Orthodox crosses: how to understand the meanings? Equal to the Apostles Tsar Constantine (†337) and his mother Queen Helena (†327) Additional images on the cross.

An equilateral cross with circles between the crossbars, in which the initials of the holy name of Christ “IS XC” and the Greek word “NIKA” (“conquer”) are inscribed, its iconography goes back to the victorious symbol of Christianity - the cross of Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine.

For many centuries, two images of the cross were revered in the Christian world - the True Cross of Christ, on which the Savior was crucified, and the cross, revealed to the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine in heaven before the Battle of the Milvians. The true, or Golgotha, cross had an elongated shape with two or three transverse crossbars. This form carried symbolism associated with the atoning sacrifice and suffering of the Lord. The Cross of Constantine had a regular, equilateral shape and was a symbol of protection and victory. These crosses became the property of the Christian world at approximately the same time, but the first was the Cross of Constantine, with which the spread of Christianity throughout the world is associated.

After the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ, His followers were persecuted and persecuted for three centuries throughout the vast territory of the Roman Empire: in Europe, Asia Minor and northern Africa. Christians were cruelly tortured and killed, and under the Emperor Diocletian, who reigned from 284 to 305, their methodical extermination began, the goal of which was the complete destruction of Christianity. Diocletian's work was continued by his heirs - two co-rulers to whom the emperor left a huge country. And it is unknown how this monstrous genocide would have ended if Constantine I, nicknamed the Great by his descendants, had not become co-ruler of Emperor Maxentius in 306. Like all Roman emperors, Constantine was a pagan. But, unlike others, he was tolerant, did not believe that he needed to be given divine honors, and did not seek to kill those who refused to do so.

A war broke out between the two rulers. The decisive battle took place at the Milvian Bridge in 312, which was won by Constantine. On the eve of the battle, Constantine, together with his army, saw a sign in the sun - the crossed initials of Jesus Christ (chrism), next to which shone an equilateral cross and the inscription: “With it, conquer.” In a dream, the vision was repeated, only this time the emperor saw only one cross. He ordered this cross to be placed on the banners of his army and won the battle. After coming to power, Constantine made Christianity the state religion, and before his death he himself was baptized.

The Cross of Constantine was placed on banners, it was used to decorate churches and was worn as a vest. The crossbars of the cross of St. Constantine were most often depicted with flared ends or with small crossbars at the ends. Between the crossbars of the Constantine Cross, additional images were often placed - symbols of the evangelists, stars, dots, crosses. Equilateral crosses with circles, the word “NIKA” and the initials of Christ were the most common. They were preserved on the vaults of ancient temples, on coins, in jewelry, and seals. Such compositions, especially common in Palestine, formed the basis of the heraldic symbol of Jerusalem after its capture by the crusaders. Around the 13th century, a cross consisting of one large and four small equilateral crosses was placed on the coat of arms of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher and the flag of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Now the cross, consisting of five crosses - a large central one and four in the corners, is called Jerusalem. He is revered equally by Catholics and Orthodox Christians. It is these crosses that are customarily placed for consecration at the Holy Sepulcher during pilgrimage trips to the Holy Land.

The artist German Pozharsky and a team of employees of the Akimov company worked on creating the image.

Prefiguring Christ the Shepherd, the Lord imparted miraculous power to the staff of Moses (Exodus 4:2-5) as a sign of pastoral power over the verbal sheep of the Old Testament church, and then to the staff of Aaron (Exodus 2:8-10). The Divine Father, through the mouth of the prophet Micah, says to the Only Begotten Son: "Feed Your people with Your rod, the sheep of Your inheritance"(Mic. 7:14). “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”(John 10:11), - the beloved Son answers the Heavenly Father.

Count A. S. Uvarov, describing the finds of the catacomb period, reported that: “a clay lamp found in Roman caves shows us very clearly how a curved staff was drawn instead of the entire symbol of the shepherd. On the lower part of this lamp the staff is depicted crossing the letter X, the first letter of the name of Christ, which together forms the monogram of the Savior" (Christ. Symbol. p. 184).

At first, the shape of the Egyptian staff was similar to a shepherd's crook, the upper part of which was bent down. All bishops of Byzantium were awarded the "shepherd's staff" only from the hands of the emperors, and in the 17th century all Russian patriarchs received their high priest's staff from the hands of the reigning autocrats.

7. Cross "Burgundy" or "St. Andrew's"

The Holy Martyr Justin Philosopher, explaining the question of how cruciform symbols became known to the pagans even before the Nativity of Christ, argued: “What Plato says in the Timaeus (...) about the Son of God (...) that God placed Him in the universe like the letter X, he also borrowed from Moses!. For in the Mosaic writings it is related that (...) Moses, by inspiration and action of God, took copper and made the image of a cross (...) and said to the people: if you look at this image and believe, you will be saved through it (Num. 21:8) (John 3:14) (...) Plato read this and, not knowing exactly and not realizing that it was an image of a (vertical) cross, and seeing only the figure of the letter X, he said that the power closest to the first God was in the universe like the letter X" (Apology 1, § 60).

