All Christians are united by a single faith in the Savior. At the same time, each direction within the Christian religion offers its own interpretation of one or another aspect of the dogma. Not every follower knows how the Orthodox cross differs from the Catholic one. There are indeed differences between them, and it is impossible not to notice them.

When did the differences appear?

The split of the Christian Church into Western and Eastern took place in 1054. However, the prerequisites for it appeared much earlier. Despite the fact that representatives of Western and Eastern Christianity had one faith, the approach to it was different. Disagreements arose even in ideas about how a clergyman should look like. The "Latins" shaved their beards. For the Eastern clergy, such behavior was unacceptable. Differences also became noticeable when conducting rituals, decorating temples, etc. Christians did not strive to eliminate the difference. They made it even more visible by contrasting themselves with those who, in their opinion, were worshiping God in the wrong way.

The cross remains the main symbol of faith for both Orthodox and Catholics. With it, you can also determine which direction the representative is in front of us.

Looking closely at both variants of the crucifixion, one can easily understand how the Orthodox cross differs from the Catholic one. True faith is not determined by belonging to the Western or Eastern

Among all Christians, only Orthodox and Catholics venerate crosses and icons. They decorate the domes of churches, their houses with crosses, they wear them around the neck.

The reason why a person wears a pectoral cross is different for everyone. Someone thus pays tribute to fashion, for someone the cross is a beautiful piece of jewelry, for someone it brings good luck and is used as a talisman. But there are also those for whom the pectoral cross worn at baptism is indeed a symbol of their infinite faith.

Today, shops and church shops offer a wide variety of crosses of various shapes. However, very often, not only parents who are about to baptize a child, but also sales assistants cannot explain where the Orthodox cross is and where the Catholic one is, although it is actually very simple to distinguish them.In the Catholic tradition - a quadrangular cross, with three nails. In Orthodoxy, there are four-pointed, six-pointed and eight-pointed crosses, with four nails for hands and feet.

cross shape

four-pointed cross

So, in the West, the most common is four-pointed cross . Starting from the III century, when such crosses first appeared in the Roman catacombs, the entire Orthodox East still uses this form of the cross as equal to all others.

For Orthodoxy, the shape of the cross does not really matter, much more attention is paid to what is depicted on it, however, eight-pointed and six-pointed crosses have received the greatest popularity.

Eight-pointed Orthodox cross most corresponds to the historically reliable form of the cross on which Christ was already crucified.The Orthodox cross, which is most often used by the Russian and Serbian Orthodox churches, contains, in addition to a large horizontal bar, two more. The top symbolizes the tablet on the cross of Christ with the inscription "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews"(INCI, or INRI in Latin). The lower slanting crossbar - a prop for the feet of Jesus Christ symbolizes the "righteous measure", weighing the sins and virtues of all people. It is believed that it is tilted to the left, symbolizing that the repentant robber, crucified on the right side of Christ, (first) went to heaven, and the robber, crucified on the left side, by his blasphemy of Christ, further aggravated his posthumous fate and ended up in hell. The letters IC XC are a Christogram symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov writes that "When Christ the Lord on His shoulders carried the cross, then the cross was still four-pointed; because there was still no title or foot on it. There was no foot, because Christ on the cross and the soldiers had not yet been raised, not knowing where the legs would reach Christ's, did not attach a footstool, having finished it already at Calvary". Also, there was no title on the cross before the crucifixion of Christ, because, as the Gospel reports, first they “crucified Him” (John 19:18), and then only “Pilate wrote an inscription and placed it on the cross” (John 19:19 ). It was at first that the warriors “who crucified Him” (Mt. 27:35) divided “His clothes” by lot, and only then “They put an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews”(Matthew 27:37).

The eight-pointed cross has long been considered the most powerful protective tool against various kinds of evil spirits, as well as visible and invisible evil.

six pointed cross

Widespread among Orthodox believers, especially in the days of Ancient Russia, was also six-pointed cross . It also has an inclined crossbar: the lower end symbolizes unrepentant sin, and the upper end symbolizes liberation by repentance.

However, not in the shape of the cross or the number of ends lies all its power. The cross is famous for the power of Christ crucified on it, and all its symbolism and miraculousness lies in this.

The variety of forms of the cross has always been recognized by the Church as quite natural. In the words of the Monk Theodore the Studite - "a cross of every form is a true cross" andhas unearthly beauty and life-giving power.

“There is no significant difference between Latin, Catholic, Byzantine, and Orthodox crosses, as well as between any other crosses used in the service of Christians. In essence, all crosses are the same, the differences are only in form., - says the Serbian Patriarch Irinej.

crucifixion

In the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, special significance is attached not to the shape of the cross, but to the image of Jesus Christ on it.

