Is there hidden symbolism in the Christian cross?

Yes

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by Valerie Williams

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The cross is one of the major and most famous of emblems in Christendom. According to Christian doctrine, the cross symbolizes the manner in which the Messiah was executed; Christians wear this as a sign of their worship of the Messiah. The cross was introduced into Christianity in the third century by Constantine the Great, the Roman Emperor who ruled his empire from c.306-337 A.D., although it was condemned by one of the early Church fathers as a pagan practice. Prior to the third century, one cannot find anywhere after the death of the Messiah any of the apostles, disciples, or other followers of the Messiah wearing an image of the cross to show reverence to the Messiah. As a matter of fact, during the first and second centuries, believers in the Messiah wore no images or symbols of any manner because they adhered to the laws found in the Old Testament prohibiting the worship of graven images (Exodus 20:4-5). One might be led to believe that the cross, then, is a relatively new symbol, and does not predate the third century. This, though, would not be a true statement.

The cross is one of the oldest symbols found in antiquity, predating Christianity by thousands of years. It can be found in almost every culture worldwide: India, Syria, Persia and Egypt are all good examples of nations that have regarded the cross as a religious symbol. The use of this symbol during pre-Christian times and among non-Christian people was always connected to some form of nature worship. This worship centers around the worship of the sun-god, in which it was believed that the sun represented life. This worship of the sun also predates Christianity by thousands of years and has its origins in the oldest of civilizations, the Chaldean or Babylonian era. The first man to die and later regarded and worshiped as a sun-god was Tammuz, the son of Nimrod. The first letter in his name T', began to be worn by his followers, and can be found throughout history as a veneration of Tammuz. The Catholic Church, under the direction of Constantine, later adopted the use of this symbol into Christianity. The pagans who accepted Christianity did not have to give up any of their pagan practices, such as the wearing of the cross; instead, the cross was suddenly a symbol of the Messiah, representing his death.

Some may ask if the origins of the cross hold any significance or meaning. Some may believe that it is the intent that matters; that today, in the year 2008, one does not wear a cross to venerate the sun-god Tammuz. However, if one believes in the word of God, then one must believe what is written in the scriptures. In the book of Ezekiel, Chapter 8, we find a story in which the people are weeping for Tammuz, they are bowing to the East, and have put a "branch to their nose", the branch sticks being used to form the letter T'. This is sun worship, and God called it an abomination. It is not God who changes; we can read in Malachi 3:6 that states that he does not change. Indeed, it is man who changes.

As stated earlier, the symbol of the cross has been found in cultures all over the world. In Scandinavia, the cross represented the hammer of the god Thor, in Assyria it represented the four directions in which the sun shines, and in Europe a human effigy in the form of a scarecrow hung from the T-shaped cross. In all instances the cross represents that particular culture's pagan deity.

Exodus Chapter 20 outlines the Ten Commandments; it is the second Commandment that disallows one from making any graven image nor to bow down to worship any graven image. In Deuteronomy Chapter 4 we are again instructed not to make any graven images, including the likeness of any beast, winged creature, anything that creeps on the ground, or swims in the seas. We are also warned against worshiping the host of Heaven (which is the sky, the second Heaven, reference Genesis 1:20), particularly the sun, the moon, and the stars. This practice of worshiping the sun and the moon is a pagan practice. Tammuz, a pagan, worshiped the sun, and thousands of years later we have Constantine allowing the use of this symbol into Christianity. Constantine was also a sun-worshiper.

Nowher e in the Bible can the cross be found as an acceptable form of worshiping the Messiah, yet this practice is pervasive in Christendom. Christianity has taught, as a part of their doctrine that the Messiah was killed on a cross and that now, the symbol of the cross merely depicts the way in which the Messiah died as well as this religion's worship of him. In actuality, the Messiah did not die on a cross, but on a stake. The Greek word used for cross in all instances in which the word cross' is found in the New Testament is stauros', which by definition means a stake or post that is set upright'. Although it was typical during the time the Messiah lived to execute people on a crossbar (referred to as a Tau cross), a Roman cross, or on an upright pole or stake, all indications point to the fact that the Messiah was executed on a pole, not a cross. The stake that the Messiah died on in no manner resembles a Tau cross (crossbar) or a Roman cross; yet, it is this symbol (the Tau cross) that is used by Christendom to venerate the Messiah and his death. If one wishes to ignore the second Commandment in which we are forbidden to use graven images in any form, and want to venerate the Messiah, why not wear an image of an upright pole, post, or stake? Simple, because the cross was never used to revere the Messiah until after the third century but instead was used to exalt and give honor to the sun-god Tammuz, and all of the other sun gods throughout history that came after Tammuz. This symbol was created for Tammuz, it is the T' in his name that is being deified and revered, and it wasn't until almost 250 years after the Messiah died that the cross was introduced into the Christian religion. Further, we have the forbidding of the practice of worshiping graven images which can be found in the Old Testament, and can find nowhere in the New Testament that this law has been abolished. It is clearly an abomination to God, and we can find in the New Testament that "the fearful, and unbelieving, and the "abominable", and murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelation 21:8). Man cannot take something that God has called an abomination and change it into something that man calls good. By doing this, one is not serving the Most High God, but lowly man.

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