Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/517

 CROSS 513 word : IRETNE. De' Rossi affirms that no monument earlier than the 5th century offers any other form of the cross than the crux commissa. St. Jerome compares it to a bird flying and to a man swimming, and it is rep- resented in the commonly received form on coins and monuments. The inscription too was placed over his head, which would seem to imply that the upright extended above the transverse bar. The church soon learned to look upon the cross as an emblem no longer of disgrace but of victory, and it became the chosen symbol of Christianity. About the beginning of the 2d century a particular efficacy began to be ascribed to it, and it was regarded with a kind of veneration. Its image was to be seen everywhere in Christian com- munities, fashioned in wood, stone, and metal ; it was placed on tombs, altars, and religious structures, and sometimes on the front of dwell- ings ; and the faithful, not content with behold- ing its visible form, marked it with the finger on their persons, the sign of the cross being introduced into the ritual and used in baptism, in confirmation especially, and the Lord's sup- per. In the Roman catacombs have been found many interesting examples of this early use among Christians of symbolical crosses, some dating from the 2d century. They are fre- quently accompanied by other sacred emblems, such as the dove, the serpent, the circle typical of eternity, the anchor, the alpha and omega, and the fish. The latter derived its significance from the fact that the letters of the Greek word for fish (IX0T2), are the initial let- ters of 'lyaovc ^pior6q Qe6v 'Y5f 2wr#p, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour." The cross was also frequently interwoven with the Greek X and P (^), the first two letters of XPIZTOZ, thus forming a monogram of our Lord's name or, according to De' Rossi, another monogram, ^, composed of I and X, Iqaovc Xpiordg. Constantine the Great, to whom when march- ing against Maxentius a flaming cross is said to have appeared in the heavens, adopted the sign of salvation, and from his time the symbol, once accursed in Roman eyes, glittered on the shields and standards of the imperial armies. In the Roman church the cross is endued with much significance. The pope has the sacred symbol borne before him everywhere; patri- archs anywhere out of Rome ; primates, me- tropolitans, and those who have a right to the pallium, throughout their respective jurisdic- tions. The papal cross, carried only before the pope, has three bars, signifying, like his triple crown, his ecclesiastical, civil, and judicial su- premacy ; the patriarchal cross has two bars, the second being perhaps only an exaggeration of the inscription placed over our Lord's head ; the archbishop's cross has but one bar. The cross worn by the crusaders was originally red, but various colors were eventually adopted by different nations. The festival called the "invention of the cross," instituted in honor of the finding of the cross hi 326 by the empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, is celebra- ted on the 3d of May. The story of the dis- covery is related by Socrates, Sozomen, Rufi- nus, Theodoret, Paulinus, Sulpicius Severus, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, and Chrysostom ; but Eu- sebius is silent regarding it. When Helena visited the scenes about Jerusalem, it is said that every trace of the great events which hal- lowed the environs had been obliterated by the heathen, and a temple of Venus stood upon Mount Calvary; but a Jew, who had treas- ured up what traditions he could gather, point- ed out the probable place of Christ's sepulchre. The spot being excavated, three crosses were discovered, and the title which that of Jesus bore was found lying by itself. It is related that the cross of Christ was distinguished from the other two by miraculous cures wrought by touching it. A church was built over the spot and a part of the sacred relic was deposited in it ; a part was sent to Rome and placed in the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, built to receive it ; and the rest was put by Constan- tine into the head of a statue of himself in Constantinople. The first was carried away by Chosroes, king of Persia, in 614, but waa afterward recovered by the emperor Heraclius, who restored it to its former place in 629. In the time of the crusades it was borne to battle by the Christians, and was captured by Sala- din in 1187, in his great victory near Tiberias. What is asserted to be a piece of the true cross is still shown at Rome ; another was preserved in Poland till the v 17th century, when it was pre- sented by John Casimir to the princess palatine Anna Gonzaga, who bequeathed it to the monks of St. Germain in Paris ; and innumerable small reputed fragments are held by Catholics through- out the world. The feast of the "exaltation of the cross," kept Sept. 14, is in commemora- tion of its restoration by Heraclius ; according to other authorities, it was instituted in the Greek church in honor of its appearance to Constantine. The ceremony of the "adora- tion (or more properly kissing) of the cross," which takes place in Catholic churches on Good Friday, consists in presenting the feet of a crucifix to the lips of the people. Architec- tural crosses were of several kinds, the prin- cipal being boundary, market, preaching, and memorial crosses. The first defined civil and ecclesiastical limits, and were sometimes en- dowed with the privilege of sanctuary. Mar- ket crosses were built partly to afford shelter in wet weather, and partly in token of the rights of neighboring monasteries to which belonged the tolls of the market. They are still to be seen in many parts of England. At preaching crosses sermons were delivered and proclamations read. Memorial crosses marked the scenes of battles, murders, and other events. In Alpine regions they denote the most danger- ous parts of the mountain roads. Fifteen beau- tiful memorial crosses were built by Edward I. at the places where the body of his queen,