Delve into the meaning of this “must”, and you will see that it contains precisely something that does not allow any other kind of death other than the Cross. What is the reason for this? Paul alone, caught up in the portals of paradise and hearing inexpressible verbs there, can explain it... can interpret this mystery of the Cross, as he did in part in the letter to the Ephesians: “so that you... may comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, and to understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18-19). It is not arbitrary, of course, that the divine gaze of the apostle contemplates and draws here the image of the Cross, but this already shows that his gaze, miraculously cleared of the darkness of ignorance, clearly saw into the very essence. For in the outline, consisting of four opposite crossbars emerging from a common center, he sees the all-encompassing power and wondrous providence of the One who deigned to appear in him to the world. That is why the apostle assigns a special name to each of the parts of this outline, namely: the one that descends from the middle he calls depth, the one going upward - height, and both transverse ones - latitude and longitude. By this, it seems to me, he clearly wants to express that everything that is in the universe, whether above the heavens, in the underworld, or on earth from one end to the other, all of this lives and abides according to the Divine Will - under the shadow godparents. You can also contemplate the divine in the imagination of your soul: look at the sky and embrace the underworld with your mind, stretch your mental gaze from one end of the earth to the other, and at the same time think about that powerful focus that connects and contains all this, and then in your soul the outline of the Cross will naturally be imagined, stretching its ends from top to bottom and from one end of the earth to the other. The great David also imagined this outline when he spoke about himself: “Where will I go from Your Spirit, and where will I flee from Your presence? Will I ascend to heaven (this is the height) - You are there; If I go down to the underworld (this is the depth) - and there You are. If I take the wings of the dawn (that is, from the east of the sun - this is latitude) and move to the edge of the sea (and the Jews called the sea the west - this is longitude), - and there Your hand will lead me” (Ps. 139: 7-10). Do you see how David depicts the mark of the Cross here? “You,” he says to God, “exist everywhere, you connect everything with Yourself and contain everything within Yourself. You are above and You are below, Your hand is at the right hand and Your hand is on the right.” For the same reason, the divine apostle says that at this time, when everything will be full of faith and knowledge. He who is above every name will be called upon and worshiped in the name of Jesus Christ from things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth (Eph. 1:21; Phil. 2:10). In my opinion, the secret of the Cross is also hidden in another “iota” (if we consider it with the upper transverse line), which is stronger than heaven and solider than earth and more durable than all things, and about which the Savior says: “until heaven and earth pass away, not one One jot or one tittle shall not pass from the law” (Matthew 5:18). It seems to me that these divine words mean to show mysteriously and divinatoryly (1 Cor. 13:12) that everything in the world is contained in the image of the Cross and that it is more eternal than all its contents. For these reasons, the Lord did not simply say: “The Son of Man must die,” but “be crucified,” in order, that is, to show the most contemplative of theologians that in the image of the Cross is hidden the omnipotent power of Him who rested on it and deigned so that the Cross becomes all in all! Saint Gregory of Nyssa
If the death of our Lord Jesus Christ is the redemption of all, if by His death the mediastinum of the barrier is destroyed and the calling of the nations is accomplished, then how would He have called us if He had not been crucified? For on the Cross alone one endures death with outstretched arms. And therefore the Lord had to endure this kind of death, to stretch out His hands in order to attract the ancient people with one hand, and the pagans with the other, and to gather both together. For He Himself, showing by what death He would redeem everyone, predicted: “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Me” (John 12:32). Jesus Christ did not endure either the death of John - cutting off his head, or the death of Isaiah - sawing off with a saw, so that even in death his Body would remain uncut, in order to thereby take away the reason from those who would dare to divide His Church into parts. Saint Athanasius the Great
Just as the four ends of the Cross are connected and united in the center, so the height, and depth, and longitude, and breadth, that is, all visible and invisible creation, are contained by God’s power. Venerable John of Damascus (116, 596)
The cross is four-part for the sake of Christ, the Son of God, nailed on it, who created and contains what is above and below, and everything that exists, who united what is above with what is on earth, who descended from above to exalt us, who raised us from hell and from earthly made us heavenly, who united everything in Himself and who called the ends of the world to the worship of the True and Living God, who assimilated everything to Himself, who recreated us with the height of glory and the depth of poverty and humility, and the breadth of mercy and love. Saint Simeon of Thessalonica
All parts of the world were brought to salvation by parts of the Cross. Saint Basil the Great
