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Staurogram
The staurogram (⳨), also monogrammatic cross or ''tau-rho'', is a ligature composed of a superposition of the Greek letters tau (Τ) and rho (Ρ). Early occurrence and significance The symbol is of pre-Christian origin. It is found on copper coins minted by Herod I in 37 BC, interpreted as a ''tr'' ligature representing ''trikhalkon'' indicating the coin value. Abbreviation for ''stauros'' The staurogram was first used to abbreviate ''stauros'' (), the Greek word for cross, in very early New Testament manuscripts such as , and , almost like a nomen sacrum, and may visually have represented Jesus on the cross. Monogram of Christ The Tau-Rho as a Christian symbol outside its function as nomen sacrum in biblical manuscripts appears from c. the 4th century, used as a '' monogramma Christi'' alongside the Chi-Rho and other variants, spreading to Western Europe in the 5th and 6th centuries. In combination with alpha and omega Ephrem the Syrian (4th century) discusses a Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Symbol
Christian symbolism is the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork or events, by Christianity. It invests objects or actions with an inner meaning expressing Christian ideas. The symbolism of the early Church was characterized by being understood by initiates only, while after the legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire during the 4th century more recognizable symbols entered in use. Christianity has borrowed from the common stock of significant symbols known to most periods and to all regions of the world. Only a minority of Christian denominations have practiced Aniconism, or the avoidance or prohibition of types of images. These include early Jewish Christians sects, as well as some modern denominations such as Baptists that prefer to some extent not to use figures in their symbols due to the Decalogue's prohibition of idolatry. Early Christian symbols Cross and crucifix ✝︎ The shape of the cross, as represented by the letter T, came to be u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Staurogram
The staurogram (⳨), also monogrammatic cross or ''tau-rho'', is a ligature composed of a superposition of the Greek letters tau (Τ) and rho (Ρ). Early occurrence and significance The symbol is of pre-Christian origin. It is found on copper coins minted by Herod I in 37 BC, interpreted as a ''tr'' ligature representing ''trikhalkon'' indicating the coin value. Abbreviation for ''stauros'' The staurogram was first used to abbreviate ''stauros'' (), the Greek word for cross, in very early New Testament manuscripts such as , and , almost like a nomen sacrum, and may visually have represented Jesus on the cross. Monogram of Christ The Tau-Rho as a Christian symbol outside its function as nomen sacrum in biblical manuscripts appears from c. the 4th century, used as a '' monogramma Christi'' alongside the Chi-Rho and other variants, spreading to Western Europe in the 5th and 6th centuries. In combination with alpha and omega Ephrem the Syrian (4th century) discusses a Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stauros
''Stauros'' () is a Greek word for a stake or an implement of capital punishment. The Greek New Testament uses the word ''stauros'' for the instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, and it is generally translated ''cross'' in Christian contexts. This article covers the use of the word for ''other'' contexts. Etymology The word ''stauros'' comes from the verb ἵστημι (''histēmi'': "straighten up", "stand"), which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *''steh2-u-'' "pole", related to the root *''steh2-'' "to stand, to set" In Antiquity In ancient Greek ''stauros'' meant either an "''upright pale'' or ''stake''", a "''cross'', as the instrument of crucifixion", or a "''pale for impaling'' a corpse".Liddell and Scott: σταυρός In older Greek texts, ''staur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chi-Rho
The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation ; also known as ''chrismon'') is one of the earliest forms of Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters—chi (letter), chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek word (Christ (title), Christos) in such a way that the vertical stroke of the rho intersects the center of the chi. The Chi-Rho symbol was used by the Roman Emperors, Roman Emperor Constantine I (emperor), Constantine I (r. 306–337 AD) as part of a military standard (vexillum). Constantine's standard was known as the Labarum. Early symbols similar to the Chi Rho were the Staurogram () and the IX monogram (). In pre-Christian times, the Chi-Rho symbol was also used to mark a particularly valuable or relevant passage in the margin of a page, abbreviating ''chrēston'' (good). Some coins of Ptolemy III Euergetes (r. 246–222 BC) were marked with a Chi-Rho. Although formed of Greek characters, the device (or its separate parts) is frequently found serving as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nomina Sacra
In Christian scribal practice, nomina sacra (singular: ''nomen sacrum'' from Latin ''sacred name'') is the abbreviation of several frequently occurring divine names or titles, especially in Greek manuscripts of the Bible. A nomen sacrum consists of two or more letters from the original word spanned by an overline. Biblical scholar and textual critic Bruce M. Metzger lists 15 such words treated as ''nomina sacra'' from Greek papyri: the Greek counterparts of ''God'', ''Lord'', ''Jesus'', ''Christ'', ''Son'', ''Spirit'', ''David'', ''Cross'', ''Mother'', ''Father'', ''Israel'', ''Savior'', ''Man'', ''Jerusalem'', and ''Heaven''. These ''nomina sacra'' are all found in Greek manuscripts of the 3rd century and earlier, except ''Mother'', which appears in the 4th. All 15 occur in Greek manuscripts later than the 4th century. ''Nomina sacra'' also occur in some form in Latin, Coptic, Armenian (indicated by the '' pativ''), Gothic, Old Nubian, and Cyrillic (indicated by the ''titlo''). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nomen Sacrum
