What is the difference between a Christian cross and a Catholic one. Orthodox pectoral cross

The cross is a very ancient symbol. What did he symbolize before the death of the Savior on the cross? Which cross is considered more correct - Orthodox or Catholic four-pointed ("kryzh"). What is the reason for the image of Jesus Christ on the cross with crossed feet among Catholics and separate feet in the Orthodox tradition.

Hieromonk Adrian (Pashin) answers:

In different religious traditions, the cross symbolized different concepts. One of the most common is the meeting of our world with the spiritual world. For the Jewish people, from the moment of Roman domination, the cross, crucifixion was a method of shameful, cruel execution and caused overwhelming fear and horror, but, thanks to Christ the Victor, it became a welcome trophy that evoked joyful feelings. Therefore, St. Hippolytus of Rome, the Apostolic man, exclaimed: “And the Church has her own trophy over death - this is the Cross of Christ, which she bears on herself,” and St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, wrote in his Epistle: “I want to boast ... only by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14).

In the West, the most common now is the four-pointed cross (Fig. 1), which the Old Believers call (for some reason in Polish) “Kryzh Latin” or “Rymsky”, which means the Roman cross. According to the Gospel, the execution of the cross was distributed throughout the Empire by the Romans and, of course, was considered Roman. “And not according to the number of trees, not according to the number of ends, the Cross of Christ is revered by us, but according to Christ Himself, Whose holy blood was stained with,” says St. Dmitry of Rostov. “And manifesting miraculous power, any cross does not act by itself, but by the power of Christ crucified on it and the invocation of His most holy name.”

Starting from the III century, when such crosses first appeared in the Roman catacombs, the entire Orthodox East still uses this form of the cross as equal to all others.

The eight-pointed Orthodox cross (Fig. 2) most closely matches the historically reliable form of the cross on which Christ was already crucified, as Tertullian, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Justin the Philosopher and others testify. “And when Christ the Lord carried a cross on His shoulders, then the cross was still four-pointed; because there was still no title or footstool on it. There was no footstool, because Christ had not yet been lifted up on the cross, and the soldiers, not knowing where Christ's feet would reach, did not attach footstools, finishing it already at Golgotha" (St. Dimitry of Rostov). Also, there was no title on the cross before the crucifixion of Christ, because, as the Gospel reports, first they “crucified Him” (John 19, 18), and then only “Pilate wrote an inscription and placed it on the cross” (John 19, 19 ). It was at first that the soldiers “crucified Him” (Mt. 27:35) divided “His clothes” by lot, and only then “they placed an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Mt. 27, 37).

Since ancient times, images of the crucifixion of the Savior have also been known. Until the 9th century inclusive, Christ was depicted on the cross not only alive, resurrected, but also triumphant (Fig. 3), and only in the 10th century did images of the dead Christ appear (Fig. 4).

From ancient times, crucifixion crosses, both in the East and in the West, had a crossbar to support the feet of the Crucified, and His feet were depicted as nailed each separately with their own nail (Fig. 3). The image of Christ with crossed feet, nailed with one nail (Fig. 4), first appeared as an innovation in the West in the second half of the 13th century.

From the Orthodox dogma of the Cross (or Atonement), the idea undoubtedly follows that the death of the Lord is the ransom of all, the calling of all peoples. Only the cross, unlike other executions, gave Jesus Christ the opportunity to die with outstretched arms calling "to all the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 45:22).

Therefore, in the tradition of Orthodoxy, it is to portray the Savior Almighty precisely as the Resurrected Crusader, holding and calling the whole universe into His arms and bearing the New Testament altar - the Cross.

And the traditionally Catholic image of the crucifixion, with Christ sagging in his arms, on the contrary, has the task of showing how it all happened, depicting the suffering and death before death, and not at all what is essentially the eternal Fruit of the Cross - His triumph.

Orthodoxy invariably teaches that suffering is necessary for all sinners for their humble assimilation of the Fruit of Redemption - the Holy Spirit sent by the sinless Redeemer, which, out of pride, Catholics do not understand, who, with their sinful sufferings, seek participation in the sinless, and therefore redemptive Passion of Christ and thereby fall into the heresy of the Crusades. "self-rescue".

Among all Christians, only Orthodox and Catholics venerate crosses and icons. They decorate the domes of churches, their houses with crosses, they wear them around the neck.

