The Cross

 

Me:  Hi Prodigal, look at that cross!

Prodigal:  Yes, I thought it was nice to have on the mailbox.

Me:  I can give you some history about the cross.

Prodigal:  I would love to hear it!

 

This is from the book  The Cross of Christ by John R.W. Stott

 

Christianity, then, is no exception in having a visual symbol.  The cross was not its earliest, however.  Because of the wild accusations which were levelled against Christians, and the persecution to which they were exposed, they ‘ had to be very circumspect and to avoid flaunting their religion.  Thus the cross, now the universal symbol of Christianity, was at first avoided, not only for its direct association with Christ, but for its shameful association with the execution of a common criminal also.  So on the walls and ceilings of the catacombs (underground burial-places outside Rome, where the persecuted Christians probably hid), the earliest Christian motifs seem to have been either non-committal paintings of a peacock (supposed to symbolize immortality), a dove, the athlete’s victory palm or, in particular, a fish.  Only the initiated would know, and nobody else could guess, that  ichthys (fish) was an acronym for Iesus Christos Theou Huiso Soter (Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour).

 

Proverbs 21:1

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

 

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *