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What Does the Cross Mean to You?
- Thread starter Thief
- Start date
whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
It means a lot.
"tear down this temple and in 3 days I will raise it" says Jesus is fully human and fully divine
W glorify God leaning on the work of His son on the cross believing for eternal life
I think you're supposed to think of it as yourself on the cross, because you are denying yourself. You die with him, and then you no longer live as an individual. Probably its a reminder or perhaps a way to focus on that. It wouldn't be easy to do that, so having a cross might be useful. I imagine that its something to squeeze or touch or look at when you're making decisions. If I ever get one it will be a somber occasion, and I will not do it lightly.
For me the cross has the opposite effect...I find it disgusting...not because it is the instrument used to put Christ to death....but because it isn't. The cross as a religious symbol predates Christianity by many centuries. The instrument used to execute Jesus is described in the NT as a "stauros", which never means two pieces of wood crossed at any angle.
"Stauros (σταυρός) is a Greek word which in the oldest forms (Homeric and classical Greek) (until the fourth century BC) is found used in the plural number in the sense of an upright stake or pole. In Koine Greek, in use during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, within which the New Testament was written, it was used in the singular number with reference to an instrument of capital punishment...
In Homeric and classical Greek, until the early 4th century BC, stauros meant an upright stake, pole, or piece of paling, "on which anything might be hung, or which might be used in impaling [fencing in] a piece of ground."
In the literature of that time, it never means two pieces of timber placed across one another at any angle, but always one piece alone, and is always used in the plural number, never in the singular."
Stauros - Wikipedia
It denotes a simple upright stake, but when Christianity apostatized, all manner of false ideas began to be incorporated....this is just one of them.
That Christ did not die on the traditionally shaped cross is also indicated by the testimony of the catacombs. Dean Burgon, in his Letters from Rome, wrote: “I question whether a cross occurs on any Christian monument of the first four centuries.”
Mons Perret, who spent fourteen years doing research in the catacombs of Rome, counted in all a total of 11,000 inscriptions among the millions of tombs. According to him, “not until the latter years of the fourth century does the sign of the cross appear.”
This was after Roman Catholicism became the official state religion of Rome. Emperor Constantine who is supposed to have received a vision of a cross, and told to conquer in this symbol, was actually never baptized as a Christian until on his deathbed. He was a devotee of Zeus. He used "Christianity" (or his version of it) to consolidate his divided empire....not because he was a Christian.
The Bible itself repeatedly tells of Jesus dying on a "tree", the Greek word being xylon. (Luke 23:31; Acts 5:30; Acts 10:39) 'Xylon' simply means “timber,” and “by implication a stick, club or tree or other wooden article or substance.” That is why the Gospel writers all use xylon to refer to the staves or clubs that the mob carried when they came to take Jesus. (Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:43; Luke 22:52) By saying that Christ died on a xylon these Gospel writers indicated that Christ died on a timber, a piece of wood.
Thus the apostle Paul states that Christ became a curse to those under the law by being fastened to a xylon, since “Accursed is every man hanged upon a stake [xylon].” Paul was there quoting from the law of Moses, which required that the bodies of executed criminals be fastened to a tree or stake as a warning and which meant that they were cursed by God. (Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
Dr. William Killen, in his Ancient Church, wrote:
“From the most remote antiquity the cross was venerated in Egypt and Syria; it was held in equal honor by the Buddhists of the East; and what is still more extraordinary, when the Spaniards first visited America, the well-known sign was found among the objects of worship in the idol temples of Anáhuac. It is also remarkable that, with the commencement of our era, the pagans were wont to make the sign of the cross upon the forehead in the celebration of some of their sacred mysteries.”
We have seen the ankh cross of Egypt,
which some say is a symbol of "life"....perhaps more correct to say what begins life.....the cross represented the male sex organ and the loop was symbolic of the female's.....meaning it was a sexual symbol representing coitus.
The Celtic cross....
"The Pre-Christian Cross. A vast body of evidence shows that the cross was used centuries before the birth of Christianity. The cross is thought to have originated from the ancient Babylonians before its spread to other parts of the world such as Syria, Egypt, Greek, Latin, India, and Mexico."
The History of the Christian Cross - WorldAtlas.com
The History of the Christian Cross
Doesn't it also seem bizarre to make an image of something used to put someone you love to death and idolize it? What if Christ had been hung...would we be wearing the replica of a gallows perhaps with a little figure of Jesus swinging from the rope?
Before we start venerating something we really should make sure of its origins, lest we offend the God we are trying to worship.
lukethethird
unknown member
What Does the Cross Mean to You?
Better Him than me.
Better Him than me.
What if Christ had been hung...would we be wearing the replica of a gallows perhaps with a little figure of Jesus swinging from the rope?
Good point. Or an axe. I share your view on this part.
The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
Well deeje, what does the death of Jesus upon a torture stake mean to you?For me the cross has the opposite effect...I find it disgusting...not because it is the instrument used to put Christ to death....but because it isn't. The cross as a religious symbol predates Christianity by many centuries. The instrument used to execute Jesus is described in the NT as a "stauros", which never means two pieces of wood crossed at any angle.
"Stauros (σταυρός) is a Greek word which in the oldest forms (Homeric and classical Greek) (until the fourth century BC) is found used in the plural number in the sense of an upright stake or pole. In Koine Greek, in use during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, within which the New Testament was written, it was used in the singular number with reference to an instrument of capital punishment...
In Homeric and classical Greek, until the early 4th century BC, stauros meant an upright stake, pole, or piece of paling, "on which anything might be hung, or which might be used in impaling [fencing in] a piece of ground."