The reason why a person wears a pectoral cross is different for everyone. Someone thus pays tribute to fashion, for someone the cross is a beautiful piece of jewelry, for someone it brings good luck and is used as a talisman. But there are also those for whom the pectoral cross worn at baptism is indeed a symbol of their infinite faith.

Today, shops and church shops offer a wide variety of crosses of various shapes. However, very often, not only parents who are going to baptize a child, but also sales assistants cannot explain where the Orthodox cross is and where the Catholic one is, although it is actually very simple to distinguish them. In the Catholic tradition - a quadrangular cross, with three nails. In Orthodoxy, there are four-pointed, six-pointed and eight-pointed crosses, with four nails for hands and feet.

cross shape

four-pointed cross

So, in the West, the most common is four-pointed cross. Starting from the III century, when such crosses first appeared in the Roman catacombs, the entire Orthodox East still uses this form of the cross as equal to all others.

Eight-pointed Orthodox cross

For Orthodoxy, the shape of the cross does not really matter, much more attention is paid to what is depicted on it, however, eight-pointed and six-pointed crosses have received the greatest popularity.

Eight-pointed Orthodox cross most corresponds to the historically reliable form of the cross on which Christ was already crucified. The Orthodox cross, which is most often used by the Russian and Serbian Orthodox churches, contains, in addition to a large horizontal bar, two more. The top symbolizes the plate on the cross of Christ with the inscription " Jesus of the Nazarene, King of the Jews» (INCI, or INRI in Latin). The lower slanting crossbar - the support for the feet of Jesus Christ symbolizes the "righteous measure", weighing the sins and virtues of all people. It is believed to be tilted left side, symbolizing that the repentant thief, crucified on the right side of Christ, (first) went to heaven, and the thief, crucified on the left side, by his blasphemy of Christ, further aggravated his posthumous fate and ended up in hell. The letters IC XC are a Christogram symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov writes that " when Christ the Lord carried a cross on His shoulders, then the cross was still four-pointed; because there was still no title or footstool on it. There was no footstool, because Christ had not yet been raised on the cross, and the soldiers, not knowing where Christ's feet would reach, did not attach footstools, finishing it already at Golgotha". Also, there was no title on the cross before the crucifixion of Christ, because, as the Gospel reports, at first " crucified him"(John 19:18), and then only" Pilate wrote an inscription and put it on the cross"(John 19:19). It was at first that the soldiers divided “His clothes” by lot. crucified Him"(Matt. 27:35), and only then" They placed an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.» (Matthew 27:37).

The eight-pointed cross has long been considered the most powerful protective tool against various kinds of evil spirits, as well as visible and invisible evil.

six pointed cross

Widespread among Orthodox believers, especially during Ancient Russia, also had six-pointed cross. It also has an inclined crossbar: the lower end symbolizes unrepentant sin, and the upper end symbolizes liberation by repentance.

However, not in the shape of the cross or the number of ends lies all its power. The cross is famous for the power of Christ crucified on it, and all its symbolism and miraculousness lies in this.

The variety of forms of the cross has always been recognized by the Church as quite natural. In the words of the Monk Theodore the Studite - “ a cross of every form is a true cross”and has an unearthly beauty and life-giving power.

« There is no significant difference between Latin, Catholic, Byzantine, and Orthodox crosses, as well as between any other crosses used in the service of Christians. In essence, all crosses are the same, the differences are only in form.”, says Serbian Patriarch Irinej.

crucifixion

In the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, special significance is attached not to the shape of the cross, but to the image of Jesus Christ on it.

Until the 9th century inclusive, Christ was depicted on the cross not only alive, resurrected, but also triumphant, and only in the 10th century did images of the dead Christ appear.

Yes, we know that Christ died on the cross. But we also know that He later resurrected, and that He suffered voluntarily out of love for people: to teach us to take care of the immortal soul; so that we too can be resurrected and live forever. In the Orthodox Crucifixion, this Paschal joy is always present. Therefore, on the Orthodox cross, Christ does not die, but freely stretches out his arms, the palms of Jesus are open, as if he wants to embrace all of humanity, giving them his love and opening the way to eternal life. He is not a dead body, but God, and his whole image speaks of this.

The Orthodox cross above the main horizontal bar has another, smaller one, which symbolizes the tablet on the cross of Christ indicating the offense. Because Pontius Pilate did not find how to describe the guilt of Christ, the words “ Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews» in three languages: Greek, Latin and Aramaic. In Latin in Catholicism, this inscription looks like INRI, and in Orthodoxy - IHCI(or ІНHI, “Jesus of the Nazarene, King of the Jews”). The lower oblique crossbar symbolizes a leg support. It also symbolizes two thieves crucified to the left and right of Christ. One of them repented of his sins before his death, for which he was awarded the Kingdom of Heaven. The other, before his death, blasphemed and reviled his executioners and Christ.

