Christian Cross: How to Choose the Right One

The Orthodox cross is an object of great value in the life of every Christian. It is the means of human salvation, a proof of God's love for humanity.

Symbology of the Christian Cross

1. Primarily, the cross signifies the Divine Passion. While crucified, the Lord experienced pain, abandonment and humiliation. At that time, the condemnation of death on the cross was one of the worst ways to be punished. Not only did it lead to the death of the condemned man, but also stigmatized him as a cursed person, since it prescribed for him the most humiliating manner of execution.
2. Furthermore, the cross signifies the sacrificial love of God. The crucifixion of One of the Holy Trinity was the proof of God's infinite sacrifice for man. His Son was born as a human, experienced martyrdom, suffered and sacrificed Himself to erase the sins of the world.
3. Additionally, through the cross we declare our faith in the Resurrection, the victory of Jesus Christ and our redemption from death. It is a victorious symbol that indicates the abolishment of Hades and the entrance of the human being into eternal life. The cross is the trophy of holiness and of the eternal Kingdom of our Lord.
4. The cross is also a symbol of the unity of our church. All sacraments are celebrated before it, as it is always placed on the Holy Altar of the temple. Being the glory of Orthodoxy, the cross unites everyone in the faith of the Resurrection. It reminds us of the truth of the Christological doctrine, the sacrifice of God and the eschatological belief in His Kingdom.
5. Finally, the cross is a protection and blessing to all faithful. In addition to the jewel we wear around our necks, Christians make the sign of the cross as a symbol of embracing the Orthodox doctrine. We stand beside Christ and beside the Saints; we invoke them and bear upon ourselves the symbol of their self-sacrifice.

Let him follow Me

Being a symbol of Jesus Christ's sacrifice and love, the cross has redemptive properties. At the same time, it is a talisman and garment of every Christian who seeks to imitate the Saints and the Lord Himself. Thus, among the texts that we read during the sacrament of the baptism, the priest repeats before the newly born infant the words of Jesus Christ,

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Matt 16:24)

The Lord invites every Christian to follow Him, to walk behind Him on the path of love and self-sacrifice. In this context, the Christian is called to accept, love and willingly bear the cruciform burden. Just as the Lord lifted the cross of His martyrdom on His shoulders, each of us is called to carry on our shoulders the burden of our own sacrifice and patience. The cross appears here as a symbol of loving adoration and assimilation to God. It is a blessing and grace granted by the Lord to every newly born child of His Holy Church.

Iconography

The depiction of the cross comes to us through the ecclesiastical tradition and the iconographic type of the Crucifixion. Jesus is placed in the center of the icon. His body stands on the cross, while His right side is wounded. His hands are nailed to the wood and His palms are open to the believer. His feet are equally nailed, one pointing to the right and the other to the left. The divine blood of His sacrifice flows from the wounds from the nails, while blood and water flow from His pierced side, in accordance with the Scripture.

His figure is battered. His body is shown to be slim and tortured. Yet Jesus Christ appears to be standing on the cross in all the splendor of His patience and voluntary sacrifice. His curved body shows off the Passion. However, his open palms, as well as His feet turned in two opposite directions, make Him the "King of Glory," a God who has not died but fell asleep leaning on the wood until the Resurrection.

How to choose the right cross

Although the Orthodox iconography highlights the cross as a sanctifying and saving object, in the Catholic tradition the crucified Christ is not represented in the same way. Many people do not realize the differences; however, the Western depiction has been characterized by many scholars as unorthodox and undogmatic.

How to distinguish a cross that expresses the essence of the Orthodox faith in iconographic completeness?

1. To begin with, the palms of the crucified Jesus should be facing outward. In contrast to the Western depiction of Christ's hands hanging collapsed from the cross, the Orthodox iconography opens the Lord's arms to the world. Thus, even at the ultimate moment of his martyrdom, Christ is not given over to pain, but to his love and to his need to sacrifice himself for his creation.
2. Also, unlike the Orthodox iconography, the Western depiction places Christ's feet one on top of the other and wounded by a single nail. Again, this naturalistic representation is far from the doctrinal truth of the Orthodox Church. The Lord does not abandon his body on the wood, but voluntarily stands on the cross. It is therefore important to bring out this aspect of the martyrdom by representing Jesus in a similar way, with the tips of his feet touching, not surrendering, to the cross.
3. Finally, some crosses consist of one vertical and three individual horizontal beams. This type of cross is commonly called the 'Eastern Cross." In the upper beam there is an inscription, in the middle one the hands of the Lord are placed, while His feet are resting in the lower slanted beam. With regard to the number of the beams, there is no specific doctrinal symbolism. Therefore, a cross with one horizontal beam would be equally appropriate, as long as it would meet all the iconographic requirements.

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May the Lord, through the prayers of our patroness, the Holy Theotokos, bless you, your family and all your beloved ones!