In the literature of that time, it never means two pieces of timber placed across one another at any angle, but always one piece alone, and is always used in the plural number, never in the singular."
Stauros - Wikipedia
It denotes a simple upright stake, but when Christianity apostatized, all manner of false ideas began to be incorporated....this is just one of them.
That Christ did not die on the traditionally shaped cross is also indicated by the testimony of the catacombs. Dean Burgon, in his Letters from Rome, wrote: “I question whether a cross occurs on any Christian monument of the first four centuries.”
Mons Perret, who spent fourteen years doing research in the catacombs of Rome, counted in all a total of 11,000 inscriptions among the millions of tombs. According to him, “not until the latter years of the fourth century does the sign of the cross appear.”
This was after Roman Catholicism became the official state religion of Rome. Emperor Constantine who is supposed to have received a vision of a cross, and told to conquer in this symbol, was actually never baptized as a Christian until on his deathbed. He was a devotee of Zeus. He used "Christianity" (or his version of it) to consolidate his divided empire....not because he was a Christian.
The Bible itself repeatedly tells of Jesus dying on a "tree", the Greek word being xylon. (Luke 23:31; Acts 5:30; Acts 10:39) 'Xylon' simply means “timber,” and “by implication a stick, club or tree or other wooden article or substance.” That is why the Gospel writers all use xylon to refer to the staves or clubs that the mob carried when they came to take Jesus. (Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:43; Luke 22:52) By saying that Christ died on a xylon these Gospel writers indicated that Christ died on a timber, a piece of wood.
Thus the apostle Paul states that Christ became a curse to those under the law by being fastened to a xylon, since “Accursed is every man hanged upon a stake [xylon].” Paul was there quoting from the law of Moses, which required that the bodies of executed criminals be fastened to a tree or stake as a warning and which meant that they were cursed by God. (Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
Dr. William Killen, in his Ancient Church, wrote:
“From the most remote antiquity the cross was venerated in Egypt and Syria; it was held in equal honor by the Buddhists of the East; and what is still more extraordinary, when the Spaniards first visited America, the well-known sign was found among the objects of worship in the idol temples of Anáhuac. It is also remarkable that, with the commencement of our era, the pagans were wont to make the sign of the cross upon the forehead in the celebration of some of their sacred mysteries.”
We have seen the ankh cross of Egypt,
which some say is a symbol of "life"....perhaps more correct to say what begins life.....the cross represented the male sex organ and the loop was symbolic of the female's.....meaning it was a sexual symbol representing coitus.
The Celtic cross........some say the circle stands for the Roman sun-god Invictus, thus giving the name of Celtic Sun Cross. Others say it represents the halo of Jesus Christ. Others simply see it as a holdover from its pagan roots as a sun symbol. It is still pagan in origin.
"The Pre-Christian Cross. A vast body of evidence shows that the cross was used centuries before the birth of Christianity. The cross is thought to have originated from the ancient Babylonians before its spread to other parts of the world such as Syria, Egypt, Greek, Latin, India, and Mexico."
The History of the Christian Cross - WorldAtlas.com
The History of the Christian Cross
Doesn't it also seem bizarre to make an image of something used to put someone you love to death and idolize it? What if Christ had been hung...would we be wearing the replica of a gallows perhaps with a little figure of Jesus swinging from the rope?
Before we start venerating something we really should make sure of its origins, lest we offend the God we are trying to worship.
The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
Sooner or later it is going to be you. Better to pick up your cross now and be crucified with Jesus than to go it alone. But it is on the horizon for all of us.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
"What Does the Cross Mean to You?": An adversary. My God is the only God. My religion is the best.
What if Christ had been hung...would we be wearing the replica of a gallows perhaps with a little figure of Jesus swinging from the rope?
InChrist
Free4ever
To me the cross of Christ means ... Love, God's victory over evil, freedom from sin and death, and new life for eternity.
I found an interesting explanation in our writings regarding the cross.
The Cross--This Figure Exists in All Things
"As for the symbol of the cross, appointed in former times: Know verily, that the cross form is a wonderful figure and consists of two right lines placed crosswise--one perpendicular to the other--and this figure exists in all things.
"Meditate upon these words and pay attention to the tissue in all existing substances, either plant, animal or man, and thou wilt see that they all are formed of the cross figure or two crosswise lines. Consider this intently with true meditation. Then thou wilt be taught by the Holy Ghost that it is for this reason that God hath chosen this symbol to be displayed as the token of sacrifice in all periods of the ages.(Baha’i Writings)
Its the death of the man that paid a debt...the instrument of torture is not the issue.
TagliatelliMonster
Veteran Member
Honestly?
Death, suffering, barbarism,...
The sight of it brings about the same kind of emotions as a swastika.
What does the cross mean to me?
I recognise that it is primarily the symbol of Christianity
But to me it signifies Christ's sacrifice (on the cross) and the prospect of eternal life and the existence of a concerned and personal God
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
As other members have explained in this topic, Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake. God did not choose this symbol. It was perhaps chosen during Emperor Constantine's time in Forth Century. Somebody else chose it.
the cross represents the mind, consciousness spreading out, the four winds, spreading in all directions, that being hanged on a tree is a curse against self but a blessing in service to others as self.
it is a yoking of love to another in service to love/light.
Matthew 11:28-30 [Full Chapter]
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
its the hanged man
Deuteronomy 21:23
His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God
that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.Constantine did not make up the cross symbol for Christianity. Because of Christian persecution crosses were disguised in various forms and other symbols, the 'ichthys' with which Christians identified themselves. When Constantine legalized Christianity no longer was there reason to hide the cross symbol.