Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Christian Symbols
Christian Symbols
Christian Symbols
in importance. Indeed, from monumental sources such as tombs we know that the symbolic fish
was familiar to Christians from the earliest times. It can be seen in such Roman monuments as
the Capella Greca and the Sacrament Chapels of the catacomb of St Callistus. The fish was
depicted as a Christian symbol in the first decades of the 2nd century.
Ancient people believed that the flesh of a peafowl did not decay after death, and it so became a
symbol of immortality. This symbolism was adopted by early Christianity, and thus many early
Christian paintings and mosaics show the peacock. The peacock is still used in the Easter season
especially in the east.
Ichthus (ikh-thoos) or
ichthys is the Greek
word simply meaning
fish. After his commission at the foot of the
The Greek spelling for ichthus is -- Iota, San Damiano Cross, Saint Francis
Chi, Theta, Upsilon, and Sigma. The chose a more ancient symbol of
English translation is IXOYE. The five redemption as his standard: the Tau cross.
Greek letters stand for the words meaning,
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. The In commenting on the scriptures of Israel,
Greek rendering is, Iesous Christos, Theou the early Christian writers used its Greek
Uios, Soter. translation, the Septuagint, in which the last
This symbol was used primarily amongst letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the tau, was
Christians of the early church years (1st and transcribed as a T in Greek. Prefigured in
2nd century A.D.) The symbol was the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, then,
introduced from Alexandria, Egypt; which the stylized Tau cross came to represent the
at the time, was a very heavily populated means by which Christ reversed the
seaport. It was the port in which many disobedience of the old Adam and became
goods were brought over from the European our Savior as the New Adam.
continent. Because of this, it was first used
by the peoples of the sea as a symbol of a
familiar deity, in this case, Jesus Christ.
The Latin Cross, also know as the
Protestant Cross and Western Cross
Latin cross.
The Latin cross (crux ordinaria) is a symbol
of Christianity even though it was used as a Lamb: symbol of
pagan symbol for millennia before the Christ as the Paschal
foundation of the Christian Church. Lamb and also a
It has been found in China and Africa. It symbol for Christians
appears on Scandinavian Bronze Age stones (as Christ is our
depicting the hammer of Thor, their god of Shepherd and Peter
thunder and war. It was regarded as a was told to feed His
magical symbol. It brought good luck and sheep). The lamb is also a symbol for
diverted evil. Some people interpret rock St. Agnes (Feast Day 21 January),
carvings of the cross as a solar symbol, or a virgin martyr of the early Church.
symbol of Earth with its points representing
north, south, east, and west. Others say it
represents the human form.
Dove: symbol of
the Holy Ghost
and used Rose: the Holy Faith, Our
especially in Lady, martyrdom, the
representations of secrecy of penance. Five
our Lord's Baptism roses grouped together
and the Pentecost. It also symbolizes symbolize the 5 Wounds
the release of the soul in death, and is of Christ.
used to recall Noah's dove, a harbinger
of hope.
Fire, especially in the form of a candle flame, represents both the Holy
Spirit and light.
Christian Cross -
Latin Cross
New Coptic Cross
Patriarchal Cross
A double cross, with the two crossbars near the top. The upper one is shorter, representing
the plaque nailed to Jesus' cross.
Cross Crosslet
This heraldic cross is made from four Latin Crosses arranged at right-angles
to each other, with their tops pointing north, south, east and west,
traditionally thought to represent the message of the cross going out to the
four corners of the earth. The Cross crosslet, like the Jerusalem Cross, is a
symbol for world evangelism of the Gospels, which gives an alternative name: Mission
Cross. Another common interpretation is that it represents the four evangelists: Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John.
The Borromean Rings represent the trinity.
There are many symbols of the trinity in Christianity. The
Borromean Rings are three interlocking circles that symbolize the
Christian trinity. The word "trinity" comes from the Latin noun
"trinitas" meaning "three are one." The trinity represents the belief
that God is one Being made up of three distinct Persons who exist in
co-equal, co-eternal communion as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Bread and Wine - The bread and wine represent the body and blood
of Christ. Often times people associate drinking wine or eating bread
with being holy or doing something akin with God or Jesus.