The letter "X" of the Greek alphabet has already served as the basis for monogram symbols since the 2nd century, and not only because it hid the name of Christ; after all, as you know, “ancient writers find the shape of a cross in the letter X, which is called St. Andrew’s, because, according to legend, the Apostle Andrew ended his life on such a cross,” wrote Archimandrite Gabriel.

Around 1700, God's anointed Peter the Great, wishing to express the religious difference between Orthodox Russia and the heretical West, placed the image of St. Andrew's Cross on the state coat of arms, on his hand seal, on the naval flag, etc. His own explanation states that: “the cross of St. Andrew (accepted) for the sake of the fact that Russia received holy baptism from this Apostle”

Cross "monogram of Constantine"

8. Cross "monogram of Constantine"

To the Holy King Constantine, Equal to the Apostles, “Christ the Son of God appeared in a dream with a sign seen in heaven and commanded, having made a banner similar to this seen in heaven, to use it for protection from the attacks of enemies,” says church historian Eusebius Pamphilus in his “Book One of the Life of the Blessed One.” Tsar Constantine" (chapter 29). “We happened to see this banner with our own eyes,” continues Eusebius. “It had the following appearance: on a long spear covered with gold there was a transverse yard, which formed a sign of the cross with the spear (...), and on it a symbol of the saving name: two letters showed the name of Christ (...), from the middle of which came the letter "R". The Tsar subsequently had the custom of wearing these letters on his helmet").

“The combination of (combined) letters known as the monogram of Constantine, composed of the first two letters of the word Christ - “Chi” and “Rho,” writes the liturgist Archimandrite Gabriel, “this Constantine monogram is found on the coins of the Emperor Constantine.”

As you know, this monogram has become quite widespread: it was minted for the first time on the famous bronze coin of Emperor Trajan Decius (249-251) in the Lydian city of Maeonia; was depicted on a vessel of 397; was carved on tombstones of the first five centuries or, for example, depicted in fresco on plaster in the caves of St. Sixtus

.

9. Monogram cross "post-Constantine"

“Sometimes the letter T,” writes Archimandrite Gabriel, “is found in conjunction with the letter P, which can be seen in the epitaph in the tomb of St. Callistus.” This monogram is also found on Greek plates found in the city of Megara, and on the tombstones of the cemetery of St. Matthew in the city of Tyre.; In words "behold, your King"(John 19:14) Pilate first of all pointed out the noble origin of Jesus from the royal dynasty of David, in contrast to the rootless self-proclaimed tetrarchs, and he expressed this idea in writing "over His head"(Matthew 27:37), which, of course, caused discontent among the power-hungry high priests who stole power over the people of God from the kings. And that is why the Apostles, preaching the Resurrection of the crucified Christ and openly “honoring, as can be seen from the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus as king” (Acts 17:7), suffered strong persecution from the clergy through the deceived people.

The Greek letter "P" (rho) - the first in the word in Latin "Pax", in Roman "Rex", in Russian Tsar - symbolizing King Jesus, is located above the letter "T" (tav), meaning His cross; and together they remind us of the words from the Apostolic Gospel that all our strength and wisdom is in the Crucified King).

Thus, “and this monogram, according to the interpretation of Saint Justin, served as a sign of the Cross of Christ (...), received such a broad meaning in symbolism only after the first monogram. (...) In Rome (...) it became generally used not before 355, and in Gaul - not earlier than the 5th century."

10. Monogram cross “Sun-shaped”

Already on coins of the 4th century there is a monogram “I” of Jesus “HR”ist “sun-shaped”, "for the Lord is God,- as the Holy Scripture teaches, - there is sun"(Ps. 84:12). The most famous, “Konstantinovskaya” monogram, “the monogram underwent some changes: another line or letter “I” was added, crossing the monogram across” (Arch. Gabriel, p. 344).

This “sun-shaped” cross symbolizes the fulfillment of the prophecy about the all-enlightening and all-conquering power of the Cross of Christ: “And for you, who revere My name, the Sun of righteousness will rise and with healing in His rays,- the prophet Malachi proclaimed by the Holy Spirit, - and you will trample on the wicked; for they will be dust under the soles of your feet."

11. Monogram cross "trident"

When the Savior passed near the Sea of ​​Galilee, He saw fishermen casting nets into the water, His future disciples. “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”(Matt. 4:19). And later, sitting by the sea, He taught the people with His parables: “The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught fish of all kinds.”(Matt. 13:47). “Having recognized the symbolic meaning of the Kingdom of Heaven in fishing equipment,” says Christian Symbolism, “we can assume that all formulas related to the same concept were iconically expressed by these common symbols. The same type of equipment should include the trident used for fishing fish, as they do now with hooks."