Until the 9th century inclusive, Christ was depicted on the cross not only alive, resurrected, but also triumphant, and only in the 10th century did images of the dead Christ appear.

Yes, we know that Christ died on the cross. But we also know that He later resurrected, and that He suffered voluntarily out of love for people: to teach us to take care of the immortal soul; so that we too can be resurrected and live forever. In the Orthodox Crucifixion, this Paschal joy is always present. Therefore, on the Orthodox cross, Christ does not die, but freely stretches out his hands, the palms of Jesus are open, as if he wants to embrace all of humanity, giving them his love and opening the way to eternal life. He is not a dead body, but God, and his whole image speaks of this.

The Orthodox cross above the main horizontal bar has another, smaller one, which symbolizes the tablet on the cross of Christ indicating the offense. Because Pontius Pilate did not find how to describe the guilt of Christ, the words appeared on the tablet "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews" in three languages: Greek, Latin and Aramaic. In Latin in Catholicism, this inscription looks like INRI, and in Orthodoxy - IHCI(or ІНHI, “Jesus of the Nazarene, King of the Jews”). The lower oblique crossbar symbolizes a leg support. It also symbolizes two thieves crucified to the left and right of Christ. One of them repented of his sins before his death, for which he was awarded the Kingdom of Heaven. The other, before his death, blasphemed and reviled his executioners and Christ.

Above the middle crossbar are the inscriptions: "IC" "XS" - the name of Jesus Christ; and below it: "NIKA" — Winner.

Greek letters were necessarily written on the cross-shaped halo of the Savior UN, meaning - "Truly Existing", because "God said to Moses: I am who I am"(Ex. 3:14), thereby revealing His name, expressing the self-existence, eternity and immutability of the being of God.

In addition, the nails with which the Lord was nailed to the cross were kept in Orthodox Byzantium. And it was precisely known that there were four of them, not three. Therefore, on Orthodox crosses, the feet of Christ are nailed with two nails, each separately. The image of Christ with crossed feet, nailed with one nail, first appeared as an innovation in the West in the second half of the 13th century.

In the Catholic Crucifixion, the image of Christ has naturalistic features. Catholics depict Christ as dead, sometimes with streams of blood on his face, from wounds on his arms, legs and ribs ( stigmata). It manifests all human suffering, the torment that Jesus had to experience. His arms sag under the weight of his body. The image of Christ on the Catholic cross is plausible, but this is the image of a dead person, while there is no hint of the triumph of victory over death. The crucifixion in Orthodoxy just symbolizes this triumph. In addition, the feet of the Savior are nailed with one nail.

The Significance of the Savior's Death on the Cross

The emergence of the Christian cross is associated with the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, which he accepted on the cross at the forced verdict of Pontius Pilate. Crucifixion was a common method of execution in ancient Rome, borrowed from the Carthaginians, the descendants of the Phoenician colonists (it is believed that crucifixion was first used in Phoenicia). Usually thieves were sentenced to death on the cross; many early Christians, persecuted since the time of Nero, were also executed in this manner.

Before the sufferings of Christ, the cross was an instrument of shame and terrible punishment. After His suffering, he became a symbol of the victory of good over evil, life over death, a reminder of God's infinite love, an object of joy. The incarnated Son of God sanctified the cross with His blood and made it a vehicle of His grace, a source of sanctification for believers.

From the Orthodox dogma of the Cross (or Atonement), the idea undoubtedly follows that the death of the Lord is the ransom of all , the calling of all peoples. Only the cross, unlike other executions, made it possible for Jesus Christ to die with outstretched arms calling "to all the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 45:22).

Reading the Gospels, we are convinced that the feat of the Cross of the God-man is the central event in His earthly life. By His sufferings on the Cross, He washed away our sins, covered our debt to God, or, in the language of Scripture, "redeemed" us (ransomed us). In Golgotha ​​lies the incomprehensible mystery of the infinite truth and love of God.

The Son of God voluntarily took upon Himself the guilt of all people and suffered for it a shameful and most painful death on the cross; then on the third day he rose again as the conqueror of hell and death.

Why was such a terrible Sacrifice needed to cleanse the sins of mankind, and was it possible to save people in another, less painful way?

The Christian doctrine of the death of the God-man on the cross is often a "stumbling block" for people with already established religious and philosophical concepts. Both many Jews and people of the Greek culture of the apostolic times seemed contradictory to the assertion that the almighty and eternal God descended to earth in the form of a mortal man, voluntarily suffered beatings, spitting and shameful death, that this feat could bring spiritual benefit to mankind. "It's impossible!"- objected one; "It is not necessary!" others argued.

