Golgotha Cross: photo, meaning of inscriptions

In the Christian religion, the image of the cross has a profound philosophical and moral significance. He became the symbol of the great redemptive sacrifice brought by God in delivering people from eternal death, which was the consequence of the original sin committed by our ancestors - Adam and Eve. His images are very diverse, and each has a special semantic nuance. One of them, namely the Golgotha Cross, is the topic of this article.

Cross - a picture of a great event

Its outlines are familiar to everyone who has met Orthodox symbols one way or another, and they can be seen on the vestments of monks, objects of church utensils, as well as in attributes related to the consecration of dwellings and transport. The Calvary Cross is a stylized picture of an event that took place more than two thousand years ago in Palestine, radically changing the whole course of world history.

His composition includes images of the Cross - the instrument of the torment of our Savior Jesus Christ, Mount Calvary, on top of which this event occurred, the head of Adam, resting in its bowels, traditionally depicted at the foot of the Cross. In addition, it includes inscriptions that have both an explanatory and a purely sacred character.

Radiance in the Roman sky

The center of the composition is the Cross itself. It is known that his image as a magic symbol and even as an image of a deity was also found in representatives of the earliest, pre-Christian cultures. Only in the Roman Empire it turned into an instrument of a shameful and painful execution, to which mainly slaves and especially dangerous criminals were subjected. His symbols appeared on the walls of the catacombs, where in the II and III centuries the first Christians performed secret divine services. They were images of the palm branch, the whip and the abbreviation of the name of Christ.

In the usual, "unencrypted form", the Cross first appeared in the IV century, when Christianity received the status of state religion in Rome. According to the Sacred Tradition, the Emperor Constantine appeared in the night vision with the Savior and ordered to decorate with the image of the Cross the banner under which his army was preparing to engage in battle with the enemy. In the morning in the sky over Rome there appeared a radiance in the form of a cross, which dispelled his last doubts. Having fulfilled the command of Jesus Christ, Constantine soon defeated the enemies.

Three memorable crosses

The Roman historian Eusebius Pamphil describes this banner with the image of the Cross in the form of a spear with a crossbeam and a letter-shaped abbreviation of the name of Jesus Christ, inscribed on top. Undoubtedly, the Golgotha Cross, the photo of which is presented in the article, was the result of subsequent modifications of the symbol that adorned the battle flag of the Roman emperor.

After the victory won by Constantine, as a token of gratitude to the Savior, he ordered to establish three commemorative Crosses and to write on them the inscription "Jesus Christ the victor". In Greek it looks like this: IC.XP.NIKA. The same inscription, but in Slavonic, contains all the Orthodox Calvary Crosses.

In 313 a great event happened: on the basis of the Milan edict, adopted at the initiative of the Emperor Constantine, the freedom of religion was established in the Roman Empire. Christianity after three centuries of persecution received, finally, the official state status, and its symbolism was given a powerful impetus for further development.

Basic Elements of the Cross

Despite the fact that the main Christian symbol has different inscriptions, the Orthodox Golgotha Crosses are usually represented as three-part, that is, eight-pointed. They are a combination of a vertical pole and a large crossbar, usually located at a level that is two-thirds of their height. This, in fact, is the very instrument of torture, on which the Savior was crucified.

Above the large horizontal bar is depicted a small parallel to it, symbolizing the tablet, nailed to the cross before execution. On it were the words written by Pontius Pilate himself: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". These same words, but in the Slavic inscription, contain all the Orthodox Calvary Crosses.

Symbolic measure of sinfulness

In the lower part of the vertical column is placed a small inclined crossbar - a symbolic footstep, reinforced after the Savior was nailed to the Cross. The Golgotha Cross, like all other Orthodox crosses, is depicted with a crossbar, whose right edge is above the left.

This tradition goes back to the biblical text that tells us that two robbers were crucified on both sides of the Savior, while the one on the right, repented, gained eternal life, and the one on the left blasphemed the Lord and condemned himself to eternal death. Thus, the inclined crossbar plays the role of a symbolic measure of human sinfulness.

The symbol of the place of execution

The Golgotha Cross is always depicted on a certain pedestal, embodying Mount Calvary, whose name translates from Hebrew as a "skull". This served as the basis for another name, mentioned in the Slavonic and Russian translations of the Gospel, "The place of execution". It is known that in ancient times it served as the place of execution of especially dangerous criminals. There is evidence that the mountain consisting of gray limestone really looked like a skull.

As a rule, Calvary is depicted in several variants. It can be a hemisphere, as well as a pyramid with smooth or stepped edges. In the latter case, these steps are called "steps of spiritual ascent", and each of them has a certain name: the lower one is Vera, the middle one is Love, the higher one is Mercy. On both sides of the mountain, on which the Calvary Cross is depicted, two letters are placed - "GG", which means "Calvary Mountain". Their inscription is a must.

Cane, spear and skull

In addition to all of the above, the Golgotha Cross, whose significance, first of all, in the personification of the sacrifice and redemption of mankind through the sufferings of Christ, is usually depicted with the attributes of the executioners mentioned in the Gospel. It is a cane, at the end of which is a sponge with vinegar, and a spear pierced the body of the Savior. Usually they are marked with the corresponding letters - "T" and "K".

An important place in the overall composition is occupied by the skull depicted inside Calvary. This is the symbolic head of the forefather of our Adam, as evidenced by the letters "G" and "A" inscribed near her. It is believed that the sacrificial blood of Christ, penetrating the thickness of the mountain, washed it from original sin. As to how the head of Adam was in the bowels of this mountain, there are several versions. One of them claims that the body of the ancestor was brought here by angels, according to another, he was buried there by the descendant of Adam Seth, and according to the most common version, the body brought the waters of the World Flood.

Other inscriptions

According to the established tradition, there are other symbolic inscriptions accompanying the Golgotha Cross. The meaning of the inscriptions (performed always in Slavonic) fully corresponds with the Gospel story about the passions of the Lord. In the upper part of the cross, the "Son of God" is usually written. In some cases, it is replaced by the inscription "King of Glory". Above the large horizontal bar there is an inscription "IC XP" - "Jesus Christ", and below, as already mentioned, "NIKA" - "Victory". The place of the accomplished event and its main result are indicated by the letters "ML" - "The place is frontal", and "RB" - "Paradise be."

Particle of God's Grace

A schematic depiction of the place of the crucifixion of Christ - the Golgotha Cross, the nativity, the namer and the throne - is firmly included in the number of the most revered Orthodox symbols. Today it is not only an attribute of monastic asceticism, but also a shrine carefully preserved by pious laity.

Most Russians, sometimes even those who do not consider themselves believers, adhere, nevertheless, to old traditions and wear the symbols of Christianity on their chests, including the Calvary Cross. Whether it was silver, gold, or it was made of other metals, consecrated in the church of Christ, it always carries in itself a particle of Divine Grace, so necessary in the life of each of us.