Thus, the trident monogram of Christ has long signified participation in the Sacrament of Baptism, as being caught in the net of the Kingdom of God. For example, on the ancient monument of the sculptor Eutropius there is an inscription carved indicating his acceptance of baptism and ending with a trident monogram.

12. Monogram cross "Konstantinovsky"

From church archeology and history it is known that on ancient monuments of writing and architecture there is often a variant of combining the letters “Chi” and “Ro” in the monogram of the holy King Constantine, God’s chosen successor of Christ the Lord on the throne of David.

Only from the 4th century did the constantly depicted cross begin to free itself from the monogram shell, lose its symbolic coloring, approaching its real form, reminiscent of either the letter “I” or the letter “X”.

These changes in the image of the cross occurred due to the emergence of Christian statehood, based on its open veneration and glorification.

13. Round cross

According to ancient custom, as Horace and Martial testify, Christians cut the baked bread crosswise to make it easier to break. But long before Jesus Christ, this was a symbolic transformation in the East: an incised cross, dividing the whole into parts, unites those who used them, and heals division.

Such round loaves are depicted, for example, on the inscription of Syntrophion, divided into four parts by a cross, and on the tombstone from the cave of St. Luke, divided into six parts by a 3rd century monogram.

In direct connection with the Sacrament of Communion, bread was depicted on chalices, phelonions and other things as a symbol of the Body of Christ, broken for our sins.

The circle itself before the Nativity of Christ was depicted as the still unpersonified idea of ​​immortality and eternity. Now, by faith, we understand that “the Son of God Himself is an endless circle,” in the words of Saint Clement of Alexandria, “in which all powers converge.”

14. Catacomb cross or “sign of victory”

“In the catacombs and in general on ancient monuments, four-pointed crosses are incomparably more common than any other form,” notes Archimandrite Gabriel. This image of the cross has become especially important for Christians since God Himself showed the sign of a four-pointed cross in the sky.” The famous historian Eusebius Pamphalus narrates in detail how all this happened in his “Book One of the Life of the Blessed King Constantine.”

“Once, at midday, when the sun had already begun to decline to the west,” said the Tsar, “with my own eyes I saw with my own eyes the sign of the cross, made up of light and lying in the sun, with the inscription “By this way conquer!” This sight filled with horror both himself and and the entire army that followed him and continued to contemplate the miracle that had appeared.It was on the 28th day of October 312, when Constantine and his army marched against Maxentius, who was imprisoned in Rome.

This miraculous appearance of the cross in broad daylight was also attested by many modern writers from the words of eyewitnesses. Particularly important is the testimony of the confessor Artemy before Julian the Apostate, to whom, during interrogation, Artemy said: “Christ called Constantine from above when he was waging war against Maxentius, showing him at noon the sign of the cross, radiantly shining above the sun and star-shaped Roman letters predicting his victory in the war.

Having been there ourselves, we saw His sign and read the letters, and the whole army saw it: there are many witnesses to this in your army, if only you want to ask them." "By the power of God, the holy Emperor Constantine won a brilliant victory over the tyrant Maxentius, who was at work in Rome. wicked and villainous acts" (chapter 39). Thus, the cross, which was formerly an instrument of shameful execution among the pagans, became under Emperor Constantine the Great sign of victory - the triumph of Christianity over paganism and the subject of the deepest veneration.

For example, according to the short stories of the Holy Emperor Justinian, such crosses were to be placed on contracts and meant a signature “worthy of all trust” (book 73, chapter 8). The acts (decisions) of the Councils were also sealed with the image of the cross. One of the imperial decrees says: “We command every conciliar act, which is approved by the sign of the Holy Cross of Christ, to be so preserved and to be as it is.”

In general, this form of the cross is most often used in ornaments.

for decorating churches, icons, priestly vestments and other church utensils.

15. The cross in Rus' is “patriarchal” or in the West “Lauren”

The fact proving the use of the so-called “patriarchal cross” since the middle of the last millennium is confirmed by numerous data from the field of church archeology. It was this form of the six-pointed cross that was depicted on the seal of the governor of the Byzantine Emperor in the city of Korsun.

The same type of cross was widespread in the West under the name “Lorensky”.

For an example from the Russian tradition, let us point out at least the large copper cross of St. Abraham of Rostov from the 18th century, kept in the Museum of Ancient Russian Art named after Andrei Rublev, cast according to iconographic samples of the 11th century.

16. Four-pointed cross or Latin "immissa"

The textbook “Temple of God and Church Services” reports that “a strong motivation for venerating a direct image of the cross, and not a monogrammed one, was the discovery of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross by the mother of the Holy King Constantine, Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen. As the direct image of the cross spreads, it gradually takes on the form of the Crucifixion ".

