Crucifix

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)
For other uses, see Crucifix (disambiguation).

Crucifixion of Christ at the winged triptych at the Church of the Teutonic Order in Vienna, Austria. Woodcarvings by an anonymous master; polychromy by Jan van Wavere, Mechelen, signed 1520. This altarpiece was originally made for St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk, and came to Vienna in 1864.
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A crucifix (from the

Tau cross or a Coptic cross
.

The crucifix is a principal symbol for many groups of

Oriental Orthodox Churches except the Armenian & Syriac Church, Lutheranism, Anglicanism.[3][4][5] The symbol is less common in churches of other Protestant denominations, and in the Assyrian Church of the East and Armenian Apostolic Church, which prefer to use a cross without the figure of Jesus (the corpus).[6][7]

Roman Catholics see the crucifix as the perfect fulfillment of that inferred by the serpent created by Moses in

Numbers 21:8—9,[8] called the Nehushtan. It was promised that those sinners who looked upon the Nehushtan would be healed. The section of Numbers about the Nehushtan is one of the readings on Exaltation of the Cross that occurs on September 14 in the Roman Catholic Church. It is paired with John 3:14–15[9]
as the gospel reading. Taken together, these readings explain the striking front and center position of a large crucifix normally fixed above or behind a Catholic altar.

Western crucifixes usually have a three-dimensional corpus, but in Eastern Orthodoxy Jesus' body is normally painted on the cross, or in low relief. Strictly speaking, to be a crucifix, the cross must be three-dimensional, but this distinction is not always observed. An entire painting of the crucifixion of Jesus including a landscape background and other figures is not a crucifix either.

Large crucifixes high across the central axis of a church are known by the Old English term rood. By the Late Middle Ages these were a near-universal feature of Western churches, but they are now very rare. Modern Roman Catholic churches and many Lutheran churches often have a crucifix above the altar on the wall;[10] for the celebration of Mass, the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church requires that "on or close to the altar there is to be a cross with a figure of Christ crucified".[11]

Description

A crucifix in the chancel of a Lutheran church
A crucifix in Brazil

The standard, four-pointed Latin crucifix consists of an upright post or stipes and a single crosspiece to which the sufferer's arms were nailed. There may also be a short projecting

low relief icon that shows Jesus as already dead, his face peaceful and somber. They are rarely three-dimensional figures as in the Western tradition, although these may be found where Western influences are strong, but are more typically icons painted on a piece of wood shaped to include the double-barred cross and perhaps the edge of Christ's hips and halo, and no background. More sculptural small crucifixes in metal relief are also used in Orthodoxy (see gallery examples), including as pectoral crosses and blessing crosses
.

Western crucifixes may show Christ dead or alive, the presence of the spear wound in his ribs traditionally indicating that he is dead. In either case his face very often shows his suffering. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition he has normally been shown as dead since around the end of the period of

Franciscan order. During the 13th century the suffering Italian model (Christus patiens) triumphed over the traditional Byzantine one (Christus gloriosus) anywhere in Europe also due to the works of artists such as Giunta Pisano and Cimabue. Since the Renaissance the "S"-shape is generally much less pronounced. Eastern Christian blessing crosses will often have the Crucifixion depicted on one side, and the Resurrection on the other, illustrating Eastern Orthodox theology
's understanding of the Crucifixion and Resurrection as two intimately related aspects of the same act of salvation.

Another, symbolic, depiction shows a triumphant Christ (

crowned as a king, and vested in a stole as Great High Priest
.

On some crucifixes a skull and crossbones are shown below the corpus, referring to Golgotha (Calvary), the site at which Jesus was crucified, which the Gospels say means in Hebrew "the place of the skull."[a] Medieval tradition held that it was the burial-place of Adam and Eve, and that the cross of Christ was raised directly over Adam's skull, so many crucifixes manufactured in Catholic countries still show the skull and crossbones below the corpus.

