It is difficult to find a more common symbol in world culture than a cross. For the Christian religion, the cross is the main relic associated with the life and death of Jesus Christ. However, different branches of Christianity from the beginning to this day have been arguing about the shape and essence of the cross as the main object of worship.
Meanwhile, the cross symbol was used in various pagan beliefs long before the advent of Christianity. This is confirmed by archaeological finds throughout Europe, in Persia, Syria, India, Egypt. In ancient Egypt, a cross with a ring at the top, ankh, was a symbol of life and rebirth after death. The cross of the ancient Celts, where equal rays go beyond the boundaries of the circle, personified the union of the earthly and heavenly, masculine and feminine principles. In ancient India, the cross was depicted on the hands of the god Krishna, and in North America the Muisca Indians believed that it expelled evil spirits.
Execution at Calvary
Despite the fact that the cross in Christianity is also a symbol of rebirth and eternal life after death, its first appearance in religion was associated with the execution of Jesus Christ. The pillory crucifix was widely used as an execution in ancient Rome. The cross was used to punish the most dangerous criminals: traitors, rioters, robbers.
By order of the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, Jesus was crucified on the cross along with two robbers, one of whom repented before his death, and the other continued to curse his executioners until his last breath. Immediately after the death of Christ, his cross became the main shrine of the new religion and received the name of the Life-giving Cross.
Branch from the Tree of Knowledge
There are many theories about the origin of the tree from which the Life-giving Cross was made. One of the legends tells that a dry branch from the Tree of Knowledge grew through the body of Adam and became a huge tree.
Several millennia later, this tree was ordered to be cut down by King Solomon in order to use it in the construction of the Jerusalem temple. But the log did not fit in size and they made a bridge out of it. When the Queen of Sheba, known for her wisdom, visited Solomon, she refused to walk across the bridge, predicting that the savior of the world would be hanged on this tree. Solomon ordered to bury the log as deep as possible, and after some time a bath with healing water appeared on this place.
Before the execution of Jesus, a log emerged from the waters of the pool, and they decided to make the main, vertical pillar for the cross from it. The rest of the cross was made from other trees that also have symbolic meaning - cedar, olive, cypress.
Crucifixion in Christianity
The form of the crucifixion is still the subject of theological and philosophical controversy. The traditional cross, consisting of two perpendicular beams, is called the Latin cross and is used in the Catholic branch of Christianity along with a sculptural image of the crucified Christ on it.
In the Orthodox tradition, in addition to the crossbar for the hands, there is also a lower oblique crossbar where Christ's feet were nailed, and an upper one in the form of a tablet, on which is written ІНЦІ ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"). The slanting crossbar symbolizes two robbers who died with Jesus: the end that looks up - that he repented and ascended to heaven, lowered down - that persisted in sin and went to hell.
In addition, there is a version that the execution by crucifixion was carried out not at all on the cross, but on an ordinary pillar. As a result, many religious movements generally deny the existence of the cross or deny worshiping it as a relic: Cathars, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses.
The symbol of the cross from the religious tradition has become firmly established in everyday life with many well-established expressions. For example, “to bear your cross” means “to endure difficulties,” and to say that a person does not have a cross means to call him shameless.
