sign of the cross pagan origin

The evidence for its pagan origin is so convincing that The Catholic Encyclopedia admits that "the sign of the cross, represented in its simplest form by a crossing of two lines at right angles, greatly antedates, in both East and the West, the introduction of Christianity. It adorns the churches of most Christian denominations. The sign and image of tlie cross is now, as of old, in the forefront of the pagan assault upon the simplicity of the faith of God in Christ, Tlierefore it is timely to present to the public a history, showing the pagan origin of the image, with its entrance among Cliristiaus, and its final adoption in the Church Catholic and Universal. There is no evidence that for the first 300 years after Christ’s death, those claiming to be Christians used the cross in worship. Even the Druids used the Tau when venerating trees by scrawling the symbol into the bark of their sacred oaks… “As Christianity gained followers, the pagan symbols were converted into Christian ones. The cross is used extensively in black magic and in innumerable religions. It was revered throughout the pagan world long before the advent of Christianity. (A Copt is a member of the traditional Monophysite Christian Church originating and centering in Egypt. Even then it was used to ward off unwanted spirits and defend against evil of all kinds. Why True Christians Do Not Use the Cross in Worship. St. Cyprian explained the ritual in the 3rd century by reference to Christ’s redemptive death on the cross.The sign of the cross is used throughout Christian liturgies, in moments of need or danger, at the beginning and end of prayer, and on numerous other occasions. The cross is, in fact, pagan in origin. American King James Version×). Bunnies are a leftover from the pagan festival of Eostre.” Hot cross buns are related to “Israelites baking sweet buns for an idol, and religious leaders trying to put a stop to it.” Eventually, “defiant cake-baking pagan women” were successful and a cross was added to the buns to Christianize them. Apparently, to make it easier for pagans to accept “Christianity.” Nevertheless, devotion to any pagan symbol is clearly condemned by the Bible. PRIVACY POLICY, Why True Christians Do Not Use the Cross in Worship, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/a/bh/E/wpub/bh_E_lg.jpg, Share This is the symbol for mother earth in pagan religions such as wicca and other forms of witchcraft. 5 For a more detailed discussion of the cross, see pages 89-93 of the book Reasoning From the Scriptures, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. They believe Jesus was … The sign of the cross was originally made in some parts of the Christian world with the right-hand thumb across the forehead only. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices.  |  The “peace symbol” or “peace sign” is widely used today. Only in the fourth century did the cross come into prevalent use in Christianity. However, Christianity by this time had drifted far from the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles. The Christian cross as a Christian symbol has its roots in ancient paganism. United Church of God is a 501(c)3 organization. The Cross Is of Pagan Origin THE cross you see on the steeple of a neighborhood church, on its altar and as pendants around the necks of many of your neighbors is actually a pagan religious symbol. © 1995–2021 All correspondence and questions should be sent to info@ucg.org. Start by marking “History of the Cross: The Pagan Origin, and Idolatroous Adoption and Worship, of the Image” as Want to Read: ... To ask other readers questions about History of the Cross, please sign up. “All the fun things about Easter are pagan. You’ll often find statements like the following by Cindy Jacobs in her book Deliver Us from Evil:. Sign of the cross, a gesture of ancient Christian origin by which people bless themselves, others, or objects. In other parts of the early Christian world it was done with the whole hand or with two fingers. The sign of the cross was made simply with the fingers (the index or the thumb) on the forehead or lips or breast (as Latin-rite Catholics do at the beginning of the Gospel lesson) or with the whole hand over the torso. The cross far predates Christianity, and its roots are in ancient religious worship. History shows that the cross was used centuries before Christ. The New Catholic Encyclopedia admits: “The cross is found in both pre-Christian and non-Christian cultures.” Various other authorities have linked the cross with nature worship and pagan sex rites. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) The Scriptures also forbid all forms of idolatry. After the C… Answer: The practice of tracing the sign of the cross is most prominent in the Roman Catholic Church but is also practiced in the Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Episcopalian churches. Conveniently, the original form of the letter 'T' was the initial letter of the god of Tammuz. Where Did the Symbolism of the Cross Originate. This came to … 506). The swastika, called crux gammata, composed of four Greek capitals of the letter gamma, is marked on many early Christian tombs as a veiled symbol of the cross. The religious symbolism of the cross has its roots in ancient paganism. The Cross – an Emblem of Christianity explains how this simple symbol has evolved from its Pagan roots. EARTH SYMBOL - Also known as the sun cross, solar cross and as a Hopi medicine wheel. It is the Greek word xyʹlon. Its purpose was restricted. History of the Cross: The Pagan Origin, and Idolatrous Adoption and Worship, of the Image [Ward, Henry Dana 1797-1884] on Amazon.com. Idols were not to be worshipped by the earliest of Christians, and the cross was no exception to this rule. There are slight differences in how it is made between the various rites of the Church, but they are all legitimate. History of the Cross: The Pagan Origin, and Idolatrous Adoption and Worship, of the Image The cross is, in fact, pagan in origin. The religious symbolism of the cross has its roots in ancient paganism. Be the first to ask a question about History of the Cross … He’s untwisting the pagan symbolism of the sex/fertility cult and revealing the union of Christ and the Church which gives eternal life to the world! Send inquiries regarding the operation of this Web site to webmaster@ucg.org. “It was not till the time of Constantine that the cross was publicly used as the symbol of the Christian religion” (ibid). The same sign of the cross that Rome now worships was used in the Babylonian Mysteries, was applied by Paganism to the same magic purposes, was honored with the same honors. Audio download options Privacy Policy  Terms of Use. The crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross conferred a new significance to the use of the cross in Christianity. It became a symbol of Christianity only after the time of Constantine. However, it is seen by many as pagan or occultic, or even anti-Christian. The Bull as the Astrological sign of Taurus gets its name from the Tau and Ru. The historical record shows that, just as Jesus and the New Testament writers foretold, various heretical ideas and teachers rose up from within the early Church and infiltrated it from without. In the fourth century, however, pagan Emperor Constantine became a convert to apostate Christianity and promoted the cross as its symbol. The sign of the cross was made from forehead to chest, and then from right shoulder to left shoulder with the right hand. The History Of The Cross: The Pagan Origin And Idolatrous Adoption And Worship Of The Image, was published in 1871 and examines the connection between Christian and Pagan symbols. Since the fifth century The Celts have used the simplest representation of a cross, a circle and a superimposed cross, to explain the interconnectedness of the world. [5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. On this the outlaws, with hands raised upward and often also with their feet, were bound or nailed.”. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the 'cross' of Christ.”. Around his neck is an almost perfect Maltese cross. The thumb, forefinger, and middle fingers were held together to symbolize the Holy Trinity– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In a section titled “Cross, Crucify,” Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words records this: “In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system, pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. The apostle Paul says: “Christ purchased us, releasing us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse instead of us, because it is written: ‘Accursed is every man hung upon a stake [“a tree,” King James Version].’” (Galatians 3:13) Here Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:22, 23, which clearly refers to a stake, not a cross. In Norse mythology, the hammer of Thor is seen as a Tau Cross. The origin of the cross is indeed very pagan. This was, in fact, one of his primary motivations in accepting and sanctioning the Christian religion. Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow | Learn more... With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! Since such a means of execution made the person “a curse,” it would not be proper for Christians to decorate their homes with images of Christ on a cross. For example, in the British Museum is a statue of the Assyrian king Samsi-Vul, son of Shalmaneser. It took time for us to eventually accept the cross in its current form and to worship it and, according to Ward, this was a pagan symbol that should never have been adopted. The author is apparently really against what he sees as object worship and … Many professing Christians wear the symbol as an outward sign of their faith. We explain how it has caused as much grief as it has comforted. Before the death of Jesus on the cross, the cross was used privately among Christians. the four sections sometimes represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter or the four elements of the earth: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Why, then, was this pagan symbol promoted? *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. rosʹ] never means two pieces of timber placed across one