In the West, the most commonly used cross today is the "immissa" cross, which schismatics - fans of imaginary antiquity - disparagingly call (for some reason in Polish) "kryzh in Latin" or "rymski", which means the Roman cross. These detractors of the four-pointed cross and devout admirers of the osmiconex apparently need to be reminded that, according to the Gospel, the death of the cross was spread throughout the Empire by the Romans and, of course, was considered Roman.

“And not by the number of trees, not by the number of ends, the Cross of Christ is revered by us, but by Christ Himself, whose most holy blood was stained,” St. Demetrius of Rostov denounced schismatic thinking. “And, demonstrating miraculous power, any cross does not act by itself, but by the power of Christ crucified on him and by the invocation of His most holy name."

The “Canon of the Honest Cross”, the creation of St. Gregory of Sinaite, accepted by the Universal Church, glorifies the Divine power of the Cross, containing everything heavenly, earthly and underworld: “The all-honorable Cross, the four-pointed power, the splendor of the Apostle” (canto 1), “Behold the four-pointed Cross, have height, depth and breadth."

Starting from the 3rd century, when similar crosses first appeared in the Roman catacombs, the entire Orthodox East still uses this form of the cross as equal to all others.

17. Papal cross

This form of the cross was most often used in the episcopal and papal services of the Roman Church in the 13th-15th centuries and therefore received the name “papal cross”. To the question about the footstool depicted at right angles to the cross, we will answer with the words of St. Demetrius of Rostov, who said: “I kiss the footstool of the cross, whether it is askew or not, and the custom of the cross-makers and cross-writers, as not contradictory to the church, I do not dispute, I condescend.”

18. Six-pointed cross "Russian Orthodox"

The question of the reason for the design of the lower crossbar tilted is quite convincingly explained by the liturgical text of the 9th hour of the service to the Cross of the Lord: “In the midst of two thiefs, the righteous measure of Thy Cross was found: for one who is brought down to hell by the burden of blasphemy, for another I am relieved from sins to the knowledge of theology.” In other words, just as on Golgotha ​​for the two thieves, so in life for every person, the cross serves as a measure, as if as a scale, of his inner state.

To one robber, brought down to hell by the “burden of blasphemy” he uttered against Christ, he became like a crossbar of a scale, tilting down under this terrible weight; Another thief, freed by repentance and the words of the Savior: “today you will be with Me in Paradise,” is lifted up by the cross into the Kingdom of Heaven.

This form of the cross has been used in Rus' since ancient times: for example, the worship cross, built in 1161 by the Venerable Euphrosyne Princess of Polotsk, was six-pointed. The six-pointed Orthodox cross, along with others, was used in Russian heraldry: for example, on the coat of arms of the Kherson province, as explained in the “Russian Armorial,” a “silver Russian cross” is depicted.

19. Orthodox osmic-pointed cross

The eight-pointed design most closely corresponds to the historically accurate form of the cross on which Christ was already crucified, as testified by Tertullian, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, Saint Justin the Philosopher and others. “And when Christ the Lord carried the cross on His shoulders, then the cross was still four-pointed; because there was still no title or foot on it. (...) There was no foot, because Christ on the cross and the soldiers had not yet been raised “, not knowing to what place Christ’s feet would reach, they did not attach the footstool, finishing this already on Golgotha,” St. Demetrius of Rostov denounced the schismatics.

Also, there was no title on the cross before the crucifixion of Christ, because, as the Gospel reports, first “they crucified Him,” and then only “Pilate wrote an inscription and placed it (by his order) on the cross” (John 19:19). It was first that the soldiers who “crucified Him” divided “His clothes” by lot (Matthew 27:35), and only then “they placed an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27 :3.7).

So, the four-pointed Cross of Christ, carried to Golgotha, which all who have fallen into the madness of schism call the seal of the Antichrist, is still called in the Holy Gospel “His cross” (Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26 , John 19:17), that is, the same as with the tablet and footstool after the crucifixion (John 19:25). In Rus', a cross of this form was used more often than others.

20. Seven-pointed cross

This form of the cross is quite often found on icons of northern writing, for example, the Pskov school of the 15th century: the image of St. Paraskeva Friday with a life - from the Historical Museum, or the image of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica - from the Russian; or the Moscow school: “The Crucifixion” by Dionysius - from the Tretyakov Gallery, dated 1500.

We see the seven-pointed cross on the domes of Russian churches: let’s take, for example, the wooden Elias Church of 1786 in the village of Vazentsy (Holy Rus', St. Petersburg, 1993, ill. 129), or we can see it above the entrance to the cathedral of the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery, built by Patriarch Nikon .

At one time, theologians hotly discussed the question of what mystical and dogmatic meaning does the foot have as part of the redemptive Cross?

The fact is that the Old Testament priesthood received, so to speak, the opportunity to make sacrifices (as one of the conditions) thanks to the “golden stool attached to the throne” (Par. 9:18), which, like today with us Christians, according to God establishment, was consecrated through chrismation: “and anoint with it,” said the Lord, “the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, (...) and its sockets. And sanctify them, and it will be great holy: everything that touches them will be sanctified” ( Exodus 30:26-29).

Thus, the foot of the cross is that part of the New Testament altar that mystically points to the priestly ministry of the Savior of the world, who voluntarily paid with His death for the sins of others: for the Son of God “Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24) The Cross, “having sacrificed Himself” (Heb. 7:27) and thus “becoming a High Priest forever” (Heb. 6:20), established in His person an “enduring priesthood” (Heb. 7:24). This is what is stated in the “Orthodox Confession of the Eastern Patriarchs”: “On the cross He fulfilled the office of a Priest, sacrificing Himself to God and the Father for the redemption of the human race.”

But let us not confuse the foot of the Holy Cross, which reveals to us one of its mysterious sides, with the other two feet from the Holy Scriptures. - explains St. Dmitry Rostovsky. “David says: “Exalt the Lord our God and worship His footstool; “It is holy” (Ps. 99:5). And Isaiah on behalf of Christ says: “I will glorify the footstool of My feet” (Is. 60:13), explains St. Demetrius of Rostov. There is a footstool that is commanded to be worshiped, and there is a footstool that worship is not indicated. God says in Isaiah’s prophecy: “heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool of my feet” (Is. 66:1): no one should worship this footstool - the earth, but only God, its Creator. And it is also written in psalm: “The Lord (Father) said to my Lord (Son), sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Pis. 109:1).

And who would want to worship this footstool of God, the enemies of God? What footstool does David command to worship?" To this question the very word of God on behalf of the Savior answers: "and when I am lifted up from the earth" (John 12:32) - "from the footstool of My feet" (Is. 66:1) , then “I will glorify the footstool of My feet” (Isa. 60:13) - “the foot of the altar” (Ex. 30:28) of the New Testament - the Holy Cross, which, as we confess, Lord, “makes Thy enemies the footstool of Thy feet” (Ps. . 109:1), and therefore “worship the foot (of the Cross) of Him; It is holy!" (Ps. 99:5), "a footstool attached to a throne" (2 Chron. 9:18).

21. Cross "crown of thorns"

The image of a cross with a crown of thorns has been used for many centuries among different peoples who have adopted Christianity. But instead of numerous examples from the ancient Greco-Roman tradition, we will give several cases of its application in later times according to the sources that were at hand.

A cross with a crown of thorns can be seen on the pages of an ancient Armenian manuscript book from the period of the Cilician Kingdom (Matenadaran, M., 1991, p. 100); on the icon “Glorification of the Cross” of the 12th century from the Tretyakov Gallery (V.N. Lazarev, Novgorod Iconography, M., 1976, p. 11); on the Staritsky copper-cast cross-vest of the 14th century; on the cover "Golgotha" - the monastery contribution of Tsarina Anastasia Romanova in 1557; on a silver platter of the 16th century (Novodevichy Convent, M., 1968, ill. 37), etc. God told the sinful Adam that “cursed is the earth for your sake. It will produce thorns and thistles for you” (Genesis 3:17-18 ).

Cross of Constantine

Magic seal with the symbol "Chi-Rho" (Agrippa, 1533)

The Cross of Constantine is a monogram known as “Chi-Rho” (“chi” and “rho” are the first two letters of the name of Christ in Greek). Legend has it that Emperor Constantine saw this cross in the sky on his way to Rome, and along with the cross he saw the inscription “By this victory.” According to another legend, he saw a cross in a dream the night before the battle and heard a voice: “With this sign you will win”). They say that it was this prediction that converted Constantine to Christianity. And the monogram became the first generally accepted symbol of Christianity - as a sign of victory and salvation.

Rosicrucian cross

Cross with rose (Rosicrucian)

Another name is the cross of a rose (five-petalled). Emblem of the Rosicrucian Order. Symbol of harmony, center, heart. The rose and cross also symbolize the Resurrection and Atonement of Christ. This sign is understood as the divine light of the Universe (rose) and the earthly world of suffering (cross), as the feminine and masculine, material and spiritual, spiritual and sensual love. The cross with a rose is a symbol of an initiate who, thanks to work on himself, has managed to develop in himself love, life-giving and transforming matter.

Masonic cross

Masonic cross (cross in a circle)

The Masonic cross is a cross inscribed in a circle. It means a holy place and a cosmic center. The four dimensions of space in the celestial circle symbolize the totality that includes the Great Spirit. This cross represents the Cosmic Tree, spreading horizontally over the Earth and touching Heaven through the vertical central axis. Such a cross was either made in stone or depicted on the walls of Roman Gothic churches, symbolizing their sanctification.

