Origin and Meaning of the Orthodox Cross: Eastern Church

The cross that most people are familiar with is technically called the Latin cross. One branch is placed vertically and the other by a horizontal ray. It is said that it was in front of the western cross that the Virgin Mary collapsed to the ground seeing the Lord Jesus Christ crucified. But it turns out that there are other mythologies according to the Origin of the shape of the Cross that may be known to the general religious public!

1) Orthodox Cross: Origin of the Three Bars

A. Name of Christ on the Cross ''INRI''

The Russian Orthodox Cross is distinguished from the Western cross by its three crosspieces: two horizontal and the third slightly inclined. ☦ The upper bar symbolizes the sign where the name of the Lord was inscribed and which was hung above the head of Christ. It was written: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (John 19:19). In Latin, the inscription is "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum", which is simply reduced to " INRI " on most replicas.

B. The Wounds of Christ: Horizontal Bar

The middle bar was where Christ's hands were nailed . It is said to be similar to the bar of the Catholic cross positioned horizontally. However, the Orthodox cross remains very distinct from the Catholic cross. Although the two crosses have similarities, we can easily see the particularity between them due to the number of bars. There would also be a difference in size. Indeed, the Orthodox Cross would be larger than the Catholic Cross. As shown in the image below.

C. The Nails of the Bottom of the Holy Cross

The lower bar is the footrest. According to the Russian Orthodox tradition, the feet are not nailed to one place, but individually to both sides of the footrest. The lower beam represents the footrest to which the feet of our Lord were nailed . The inclined line reminds of the two thieves on both sides of the cross. One of them, on the right of Christ, ascended to heaven, while the other sank into hell. Thus, the lower bar of the cross is like the scales of justice and its points show the way to Hell and Heaven. Another interesting fact is that the upper point of the inclined beam always shows the way to the north. Thus, a church cross can serve as a compass.

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2)Meaning of the Orthodox Cross

A. History and Tradition of the Orthodox Cross

In the Eastern tradition and rites of the Orthodox churches, a deep meaning has developed. It consists of adding a shorter horizontal beam above the one that holds Christ's arms and, at the bottom of the cross, a lower inclined beam . This type of cross is commonly called the " Eastern Cross" . There are several traditions that explain its spirituality and why this lower bar is inclined. In the 6th century, the inclined beam symbolized the agony and struggle of our Lord during his suffering on the cross. The Gospel of St. Matthew says: " Jesus cried out once more with a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. Suddenly the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split, the tombs were opened " (Matthew 27:50-52). When Jesus gave up his spirit three days before the resurrection, the horizontal beam moved from its horizontal position to its oblique position and thus would have taken on the appearance of the Orthodox Cross .

B. Orthodox Cross Oblique Bar

THE GOOD AND THE BAD THIEF

According to a rite dating back to the 11th century, the oblique beam symbolized the balance between the good and the bad thief . The good thief, known as Saint Dismas , found salvation in the last moment of his life and would be raised to heaven. While the bad thief cursed God with his last breath and would be cast underground into hell.

SAINT ANDREW'S CROSS

Another explanation for the inclined beam is that the Cross is a combination of the Latin cross and the St. Andrew 's cross, a holy Christian. After Pentecost, St. Andrew evangelized the region of Asia Minor. One story tells that he went up the Dnieper, planted a cross on a hill, and prophesied that there would be a great city, a center of Christianity. This city would one day be Kiev. Tradition also tells that St. Andrew was martyred on an X-shaped cross on November 30, 60 AD during the reign of Emperor Nero in Patrae in Achaia, Greece.

C. Birth of the Russian Orthodox Church

MIDDLE AGES ''SCHISM 1054''

When St. Vladimir converted to Christianity in 989, Kiev became the center of Christianity for both the Slavic and Russian peoples with St. Andrew being highly venerated. The Schism of 1054 would produce a political struggle and mutual excommunication between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Russian Orthodox Church severed its ties with Rome and became a new church known to this day as the " Russian Orthodox Church ." With the Mongol invasions beginning in the 1200s, the See of Kiev was abandoned and moved to Moscow. Bishop Alexis then adopted the title "Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia."