In Christian scribal practice, nomina sacra (singular: ''nomen sacrum'' from Latin ''sacred name'') is the abbreviation of several frequently occurring divine names or titles, especially in Greek manuscripts of the Bible. A nomen sacrum consists of two or more letters from the original word spanned by an overline. Biblical scholar and textual critic Bruce M. Metzger lists 15 such words treated as ''nomina sacra'' from Greek papyri: the Greek counterparts of ''God'', ''Lord'', ''Jesus'', ''Christ'', ''Son'', ''Spirit'', ''David'', ''Cross'', ''Mother'', ''Father'', ''Israel'', ''Savior'', ''Man'', ''Jerusalem'', and ''Heaven''. These ''nomina sacra'' are all found in Greek manuscripts of the 3rd century and earlier, except ''Mother'', which appears in the 4th. All 15 occur in Greek manuscripts later than the 4th century. ''Nomina sacra'' also occur in some form in Latin, Coptic, Armenian (indicated by the '' pativ''), Gothic, Old Nubian, and Cyrillic (indicated by the ''titlo' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tau (letter)
Tau (uppercase Τ, lowercase τ, or \boldsymbol\tau; el, ταυ ) is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless dental or alveolar plosive . In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 300. The name in English is pronounced or , but in Greek it is . This is because the pronunciation of the combination of Greek letters αυ can have the pronounciation of either , or , depending on what follows and if a diaeresis is present on the second vowel (see Greek orthography). Tau was derived from the Phoenician letter taw (𐤕). Letters that arose from tau include Roman T and Cyrillic Te (Т, т). The letter occupies the Unicode slots U+03C4 (lowercase) and U+03A4 (uppercase). In HTML, they can be produced with named entities (τ and Τ), decimal references (τ and Τ), or hexadecimal references (τ and Τ). Modern usage The lower-case letter τ is used as a symbol for: * Specific tax amou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpha And Omega
Alpha (Α or α) and omega (Ω or ω) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and a title of Christ and God in the Book of Revelation. This pair of letters is used as a Christian symbol, and is often combined with the Cross, Chi-rho, or other Christian symbols. Origin The first written record we have of the phrase "alpha and omega" is from some old manuscripts of the Christian New Testament. The phrase "I am the Alpha and the Omega" (Koiné Greek: "ἐγώ εἰμί τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ"), is an appellation of Jesus and of the Father in the Book of Revelation (verses 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13). The first part of this phrase ("I am the Alpha and the Omega") is first found in Chapter 1 verse 8 ("1:8"), and is found in every manuscript of Revelation that has 1:8. Several later manuscripts repeat "I am the Alpha and the Omega" in 1:11 too, but do not receive support here from most of the oldest manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Eph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' is a king or High Priest traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil. Χριστός, Greek for the Hebrew Messiah occurs 41 times in the LXX and the Hebrew Bible. ''Ha-mashiach'' (), often referred to as ' (), is to be a Jewish leader, physically descended from the paternal Davidic line through King David and King Solomon. He is thought to accomplish predetermined things in a future arrival, including the unification of the tribes of Israel, the gathering of all Jews to ''Eretz Israel'', the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, the ushering in of a Messianic Age of global universal peace, and the annunciation of the world to come. The Greek translation of Messiah is ''Khristós'' (), anglicized as ''Christ''. Christians commonly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tertullian
Tertullian (; la, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; 155 AD – 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He was an early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy, including contemporary Christian Gnosticism. Tertullian has been called "the father of Latin Christianity" and "the founder of Western theology". Tertullian originated new theological concepts and advanced the development of early Church doctrine. He is perhaps most famous for being the first writer in Latin known to use the term ''trinity'' (Latin: ''trinitas''). Tertullian was never recognized as a saint by the Eastern or Western Catholic churches. Several of his teachings on issues such as the clear subordination of the Son and Spirit to the Father, as well as his condemnation of remarriage for widows and of fleeing from persecution, contr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ossuaries
An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary ("os" is "bone" in Latin). The greatly reduced space taken up by an ossuary means that it is possible to store the remains of many more people in a single tomb than in coffins. Persian ossuaries In Persia, the Zoroastrians used a deep well for this function from the earliest times (c. 3,000 years ago) and called it '' astudan'' (literally, "the place for the bones"). There are many rituals and regulations in the Zoroastrian faith concerning the ''astudans''. Jewish ossuaries During the Second Temple period, Jewish burial customs were varied, differing based on class and belief. For the wealthy, one option available included primary burials in burial caves, followed by secondary buri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Christianity
Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish diaspora. The first followers of Christianity were Jews or proselytes, commonly referred to as Jewish Christians and God-fearers. The Apostolic sees claim to have been founded by one or more of the apostles of Jesus, who are said to have dispersed from Jerusalem sometime after the crucifixion of Jesus, c. 26–36, perhaps following the Great Commission. Early Christians gathered in small private homes, known as house churches, but a city's whole Christian community would also be called a church – the Greek noun ἐκκλησία (''ekklesia'') literally means assembly, gathering, or congregation but is translated as church in most English translations of the New Testament. Many early Christians were merchants and others who had prac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
