Cross

2 Pages 525 Words

The cross, as a basic design motif, appears in the pottery, weaving, carving, and painting of many cultures. It may be simply decorative, or it may have symbolic meaning. The tau cross, for example, was a symbol of life to the ancient Egyptians; when combined with the circle (as in the crux ansata), it stood for eternity (see Egyptian Art and Architecture). For most ancient peoples the Greek cross was a metaphor for the four indestructible elements of creation (air, earth, fire, and water), thus symbolizing permanence. The swastika, with the ends of its cross bars bent to the right, was common in both the Old World and the New World. It originally represented the revolving sun, fire, or life and later, by extension, good luck. To Buddhists, a swastika represented resignation; to the Jains, it symbolized their seventh saint. To Hindus, a swastika with arms bent to the left symbolized night, magic, and the destructive goddess Kali. In mid-20th-century Germany, the right-facing swastika was the Nazi party emblem (see Buddhism; Jainism; Hinduism; National Socialism).

Latin Cross The traditional cross that we recognize and acknowledge for being a cross. The ones you see everywhere you go. The horizontal branch is usually placed about two thirds up on the vertical branch. When looking at it, it resembles a man standing with his arms outstretched. Anchor Cross Many early Christians saw the anchor as a disguised form of the cross. It came from words of St. Paul to the Hebrews, “We have this as a sure and stead fast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine.” Those words caused the symbol of hope to take on the deeper meaning of a heavenly hope anchored to the Cross of Christ. The symbol of the Trident was found later than the anchor, but was not widely used as the anchor. Alpha and Omega Cross Lines from the Book of Revelation are where this image comes from. “I am the Alpha and Omega, says the Lord God, who is and w...