Above the middle crossbar are the inscriptions: "IC" "XC"- the name of Jesus Christ; and below it: "NIKA"- Winner.

Greek letters were necessarily written on the cross-shaped halo of the Savior UN, meaning - "Truly Existing", because " God said to Moses: I am who I am”(Ex. 3:14), thus revealing His name, expressing the self-existence, eternity and immutability of the being of God.

In addition, the nails with which the Lord was nailed to the cross were kept in Orthodox Byzantium. And it was precisely known that there were four of them, not three. Therefore, on Orthodox crosses, the feet of Christ are nailed with two nails, each separately. The image of Christ with crossed feet, nailed with one nail, first appeared as an innovation in the West in the second half of the 13th century.

Orthodox Crucifix Catholic Crucifix

In the Catholic Crucifixion, the image of Christ has naturalistic features. Catholics depict Christ as dead, sometimes with streams of blood on his face, from wounds on his arms, legs and ribs ( stigmata). It manifests all human suffering, the torment that Jesus had to experience. His arms sag under the weight of his body. The image of Christ on the Catholic cross is plausible, but this is the image of a dead person, while there is no hint of the triumph of victory over death. The crucifixion in Orthodoxy just symbolizes this triumph. In addition, the feet of the Savior are nailed with one nail.

The Significance of the Savior's Death on the Cross

emergence christian cross connected with the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, which he accepted on the cross at the forced verdict of Pontius Pilate. Crucifixion was a common form of execution in Ancient Rome, borrowed from the Carthaginians - the descendants of the Phoenician colonists (it is believed that the crucifixion was first used in Phenicia). Usually thieves were sentenced to death on the cross; many early Christians, persecuted since the time of Nero, were also executed in this manner.

Roman crucifixion

Before the sufferings of Christ, the cross was an instrument of shame and terrible punishment. After His suffering, he became a symbol of the victory of good over evil, life over death, a reminder of God's infinite love, an object of joy. The incarnated Son of God sanctified the cross with His blood and made it a vehicle of His grace, a source of sanctification for believers.

From the Orthodox dogma of the Cross (or Atonement), the idea undoubtedly follows that the death of the Lord is the ransom of all, the calling of all peoples. Only the cross, unlike other executions, made it possible for Jesus Christ to die with outstretched arms calling "to all the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 45:22).

Reading the Gospels, we are convinced that the feat of the Cross of the God-man is the central event in His earthly life. By His sufferings on the Cross, He washed away our sins, covered our debt to God, or, in the language of Scripture, “redeemed” (ransomed) us. In Golgotha ​​lies the incomprehensible mystery of the infinite truth and love of God.

The Son of God voluntarily took upon Himself the guilt of all people and suffered for it a shameful and most painful death on the cross; then on the third day he rose again as the conqueror of hell and death.

Why was such a terrible Sacrifice needed to cleanse the sins of mankind, and was it possible to save people in another, less painful way?

The Christian doctrine of the death of the God-man on the cross is often a "stumbling block" for people with already established religious and philosophical concepts. Both many Jews and people of the Greek culture of apostolic times seemed contradictory to the assertion that the almighty and eternal God descended to earth in the form of a mortal man, voluntarily suffered beatings, spitting and shameful death, that this feat could bring spiritual benefit to mankind. " It's impossible!”- some objected; " It is not necessary!' - said others.

The Holy Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians says: Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in the wisdom of the word, so as not to abolish the cross of Christ. For the word about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will put away the understanding of the prudent. Where is the sage? where is the scribe? where is the questioner of this world? Has not God turned the wisdom of this world into folly? For when the world through its wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, it pleased God with the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. For the Jews also demand miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, for the Jews a stumbling block, and for the Greeks madness, for the very called ones, Jews and Greeks, Christ, God's power and God's wisdom"(1 Cor. 1:17-24).

In other words, the apostle explained that what in Christianity was perceived by some as temptation and madness, is in fact the work of the greatest Divine wisdom and omnipotence. The truth of the atoning death and resurrection of the Savior is the foundation for many other Christian truths, for example, about the sanctification of believers, about the sacraments, about the meaning of suffering, about virtues, about achievement, about the goal of life, about the coming judgment and resurrection of the dead and others.

