NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Patriarchal cross

The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the universal religious symbol of Christendom. Similar to the familiar "Latin" cross, the Patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above the main one, so that both crossbars are near the top. Sometimes the patriarchal cross has a short, slanted crosspiece near its foot. This slanted, lower crosspiece often appears in Byzantine Greek and Eastern European iconography, as well as Eastern Orthodox churches. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The traditional form of the Western Christian cross, known as the Latin cross. ... Religious symbolism is the term used to describe the use of symbols (archetypes, acts, artwork, events, or natural phenomenae) by a religion for various purposes. ... This T-and-O map, which abstracts the known world to a cross inscribed within an orb, remakes geography in the service of Christian iconography. ... The Latin Rite is one of the 23 sui iuris particular Churches within the Catholic Church. ... Byzantine Greeks or Byzantines, is a conventional term used by modern historians to refer to the medieval Greek or Hellenized citizens of the Byzantine Empire, centered mainly in Constantinople, southern Balkans, the Greek islands, the coasts of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and the large urban centres of Near East and... Map of Eastern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... Look up Iconography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ...

Webster's Dictionary (1913) defined the Patriarchial cross as "a cross, the shaft of which is intersected by two transverse beams, the upper one being the smaller." 1888 advertisement for Websters Dictionary Websters Dictionary is the common title given to English language dictionaries in the United States, derived from American lexicographer Noah Webster. ...

Imagery

The top beam represents the plaque bearing the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (often abbreviated in the Latinate "INRI"). A popular view is that the slanted bottom beam is a foot rest, however there is no evidence of foot rests ever being used during crucifixion, and it has a deeper meaning. The bottom beam may represent a balance of justice. Some sources suggest that, as one of the thieves being crucified with Jesus accepted him and was thus lifted into Heaven, the other thief rejected and mocked Jesus and would therefore descend into Hell. This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... A Crucifix with the INRI plaque attached, the Holy Spirit Church in KoÅ¡ice, Slovakia A Crucifix with the stylized INRI plaque attached, the cornfields near Mureck in rural Styria, Austria INRI is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM, which translates to English as: Jesus the... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Hell (disambiguation). ...

Other variations

The Eastern Orthodox cross (also known as Crux Orthodoxa, the Byzantine cross, the Eastern cross, and the "Russian" cross) can be considered a modified version of the Patriarchal cross. This cross always has a slanted crossbar near the bottom (with the left side usually being higher, or having negative slope) and the top bar is noticeably smaller and thinner. The most likely explanation of the slanted crossbar would suggest the Cross Saltire, as tradition holds that the Apostle St. Andrew introduced Christianity to lands north of the Black Sea: today's Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. The Latin word "crux" is derived from "cruciare", meaning to torture. Image File history File links Slavcross. ... Distribution of Slavic people by language The Slavic peoples are a linguistic and ethnic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Europe, where they constitute roughly a third of the population. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... A saltire, Saint Andrews Cross, or crux decussata (though it is never called the latter in heraldry), is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter X. Legend relates it to a diagonal cross that Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on. ... The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek Î±Ï€ÏŒÏƒÏ„Î¿Î»Î¿Ï‚ apostolos [1], someone sent forth/sent out, an emissary) were probably Galilean Jewish men (10 names are Aramaic, 4 names are Greek) chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth by Jesus of Nazareth to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles... Saint Andrew (Greek: Andreas, manly), the Christian Apostle, brother of Saint Peter, was born at Bethsaida on the Lake of Galilee. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Ecumenism Â· Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul Â· Church Fathers Constantine Â· Athanasius Â· Augustine Anselm Â· Aquinas Â· Palamas Â· Wycliffe Tyndale Â· Luther Â· Calvin Â· Wesley Arius Â· Marcion of Sinope Pope Â· Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... NASA satellite image of the Black Sea Map of the Black Sea The Black Sea is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Anatolia that is actually a distant arm of the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Mediterranean Sea. ...

The Cross of Lorraine differs from the patriarchal cross because it has two horizontal bars of equal length placed with the lower bar located close to the bottom and the upper bar close to the top. On the Patriarchal cross on the other hand, one bar is noticeably smaller and placed above the main bar. Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine, â€¡, is a heraldic cross, the double cross, consists of a vertical line, crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. ...

A patriarchal cross variant appears on the primatial staff (similar to a crozier) of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. A crosier (crozier, pastoral staff) is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Catholic prelates. ... The Presiding Bishop is an ecclesiastical position in some denominations of Christianity. ... The arms of the Episcopal Church are based on the St Georges Cross, a symbol of England (mother of world Anglicanism), with a saltire reminiscent of the Cross of St Andrew in the canton in reference to the historical origins of the American episcopate in the Scottish Episcopal Church. ...

Other variations

See also