On the Shape of the Holy Cross

Composition and division of the essay

From ancient times, in the church and in the private family life of the faithful, two kinds of the same cross have been very sharply differentiated and almost equally widely used: one is material, made of matter or matter, or depicted on some thing in such a way that it remains on it permanently or only for a certain time, and can be felt with the hands and constantly seen with the eyes; the other – immaterial, depicted by the hand or something else in the air or on a person and on various consecrated things – is the sign of the cross. The first kind of the cross, as a material one, did not always have and has the same form, and often diversifies according to the variety of craftsmen who make it, retaining, however, their fundamental compositions; the second, as a sign, which from a certain time it has been customary to depict once and for all in a certain form according to a certain form, for this very reason it is always almost constant and the same, and it happens, only more or less. It is to these two kinds of crosses, considered according to their form, that we will turn all our attention in this work.

It is thus divided into two parts. In the first part, in which we will follow the form of the cross at all times, we will speak about the material cross, and precisely, first of all, about the original Cross, the Lord's Cross: about its appearance and composition; Then, if possible, in chronological order, a number of numerous material monuments and images of the Holy Cross, preserved from ancient times to later times, will be presented. Here, among other things, will be placed the story of the finding of the Cross in the fourth century, since the history of this finding can very well serve as an indication of the true form of the cross in other places as well. In the second part it will be said how the so-called Old Believers, who rise up against the four-pointed cross, themselves, as it were, unconsciously use it in the sign of the cross; further, about the apostolic origin of the sign of the cross, about its use in the celebration of all the sacraments, and about its frequent and fruitful use by Christians of the first centuries.

But before we begin to speak about the thing itself, let us turn to its shadow – and cite several testimonies of Sts. of the Fathers on the Foreshadowing of the Cross in the Old Testament.

Note. In order that the Old Testament transformations of the four-pointed cross, which we wish to cite, may have all the force of proof, let us cite in advance a few testimonies of Sts. of the Fathers that images of something must have and do resemble what they form, and that for this reason they are called images. The schismatics say that the four-pointed cross is the image and shadow of the cross, and not the truest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, and by this they express the idea that the image or shadow has nothing in common with the thing itself or the prototype (Scribe of the Solovy Chelob.). Let us, therefore, listen to what the Holy Fathers say about this. Clement of Alexandria in his "Treasures" says1: "Images always have a resemblance to the original." In the book where he proves that in all the writings of Moses the mystery of Christ is revealed, he says the following about Abraham and Melchizedek (ch. 6): "Images must necessarily represent the prototype."

St. Gregory of Nazianzus (in his second homily on the Son) testifies: "Such is the property of the image, that it expresses the prototype, of which is the image."

St. Chrysostom in the 3rd homily on the Epistle to the Colossians says the following about the image: "The image, since it is an image, must be completely similar to the original which it depicts in its features." (See also the commentary of the Evang. in the week of the 3rd Holy Lent.)

These testimonies about the similarity of the image with the formed one are sufficient for the Old Testament transformations to serve as proof for us of the authenticity or correctness of a certain thing or event in the New Testament. But since images do not pre-image a certain object from all sides, but only from one side – the internal, or together with the internal and external, it should be noted that the similarity of the image with the prototype is precisely in those aspects that are prefigured. Thus, the Holy Cross was foreshadowed in the Old Testament either by its power, properties and actions, or by its external form and power. For example, the pillar of cloud served as a prototype of the cross2, but only in terms of its power and actions. Of course, we will not cite such prophecies, but will deal only with the transformations of the cross, which indicated its form and actions.

On the Foreshadowing of the Holy Cross in the Old Testament

Before Jesus Christ planted the Life-Bearing Tree of the Cross on earth, in the law of the canopy and the scriptures, from time to time, the Lord showed people its shadow, or image, accompanied by signs and wonders. This shadow, or this image, had the form of either a four-pointed cross, or a simple staff, a piece of wood, etc., which formed the cross not in form, but in its internal properties. But it has never been in the form of an eight-pointed cross. Meanwhile, as we said above, the shadow or image of something, and according to the testimony of Sts. of the Fathers, and by common sense, have a perfect resemblance in a certain respect to that of which they serve as a shadow or image. Otherwise they would not be a shadow of a certain object and would not have its properties and power; thus, for example, the shadow of the Apostle Paul, which healed the sick, could not be called the shadow of the Apostle, and it would not have had healing properties, if it were not an accurate reflection of the holy grace-filled body of the Apostle. This means that the images of the four-pointed cross in the Old Testament were a shadow or images of the Life-Giving Cross itself.