Christian symbolism

The first Christian symbolic images appear in the painting of Roman catacombs and relate to the period of persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ^[1] . During this period, the symbols were in the nature of cryptography, allowing co-religionists to know each other, but the meaning of the symbols already reflects the emerging Christian theology. Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann notes ^[2] :

The active use in the ancient Church of various symbols, and not iconographic images, L. A. Uspensky associates with the fact that “ in order to prepare people for the little mysterious mystery of the Incarnation, the Church first addressed them in a language more acceptable to them than direct image ” ^[3] . Also, symbolic images, in his opinion, were used as a way of hiding Christian sacraments from those announced before their baptism ^[3] . So Cyril of Jerusalem wrote: “ Everyone is allowed to hear the gospel, but the glory of the gospel is granted to one sincere Servant of Christ. To those who could not listen, the Lord spoke in parables , and in private, he explained the parables to the disciples ” ^[4] .

The oldest catacomb images include the scenes of “ Adoration of the Magi ” (about 12 frescoes with this plot have survived), which date back to the 2nd century ^[5] . Also in the 2nd century was the appearance in the catacombs of images of the acronym ΙΧΘΥΣ or fish symbolizing it ^[6] . Among other symbols of catacomb painting stand out ^[7] :

• An anchor is an image of hope (the anchor is the support of the ship at sea, hope is the support of the soul in Christianity). This image is already present in the Epistle to the Hebrews of the Apostle Paul ( Heb. 6: 18-20 );
• a dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit ;
• phoenix - a symbol of resurrection;
• the eagle is a symbol of youth ( “Thy youth will be renewed like an eagle” ( Ps. 102: 5 ));
• peacock - a symbol of immortality (according to the ancients, his body was not decomposed);
• rooster - a symbol of resurrection (the cry of a rooster awakens from sleep, and the awakening according to Christians should remind believers of the Last Judgment and the general resurrection of the dead);
• the lamb is the symbol of Jesus Christ;
• the lion is a symbol of strength and power;
• the olive branch is a symbol of eternal peace;
• lily - a symbol of purity (common due to the influence of apocryphal stories about the delivery by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation of a lily flower);
• vine and basket with bread - symbols of the Eucharist .

Cross

Cross (Crucifixion) - the image of the Crucifixion of Christ , as a rule, sculptural or relief. The image of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified is the main symbol of the Christian religion ; it is necessarily present in Christian churches, as well as among believers as underwear symbols. The prototype of the symbol of the cross is the Cross of the Lord , on which the Son of God was crucified.

In the first centuries, Christians did not make images of the cross ^[8] . Actually, crucifixes first appear in the 5th-6th centuries, and on the oldest of them Christ is depicted alive, in robes and crowned with a crown. A crown of thorns , wounds and blood collected in a bowl appear in the late Middle Ages along with other details that have a mystical or symbolic meaning.

Until the 9th century, inclusive, Christ was depicted on the cross not only alive, resurrected, but also triumphant, and only in the 10th century did the images of the dead Christ appear ^[9] .

Ihtis

Ihtis ( other Greek Ίχθύς - fish ) is an ancient acronym (monogram) of the name of Jesus Christ , consisting of the initial letters of the words: Ἰησοὺς Χριστὸς Θεoὺ ῾Υιὸς Σωτήρ (Jesus Christ the Son of God the Savior) that is, it expresses in a short form the confession of the Christian faith .

The New Testament connects the symbolism of fish with the preaching of the disciples of Christ, some of whom were fishermen.

Often depicted allegorically - in the form of a fish . Moreover, the image of the fish itself also has a eucharistic meaning ^[1] , associated with the following meals described in the Gospel:

• the saturation of the people in the desert with bread and fish ( Mk. 6: 34-44 , Mk. 8: 1-9 );
• the meal of Christ and the apostles on Lake Tiberias after his Resurrection ( John 21: 9-22 ).

These stories were often portrayed in the catacombs, merging with the Last Supper .

Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd ( Greek ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς , ho poimen ho kalos , lat. Pastor bonus ) is a symbolic naming and depiction of Jesus Christ , borrowed from the Old Testament and repeated by Christ in the New Testament in the allegorical description of his role as a teacher ( John 10:11 -16 ).

The first known images of the Good Shepherd date back to the 2nd century . This image refers to his image in Roman catacombs (a detail of the painting of the crypt of Lutsina in the catacombs of St. Callistus, the catacombs of Domitilla ). In 210 AD e. Tertullian testified ^[10] that he saw the image of the Good Shepherd on communion bowls and lamps.

The Good Shepherd was essentially not an icon of Jesus, but an allegorical image. For this reason, he, together with ichthys , he became the first image of Christ in early Christian art. Also, due to the similarity with the images of pagan deities ( Hermes Kriofor , Orpheus Bowkolos), he was safe during the years of persecution, because it did not contain obvious Christian themes and could not betray the owner, a secret Christian. At the same time, under conditions of persecution of Christianity, the image expressed the idea of ​​special protection of the chosen and the prototype of the coming Kingdom of God ^[11] .

The Lamb

The image of the lamb is also a symbolic image of Jesus Christ and represents the Old Testament prototype of his godfather ( Abel ’s sacrifice, Abraham’s sacrifice , Passover sacrificial lamb among Jews) ^[12] . In the New Testament, John the Baptist calls Jesus Christ the lamb - “behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” ( John 1:29 ). The lamb is also a eucharistic image (in Orthodoxy, the lamb is part of the prosphora that the believers receive communion with) and its images are found on liturgical vessels .

The image of the lamb in early Christianity was widely used as a symbol of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, which was convenient because it was incomprehensible to non-Christians. With the spread of Christianity, the use of this image was prohibited by the Sixth Ecumenical Council :

Some honest icons depict the lamb shown by the finger of the Forerunner, which is taken in the image of grace, through the law showing us the true lamb, Christ of our God. Honoring the ancient images and canons that were devoted to the Church as signs and predestinations of truth, we prefer grace and truth, accepting it as the fulfillment of the law. For this reason, so that the art of painting would be perfect for everyone’s eyes, we now command the image of the lamb, sweeping the sins of the world, Christ of our God, to represent in icons according to human nature, instead of the old lamb ... ^[13]

Chrism

Chrisma or Chrismon ( Chi-Ro ) is a monogram of the name of Christ, which consists of two initial Greek letters of the name ( Greek ΧΡΙΣΤΌΣ ) - Χ (chi) and Ρ (ro), crossed among themselves ^[14] . The Greek letters Α and ω are placed at the edges of the monogram. Such use of these letters goes back to the text of the Apocalypse: “I am Alpha and Omega , beginning and end, says the Lord , who is and was and is to come, the Almighty.” ( Rev. 1: 8 ; see also Rev. 22:13 ). Chrism was widespread in epigraphy , on the reliefs of sarcophagi , in mosaics, and probably dates back to the apostolic times ^[1] . It is possible that its origin is connected with the words of the Apocalypse : “the seal of the living God” ( Rev. 7: 2 ).

Historically, the most famous is the use of Chrismon for labarum ( Latin Labarum ) - an ancient Roman military standard ( vexillum ) of a special kind. Emperor Constantine the Great introduced him to the army after he saw in the sky the sign of the Cross on the eve of the battle at Milvi Bridge ( 312 ). The Labarum had chrysism at the end of the pole , and the inscription on the sheet itself: lat. "Hoc vince" (glor. "Sim conquer, lit." Conquer this ") ^[15] . The first mention of labarum is in Lactantius (d. C. 320 ).

Alpha and Omega

• Uvarov A.S. Christian Symbolism. - St. Petersburg: Aletheya, 2001 .-- S. 256. - ISBN 5-89865-004-0 .
• Demakov S.I., Bushueva E.N. Great Sacraments Hidden in Small Words. The book is about methods of patristic interpretations of the Bible, about the language of Orthodox symbols and about the symbolic subtext of the gospel parables. - 2nd ed., Rev. and additional .. - Vyatka, 2016 .-- S. 189.