Jesus’ cross is the great sign of Christian hope for all humanity

Published: June 11, 2005

By Charles T. Sullivan

The cross is the most universal and recognizable of all the Christian symbols. For nearly 2,000 years, the cross has been reverenced as a sacred reminder of Christ’s passion and thereby considered the great sign of our salvation. Even so, the public execution of the Lord was a scandal and embarrassment for the early Church: a stumbling block that often provoked mockery and derision. Since crucifixion was a penalty usually reserved for lower-class criminals, the cross as a symbol connoted shame and disgrace. In fact, Christ’s crucifixion was so shameful that the first Christians were often very reluctant to present the cross in their art or worship; and the depiction of a body on the cross (posed either in suffering or triumph) was rare indeed. There was another reason that the early Church seldom openly displayed the cross: for the first three centuries, Christians were persecuted and put to death simply for being Christian. This changed in 312 A.D. when Constantine became emperor of the Roman Empire. Recall that Constantine, preparing for a decisive battle against his archrival, adopted the cross of the Christians as the battle standard for his army and subsequently emerged victorious at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Grateful for what he perceived as Christ’s divine intervention on his behalf, Constantine granted legal status to Christianity (Edict of Milan) and crosses soon began to appear everywhere throughout the then-known world. By the end of the fourth century, crucifixion as a form of public execution was virtually unknown (abolished by Constantine toward the end of his life) and believers were able to view what had formerly been a scandal in a new and more revelatory light. Characteristically, the cross was now presented as a sign of Christ’s ultimate triumph over death at Easter. As Christian art began to flower and flourish, the body of Christ was often displayed on the cross but not necessarily hanging from it; rather, Christ was in most cases depicted as robed, alive, and crowned like a king. In this way, the crucifix (cross and body) began its slow but certain evolution into the dominant symbol in Christendom. Over time, there was a gradual trend away from depicting the cross as a sign of triumph (accenting the risen Christ) and a greater emphasis placed on a more accurate representation of Christ’s suffering and death. Beginning around the ninth century, a heightened sense of realism began to permeate Christian art and subtle changes were slowly introduced. Soon, most crucifixes began to depict the suffering or deceased Christ: divine face in agony, blood flowing from terrible wounds, head crowned with thorns. During the Protestant Reformation, many saw in the crucifix a sign of the institutional (Catholic) Church from which they were rebelling. So some adopted a simple, plain, unadorned cross — or, in other more-extreme cases, avoided the use of symbols and images altogether. Even today, there are many of our separated brethren who do not understand or appreciate our long-standing Catholic tradition of depicting an image of the body of Christ on our crosses. For Catholics, the cross is both paradox and mystery: it is the instrument of Christ’s execution and the ultimate symbol of our redemption. The cross is an everlasting sign of Christian hope since we know by faith that the bitter darkness of that first Good Friday has been dispelled forever by the dazzling light of Easter morning. Charles T. Sullivan, a member of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Bella Vista, has a master’s degree in theology from the University of Dallas.

This article was originally published in Arkansas Catholic June 11, 2005. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.