Very large crucifixes have been built, the largest being the Cross in the Woods in Michigan, with a 31 feet (9.4 m) high statue.[14]

Usage

In the

sacramental, is often part of devotion for Christians, especially those worshipping in a church, also privately. The person may sit, stand, or kneel in front of the crucifix, sometimes looking at it in contemplation, or merely in front of it with head bowed or eyes closed. During the Middle Ages small crucifixes, generally hung on a wall, became normal in the personal cells or living quarters first of monks, then all clergy, followed by the homes of the laity, spreading down from the top of society as these became cheap enough for the average person to afford. Most towns had a large crucifix erected as a monument, or some other shrine at the crossroads of the town. Building on the ancient custom, many Catholics, Lutherans and Anglicans hang a crucifix inside their homes and also use the crucifix as a focal point of a home altar.[15][17] The wealthy erected proprietary chapels
as they could afford to do this.

The Marquis of Paraná, Prime Minister of Brazil lying in repose in 1856. In the background, candles and a metal crucifix.

1 Corinthians: "we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God".[18]

In the West,

Requiem Mass, but a second standing cross is not to be placed near the coffin if the altar cross can be easily seen from the body of the church.[22]

Eastern Christian liturgical processions called

Paschaltide
, and the crucifix on other days.

succubi
, and other evils.

Modern

crucified upside-down.[24]

Controversies

Lutherans retained the use of the crucifix; depicted is Martin Luther Church in Oberwiesenthal
, Germany.

Protestant Reformation

The tympanum of Thesis Door at the Castle Church in Wittenberg depicts Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon kneeling in prayer, facing the crucified Christ.

In the Moravian Church, Nicolaus Zinzendorf had an experience in which he believed he encountered Jesus.[25] Seeing a painting of a crucifix, Zinzendorf fell on his knees vowing to glorify Jesus after contemplating on the wounds of Christ and an inscription that stated "This is what I have done for you, what will you do for me?".[25]

The Lutheran Churches retained the use of the crucifix, "justifying their continued use of medieval crucifixes with the same arguments employed since the Middle Ages, as is evident from the example of the altar of the Holy Cross in the Cistercian church of Doberan."

Reformed Churches rejected the use of the crucifix, and indeed the unadorned cross, along with other traditional religious imagery, as idolatrous.[29] Calvin, considered to be the father of the Reformed Church, was violently opposed to both cross and crucifix.[30] In England, the Royal Chapels of Elizabeth I were most unusual among local churches in retaining crucifixes, following the Queen's conservative tastes. These disappeared under her successor, James I, and their brief re-appearance in the early 1620s when James' heir was seeking a Spanish marriage was the subject of rumour and close observation by both Catholics and Protestants; when the match fell through they disappeared.[31]

Modern

In 2005, a mother accused her daughter's school in

crucifix necklace.[32]

In 2008, a chapel in a prison in England replaced its crucifix and static altar with a cross and portable altar when it was renovated as a multi-faith chapel. Right-leaning media reported that the crucifix had been removed "in case it offends Muslims".[33]

In 2008 in Spain, a local judge ordered crucifixes removed from public schools to settle a decades-old dispute over whether crucifixes should be displayed in public buildings in a non-confessional state.[34]

On 18 March 2011, the

courts of law
.

On 24 March 2011, the Constitutional Court of Peru ruled that the presence of crucifixes in courts of law does not violate the secular nature of the state.[38]

