Looking at the Episcopal Church. William Sydnor

Чтение книги онлайн.

       Chapter 4

       Symbolism

      The Church has a language of symbols or signs. We experience the language of symbols every day. For example, when we see a yellow road sign with a large plus mark on it we know we are approaching an intersection. Christian symbols remind us of great Christian truths. They are used to decorate and beautify the House of God. The following are a few examples of symbols:

      Cross—The most important of all Christian symbols is the cross that reminds us of our Lord's death on Calvary. It was traced on our foreheads in baptism in token that we were “sealed by the Holy Spirit…and marked as Christ's own forever.” To sign one's self with the sign of the cross is both an act of devotion and a profession of faith. This symbol has many forms. Here are a few of them.

      Latin cross: This is the cross of western Christendom.

      Greek cross: The four equal arms of this cross suggest the Church's mission to the four corners of the world to every race, nation, and class of people.

      LATIN

      GREEK

      Maltese cross: This cross was worn by the Knights of St. John or Knights Hospitallers of Malta as early as the eleventh century.

      St. Andrew's cross: St. Andrew is said to have died on this kind of cross.

      MALTESE

      ST. ANDREW'S (Saltire)

      Canterbury cross: This cross is a copy of one made perhaps in Kent in the eighth century. Derived from the Alisee Patee, it appears on the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

      CANTERBURY

      Crucifix: A representation of our Lord hanging on the cross is called a crucifix. In some cases he is shown clothed in royal garments—Christ the king or Christus Rex who reigns in glory. The figure, however, is most often depicted in the attitude of suffering.

      CHRIST THE KING CRUCIFIX (Christus Rex)

      Presiding Bishop's cross: The distinctive cross of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is pictured on the opposite page.

       Head of the Primate's Staff of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

      Calvary cross: It is supposed to be the actual form of the cross on which our Lord was crucified. The base symbolizes the hill of Calvary on which the crucifixion took place.

      Celtic cross: This cross was used by the Celtic Christians of Britain, Scotland, and Ireland. It is called also the Ionic cross.

      GRADED (Calvary)

      CELTIC

      Eastern cross: The upper bar on this cross is for the inscription I.N.R.I. The lower one represents the footrest. It is used in Eastern Orthodox Churches.

      Jerusalem cross: This cross was the emblem of the crusaders.

      RUSSIAN ORTHODOX

      JERUSALEM

      Fish—The fish is one of the oldest Christian symbols. Jesus used the fish in his parable of the net to represent those who were gathered into his kingdom. In another sense it represents Christ himself because the initials of the words which compose the Greek phrase, “Jesus Christ Son of God, Savior,” spell the Greek word for fish, which is Ichthus. In ancient times of persecution, this anagram or the figure of a fish became a sort of password or sign by which Christians recognized one another.

      Dove—The Holy Spirit is most commonly represented by a dove. This symbol comes from the gospel account of Jesus' baptism. “When Jesus came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove…” (Mark 1:10).

      Pelican—There is a legend that the pelican pierces her own breast to feed her young. This symbol represents Christ redeeming the world with his blood and is known as “the pelican in her piety.”

      Agnus Dei—These Latin words mean “Lamb of God,” referring to Jesus. “The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the word!'” (John 1:29)

      IHS—These are the first three letters of the word Jesus in Greek.

      XP—Here are the first letters of the Greek word for Christ. The Greek X (chi) is the same as the English CH; the Greek P(rho) is the same as the English R.

      A Ω —The Greek letters alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and are a symbol for God. “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

      The СКАЧАТЬ