Cross biblical meaning, Cross in the Bible, meaning of Cross.
The biblical meaning of the Christian cross is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redemptive benefits of his passion and death. The cross is therefore a sign both of Christ himself and of the faith of Christians. In ceremonial use, making a sign of the cross can be, depending on the context, an act of profession of faith, a prayer, a dedication, or a blessing.
The cross represents the faith that the Christian people have in Jesus and in God himself. It shows the freedom and forgiveness that came as a result of the passion of Jesus Christ and the death he suffered to achieve it.
With the crucifixion of Jesus, a connection was established between earthly existence and heaven. The horizontal axis of the cross generally represents earthly existence and connection to human beings. The vertical axis is given the meaning of the divine. Other interpretations see in the axes the masculine and the feminine, the spirit and the matter or the soul and the body.
Theologians see the crucifixion of Jesus as an intervention by God, which should serve to reestablish the alliance between God and man, torn apart by the fall of man. Thus, the cross can be interpreted as a sign of hope, which represents the forgiveness of sins and the reconciliation of God with humanity. Christian believers also understand the symbol as a sign of victory: with the crucifixion and resurrection after the atrocity, death was final.
History of the Christian cross
Cross shapes were used as symbols, religious or otherwise, long before the Christian era, but whether they were simply marks of identification or possession or important to faith and worship is unclear. The veneration of the cross as a symbol of the Christian faith was not documented until the fourth century.
Before the time of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century, Christians were reluctant to display the cross in public, due to its infamous image as an instrument of execution. When Constantine converted to Christianity, he abolished crucifixion as a death penalty and promoted the cross of Christ as a symbol of the Christian faith.
In the centuries after Constantine, the worship of the Christian cross focused on Christ’s victory over the forces of evil and death, avoiding realistic images of his suffering. However, in the 9th century, artists began to emphasize the realistic aspects of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Later, Western images of the Crucifixion began to depict pain and anguish with increasing subtlety. The 20th century brought a new emphasis on Catholicism, especially on crosses at liturgical sites. Christ is crowned on the cross and dressed as king and priest, and the traces of his suffering are much less evident.
Last updated: August 24, 2022