Pacifist cross

Pacifist cross (peace cross)

This symbol was developed by Gerald Holtom in 1958 for the then emerging movement for nuclear disarmament. To develop the symbol, he used the semaphore alphabet: he made a cross from its symbols - for "N" (nuclear, nuclear) and "D" (disarmament, disarmament) - and placed them in a circle, which symbolized a global agreement. This cross soon became one of the most common signs of the 60s of the twentieth century, symbolizing both peace and anarchy.

Images of time

The wise turn years into months, months into weeks, weeks into days.

Paracelsus

Everything is perishable in this world.

The image of inexorable time is the road. The symbol of time is sand flowing through your fingers. Attributes of measured time - a clock, a burning candle; it is a symbol of the elusiveness of the present moment.

The pantheon of gods of almost all ancient cultures necessarily includes the God of Time.

Abraxas

Abraxas – symbol of time (Gnostic gem)

Abraxas is the personification of the divine cycles of the solar year. This is the mystical image of the Supreme Being, the highest of the seven. It consists of five emanations (radiations): Nus (Mind), Logos (Word), Phronesis (Mind), Sophia (Wisdom), Dynamis (Strength). The human body in the image represents God. The two snake supports emerging from it are Nous and Logos (intuition and quick understanding). The head of the rooster signifies foresight and vigilance (mind). Two hands hold the symbols of Sophia and Dynamis: the armor of wisdom and the whip of power.

Kalachakra

Namchu-vanden - Kalachakra emblem

Kalachakra literally means “wheel of time,” “passage of time.” The sacred doctrine in Vajrayana Buddhism. An astrological and astronomical system that penetrated into Tibet from India. Kalachakra introduces the idea of ​​cyclical time with periods of 12 and 60 years (Tibetan calendar). According to legend, the Kalachakra teachings were given by Shakyamuni Buddha. According to other sources, this teaching was brought to Tibet by Pitop, or the Great Kalachakrapada, who, miraculously arriving in Shambhala, was initiated there by King Kalki into the Kalachakra teaching.

Kronos

Kronos (Roman Saturn), 15th century

The ancient Greek symbol of time - the Titan Kronos - in the Russian language became the ancestor of many words (the particle “chrono” is part of complex words indicating their relationship to time): chronic, chronology, chronometer, etc.

Kronos (Roman Saturn) - the god of Time, in the image of fading autumn or the departing Sun, sometimes along with his sickle also has a hood, which symbolizes invisibility, death and retreat. Since the hood covers the head, it also signifies thought and spirit.

History of the development of the cross Orthodox Russian Church

Cross "Prosphora-Konstantinovsky"

For the first time these words in Greek “IC. XP. NIKA”, which means “Jesus Christ the Victor”, were written in gold on three large crosses in Constantinople by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine himself.

“To him who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.”(Rev. 3:21), says the Savior, the Conqueror of hell and death.

According to ancient tradition, an image of a cross is printed on prosphora with the addition of words signifying this victory of Christ on the cross: “IC. HS. NIKA". This “prosphora” seal means the ransom of sinners from sinful captivity, or, in other words, the great price of our Redemption.

From the book History of the development of the shape of the cross author Kuznetsov V.P.

From the book Volume 1. Ascetic experiences. Part I author Brianchaninov Saint Ignatius

The Lord said to His disciples, His Cross and the Cross of Christ: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after Me. What does his cross mean? Why is this cross, unique to each person, also called the Cross of Christ? Cross

From the book Pilgrim's Journey to the Heavenly Land by Bunyan John

From the book Where is God When I Suffer? by Yancy Philip

Cross Love is tough as nails. Love is nails: Dull, thick nails that pierced the flesh of the One who created us, knowing perfectly well what He is doing, and seeing both our and His cross to the end. K.S. Lewis. Love is warm like tears We have one symbol that always reminds us of Jesus

From the book First Prayer (collection of stories) author Shipov Yaroslav Alekseevich

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Equal to the Apostles King CONSTANTINE (†337) and his mother Queen ELENA (†327)

Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine the Great was the son of Constantius Chlorus, who ruled the western part of the Roman Empire (Galilee and Britain), and Saint Helen Equal to the Apostles. He was encouraged to accept Christianity by his Christian mother. His father, although he was a pagan, patronized Christians, seeing that they were faithful servants and honest citizens. Throughout the rest of the Roman Empire, Christians were subjected to severe persecution by the emperors Diocletian, his co-ruler Maximian Galerius in the East, and the emperor Maximian Herculus in the West.

At the request of Emperor Diocletian, in his youth (18 years old), Constantine was taken from his parents as a hostage and lived at court in Nicomedia. Court life in the capital then personified in a small form all the moral and religious corruption to which humanity can reach, enslaved by unclean, passionate lusts - vain pomp and luxury, drunkenness and gluttony, unbridled depravity of thought and life, intrigue and sedition, bitterness against true worship of God and hypocritical, false respect for imaginary gods. On the other hand, Constantine saw a completely different life of the Christian community, where elders and elders, young men and maidens, simpletons and learned sages, even children proved the truth of their faith, the purity and height of its content not only with words, but also with their deeds, by suffering for it even to death. Subsequently, Constantine himself admitted that his stay at the court of Diocletian greatly contributed to his conversion to Christianity: “I became alienated from the hitherto rulers,” he said, because I saw the savagery of their morals.”

