Latin cross: meaning, views, photo

Long before Christ appeared on earth, the cross served as a symbol of life and eternity for many peoples of the world. It had many meanings in different corners of the planet, it was often associated with the sky and the cosmos, since its ends denoted four sides of the world. He also acted as a symbol of the union of a man and a woman, a connection, this is indicated by two crossed lines that create the symbol of the cross. In Asia, he was a sign of happiness, in America - life and fertility, in Syria - a sign of four elements, in Arcadia, on the contrary, the cross was placed on graves, it meant only one thing - death. When Christianity entered our life, the cross became an inalienable sign of religion, the most powerful symbol that personified the victory over death.

Varieties

Ancient Egypt, the East, Asia and Europe introduced the symbol of the cross in use even at the beginning of the birth of civilization. From that moment it was transformed, transformed, as its value changed with the appearance of new attributes in appearance. The Egyptians are more familiar with the ankh, connecting the circle and the tau-cross, drawn without the top line. There are many other varieties of the symbol: Latin, Maltese, patriarchal, papal, Orthodox, Masonic, Celtic, the cross of Constantine. Swastika also refers to its varieties, only with curved edges. Maltese, Masonic, iron, as well as all known red and pacifist crosses are considered symbols of various organizations and groups.

Latin Cross

The name is derived from the Latin crux ordinaria, but there are other options - crux immissa and crux capitata. Latin crux means "wooden object intended for execution", for example, a gallows. One of the generators of the words cruciare, from which crux went - "torture", "torture". The name "immiss", which means "suffering", the cross received in the West.

The cross of Latin meaning is of no small importance in the history of other faiths. His schismatics are called in the Polish manner "latin skins" or "Roman wings." In paganism, he symbolized heaven and earth, in Scandinavian mythology was a sign depicted on the gun of the god Thor - Mjolnire, Scandinavians wore it around his neck as a protective amulet. Long before Christianity in ancient Greece and China, he was associated with a figure of a man with arms spread out, which was a good sign. The Latin cross has the same shape as the staff of the sun god, son of Zeus - Apollo. In genealogy they denote death, and in Russia he considers unfinished, there he was given the name of "crooks", which means "oblique".

Latin Cross in Christianity

The Latin cross in shape is the closest to the one on which Jesus Christ was crucified, which is why it became the most widely spread, and other varieties appeared from its form. It is also believed that three short ends denote three holy spirits - the Trinity. The fourth, the longest, personifies God. The first mention of it was found in the Roman catacombs at the beginning of the third century. Since the crucifixion of Christ, the cross on which he took his death, has acquired a new meaning, displacing all previous meanings. After these events, he became a symbol of death and life after it, resurrection, guilt, hence the phrase "to bear his cross."

The form of the Latin cross

In other words, it is also called a "long cross". The horizontal line on it is located above the middle, and it is shorter than the vertical line. Before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross in ancient Rome executed robbers, since the form was most suitable for martyrdom. The Latin cross is a symbol of a human figure with arms outstretched. His form was almost unchanged until he was firmly established in religion. After that, other details began to add to him, for example, a leg support and a tablet over his head in Orthodoxy, although the lower crossbar was also symbolic. The inclined form of the lower part down meant a fall of the soul, an overthrow burdened by the sins of man, and that part that rushed upwards went to God and salvation. Instead of one horizontal crossbar, three as a designation for triple rule were added to the "papal" cross: the priest, the teacher and the shepherd. The evangelical cross contains a Greek and four horizontal lines from below, forming a pyramid - from the smallest to the largest. These four lines symbolize the four evangelists: Mark, Matthew, John and the Apostle Luke.

Types of the Latin cross

Their varieties, one way or another related to the religion and crucifixion of Christ, is not so much, but everyone has a story. One of the most popular is the Latin cross, but there are many other similar forms. The apostle Andrew died on an oblique cross, denoting the sign "X", he was also later called Andreevsky. Close to Latin - Greek or Heraldic, in the form of a square, where the horizontal and vertical axes intersect exactly in the middle. He was particularly popular in Byzantium, whence he was called "Greek." The cross of St. Peter is also similar to Latin, but it is inverted, since the apostle Peter, the closest follower of Jesus Christ, was crucified upside down. The cross-hammer is a kind of Greek cross, to the vertical and horizontal lines of which the supports are painted.

Latin cross group

Latin group opens the Latin cross (see photo in the article). Others from this group: seven- and eight-pointed, Golgotha, patriarchal, trefoil, teardrop, crucifixion, Antonian. The first four of the list belong to Orthodoxy. The teardrop evangelical in history has this form because of drops of blood of Christ, sprinkled the cross at his crucifixion. Anthony's cross is made in the form of the letter "T", in the Roman Empire it was attributed to the times of ancient Egypt and the prophet Moses, the execution of criminals on it. The crucifixion begins in the fifth century, his goal is not just to be a symbol of faith, but also to remind of the suffering through which Jesus Christ had to endure.

Latin crosses in the Orthodox group

In the Orthodox faith, the most commonly used are seven- and eight-pointed crosses, Golgotha, trefoil and patriarchal. In the seven-pointed, the upper crossbar completes the cross from above, in the eight-pointed crossbar it is lowered, which allows you to count all eight ends.

Golgotha is an eight-pointed, below which is added the ascent of the ascent, under which is depicted the skull of Adam, buried in the same place where Jesus Christ was crucified. The inscriptions on both sides of the cross signify the following: THE CRYING OF SLVA is the "king of glory", the IC of HS is the "name of Christ," CHILD is the "son of God," NIKA is the "winner," the letters "K" and "T" With spears - "copy and cane", MLR - "the place of the frontal crucified was", GG - "Mount Calvary", GA - "the head of Adam."

Shamrock was depicted on the coat of arms of the Tiflis and Orenburg provinces, on the arms of the city of Troitsk. The patriarchal cross has six ends, in the west it is called the Lorenskim, and it was him who was portrayed in the press by the viceroy of the Byzantine emperor from Korsun, the cross of this form belongs to Avraham of Rostov.

Other meanings of the Latin cross

Its shape is also used for other purposes, for example, to indicate on a map the location of churches or cemeteries. The Latin cross is also depicted next to the date of death or the name of the deceased. In the printing house the cross denotes footnotes.

This symbol is depicted on the flags of some cities in Brazil and Argentina. On the flags of the Scandinavian countries, such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Finland, it is depicted as inverted 90 degrees to the left.