The Cross became the symbol of Christianity only after Constantine the Great extended religious tolerance to their community in A.D. 313. Before that, Christ’s followers could only live their faith secretly. There are five famous crosses regarding their shape. Understand the five types of crosses and their peculiarities.
Tau Cross
The Tau is actually the last letter of the Old Hebrew alphabet. It is very popular and its olive wood versions are more acceptable. This cross is first adopted by the early Christians as a symbol of their devotion, later it became the coat of arms of the Antonine monks, as well as the distinctive symbol of the Franciscans. It comes hand in hand with the concepts of salvation and redemption.
Egyptian Cross
Both the meaning and the shape of this cross are very interesting – the Ankh symbol comes from the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character conveying the concept of “life”. “Breath of life” is its literal meaning. This cross symbolizes eternity and is frequently seen in ancient Egyptian art in the hands of deities. It passed into Christianism through Coptic Christians.
Peace Cross
The origins of this cross date back to early Christianity. It features the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last letters of the classical Greek alphabet. In the very center of it, we see the Staurogram, — a combination of the ‘χ’ (‘chi’) and ‘ρ’ (‘rho’) letters — which is the abbreviation of the name of Christ.
Classic Christian Cross
The Christian cross is the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus. Even though the Christian cross has many variants, however, the Christian cross has plenty of variants, each of which has its own special design and evokes a particular episode of Christian history. Saint Damian cross and St Benedict cross are a few examples of that.
Pope Francis Cross
This is the cross that Cardinal Bergoglio chose to accompany him through his papacy. This pastoral cross is dramatically atypical and features the figure of the Good Shepherd. And just like the Good Shepherd of the parable, Pope Francis guides us through the difficulties of life and helps us to stay on the right path.