seiyaku

Christian symbols
Where did they come from?

Were the symbols divinely inspired, or just Jewish or Pagan upgrades? Indeed, were liturgical rites and rituals, and the design of church buildings copied from tried-and-tested pre-Christian sources? And the Bible, with its abundance of apparently mythical events, was the Bible plagiarized from pagan Greco-Roman texts?

While John H Newman's essay addresses those questions in his 1845 Essay on the Development of the Christian Doctrine, here we look at the origin of some of the most common Christian symbols:

  • Cross

    Latin cross

    The cross is the most universal symbol for Christians (probably since the 4th century) to represent the sacrifice of Jesus for humanity’s salvation.

    Why by cross?

    Jewish chief priests accused Jesus of blasphemy (claiming to be the Son of God), and blasphemy was a capital offence under Jewish law. However, under Roman law, the Jews had no authority to carry out executions and therefore they appealed to the governor (Pontius Pilate) to administer the punishment.

    Awkwardly, blasphemy wasn't a capital offence under Roman law, so the charge got a quick legal makeover, weaponised as 'treason' due to Jesus' “claim to be a king” (Luke 23:2).

    This satisfied the Jewish leaders' bloodlust, not only because Jesus would be executed, but it would be through crucifixion - a nasty and brutal method which the Romans had adopted from the pagan empires of Persia and Greece.

    So crucifixion was not a rabbinic method, rather it was pagan. It was not employed by the Jews because crucifixion is a slow, torturous, and a public spectacle intended to humiliate and prolong suffering. Jews preferred the relatively quick traditional stoning, burning, beheading or strangulation.

    Crosses appear frequently in pre-Christian art, though rarely associated with the crucifixion method. In general, as a pagan symbol, the cross has a pretty positive meaning: life, vitality, cosmic balance, eternity, protection, etc.

    Despite this ancient background of the cross, it didn't immediately become a symbol of Christianity, since they didn’t want to associate their faith with a method of torture and disgrace. Over time, however, the cross came to symbolize not just suffering and death, but redemption and eternal life.

    Yet another example of God's prefiguration at work.

    (more...)

  • Crucifix

    Latin cross

    "Crucifix" is from the Latin cruci fixus, meaning "one fixed to a cross". It's a cross that includes a representation of a corpus - usually the body of Jesus, emphasising his suffering and sacrifice.

    A cross without the corpus emphasises that Christ has risen.

    The crucifix shows the price; the cross shows the prize.

    The crucifix shows His pain, His price, His passion; the cross shows His power, His peace, His promise.

    This death/life contrast might explain whey the cross (without a corpus) is more commonly seen than a crucifix. But we must remember that Christ’s suffering and death are not just a past events — they are a present, saving reality.

    The sacrifice is central to salvation. The crucifix keeps that truth visually in front of believers, emphasising the cost of sin and the depth of God’s love.

    (more...)

  • Fish (Ichthys)

    Fish outline

    The Greek word for "fish" is ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys), which is also an acronym for Ιησοῦς Χριστός Θεος Υἱός Σωτήρ (Jesus Christ God's Son Saviour).

    It is believed that Christians used secretly to communicate with each other, because of persecution and the need for discreet identification. Christianity was considered a threat to the pagan religion of the Romans. Openly declaring Christian faith could lead to arrest, torture and even execution, so early Christians living in that a society needed a simple, inconspicuous symbol such as the fish to help them recognise one another without drawing unwanted attention.

    Fish and anchor

    Since the fish was already a common symbol in Greco-Roman culture (for fertility, life and abundance), scratching the outline wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

    Other secret symbols could be used to the same purpose, including the Anchor, the Chi-Rho, the Peacock, the Good Shepherd, the Alpha and Omega and the Dove.

    Fish and anchor

    The aboveOn the right is an example of the anchor and fish in the catacombs of Domotilla.

    (more...)

  • Dove

    Dove outline

    The dove was a symbol for both Early Christians and Pre-Christian Pagans, had quite a different symbolic identities.

    Doves symbolised:

    • Divine messengers
      • Paganism: A courier between gods and humans
      • Christianity: Representing the Holy Spirit carrying God’s message to humans
    • Love
      • Paganism: Romantic and sexual passion and fertility, sacred to goddesses such as Inanna/Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite/Venus
      • Christianity: God’s selfless and unconditional spiritual love (agápē)
    • Peace and reconciliation
      • Paganism: Peace and reconciliation between lovers or tribes
      • Christianity: Peace with God and reconciliation through Christ
    • Sacrificial offering
      • Paganism: Offered to fertility goddesses
      • Christianity: Christ’s ultimate sacrifice
    • Soul or spirit of the diseased
      • Paganism: Seen as a departing human soul ascending to the divine realm
      • Christianity: Representing the Holy Spirit giving life and guiding the soul to eternal life with God

    (more...)

  • Alpha and Omega

    Alpha and Omega

    Greek letters symbolising that God is the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13).

    We're unaware of any Pagan use of the same two Greek letters.

    (more...)