After the death of Constantius Chlorus, his son Constantius in 306 was proclaimed emperor of Gaul and Britain by the troops. The first task of the new emperor was to proclaim freedom of professing the Christian faith in the countries under his control. The pagan fanatic Maximian Galerius in the East and the cruel tyrant Maxentius in the West hated Emperor Constantine and plotted to overthrow and kill him, but Constantine warned them and in a series of wars and with the help of God, defeated all his opponents.

He prayed to God to give him a sign that would encourage his army to fight bravely. In the year 312, during the war with Caesar Maxentius, shortly before the decisive battle, Constantine with his own eyes saw a luminous cross in the sky with the inscription: "Win this way"(in Greek: NIKA). This sight horrified both the king himself and the army that was with him, for the cross, as a shameful instrument of execution, was considered a bad omen by the pagans. Konstantin was perplexed. At night, in a dream, the Lord appeared to him with the same sign of the cross and said that with this sign he would defeat the enemy. Rising from sleep, Constantine called experienced craftsmen and ordered to build, in the likeness of the image of the cross, a banner of gold and precious stones; He ordered his soldiers to depict the Cross on their shields and helmets.

The combination of (combined) letters known as the monogram of Constantine is made up of the first two letters of the word Christos - “Chi” and “Rho”.

Struck by the wondrous vision, Constantine decided not to worship any other gods except Christ who appeared to him. From that time on, he began to diligently read the Holy Scriptures and constantly had priests with him, although he had not yet received holy baptism.

Having become the sovereign ruler of the Western part of the Roman Empire, Constantine issued a law on religious tolerance in 313, and in 323, when he reigned as the sole emperor over the entire Roman Empire, he extended the Edict of Milan to the entire eastern part of the empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians for the first time had the opportunity to openly confess their faith in Christ.

Constantine stopped pagan games; exempted the clergy from civil duties and church lands from general taxes; abolished execution by crucifixion; allowed the freeing of slaves in churches without special formalities (very difficult in civil courts); prohibited private individuals from making sacrifices to idols and using fortune telling in their own homes; ordered the whole empire to celebrate Sunday; to protect Christian virgins, he abolished the Roman laws against celibacy; granted the Church the right to receive property under wills; allowed Christians to occupy the highest government positions; ordered the construction of Christian churches and forbade the introduction into them, according to the custom of pagan temples, of imperial statues and images.

Most of all, Constantine encountered opposition in Rome, where paganism was strong. He decided to found a new Christian capital on the banks of the Bosphorus and invited Christian bishops to solemnly consecrate it, calling Constantinople . Extensive palaces, aqueducts, baths, and theaters decorated the capital; it was filled with art treasures brought from Greece, Italy and Asia. But temples dedicated to pagan gods were no longer built there, and instead of the Colosseum, where gladiator fights took place, a circus was set up for horse competitions. The main decoration of the new city were temples dedicated to the true God.

Constantine was deeply convinced that only the Christian religion could unite the huge, heterogeneous Roman Empire. He supported the Church in every possible way, brought back Christian confessors from exile, built churches, and took care of the clergy.

Deeply revering the Cross of the Lord, the emperor wanted to find the very Life-giving Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. For this purpose, he sent his mother, the holy queen Helen, to Jerusalem, giving her great powers and material resources. There Saint Helena did not dress in the attire characteristic of her rank, walked in the most modest clothes among the crowd of people and, trying to be unrecognized, gave out generous alms.

In Palestine, all the places consecrated by the gospel events have long been devastated. The Cave of the Holy Sepulcher was filled with rubbish, and on a hill built on top of the holy cave, a temple was built for the “voluptuous demon of love” - Venus. According to Elena’s instructions, idolatry temples erected on places sacred to Christians were destroyed and holy temples were built in their place. At the expense of the queen, churches were built in Bethlehem, above the cave of the Nativity of Christ; on the Mount of Olives - the place of the Ascension of the Lord; in Gethsemane - the place of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary; at the oak of Mamre - at the place of the appearance of the Holy Trinity to Abraham.

After a long and intense search for the Cross of the Lord, its location was finally indicated by a certain Judas, a Jew, an old man of advanced years, the son of a Jewish teacher - under a pagan temple built on a hill covering the cave of the Holy Sepulcher.