At the same time, the atoning death of Christ, being an event inexplicable in terms of earthly logic and even “seductive for those who perish,” has a regenerating power that the believing heart feels and strives for. Renewed and warmed by this spiritual power, both the last slaves and the most powerful kings bowed with trepidation before Golgotha; both dark ignoramuses and the greatest scientists. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles personal experience became convinced of the great spiritual blessings brought to them by the atoning death and resurrection of the Savior, and they shared this experience with their disciples.

(The mystery of the redemption of mankind is closely connected with a number of important religious and psychological factors. Therefore, in order to understand the mystery of the redemption, it is necessary:

a) to understand what actually is the sinful damage of a person and the weakening of his will to resist evil;

b) it is necessary to understand how the devil's will, thanks to sin, got the opportunity to influence and even captivate the human will;

c) one must understand the mysterious power of love, its ability to positively influence a person and ennoble him. At the same time, if love reveals itself most of all in sacrificial service to one's neighbor, then there is no doubt that giving one's life for him is the highest manifestation of love;

d) one must rise from understanding the power of human love to understanding the power of Divine love and how it penetrates the soul of a believer and transforms his inner world;

e) in addition, in the atoning death of the Savior there is a side that goes beyond the limits of the human world, namely: On the cross there was a battle between God and the proud Dennitsa, in which God, hiding under the guise of weak flesh, emerged victorious. The details of this spiritual battle and Divine victory remain a mystery to us. Even Angels, according to ap. Peter, do not fully understand the mystery of redemption (1 Pet. 1:12). She is a sealed book that only the Lamb of God could open (Rev. 5:1-7)).

In Orthodox asceticism, there is such a thing as bearing one's cross, that is, the patient fulfillment of Christian commandments throughout the life of a Christian. All difficulties, both external and internal, are called "cross." Each bears his life's cross. The Lord said this about the need for personal achievement: Whoever does not take up his cross (shirks the feat) and follows Me (calls himself a Christian), he is not worthy of Me» (Matthew 10:38).

« The cross is the guardian of the whole universe. Cross of beauty of the Church, Cross of kings power, Cross of faithful affirmation, Cross of an angel glory, Cross of a demon plague”, - affirms the absolute Truth of the luminaries of the feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross.

The motives for the outrageous desecration and blasphemy of the Holy Cross by conscious crusaders and crusaders are quite understandable. But when we see Christians involved in this heinous deed, it is all the more impossible to be silent, for - according to the words of St. Basil the Great - "God is given up in silence"!

Differences between the Catholic and Orthodox cross

Thus, there are the following differences between the Catholic cross and the Orthodox:

Catholic cross Orthodox cross

1. Orthodox cross most often has an eight-pointed or six-pointed shape. catholic cross- four-pointed.
2. Words on a plate on the crosses are the same, only written in different languages: Latin INRI(in the case of a Catholic cross) and Slavic-Russian IHCI(on an Orthodox cross).
3. Another fundamental position is the position of the feet on the Crucifixion and the number of nails. The feet of Jesus Christ are located together on the Catholic Crucifix, and each is nailed separately on the Orthodox cross.
4. different is image of the Savior on the cross. On the Orthodox cross, God is depicted, who opened the way to eternal life, and on the Catholic one, a person experiencing torment.

Material prepared by Sergey Shulyak

All Christians are united by a single faith in the Savior. At the same time, each direction within the Christian religion offers its own interpretation of one or another aspect of the dogma. Not every follower knows how the Orthodox cross differs from the Catholic one. There are indeed differences between them, and it is impossible not to notice them.

When did the differences appear?

The split of the Christian Church into Western and Eastern took place in 1054. However, the prerequisites for it appeared much earlier. Despite the fact that representatives of Western and Eastern Christianity had one faith, the approach to it was different. Disagreements arose even in ideas about how a clergyman should look like. The "Latins" shaved their beards. For the Eastern clergy, such behavior was unacceptable. Differences also became noticeable when conducting rituals, decorating temples, etc. Christians did not strive to eliminate the difference. They made it even more visible by contrasting themselves with those who, in their opinion, were worshiping God in the wrong way.

The cross remains the main symbol of faith for both Orthodox and Catholics. With it, you can also determine which direction the representative is in front of us.

