In Orthodoxy, a six-pointed crucifix is considered canonical: a vertical line is crossed by three transverse ones, one of them (the lower one) is oblique. The upper horizontal crossbar (the shortest of the three transverse ones) symbolizes a tablet with an 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.
The middle crossbar, shifted closer to the top (longest), is a direct part of the Cross - the hands of the Savior were nailed to it.
The lower oblique crossbar is a support for the legs. Unlike Catholics, in Orthodoxy on the Crucifixion both legs of the Savior are shown pierced by nails. This tradition is confirmed by studies of the Shroud of Turin - the cloth in which the body of the crucified Lord Jesus Christ was wrapped.
It is worth adding that the oblique shape of the lower crossbar carries a certain symbolic meaning. The raised end of this crossbar rushes upward to the sky, thereby symbolizing the thief crucified at the right hand of the Savior, who, already on the cross, repented and entered with the Lord into the Kingdom of Heaven. The other end of the crossbar, facing down, symbolizes the second thief, crucified on the left hand of the Savior, who blasphemed the Lord and did not receive forgiveness. The state of this robber’s soul is a state of God-forsakenness, of hell.
There is another version of the Orthodox Crucifixion, the so-called full or Athos 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. A little lower, along the edges of the middle crossbar: “SN” - Son and “BZHIY” - God. There are two inscriptions under the middle crossbar. Along the edges: “TSR” - King and “WORDS” - Glory, and in (translated from Greek - victory). This word means that with His suffering and death on the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ conquered death and atoned for human sins.
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 they offered Him a sponge with vinegar on a cane in order to relieve His pain. The Lord refused to alleviate His suffering. Below, the Crucifixion is depicted standing on a base - a small elevation, which symbolizes Mount Golgotha, on which the Lord was crucified.
Inside the mountain is the skull and crossbones of the forefather Adam. In accordance with this, on the sides of the elevation there is an inscription - “ML” and “RB” - Place of Execution and Crucified Byst, as well as two letters “G” - Golgotha. Inside Golgotha, on the sides of the skull, the letters “G” and “A” are placed - the head of Adam.
The image of Adam's remains has a certain symbolic meaning. The Lord, being crucified, sheds His blood on the remains of Adam, thereby washing and cleansing him from the fall he committed in paradise. Together with Adam, the sins of all humanity are washed away. In the center of the crucifix there is also a circle with thorns - this is a symbol of the crown of thorns, which was put on the head of the Lord Jesus Christ by Roman soldiers.
Cross and Savior
The most important symbol is, of course, the cross itself.
The custom of wearing a cross arose only in the 4th century; before that, Christians wore medallions depicting a lamb - a sacrificial lamb, symbolizing the self-sacrifice of the Savior. There were also medallions depicting the crucifixion. The cross - the image of the instrument of death of the Savior - became a natural continuation of this tradition.
Initially there were no signs on the pectoral crosses, only floral ornaments. It symbolized the Tree of Life, which Adam lost and Jesus Christ returned to people.
In the 11th-13th centuries. on the crosses an image of the Savior appears, but not crucified, but seated on a throne. This emphasizes the image of Christ as the King of the Universe, to whom “all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given.”
But even in earlier eras, crosses with the image of the crucified Savior occasionally appear. This had a special meaning in the context of the struggle against Monophysitism - the idea of the complete absorption of human nature in the person of Jesus Christ by the Divine nature. Under such conditions, the depiction of the Savior’s death emphasized his human nature. Ultimately, it was this image of the Savior on the pectoral cross that prevailed.
The head of the crucified man is surrounded by a halo - a symbol of holiness - with the inscription in Greek "UN", which means "The Existing One". This emphasizes the divine essence of the Savior.
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For Orthodox people, prayer in everyday life is of great importance.
All believers know the Prayer to the Holy Cross.
It can be found in any prayer book. Therefore, it is absolutely easy to find and read it. But to make it more effective, it is recommended to learn it by heart.
For the Orthodox faith, this symbol is of great importance. It was on it that Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was crucified, who lived a sinless life, but sacrificed himself in the name of the salvation of mankind, destroying all the devilish power and giving people the Honest Cross.
In Orthodoxy, they turn to the Honest Life-Giving Cross in prayers as a Saint, although it is an inanimate object. This is explained by the fact that through the use of this symbol in Orthodoxy, communication with the Lord occurs. The cross in prayer is called Honest. This is due to the fact that this symbol is honored like any other Orthodox shrine. The Orthodox view it as an instrument for the salvation of the human race. The name Life-Giving is explained by the fact that the Cross bestows eternal life on all those who have been baptized. After all, Jesus Christ himself was able to defeat physical death on the cross, and opened the way for people to resurrection and gain eternal life, showing that every person has hope for salvation.
The clergy claim that the power of this prayer lies in the fact that for many centuries it has been repeated many times by believers. The “Honest Cross” prayer has the power that allows a person to protect himself from evil forces and from worldly sinful temptations that occur on the path of life.
When reading a prayer, it is important to believe that you are under the protection of the Heavenly Forces, and nothing and no one can harm you.
Prayer to the Honest Cross
Below is the text of one of the main miraculous prayers.
These words contain colossal power. Read this short prayer when you have doubts about your own abilities, or you feel like someone is harming you, wittingly or unwittingly. Read it in moments of despair and you will feel instant relief. The appeal will help you overcome any adversity in life and emerge victorious from a difficult situation with dignity. The power of a prayer directly depends on the person who says it. After all, it must be read sincerely and with a pure soul. “Let God rise again, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from His presence. Like smoke disappears, let them disappear; As wax melts in the presence of fire, so let demons perish on behalf of those who love God and sign the sign of the cross, and say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, driving away and the demons have the power upon you of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled underfoot the power the devil, and who gave us Your Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. Oh, Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen".
