The Eastern Orthodox Church sometimes puts a twist on Pilate’s inscription by replacing “INRI” with “OBCLDXC,” which translates as “The King of Glory.” The symbol ignores the Greek and Aramaic translations, which were also inscribed on the titulus. The expansion of the INRI is “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum” (“Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”). It appears on a placard either in the form of a scroll (historically unlikely) or, sometimes, in the form of a tabula ansata - a wooden placard with handle-like appendages on each side. “INRI” is an attempt to condense the titulus, or inscription, placed above Jesus’ head. One symbol often seen in depictions of the crucifixion of our Lord is an initialism imposed by Pontius Pilate. It often appears similar to ΑΩ but carries a significantly different meaning. Watch out for the stylized symbol “AM,” which is an initialism of Ave Maria. The characters are sometimes used alone or with a cross, or are combined with other symbols, including the Chi-Rho. The Alpha-Omega monogram - expressed as ΑΩ or Αω or αω - is also considered a Christogram because Christ described Himself with this term (Rev. When uppercase characters are used, artists commonly place a small Latin cross atop the horizontal bar of the “H.” When lowercase characters are used, the ascending “h” forms a cross. Often this symbol follows proper form, with a line placed over it. ![]() ![]() The most common but perhaps least understood monogram often appears in Lutheran churches in the chancel or on the altar itself: “IHS.” It is simply the first three Greek characters in the name “Jesus.” Through the centuries, this monogram has been given different meanings, including “Iesus Hominum Salvator” (“Jesus, Savior of Mankind”), “In Hoc Signo ” (“In This Sign Thou Shalt Conquer”), or even the English initialism, “In His Service.” These last three are incorrect and were developed by fringe groups who sought to impose their own meaning on the simple symbol for “Jesus.” It is also common to see this Christogram separated - usually by a depiction of Christ - with the abbreviation “Jesus” (IC) on one side and “Christ” (XC) on the other. It used the first characters of each word in “Jesus Christ.” We sometimes miss this symbol when viewing older pieces of Christian art because it often looks like the spokes of a wheel, and even more so when the symbol is circumscribed by a laurel wreath or decorative circle.Ī common monogram in Eastern Orthodox iconography is “IC XC.” It serves the same purpose as the Iota-Chi, but includes the last letters in the name “Jesus Christ.” Artists often place a short bar or decorative “squiggle” above each set of letters to denote them as monograms, as when we add a period to an English abbreviation. The Iota-Chi appeared at the same time as the Chi-Rho. The Roman Emperor Constantine the Great brought the Chi-Rho, a fusion of the first two characters in the name “Christ,” to prominence, though the symbol pre-dates him. They have been boiled down into initialisms and can serve as “captions” as well as the main focus in designs and artwork.Ĭhristograms, monograms of Christ’s name, were among the first symbols to appear in Christian artwork. Therefore, many Christian symbols are based on the words of Scripture. “In the beginning was the Word.” While it is impossible to wrap our human brains around the idea, our Lord is the Word, and Holy Scripture makes that Word manifest among us. This emphasis on words should not surprise us. ![]() Some, however, are simply stylized initialisms, also known as monograms. Most are pictures condensed into a simplified form. This is the last of nine articles devoted to those images which we often see - but may not always understand - in the sanctuary.Ĭhristian symbols have been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Some of the symbolic meaning, however, may be lost to us. Artwork and visual symbolism seen in a church building often make a confession long before parishioners hear what is confessed in the liturgy.
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