Who wouldn’t be moved by looking at the Wanderer returning so poorly to His home! He was our guest; We gave Him the first overnight stay in a stall among the animals, then we took Him out to Egypt to an idolatrous people. With us He had no place to lay His head; “he came to his own, and his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). Now they sent Him on the road with a heavy Cross: they placed the heavy burden of our sins on His shoulders. “And carrying His Cross, He went out to a place called the Skull” (John 19:17), holding “all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3). The true Isaac carries the Cross - the tree on which he must be sacrificed. Heavy Cross! Under the weight of the Cross, the mighty one in battle falls on the road, “who built the empire with his arm” (Luke 1:51). Many cried, but Christ says: “do not weep for Me” (Luke 23:28): this Cross on your shoulders is power, is the key with which I will unlock and bring Adam out of the imprisoned doors of hell, “do not weep.” “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying between the channels of water; and he saw that the rest was good, and that the earth was pleasant: and he bowed his shoulders to bear his burden” (Gen. 49:14-15). “A man goes out to do his work” (Ps. 103:23). The Bishop carries His throne in order to bless from it with outstretched hands all parts of the world. Esau goes out into the field, taking a bow and arrows, to get and bring game, to “catch a catch” for his father (Gen. 27:5). Christ the Savior comes out, taking the Cross instead of a bow, in order to “catch the catch”, in order to draw us all to Himself. “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Me” (John 12:32). Mental Moses comes out and takes the rod. His Cross stretches out His arms, divides the Red Sea of passions, transfers us from death to life, and the devil. like Pharaoh, he drowns in the abyss of hell. Saint Demetrius of Rostov
What does a cross in a circle or with a hemisphere at the upper end mean?
It is not surprising that ancient people identified making fire through friction with the process of sexual intercourse. And the dynamics are similar, and the result is unique - the continuation of life. The imagination of our ancestors did not stop there and showed the world numerous forms and images of crosses.
When a person learned to make fire using a lens - and this was a scarab crystal in ancient Egypt - a Coptic cross with a hemisphere at the top appeared.
The equal-pointed regular Qatari cross in a circle symbolizes the unity of two sources of life - the solar heavenly light given to people, with the living earthly, born of the mind and zeal of man. At the same time, it is a symbol of the harmony of the other two principles of our life. The horizontal line is feminine, the vertical line is masculine. An equal cross in a circle also means intercourse. But not fucking. And true pleasure of the soul, mind and body, as the pinnacle of love between a man and a woman.
If you look closely at the correct cross in the circle above, you will see a pyramid in front of you. This is another mystery of the cross, about which another time.
The cross is a sign of truth
The cross is a sign of spiritual, Christian, cross-wisdom and strong, like a strong weapon, for spiritual, cross-wisdom is a weapon against those who oppose the church, as the apostle says: “For the word about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is strength.” God's For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will reject the understanding of the prudent,” and further: “Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified... the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:18–19; 22–24). In the heavenly world there lives a double wisdom among people: the wisdom of this world, which was, for example, among the Hellenic philosophers who did not know God, and spiritual wisdom, as it is among Christians. Worldly wisdom is foolishness before God: “Has God not turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness?” - says the apostle (1 Cor. 1:20); spiritual wisdom is considered foolishness by the world: “a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks” (1 Cor. 1:23). Worldly wisdom is weak weapons, weak warfare, feeble courage. But what kind of weapon spiritual wisdom is, this is clear from the words of the apostle: the weapons of our warfare... mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4); and also “the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). The image and sign of worldly Hellenic wisdom are the Sodomomorra apples, about which it is said that on the outside they are beautiful, but inside their ashes are stinking. The Cross serves as the image and sign of Christian spiritual wisdom, for by it the treasures of the wisdom and mind of God are revealed and, as if with a key, opened to us. Worldly wisdom is dust, but with the word of the cross we received all the blessings: “behold, through the Cross joy has come to the whole world”... St. Demetrius of Rostov
Once upon a time there lived a man...
One way or another, Christianity quickly established itself in Europe, and militant missionaries carried the “word of God” throughout the world. Pagan lands seemed to be a convenient field for religious propaganda and inclusion in the bosom of the “true church.” But imagine the surprise of the Europeans when, from the first steps across America discovered by Columbus, they began to come across evidence that someone had already enlightened the aborigines before them. In 1513, the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the shores of Florida, then inhabited by three Indian nations. Timucua and Calusa greeted the Europeans peacefully, but the Seminoles immediately received hostility. As monk Josep da Silva Roldonado, who participated in the expedition, established, the reaction of the Seminoles was caused precisely by the establishment of relations between other tribes and the conquistadors. And the friendship was explained by the fact that the Timucua and Calusa listened especially carefully and favorably to the “word of God.” This was not Roldonado’s first expedition to America, and nowhere before Florida had sermons had such a quick and powerful effect. One evening, the leader of one of the Timucua clans even took a Spanish monk to the sacred stone to which his fellow tribesmen prayed. To his surprise, Roldonado saw on the roughly processed slab the outlines of a cross, clearly carved long before the arrival of the conquistadors. To the question of the astonished missionary, the Indian leader replied: “We honor not the stone itself, but the sign carved on it. Once upon a time there lived a very good man who died on the same cross.”