In order for prayer to be effective, it is necessary to understand its meaning.
Translation:
“Let God rise again, and let His enemies be scattered, and let all who hate Him flee from Him. As smoke disappears, so let them disappear; and as wax melts from the fire, so let the demons perish before those who love God and make the sign of the cross and exclaim in joy: Rejoice, Most Honored and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, driving away demons by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified on you, Who descended into hell and destroyed the power of the devil and gave us You, Your Honest Cross, to drive away every enemy. Oh, Most Revered and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, help me with the Holy Lady the Virgin Mary and with all the saints in all ages. Amen".
The Prayer to the Holy Cross must be said before going to bed. When reciting the prayer text, you should hold a pectoral cross in your hands. Upon completion of the prayer process, you must kiss the cross and cross the bed and yourself with the sign of the cross.
The text of the prayer “To the Honorable Cross” is not very long, but sometimes it happens that there is no time to read it in full. Therefore, clergy allow the prayer to be read in an abbreviated version, although the effectiveness of the prayer address in this case is somewhat reduced. In addition, you are even allowed to pray in your own words. When reading the Prayer to the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, you must mark yourself with a cross.
A short version of the prayer sounds like this: “Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross, and save me from all evil.”
When leaving home, it is very useful to read a short protective prayer to the Holy Cross:
“Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross and save me from all evil. Lord, direct my path for good. Lord, bless all my comings and goings.”
Prayer to the Life-Giving Cross for healing and protection from damage
Damage is not a fiction. A targeted negative message can arise under a variety of life circumstances. But in any case, such an impact can cause irreparable harm. Therefore, the damage must be removed. And for this you can use the prayer to the Honest Life-Giving Cross. See also: Prayer for protection from evil and corruption
This prayer appeal most clearly expresses the request for protection from devilish forces with the help of the Life-giving Cross. Therefore, this prayer is considered protective. It is often used to heal from damage, which is a negative message from another person that destroys the natural energy field of the victim.
When everything in life has not gone as it should and you are constantly haunted by failures on your life’s path, you should think about whether you have become a victim of an energy attack. If your fears are confirmed, then you should know that prayers against damage and the evil eye are the most effective means of coping with negativity.
One of the powerful rituals requires reading a prayer to the Honest Life-Giving Cross. The ritual requires special preparation. For the ceremony you need to prepare a cross. Moreover, the larger its size, the better. It must first be consecrated in the church. You also need to purchase a thick candle in the temple.
Having retired to a separate room in the evening, you should kneel before the cross and read the prayer to the Life-Giving Cross several times. After the prayer, you need to say that you forgive your ill-wisher and do not wish him harm. Then you need to ask the Lord God for the Almighty to forgive the sinner. All words must come from the depths of your soul, and you must believe that you will be able to get rid of negativity with the help of prayer, after which life will improve. After this, you need to light the candle and take it in your hands. Next, looking at the flame, the words of the well-known prayer “Our Father” are spoken 7 times. At this moment, if you notice that the candle has begun to crackle, hiss and sparkle, it means that you really have damage and all your actions are correct.
In order to protect yourself from damage that could be sent accidentally and not intentionally, it is important to remember that the prayer to the Honest Life-Giving Cross should be read daily before going to bed. It is very strong, so it will provide reliable protection. But besides this, such a prayerful appeal will fill the soul with harmony, which will allow you to follow your path in life easily and naturally. my-prayer.rf
See also:
Prayer-protection for protecting home and family “Seven crosses”
Petitionary prayer
If you have found or lost a cross
The meaning of the Orthodox cross
The cross is considered the most important object of religious veneration. Crucifixion was one of the most common methods of execution in Ancient Rome, which was borrowed from the Carthaginians. Mostly robbers were executed in this way, but many other people suffered the same punishment. Christ was crucified on the cross by order of Pontius Pilate, but the Apostle Peter ordered him to be crucified upside down, because he said that he was not worthy of the same death as Jesus.
The best article for you, go to: Interpretation of the Book of Micah
Until the 6th century, the image of the cross was rarely used. There are a large number of variations of this symbol.
The most common Christian symbol and sign in Orthodoxy is the eight-pointed cross, with lower and upper crossbars. These crossbars also carry a special meaning:
- The top one (above the main horizontal crossbar) means the tablet on the cross of Jesus, on which there is the inscription INCI.
- The lower (oblique crossbar) is considered a support for the legs. It carries the meaning of two thieves who were crucified on either side of Christ. One of them, before his death, repented of his sins, for which he was awarded the Kingdom of Heaven. Another, before his death, spoke unflatteringly about Christ and his executioners.
FAQ:
Is it possible to wear a small icon and a cross on the same chain?
Can. There are no restrictions on this matter.
Is it necessary to consecrate the chain?
There is no special rite for consecrating 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 a temple store, then, as a rule, the chains are already consecrated.
What should a pectoral cross be like according to church canons?
This question requires a very common answer. In order not to delve into the jungle of symbolism and history of the Church, we can simply assure that all the crosses that you will find on this site are canonical.
Is it possible to get a small cross tattoo?
It’s worth figuring out why you need such a tattoo and what you expect from it. If you want it to replace the pectoral cross, then this is impossible. In general, the Holy Fathers speak very strictly about images on the human body, at best not recommending their application.
