The Nestorian Cross is associated with the

Church of the East The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...

. It is composed of a cross similar to the

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...

, with four arms of roughly equal length which narrow in width towards the center of the cross. In Eastern Christian art in China, these crosses are sometimes simplified and depicted as resting on a

lotus flower ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often ref ...

or on a stylized cloud.

Cross of the Assyrian Church of the East

The cross of the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East,, ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية sometimes called Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,; ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية الرسول� ...

has three dots lining the left cross-bar, three dots lining the right cross-bar, two dots lining the top bar, and one dot on the bottom bar. These nine dots represent the nine orders of ministry within the church. Between the two dots on the top bar is a crown with three prongs, 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 F ...

Gallery

References

External links

Mark W. Brown Nestorian Cross Collection (Drew University): OverviewImages

Image: a gilt copper Nestorian plaque dated back to T‘ang dynasty
* http://www.usfca.edu/ricci/events/lotusandcross/index.htm Nestorianism Cross symbols Church of the East {{Christianity-stub