Cave of the Holy Sepulcher

Window where Queen Helena stood

The Cave of the Holy Sepulcher was found and cleansed; Near it, on the eastern side, three crosses were found, and next to them a board with an inscription and honest nails. But how was it possible to find out which of the three crosses was the Cross of the Savior? It happened that at that time a dead man was being carried past this place for burial; Saint Macarius ordered the funeral procession to stop; They began to believe, on the advice of the bishop, that the crosses found were one for the deceased, and when the Cross of Christ was laid, the dead was resurrected.

Everyone, seeing this miracle, rejoiced and glorified the power of the life-giving Cross of the Lord. And so that it would be possible to see the shrine at least from afar, Saint Macarius reverently raised it and stood on an elevated place, erecting the Cross of the Lord in front of the eyes of many faithful, who at that time loudly exclaimed: "Lord have mercy!" This was the first; it happened in 326. The Orthodox Church celebrates this event annually September 14.

The Holy Cross, later placed in a silver ark for preservation, then converted many of the pagans and Jews to Christ; including Judas, who indicated the place of its storage. Saint Helena, leaving Jerusalem, took a piece of the life-giving Tree with her as a gift to her son Constantine.

Elena died at the age of 80 - according to various assumptions, around 327-330 The place of her death is not known exactly, it is called Trier, where she had a palace. For her great services to the Church and her labors in obtaining the Life-Giving Cross, Queen Helena is called Equal to the Apostles .

Above the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher, Emperor Constantine himself ordered the construction of a magnificent temple in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, which would be “more magnificent than all the temples that exist anywhere.”

The peaceful existence of the Christian Church was disrupted by the unrest and discord that arose within the Church due to the emergence of heresies. Even at the beginning of the activity of Emperor Constantine, the heresy of the Donatists and Novatians arose in the West, demanding the repetition of baptism over Christians who had fallen away during persecution. This heresy, rejected by two local councils, was finally condemned by the Council of Milan in 316. But especially destructive for the Church was the heresy of Arius, which arose in the East, which dared to reject the Divine essence of the Son of God and teach about the creatureliness of Jesus Christ. By order of the emperor, it was convened in 325, the First Ecumenical Council in the city of Nicaea . 318 bishops gathered for this Council, its participants were bishops-confessors during the period of persecution and many other luminaries of the Church, among whom was St. Nicholas of Myra. The Emperor attended the meetings of the Council. Having irrevocably condemned Arianism, the Fathers of the Council decided to give believers an exact confession of Orthodox teaching - the Creed. Constantine proposed introducing into the Symbol the term he had heard in the debates of the Council, “Consubstantial with the Father.” The word spoken by the king was unanimously accepted by the Council and served as the definitive basis for the teaching about the Face of the Lord Jesus, the central Christian dogma.

Constantine lived after that for more than 10 years, adhering with unwavering fidelity to the Nicene Confession of Faith, and zealously tried to establish the spirit of Christian piety in his kingdom, setting a worthy example in himself. Long before his death, Konstantin began to prepare for it. In his new capital, he built a temple in the name of the holy Apostles, in which he built his tomb.

In 337, Constantine solemnly celebrated Easter in Constantinople for the last time and soon fell ill. But he had not yet been baptized. The pious king postponed his baptism out of humble awareness of his sinfulness, wanting to prepare himself for this through the feat of his whole life. Moreover, in his soul there was a sincere desire to be baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. Feeling an extreme decline in bodily strength, Constantine called the bishops and asked them to honor him with holy baptism, saying: “I thought of doing this in the waters of the Jordan River, where, as an example for us, the Savior Himself was baptized; but God, who knows the Useful, honors me with this here.” Dressed in white clothes at baptism, he did not take them off until his death. The scarlet - this royal distinction - the “servant of God” no longer wanted to touch.

The great and Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine died, bequeathing the kingdom to his three sons, on the day of Pentecost in 337, in the thirty-second year of his reign.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

for the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills

Troparion, tone 8
Having seen the image of Your Cross in heaven, and just as Paul did not receive the title from man, Your Apostle became king, O Lord, place the reigning city in Your hand: save it always in the world through the prayers of the Mother of God, who alone is the Lover of Mankind.

Kontakion, tone 3
Constantine today, with the matter Helena, the cross reveals the all-honorable tree, for the shame of all the Jews exists, and a weapon against the faithful kings: for for our sake a great sign has appeared and a terrible sign in battle.

Prayer to Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Queen Helena
About the wonderful and all-praised king, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen! To you, as a warm intercessor, we offer our unworthy prayers, for you have great boldness towards the Lord. Ask Him for peace for the Church and prosperity for the whole world. Wisdom for the ruler, care for the flock for the shepherd, humility for the flock, desired repose for the elder, strength for the husband, beauty for the wife, purity for the virgin, obedience for the child, Christian education for the baby, healing for the sick, reconciliation for the offended, patience for the offended, fear of God for the offended. To those who come to this temple and pray in it, a holy blessing and everything useful for each request, let us praise and sing the Benefactor of all God in the Trinity of the glorified Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. A min.