The cross is a sign of future immortality
The cross is a sign of future immortality. Venerable Abba Isaiah (66, 338).
You see, by what the devil conquered, he himself was defeated; He defeated Adam through the tree, and Christ defeated him with the tree. That tree brought us down to hell, and this tree brought us down from there. That tree hid the naked prisoner, and this one, naked in a high place, revealed the winner. That death also fell on the descendants, but this one resurrected those who were before Christ. Who will proclaim the powers of the Lord? From the dead we have become immortal. These are the effects of the Cross. Saint John Chrysostom
Everything that happened on the tree of the cross was a healing of our weakness, returning the old Adam to where he fell, and leading us to the tree of life, from which the fruit of the tree of knowledge, untimely and unwisely eaten, removed us. Therefore, tree for tree and hands for hand, hands courageously outstretched for the hand stretched out incontinently, hands nailed for the hand that cast out Adam. Therefore, the ascension to the Cross is for the fall, gall is for eating, the crown of thorns is for evil dominion, death is for death, darkness is for burial and returning to the earth for light. Saint Gregory the Theologian
Just as sin entered the world through the fruit of the tree, so salvation came through the tree of the cross. Saint Athanasius the Great
Jesus Christ, destroying that disobedience of Adam, which was first accomplished through the tree, was “obedient even to death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8). Or in other words: the disobedience committed through the tree was healed by the obedience committed on the tree. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
You have an honest tree - the Cross of the Lord, with which, if you wish, you can sweeten the bitter water of your disposition. Venerable Neil of Sinai
The cross is the facet of Divine care for our salvation, it is a great victory, it is a trophy erected by suffering, it is the crown of the holidays. Saint John Chrysostom
“But I do not want to boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). When the Son of God appeared on earth and when the corrupt world could not bear His sinlessness, unparalleled virtue and accusatory freedom and, having condemned this most holy Person to a shameful death, nailed him to the Cross, then the Cross became a new sign. He became an altar, for the great Sacrifice of our deliverance was offered on him. He became a divine altar, for he was sprinkled with the priceless Blood of the immaculate Lamb. It became a throne, because the great Messenger of God rested on it from all his affairs. He became a bright sign of the Lord of hosts, for “they will look to Him whom they have pierced” (John 19:37). And these who pierced will recognize Him by no other means, as soon as they see this sign of the Son of Man. In this sense, we must look with reverence not only at that very tree, which was sanctified by the touch of the Most Pure Body, but also at any other that shows us the same image, not tying our reverence to the substance of the tree or gold and silver, but attributing it to Himself The Savior, who accomplished our salvation on him. And this Cross was not so much painful for Him as it was relieving and saving for us. His burden is our comfort; His exploits are our reward; His sweat is our relief; His tears are our cleansing; His wounds are our healing; His suffering is our consolation; His Blood is our redemption; His Cross is our entrance to heaven; His death is our life. Plato, Metropolitan of Moscow (105, 335–341).
There is no other key that would open the gates to the Kingdom of God except the Cross of Christ. Outside the Cross of Christ there is no Christian prosperity. Alas, my Lord! You are on the Cross - I am drowning in pleasures and bliss. You struggle for me on the Cross... I lie in laziness, in relaxation, looking for peace everywhere and in everything, my Lord! My Lord! Grant me to understand the meaning of Your Cross, draw me to Your Cross by Your destinies... Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov)
What awaits our knowledge
The symbol of the cross has absorbed much more than what you learned today from the miniature based on the epics of the Commissioner of Qatar. Here is the image in its entirety. One chair is not capable of setting anything on fire. To strike a sheaf of sparks, flint is required. And to ignite the fire, there is also tinder. This is the divine Trinity.
Tinder is a bundle of certain fibers. This is already chaos.
Flint is carbon. Kresalo is oxygen. What do we see? Human circulatory system. In it, venous blood is saturated with carbon dioxide, and arterial blood is saturated with oxygen. The latter enters the left atrium from the lungs through four pulmonary veins. And the fire can be removed by moving the chair in four directions...
Now you realize that today’s answer to the question of what the cross, the sign, the symbol of the cross means, is only the beginning of a large and interesting conversation. We will definitely continue it.
Ivan Ivanovich A.