Gallery

See also

Notes

  1. Aramaic of Jesus

References

  1. ISBN 9780521470681
    .
  2. ISBN 9780334028833
    .
  3. ^ a b "New Beginnings (formerly Cade Lake Community Chapel)". Unity of the Brethren. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Our Savior's Lutheran Church, "Sanctuary and Chapel"". 13 September 2008.
  5. ^ "St. John's Lutheran Church of Topeka, KS, "The Altar Crucifix"". Archived from the original on 19 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Sign of the Cross". Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020. Inside their homes, a cross is placed on the eastern wall of the first room. If one sees a cross in a house and do not find a crucifix or pictures, it is almost certain that the particular family belongs to the Church of the East.
  7. ^ "History of St Yeghiche Church, Kensington, London".
  8. ^ Numbers 21:8–9
  9. ^ John 3:14–15
  10. ^ "Palanga Lutheran Church Beautified with New Crucifix". LCMS International Mission. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  11. ^ "General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 117" (PDF).
  12. ISBN 0-85331-324-5
  13. ^ Schiller, 98-99
  14. ^ "Welcome to the Worlds Largest Crucifixion". Michigan Interactive. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  15. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8294-2030-2
    . Long before Christians built churches for public prayer, they worshipped daily in their homes. In order to orient their prayer (to orient means literally "to turn toward the east"), they painted or hung a cross on the east wall of their main room. This practice was in keeping with ancient Jewish tradition ("Look toward the east, O Jerusalem," Baruch 4:36); Christians turned in that direction when they prayed morning and evening and at other times. This expression of their undying belief in the coming again of Jesus was united to their conviction that the cross, "the sign of the Son of Man," would appear in the eastern heavens on his return (see Matthew 24:30). Building on that ancient custom, devout Catholics often have a home altar, shrine, or prayer corner containing a crucifix, religious pictures (icons), a Bible, holy water, lights, and flowers as a part of the essential furniture of a Christian home.
  16. ISBN 978-0-8146-6282-3
    . Because Christ was expected to come from the east, Christians at a very early date prayed facing that direction in order to show themselves ready for his appearing, and actually looking forward to the great event which would consummate the union with him already experienced in prayer. For the same reason the sign of the cross was frequently traced on the eastern wall of places of prayer, thereby indicating the direction of prayer, but also rendering the Lord's coming a present reality in the sign which heralds it. In other words, through the cross the anticipated eschatological appearance becomes parousia: presence. The joining of prayer with the eschatological presence of Christ, unseen to the eye but revealed in the cross, obviously underlies the widely attested practice of prostrating before the sacred wood while praying to him who hung upon it.
  17. ^ White, Jon (20 March 2016). "DIY Tabernacling: Holy Objects & Holy Space, at home". Episcopal Cafe. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  18. ^ 1 Corinthians 1:23–24
  19. ^ General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 308
  20. ^ Rubricae generales Missalis, XX
  21. ISBN 88-209-2547-8
    )
  22. ^ Rite of Funerals, 38
  23. ^ Lucifer Rising: A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock n' Roll (Nemesis, 1994)
  24. ^ Kramer, Heinrich and Sprenger, James (1486), Summers, Montague (translator - 1928), The Malleus Maleficarum
  25. ^ a b Hubbard, Jason (14 January 2019). "Story of the Moravians". Light of the World Prayer Center. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  26. ISBN 9781443803984
    .
  27. ^ Lyons, Mary Ann; O'Connor, Thomas (2010). The Ulster Earls and Baroque Europe: Refashioning Irish Identities, 1600-1800. Four Courts Press. p. 172.
  28. ^ "HOME". Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  29. ISBN 9781136820793
    . The Calvinizers sought to remove the crucifix as idolatrous. There was considerable continuity, certainly, between the Lutheran use of the crucifix and the Catholic.
  30. ^ John Calvin. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Retrieved 12 November 2015. Of what use, then, were the erection in churches of so many crosses of wood and stone, silver and gold,
  31. ISBN 978-0-85115-797-9
    , pp. 29–32
  32. ^ "School ban on girl wearing cross 'discriminatory'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012.
  33. ^ "Prison chapel not to have a crucifix". Archived from the original on 19 December 2008.
  34. ^ "Monster and Critics". Archived from the original on 3 September 2012.
  35. ^ "Press release of the European Court of Human Rights".
  36. ^ "Full text of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights" (PDF).
  37. ^ "Summary of the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights". 18 March 2011.
  38. ^ "Peru court upholds presence of crucifix in public places".
  39. ^ "Matriz Atual".

External links

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