Religion & Spirituality >
Comparative Religion
Get a Widget for this title
RSS FeedDoes the Jerusalem cross have significance for different religions?
Results so far:
| Yes | 74% | 122 votes | Total: 165 votes | |
| No | 26% | 43 votes |
Yes
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesThe "Jerusalem Cross" or "Cantonee Cross" was the emblem of the crusading Knights Templar. It is widely believed to have been the personal arms of Templar Godfrey de Bouillon.
The Jerusalem cross has four arms at equal distances, symbolizing the four directions and the belief that Jerusalem was the spiritual center of the earth.
A frequently used, and slightly more complex version, also had simple "crosslets" (like "plus" signs) in each quadrant. These "crosslets" represented the spread of Christ's message through the four evangelists (Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John).
In the crusade beginning 1098, Godfrey of Bouillon captured Jerusalem. One year later, his brother Baldwin was crowned the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. As such, the Jerusalem Cross came to represent not only religious but political ideas. The Templars saw it as their divine appointment to conquer and hold the land.
The other principle crusading order, the Knights Hospitallers saw the Jerusalem Cross in a negative light. They imagined themselves as healers who were historically tied to the establishment of a Jerusalem hospital in 600 A.D. As such, they came to view the Templars as zealous, murderous fanatics. They purposely fought under a different cross wearing distinctively different uniforms (a black surcoat with a white cross as opposed to the Templars typical white surcoat and red Jerusalem cross).
Somewhat understandably, the Arabs failed to catch the fine points of distinction. The Jerusalem Cross became a symbol of all the Crusaders and, hence, all Westerners. It was, to them, a symbol of infidel invasion and oppression. In time, it became a rallying point of rebellion and hatred until Saladin re-captured Jerusalem in 1187. For many Muslims, the Jerusalem Cross is just one of many symbols that serve as a focal point of hatred toward Western civilization.
In 1305, Pope Clement V, sought to merge the orders Templar and Hospitaller. However, Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay was reluctant. Partly due to the affront to papal authority and partly due to political pressure from Phillip IV of France, on November 22, 1307, Clement ordered all Christian monarchs to arrest all Templars and seize their assets. This effectively turned the Jerusalem Cross into the symbol of a disfavored movement.
Ironically, at about the same time the Knights Templar were being destroyed, George V (also known as "the Brilliant" or "the Splendid"), drove the Mongols out of his empire and adapted the traditional St. George's Cross flag by adding four smaller crosslets in the four quadrants. The similarity to the Jerusalem Cross is unmistakable but it is not certain that the similarity was intentional. Perhaps the Georgians were being purposely vague given the developing disfavor among other European nations. In any event, instead of the Templar interpretation of the cross, the Georgians said the crosses represented the five Holy Wounds of Christ.
The Georgian flag fell out of use over time until it was revived by the Georgian patriotic movement following the country's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1999 the Georgian parliament passed a bill to return to the "Jerusalem Cross" flag but Eduard Shevardnadze refused to authorize its use. The flag finally was adopted by the Georgian parliament on January 14, 2004, and formally endorsed by a Mikhail Saakashvili on January 25, following his election as President of Georgia.
Learn more about this author, Donald Moore.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
No
What is the Jerusalem Cross in the first place? That question alone should give you some sense of just how meaningful this cross is for different religions. I've been a Christian for 36 years and I'm very active in my church. So if I've never heard of this cross that should tell you something.
In the first place should any cross be revered? Some Christians seem to cling to their crosses much like a Buddhist monk clings to his prayer wheel. My apologies to both of you, but in either case a lucky rabbit's foot would do about the same.
In my research for this topic I found that the Jerusalem Cross, also known as the Crusaders Cross, or the Heraldic Cross, consists of a large Greek cross surrounded by four smaller crosses. This insignia was placed on a banner under the direction of Pope Urban II and given to crusaders en route to the First Crusade. The knights from this army would eventually take over Jerusalem and place it under Catholic rule for a couple hundred years.
So, what do the 5 crosses represent? This should show you how much significance this cross has. No one knows! Most everyone concedes that the large cross is representative of Christ's cross. But little is known about the four smaller crosses. Some say the four smaller ones represent the four directions the Gospel was spread. Some support the idea that the four smaller crosses represent the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Some say all the crosses together represent the five wounds Christ received during His passion. I find that rather ridiculous when you consider how he was slashed considerably more than 5 times with the whip. And don't forget when the soldiers were beating on him!
There are many crosses. There is the Iron Cross, the Maltese Cross, the broken cross of the swastika, the altar crosses, the Ampullae, the Agnes Dei, the Ankh, the Canterbury Cross, and the Celtic Cross. In fact there are hundreds of crosses. If you'd like to see some go to: http://www.seiyaku.c om/customs/crosses/i ndex-all.html
And when you do you can roll your arrow over the various ones and it will give you the cross names.
But my point is this. None of these trinkets, none of these idols will save you anymore than a lucky rabbit's foot. The one to save you was the one who died on the cross and who lives today to make intercession for you. So, no the Jerusalem Cross does not have a significance for different religions. But Jesus Christ does!
Learn more about this author, Ronnie Reese.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