Looking closely at both variants of the crucifixion, one can easily understand how the Orthodox cross differs from the Catholic one. True faith is not determined by belonging to the Western or Eastern

Of the many different currents of Christianity, only Orthodox and Catholics revere icons and crosses. Crosses serve to decorate church domes, residential buildings, and are worn around the neck. Protestants do not recognize this symbol - the cross. They perceive it as a symbol of execution, an instrument with which Jesus suffered great suffering and death.

The reason for wearing a pectoral cross is different for everyone. Some in this way are simply trying to match fashion, others use it as a beautiful piece of jewelry, others consider it a talisman. However, for many, the cross, which was first put on during the rite of baptism, serves as a real symbol of sincere faith.

It is known that the cause of the cross was the martyrdom of Jesus, accepted by him according to the verdict, which Pontius Pilate was forced to pass. It was a popular method death penalty in the ancient Roman state, which the Romans borrowed from the Carthaginians (it is widely believed that it was the Carthaginians who first began to use the crucifixion). Most often, robbers were sentenced to execution in this way; many early Christians who were persecuted in the Roman Empire were also executed on the cross.

Before Jesus, the cross was a means of shameful execution. However, after His death, it turned into a symbol of the victory of life and good over death and evil, a reminder of the boundless love of the Lord, whose Son sanctified the cross with His blood, making it a means of grace and sanctification.

The Orthodox dogma of the Cross (also called the dogma of the Atonement) implies that the death of Jesus is a ransom for all people, a calling for all mankind. The cross differs from execution in any other way in that it allowed the Savior to die with his hands spread apart, as if calling people from all over the earth.

When reading the Bible, one can be convinced that the feat of Christ is the main episode of His life on earth. His sufferings on the Cross made it possible to wash away his sins, to cover the debt of people before the Lord - to redeem (that is, redeem) them. Calvary contains the incomprehensible mystery of the Creator's love.

So, the Catholic cross is the Orthodox cross - what is the difference between them?

The Magic of Signs and Symbols. Continuation.

Cross

This is a symbol of Rule and Navi, separated by a line of Reveal. All sides of the cross are of equal length, because all the elements are in balance, i.e. a balance of power is maintained.

Christians appropriated this symbol for themselves, changing the whole structure. They lengthened the Navi line, thereby establishing themselves as a religion of death. The balance of power was upset.

The energy of such a cross is negative, because. Navi's field is increased, he is essentially a vampire. And, if we take into account that such crosses are hung around the neck of all people, and in addition with a corpse, then the very low energy of the adherents of this religion becomes understandable. When hanging a cross on children, the harmonious development of the child is disturbed.

Now many adults understand that they need to get away from Christian vampirism, but do not know how to do it. So, regardless of when a person was baptized (as an adult or a child), the baptism procedure can be carried out independently, quietly and imperceptibly to others. And do not trust this to any "wizards in the Nth generation." To do this, you only need a desire and a conscious decision to leave the sect of the dead. And the procedure is extremely simple, anyone can handle it.

So, it is necessary to remain completely alone so that no one distracts. It can be indoors, it can be outdoors. First, the cross is removed. Then we imagine a dark cloud above our head (this is a Christian egregor), from which a “hose” goes to our crown. Mentally, we take this “hose” with our hand, unhook it from the head, but do not let go.

Mentally (and you can say it out loud) we say thanks to the egregor for all the good that he has done to us throughout life. And it doesn't matter whether it was or not - the main thing here is gratitude. Then we say that our paths have diverged, and it's time for us to part forever. Only after that we release the “hose”, and observe how it is drawn into the cloud, which floats away, or dissolves. Everything. Usually a person feels a strong relief. The shoulders are straightened at the physical level.

As for the cross, then together with the chain you need to clean it with the fire of a candle (not a church one), then it is better to melt it into some other decoration. You can simply take it to the church and leave it there, i.e. give.

A circle

The circle is a symbol of the sun, the planet. All children draw the same sun. That's life.

But with the advent of Christianity, “horror stories” appeared in the form of evil spirits, from which you need to hide inside the circle. And now everyone begins to draw circles around themselves - eternal protection from the outside world. And psychics propagate this, and magicians of all levels and sorcerers in the Nth generation ...

Everyone builds around themselves protection in the form of circles, raising them in height in the form of cylinders, barrels, etc., etc. And they do not understand that for every action there is a reaction. The more powerful the defense against the alleged attack, the weaker the person actually becomes, because. he, fencing himself off from the World, does not receive the energy of the Cosmos. Everything is elementary. Any defense always loses. It is necessary to strengthen your energy and then no "muck" will be able to get it.