6 Types of Crosses & What They Mean

Hello, in this video we are going to be looking at six types of crosses. The cross is the most common symbol of Christianity for obvious reasons, but there are different types of crosses, different styles.

The most obvious difference, perhaps, is how the cross is displayed, whether or not it's empty or is Jesus hanging on it. So the first type of cross we will look at is the crucifix. What makes a cross a crucifix is that Jesus is on it.

In fact, this is what the word crucifix means, one fixed to a cross. So if you see someone wearing a crucifix, that means they are almost certainly Roman Catholic. By keeping Jesus on the cross, this highlights the perpetual sacrifice of the Roman Catholic mass where the flesh and blood of Christ are said to be literally present in the form of a sacrifice on a Roman altar.

You would not want to buy a crucifix necklace for a Baptist or a Protestant, since they historically highlight the fact that Jesus died once for all, which is why the cross they display is empty. This leads to the next type of cross, the Latin cross, or as many would call it, the empty cross.

So the Latin cross is where the vertical beam sticks above the cross beam. The three upper arms typically are of equal length. You could probably just refer to the Latin cross as the cross, the cross, right, since this is the most common style used worldwide to represent all of Christianity.

The cross symbolizes that Jesus died as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. If you ask your typical Protestant or Evangelical why Jesus is not displayed on the cross, they will commonly respond, because he is risen.

Just a side note, the Catholic Church also uses this symbol, the Latin cross, but interestingly, the Pope often displays the cross upside down, as seen in this picture. Defenders say it represents the cross of Peter, who tradition says was crucified upside down.

Critics, however, find this offensive, and some even have seen a sinister motive. The next type of cross we are going to look at is the Cairo. The Cairo cross is also known as Constantine's cross. Basically, what this is, they take the first two letters of the word Christ in Greek and put them together to form this symbol.

The Roman Emperor Constantine claimed to have seen this symbol in a vision, along with the message, In this sign conquer. His soldiers then put this cross, or this sign, on their shields. They marched into battle, won the victory, and the rest is history.

This symbol is used by both Catholics and Protestants, but it is more common to see Catholics using it. The next cross is the Jerusalem cross, also known as the five-fold cross. It's surrounded by four smaller Greek crosses, one in each quadrant.

It was used as the emblem and coat of arms for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Historians have traced the use of the Jerusalem cross back to the 11th century, during the time of the Crusades. Next is the Celtic cross.

The Celtic cross is basically the Latin cross with a ring around it. The cross is used especially by the Irish, and dates back as early as the 5th century. Many historians debate the true meaning of the Celtic cross's ring.

Some say it's a halo, others insist it's a mixing of Christian symbolism with pagan symbolism. Today, the Celtic cross is most often used on gravestones, but it has also become a symbol of national pride.

So sports teams and other organizations have used the Celtic cross as a way to show their Irish heritage. And finally, the last type of cross we're going to be looking at is the Templar cross. The Knights Templar used this cross during the Crusades as a symbol, according to them, of martyrdom as they expected to die.

It was placed on their uniform, and it was always red, displayed against either a white or black background. According to one source, gutquestions .org, the Knights Templar were ordered to be disbanded by Pope Clement V.

Many of the Knights Templar were arrested, tortured until they confessed to unimaginable crimes and then burned at the stake as heretics. Some of the Knights Templar escaped the persecution and went into hiding.

There are various traditions as to what happened to the surviving Knights Templar, with the most likely legend being that they eventually formed what is now known as the Freemasons. Thank you for watching.

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