another at any angle . Yet the cross far predates Christianity, and its roots are in ancient religious worship. Some people believe that since a cross symbol was used in some pagan religions, Jesus could not possibly have been crucified on a cross. A death cross in financial terms means a situation where long-term and short-term averages converge. Sign of the Cross By The Holy Spirit's Disciple, Raymond Laginess. Share . No doubt the cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. The cross represents the four major directions, with the circle indicating the limits of territory that surrounds the central point. The Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics says, “With the 4th century magical belief began to take a firmer hold within the Church.” The sign of the cross comes from antiquity when people worshiped the Persian sun-god Mithras and other sun-gods. What Does the Bible Really Teach? The New Catholic Encyclopedia admits: “The cross is found in both pre-Christian and non-Christian cultures.” Various other authorities have linked the cross with nature worship and pagan sex rites. . Summary: The Watchtower Society teaches that Jesus was not executed on a cross but rather on a simple upright stake or pole.Jehovah’s Witnesses consider the cross a pagan symbol that was introduced into Christendom in its apostasy. The tau form of the cross had been used as a pagan Egyptian symbol and then adopted by "Christians," called Copts, in Egypt. The cross is, in fact, pagan in origin. It became a symbol of Christianity only after the time of Constantine. However, the facts show that Jesus did indeed die on a cross and that the cross was used as a Christian symbol with no pagan … Copyright © 2021 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 7, pg. There is no biblical record that the early Christians ever used the cross as a sign of their faith. Constantine, who is widely regarded as the first “Christian” Roman Emperor, recognized the value of religion in uniting his empire. The Sign of the Cross The Catholic sign of the cross originated in Babylon as a grand charm before prayer which drew the initial of the name Tammuz, Tau, or T. This same T can be found on the garments of Catholic priests. So a simple beam was sunk into the ground. Notice this from the Encyclopedia Britannica: “From its simplicity of form, the cross has been used both as a religious symbol and as an ornament, from the dawn of man’s civilization” (11th ed., 1910, Vol. explains, “A very different religion, now compromised with many concepts and practices rooted in ancient paganism (such mixing of religious beliefs being known as syncretism, common in the Roman Empire at the time), took hold and transformed the faith founded by Jesus Christ.”, In a section titled “Cross, Crucify,” Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words records this: “In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system, pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. The use of the Christian cross as a Christian symbol began after the time of the Constantine, which occurred three centuries after the coming of Christ. *. The history of the sign of the cross goes back as far as Tertullian, the early church father who lived between A.D. 160 and 220. (Exodus 20:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:14)  With very good reason, therefore, true Christians do not use the cross in worship. The evidence for its pagan origin is so convincing that the Catholic Encyclopedia admits that ‘the sign of the cross, represented in its simplest form by a crossing of two lines at right angles, greatly antedates, in both East and the West, the introduction of Christianity. Whatever Constantine’s motives, the cross had nothing to do with Jesus Christ. The most convincing proof of all, however, comes from God’s Word. The Vestal Virgins of Pagan Rome and the nuns of Catholicism wore it on their necklaces. Whatever Constantine’s motives, the cross had nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Publication download options History of the Cross: The Pagan Origin, and Idolatrous Adoption and Worship, of the Image - Ebook written by Henry Dana Ward. Writers during the 19th century indicating a Pagan origin of the cross included Henry Dana Ward, Mourant Brock, and John Denham Parsons. (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24) This word simply means “timber” or “a stick, club, or tree.”, Explaining why a simple stake was often used for executions, the book Das Kreuz und die Kreuzigung (The Cross and the Crucifixion), by Hermann Fulda, states: “Trees were not everywhere available at the places chosen for public execution. The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol of life—the ankh, a tau cross surmounted by a loop and known as crux ansata —was adopted and extensively used on Coptic Christian monuments. “The Greek term signifies an upright stake on which criminal were executed, with no suggestion of a cross-beam. The Papal system made the image of the cross into a grand charm, a pagan tool used by Babylonian people for magic purposes. 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