The Symbol of the Cross

The cross is a most common Christian symbol. What does it mean?

A means of torture

We know the method of execution from Roman times. It was a painful method of executing political enemies and criminals. A person was fully alive, and nailed to a wood construction of two beams. This was raised up, and the crucified person would slowly meet his death, in agony, in despair, in shame. The disgrace and shame aspects were deliberate. It was public display. The charge was sometimes listed on top. Yes,it was a cruel fate. The cross construction was a torturous execution method with a slow and painful death.

Matthias Grünewald:The Crucifixion

In Christian religious art we have the scene depicted where Jesus is hanging on the cross. Sometimes it is showing the ugliness of the situation, like in Grünewald's painting. Sometimes the sorrow in the bystanders are felt more than the agony of the crucified Jesus. The theme is sometimes portrayed in light of the knowledge of the divine nature of Jesus, interpreted in light of the resurrection. Then event the horrible event has a foreshadowing of hope and victory. This is seen in the facial expression of Jesus, or the posture of his body. It may also be indicated by colour choices or in the landscape.

Carl Heinich Bloch: Crucifixtion

The cross is where Jesus dies, and this death is crucial for all of humanity - in that moment in history, Jesus takes upon himself the sins of this world, and he atones for them. This act of atonement opens for the possibility for anyone to meet the only true God. Jesus is God, and in his death he 'became human', as John Behr says. We know Jesus a the Son of God, and the Son of Man. In Jesus is the full nature of God and the full nature of man coexistent - but, he is without sin. Anyone who believes this, is given new life, a new spirit from God. He is born again, as Jesus says. Anyone who believes Jesus, that he died for his or her sins, is forgiven. We have a new life - and it is eternal.

In older Catholic churches there are often a crucifix, a 3D representation of Jesus on the cross, and

the focus is on his suffering. The believer will dwell on his passion, his gift of sacrificial love...

"May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,

most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God

be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored

and glorified in Heaven, on earth,

and under the earth,

by all the creatures of God,

and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

                 Amen." (The Golden Arrow)

The naked cross

The cross may have different shapes, but it consists at least of two beams which are crossed.

          The naked cross is a symbol of life: for Jesus, who died on the cross, rose from the dead. This he did as God, and by doing this, he conquered death in all its terror. He opened the way for anyone who believes him to live with god, and live eternally.The naked cross we find on most church steeples and domes. It is the connection point between humans and God. The meaning of the cross is creating this opening. So, naturally, the cross is a bridge.

Outside and inside churches, prayer houses, meeting places, the naked cross is a symbol of life. It is a symbol to all believers that as Jesus rose from the dead, we shall also rise. It is a symbol of hope, joy, love. This is why it is a most common symbol on graves and grave stones in Norwegian church yards.

The sign of the cross

In Catholic and Orthodox churches the motions of the cross over ones body indicates an acceptance of the cross. It covers us in all of its symbolism.

          As I receive the sign of the cross in my church, I receive it by repeating the motions over my own body. I make the Orthodox motions, and I am reminded that I receive the blessings of the cross from my mind to my bosom, through my heart rom right to left. It means that my thoughts, my words, my mental abilities are all covered by the cross. It means that my feelings, my senses, my mental reactions are all covered by the cross. It means that my heart, my life, my very being, is covered by the cross. I am alive in Christ, both now and forevermore.