Eastern Orthodox Cross

[StephanStrategy]

Greetings.

I have a question regarding the EO Cross. It has the three "crossbars" for lack of a better term. What do they symbolize.

I assumed the top one was for the plaque that Pilate wrote, the cross bar for the uhh...cross but what is the third one by Jesus' feet?

Thanks for the info.

Mike

[Michael the Iconographer]

http://www.churchofthenativity.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=159&Itemid=52

[Oblio]

If ever we needed a sticky ...

[Michael the Iconographer]

If ever we needed a sticky ...
Great idea!

[StephanStrategy]

Thank you very much. That is what I was looking for.

Mike

[Anhelyna]

Great idea!
Can'st thou do it Michael ?

Oblio

Someone 'cos yes it's sorely needed

[Michael the Iconographer]

Can'st thou do it Michael ?

Oblio

Someone 'cos yes it's sorely needed
I am not a mod, but I am sure if I bug Rob enough he will do it!

[RobNJ]

It's already in the Index of threads under "Orthodox Cross" , here:

http://www.christianforums.com/t712355-taw-index-of-great-threads.html

And I updated the link

[MariaRegina]

Thanks, Rob.

It is interesting that the Tri-bar can be used to teach the Holy Trinity.

[Shubunkin]

As it was explained to me, the third bar is slanted with one end pointing to heaven, and the other end pointing to hell, where Christ descended after he was crucified.

[EmperorConstantine]

I've heard a number of reasons what the third bar means.

The thief who went to heaven was on Christ's right, the other on the left.

St. Andrew was martyred on an X-shaped cross and was in Kiev at one point in time. I remember being a catechumen and told that Slavic folks like the three-bar because of this very reason.

When they broke Christ's legs while on the cross, the bar His feet were on were then off-centered, thus showing His humanity.

[Mary of Bethany]

Christ's legs were not broken - remember? They were going to, as they did with the others, but instead they pierced His side, and realized He was already dead.



Mary

[xristos.anesti]

Legs were broken in order to kill the punished after they were on the cross for some time - as Our Lord and Saviour already left to preach to those in the prison (1.Pet 3,19.) there was no need for His legs to be broken.

Also, the actual cross that we use here (CF) as Orthodox is actually not a "standardised version" of an Orthodox Cross, for one does not exist.

Actually, I know of no Orthodox Church (apart from Russian) that uses three-bar cross. Serbian certainly does not, and from what I have seen in Australia, neither do Romanian, Greek, Antiochian, Georgian etc. Only churches of Mother Russia use it.

But, it could be different in the US - however, I am quite sure that Serbs do no use it for we have our Serbian Cross (the 4C’s one).

I have never heard of anyone using the three-bar cross and calling it anything other than Russian Cross.

[EmperorConstantine]

Almost all Russian churches I've seen have the three-bar.

Most Greek churches I've seen have the one where the four beams are equal in length.

I have seen some that have the moon on the bottom to show (something to the effect of) Christianity over Islam.

[Mary of Bethany]

I have seen some that have the moon on the bottom to show (something to the effect of) Christianity over Islam.

Is that what that's for? I never knew, and wondered. Thanks.

Mary

[MariaRegina]

I was told that when the Russians were once again free to worship, they put an Orthodox Cross on top of the Islamic moon to show that the Holy Cross had prevailed over the threat of Islam.

[Oblio]

When they broke Christ's legs while on the cross, the bar His feet were on were then off-centered, thus showing His humanity.


That's close, but it was to show that when He died and collapsed, His physical weight caused the bar to tilt. This was to combat gnostic heresies, or as you said, to show that He was fully man.

[SeraphimSarov]

I was told that when the Russians were once again free to worship, they put an Orthodox Cross on top of the Islamic moon to show that the Holy Cross had prevailed over the threat of Islam.
I visited a Russian church not long ago, and I could not figure out for the life of me why their cross over the "onion dome" looked like that. That is so cool - thanks for this info!

[Ioan cel Nou]

Legs were broken in order to kill the punished after they were on the cross for some time - as Our Lord and Saviour already left to preach to those in the prison (1.Pet 3,19.) there was no need for His legs to be broken.

Also, the actual cross that we use here (CF) as Orthodox is actually not a "standardised version" of an Orthodox Cross, for one does not exist.

Actually, I know of no Orthodox Church (apart from Russian) that uses three-bar cross. Serbian certainly does not, and from what I have seen in Australia, neither do Romanian, Greek, Antiochian, Georgian etc. Only churches of Mother Russia use it.

But, it could be different in the US - however, I am quite sure that Serbs do no use it for we have our Serbian Cross (the 4C’s one).

I have never heard of anyone using the three-bar cross and calling it anything other than Russian Cross.


I've never seen anyone other than Slavs use the three bar cross that we have as our faith symbol here, certainly Russians and Ukrainians, and I had thought Serbs as well, though I've never been to Serbia to se if they do at home or just in the diaspora in England. It is, however, reasonably common to see three bar crosses in Romania (though I'd best perhaps qualify that with Bucovina), it's just that all three bars are paralel. For an example, look at the icon of St. John the New that I use as my avatar. The cross in his right hand has three paralel bars. You quite often see such things on church roofs also. (Actually, the avatar's too small to see properly, so I attached a bigger one below)

James