  • Lamb (Agnus Dei)

    Agnus Dei

    Lambs are born in spring, so it's not surprising that for pagans, lambs symbolised fertility and renewal. Their innocence and gentleness made them suitable offerings to deities of agriculture (Demeter, Ceres) and love (Aphrodite). This to ensure favourable harvest and fertility.

    In contrast, ancient Israelites sacrificed lambs to the one God (Yahweh) as a ritual sign of repentance for sin, so that they might be restored to their covenant relationship with Him.

    In a much further contrast, Christians refer to John the Baptist calling Jesus “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). Jesus was the ultimate sacrificial offering, taking away the sins of humanity through His death. That completely replaced the old sacrificial rites.

    Agnus Dei is Latin from the Greek Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, meaning "Lamb of God". Notice the lamb in the symbol is not limp from being slaughtered; rather it has a sprightly pose, representing the risen Christ triumphant over death. It’s a vivid way to declare not only sacrifice, but also victory.

    (more...)

  • Chi-Rho

    Chi-Rho monogram

    The Greek letters Χ (chi) and Ρ (rho) are the first two letters of Χριστός (Christos). This monogram of Christ is one of the earliest Christian symbols and is still used today.

    We're unaware of any Pagan use of monogram, though it did have non-Christian, non-religious uses in the ancient Greco-Roman world. Scribes of Greek manuscripts sometimes added χρ in the page margin, as a shorthand for χρηστόν (good, useful).

    Chi-Rho on coin

    Pre-Constantinian coins also show a chi–rho mintmark on the reverse. (Click image to enlarge.)

    (more...)

  • Crown of thorns

    Crown of thorns

    Symbolises the suffering and mockery Jesus endured during his Passion. It is impossible for us to imagine the intensity of the physical pain of having nails driven through the hands (or wrists) and feet when Jesus was hung on the cross, but must have been infinitely worse than the pain inflicted by the crown, or even the scourging.

    The primary purpose of the crown of thorns, like the purple robe, was to mock Jesus.

    Crowns, wreaths and other head adornments were common in pagan cultures as symbols of victory or honour, They were made from laurel, myrtle or other leaves. A crown of thorns, therefore, was the antithesis of the pagan use of crowns, a mockery of kingship.

    Although the crown of thorns was intended to ridicule, it actually became a profound paradox; it served to reveal his true identity as the King of Kings.

    (more...)

  • Anchor

    Anchor

    In Christianity, the anchor is a powerful symbol of hope, stability and faith:

    “hope as an anchor for the soul” (Heb. 6:19).

    As with the Fish and Chi-Rho symbols, Early Christians in the 1st–3rd centuries would draw an anchor as a discreet symbol of hope and faith, to avoid persecution.

    Most likely ancient Greek and Roman mariners used the symbol as a protective charm. The anchor symbol also appears in Greco-Roman philosophy.

    However, even though those societies were Pagan, we're unaware of any religious use of the anchor symbol.

    (more...)

  • Heart

    Anchor

    The heart symbol screams 'love'; whether it’s divine, romantic, a social media 'like', or just our way of saying "I really, really like this thing a lot".

    In religion, we see the symbol representing Jesus’ divine love and compassion for humanity. It's depicted a lot in Catholicism, less so in Protestantism, and practically never is Judaism or Islam.

    But it didn't begin as a Christian symbol, rather it was the ancient Greek and Roman pagans who (as explained here sowed the seed around the 7th century BCE.

    From the 12th century, the heart became a symbol of Christ’s divine love and sacrifice. The Sacred Heart of Jesus, often depicted as a flaming heart, began appearing in devotional texts by mystics such as St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Gertrude the Great.

    From the 13th century, romantic symbolism emerged, and over time became more consistent in shape, without any of the enhancements shown on religious symbols.

    (more...)

  • Bread and Wine

    Bread and Wine

    Represent the body and blood of Christ in the sacrament of Communion. Grapes and Wheat Symbolise the bread and wine of the Eucharist.

    (more...)

  • Lamps and candles

    Symbolises Jesus as the “Light of the World,” guiding believers through darkness.

    • Represents Christ as the Light of the World and faith’s guiding light.

  • Crossed Keys

    Symbolise the keys to Heaven given to Saint Peter, representing papal authority in the Catholic Church.

    (more...)

  • Shell

    Used in baptism rituals and symbolising pilgrimage, rebirth, and the Trinity (threefold nature). The Scallop Shell Used as a symbol of pilgrimage, especially the Camino de Santiago.

    (more...)

  • Tree of Life

    Represents eternal life and the connection between heaven and earth, often linked to the cross as the "tree" that brings salvation.

    (more...)

  • Serpent

    and cross Symbolises Christ’s victory over sin and death, inspired by the bronze serpent raised by Moses (Numbers 21:8-9) and linked to the cross.

    (more...)

  • Peacock

    An early Christian symbol of immortality and resurrection, based on ancient beliefs that peacock flesh did not decay.

    (more...)

  • Fleur-de-lis

    A stylised lily often associated with the Virgin Mary, symbolising purity and the Holy Trinity.

    (more...)

  • Sunburst

    Represents divine light and glory.

    (more...)

    • John H Newman wrote:

    "The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holy days and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the east, images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant, and the Kyrie Eleison, are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church."

privacy policy © seiyaku