The Coptic cross refers to a number of Christian cross variants associated in some way with Coptic Christians.

Typical form

The typical form of the "Coptic cross" used in the Coptic Church is made up of two bold lines of equal length that intersect at the middle at right angles. Each line terminates in three points, representing

the Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...

of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Altogether, the cross has 12 points symbolizing the Apostles, whose mission was to spread the Gospel message throughout the world. This form of Coptic cross is widely used in the Coptic church and the

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

and Eritrean churches, and so this form of the cross may also be called the "

cross" or " Axum cross". Bertran de la Farge dates it to the 4th century and cites it as a predecessor of the Occitan cross.

History and variation

Old Coptic crosses often incorporate a circle, as in the form called a "Coptic cross" by Rudolf Koch in his ''The Book of Signs'' (1933). Sometimes the arms of the cross extend through the circle (dividing it into four quadrants), as in the " Celtic cross". In 1984, a modern variant of the Coptic Cross composed of three bars intersecting at right angles in three dimensions was given as a gift by the Coptic Orthodox Church and mounted on the top of the

All Africa Conference of Churches All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC, or CETA) is an ecumenical fellowship that represents more than 200 million African Christians in 204 national churches and regional Christian councils in 43 African Countries. AACC's head office is in ...

building since the Coptic Church is considered to be the mother church in Africa.

Popular culture

Many

Copts Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are ...

have the cross tattooed as a sign of faith on the inside of their right arm at the wrist. One of the forms of the Coptic cross, which is referred to as the Ethiopian Coptic cross, was worn by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Keith Richards also wears an Ethiopian Coptic Cross.

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