ORTHODOX CATHOLIC SEPARATION

Today, Western Catholics and Protestants are the heirs of the Western tradition and the Orthodox of the Eastern tradition. They were and remain different and non-conforming to the precepts , but not necessarily opposed. Due to the different Eastern practices of the Orthodox and the monks, they decided to go their own way. The East leaned towards a more legalistic view of religion. It adopted a more mystical theology. Since the early church was not monolithic, the two great traditions existed together for over a thousand years until the Great Schism divided the Catholic and Orthodox Churches .

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D. Birth of the Orthodox Cross

In the religious past of the Middle Ages , the Church of Russian Orthodoxy officially adopted Saint Andrew as its patron saint. Therefore, the X-shaped cross of Saint Andrew was represented by the inclined beam that was incorporated into the cross of Jesus Christ. In addition, political connotations motivated the incorporation. According to the Gospel of Saint John: " Saint Andrew was the first to find the Messiah and then told his brother Simon Peter " (Jn 1:40-42). Therefore, from a political point of view, the Bishop of Moscow, under the patronage of Saint Andrew, claimed preeminence over the Bishop of Rome under the patronage of Saint Peter. The Cross of Orthodox Christianity was therefore distinguished by the cross of Roman Catholicism with the upper beam and the inclined lower beam.

3) Orthodox Church ''Eastern Christianity''

A. Mission of the Church: the Christian Faith

Eastern Christians in monasteries in Russia call themselves Orthodox. This description comes to us from the 5th century and has two meanings that are closely related. The first definition is "true teaching." The Orthodox Church believes that it has maintained and transmitted the Christian faith since the time of the Apostles. It is not uncommon for titles such as Greek, Russian, and Antiochian to be used to describe Orthodox churches. These designations refer to the cultural or national roots of a particular parish, diocese, or archdiocese. The second definition, which is actually the most preferred, is that of "true praise." Blessing, praising, and glorifying God the Father , the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the fundamental purpose of the church during the Mass. All its activities, even its doctrinal formulations, are oriented toward this purpose.

B. Cathedrals and Churches: Differences and Rites

The Orthodox Church is an international federation of autonomous Patriarchal Churches . Each spiritual center venerating its icons and saints, is independent in its internal organization and follows its own customs. However, all churches are united in the same faith and order. Moreover, the Russian architecture of each of these Churches is not an element to be taken into account. The Orthodox Church recognizes that unity does not mean uniformity . Some Churches are rich in history , such as that of Constantinople, while others are relatively young, such as that of Finland. The Russian world is full of Churches with an impressive grandeur almost comparable to the Eiffel Tower , while other Churches are smaller . This is undoubtedly a great privilege for the number of religious Christians who have come to dedicate their time to visit these monuments to the glory of God.

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4) Orthodox Sign of the Cross

A. Finger placement

The placement of the fingers in the Orthodox religion is identical to other religions. The thumb and the first two fingers should be against each other at one point, and the last fingers flat against the palm of the hand. The three fingers together represent the "Holy Trinity": Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. The two remaining fingers in the palm represent the two natures of Christ. The places that should be touched are also the same: the forehead, the belly and the two shoulders in each extremity referring to the cross.

B. Sign of the Cross “upside down”

The Catholic Encyclopedia states that in the Roman Catholic Church during the Roman Empire, the faithful crossed from right to left until the 15th or 16th century. Today, this is no longer the case. The difference between Western Christians and the Orthodox is that they touch their right shoulder first and then their left shoulder . While Catholics touch their left shoulder before their right shoulder. The Orthodox, by making the sign of the cross in the opposite direction, are actually mirroring the actions of the priest when he blesses the religious in the church. The priest, looking at the parishioners, blesses from left to right. The act of placing the cross on oneself is a request for God's blessing.

To define more precisely the reason why the hand sign is made upside down: the Orthodox in some way put the cross in the same direction as Christ whose martyrdom they thus endorse. This is why they sign from right to left and not the other way around, because they are not spectators, but real participants.

5) The Orthodox Cross at the Christian Crosses store

A. Message of the Holy Cross

Whether there are different beliefs in one religion to another, whether we venerate the traditional Latin cross or the Eastern cross, we remember the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ . He endured heavy suffering for our salvation and he has the merit of being venerated by each of us. Let us pray for our God: " We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world! " 🙇😌

B. Sacred Symbol ''Orthodox Cross Jewelry''

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