Latin Cross; a symbol of Christianity, even though it was used as a pagan symbol for millennia before the foundation of the Christian Church.
The Latin cross (crux ordinaria) is a symbol of Christianity even though it was used as a pagan symbol for millennia before the foundation of the Christian Church.
... it has been found in China and Africa. It appears on Scandinavian Bronze Age stones depicting the destructive hammer of Thor, their god of thunder and war. It is regarded a magical symbol, bringing good luck and diverting evil. Rock carvings of the cross have been interpreted as a solar symbol, or a symbol of Earth with its points representing north, south, east, and west. As a representation of the human form:
To alchemists, the cross was a symbol of the four elements: air, earth, fire, water. Elsewhere, the cross variously symbolised health, fertility, life, immortality, the union of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, the Sun and the stars.
...it is sometimes referred to as the Western Cross to differentiate from cross designs favoured in the east. The Latin Cross is typically used as the basic floor plan of western churches1. It can be the identification mark for a church or chapel, hence the alternative names: Chapel Cross or Church Cross2.
As a representation of the Trinity, the three shorter sections represent the Three Persons of the Trinity and the longer, lower portion signifies the One Divinity.
It is sometimes referred to as the Protestant Cross because it is plain, without any corpus3 attached. It does not deny the suffering on the cross but focuses the mind on Christ's resurrection and is mostly used in Protestant churches. When the cross includes a corpus, it is usually referred to as a crucifix and emphasises Christ's suffering and sacrifice which gives meaning and sense to His resurrection.
For Catholics, the corpus is sacramental and its removal would be heretical4. Protestantism initially prohibited the corpus as a graven image and idolatrous. Rood screens were pulled down to allow closer access to the altar by lay worshippers and Altar Crosses were removed as illegal 'Ornaments Rubrics'.5 This helped Protestants distance themselves from Roman Catholics and even today, crucifixes are found more in Catholic churches6 than Protestant churches. Generally today however, Protestants no longer protest too much and not averse to using a crucifix, and Catholics are quite happy to use a plain cross. Christ's ressurection is central to Christian doctrine, whatever the sect. (See also Empty Cross.)
...the Latin cross with its single horizontal bar, is known as a Passion Cross. (With two bars a cross is known as a Patriarchal Cross and with three bars, a Salem Cross, signifying the ultimate rank of the wearer. See also Cross and Crown.)
...the Latin Cross is seen on several regional flags; Recife (Brazil), Pernambuco (Brazil), and Tucumán (Argentina), for example. Heraldic versions, such as the Greek and Nordic crosses are seen on many national flags.
With or without a cross, it doesn't take long for patriots to take 'allegiance to the flag' literally and the flag becomes a fetish. Consider:
The posh name for this most common of all crosses is Crux Immissa. This simply means a cross with a horizontal beam inserted at right-angles to the upright post. Immissa means 'inserted', and this is the more common form of the Christian cross. Another name is Crux Capitata, which means 'with a head'.
There are no universally prescribed dimensions for a cross. Some are copied from national flags and retain the flag's ratio (1:1.5, 1:1.6, etc). Other designers prefer the aesthetically pleasing 'Golden Ratio' of 1:1.1618 (though this may be rejected as being too Pythagorean). In these pages, we have chosen a rather stunted ratio of 1:1.429.
There are two variations:
The Latin Cross is carried by more people than any other religious talisman and is considered by many to be sacred. People sometimes go as far as to make the cross an object of adoration or an icon in its own right. (See also Pagan Items Adopted by Christians and The Old Rugged Cross.)
But if they do that, they are missing the point.
Why spend even a minute, worshipping and adoring a man-made, material symbol, when they could be worshipping and adoring God? See the meaning of the cross and also read Folly and Power by Rev. David Linde.
1 : In the East, the floor plan is typically based on the Greek Cross
2 : Cathedral crosses are usually more ornate. See Budded Cross.
3 : Corpus - an image or figurine representing the body of Christ
4 : St. Paul's warned that the Cross should not be "emptied of its power": 1 Corinthians 1:17
5 : An exception was made for the private chapel of Queen Elizabeth I, where the crucifix was retained.
6 : Crucifixes are also common in Orthodox, Coptic, and Lutheran churches. High Anglican altars also feature a crucifix, as seen for example in London's fabulous St. Paul's Cathedral. The body of Christ gives meaning and sense to the resurrection.