The Holy Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians says: “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in the wisdom of the word, so as not to abolish the cross of Christ. For the word of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing, but for us who are being saved, it is the power of God. where is the wise man, where is the scribe, where is the questioner of this world? Has not God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness? and the Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, for the Jews a stumbling block, and for the Greeks foolishness, for the very called ones, Jews and Greeks, Christ, God's power and God's wisdom"(1 Corinthians 1:17-24).

In other words, the apostle explained that what in Christianity was perceived by some as temptation and madness, is in fact the work of the greatest Divine wisdom and omnipotence. The truth of the atoning death and resurrection of the Savior is the foundation for many other Christian truths, for example, about the sanctification of believers, about the sacraments, about the meaning of suffering, about virtues, about achievement, about the goal of life, about the coming judgment and resurrection of the dead and others.

At the same time, the redemptive death of Christ, being an event inexplicable in terms of earthly logic and even "seductive for those who perish," has a regenerating power that the believing heart feels and strives for. Renewed and warmed by this spiritual power, both the last slaves and the most powerful kings bowed with trepidation before Golgotha; both dark ignoramuses and the greatest scientists. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles became convinced by personal experience of what great spiritual benefits the atoning death and resurrection of the Savior brought them, and they shared this experience with their disciples.

(The mystery of the redemption of mankind is closely connected with a number of important religious and psychological factors. Therefore, in order to understand the mystery of the redemption, it is necessary:

a) to understand what actually is the sinful damage of a person and the weakening of his will to resist evil;

b) it is necessary to understand how the devil's will, thanks to sin, got the opportunity to influence and even captivate the human will;

c) one must understand the mysterious power of love, its ability to positively influence a person and ennoble him. At the same time, if love reveals itself most of all in sacrificial service to one's neighbor, then there is no doubt that giving one's life for him is the highest manifestation of love;

d) one must rise from understanding the power of human love to understanding the power of Divine love and how it penetrates the soul of a believer and transforms his inner world;

e) in addition, in the atoning death of the Savior there is a side that goes beyond the limits of the human world, namely: On the cross there was a battle between God and the proud Dennitsa, in which God, hiding under the guise of weak flesh, emerged victorious. The details of this spiritual battle and Divine victory remain a mystery to us. Even Angels, according to ap. Peter, do not fully understand the mystery of redemption (1 Pet. 1:12). She is a sealed book that only the Lamb of God could open (Rev. 5:1-7)).

In Orthodox asceticism, there is such a thing as bearing one's cross, that is, the patient fulfillment of Christian commandments throughout the life of a Christian. All difficulties, both external and internal, are called "cross." Each bears his life's cross. The Lord said this about the need for personal achievement: "Whoever does not take up his cross (turns away from the feat) and follows Me (calls himself a Christian), he is not worthy of Me"(Matthew 10:38).

“The cross is the guardian of the whole universe. The Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross is the power of the kings, the Cross is the faithful affirmation, the Cross is the glory of the angel, the Cross is the plague of the demon,- affirms the absolute Truth of the luminaries of the feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross.

The motives for the outrageous desecration and blasphemy of the Holy Cross by conscious crusaders and crusaders are quite understandable. But when we see Christians drawn into this heinous deed, it is all the more impossible to be silent, for, according to the words of St. Basil the Great, “God is given up in silence”!

Differences between the Catholic and Orthodox cross

Thus, there are the following differences between the Catholic cross and the Orthodox:

1. most often has an eight-pointed or six-pointed shape. - four-pointed.


2. Words on a tablet on the crosses are the same, only written in different languages: Latin INRI(in the case of a Catholic cross) and Slavic-Russian IHCI(on an Orthodox cross).


3. Another fundamental position is the position of the feet on the Crucifixion and the number of nails . The feet of Jesus Christ are located together on the Catholic Crucifix, and each is nailed separately on the Orthodox cross.


4. different is image of the Savior on the cross . The Orthodox cross depicts God, who opened the way to eternal life, and the Catholic cross depicts a man in torment.

Material prepared by Sergey Shulyak

Orthodoxy and Catholicism are major branches of the Christian faith. The two world religions have significant differences, both ritual and canonical, but there are also similarities.

In the Catholic and Orthodox tradition, the cross is sacred. It depicts Jesus Christ, who endured torment and death for the salvation of the human race. Believers wear crucifixes on their chests as a symbol of faith. For a long time, the appearance of body crosses has changed, but today the crosses in Orthodoxy and Catholicism have several significant differences.

Golden Orthodox cross with a crucifix "Estet" 01R660929 with a diamond

The form

The main difference between the Orthodox cross and the Catholic one is its shape. The Catholic cross looks simpler and has a quadrangular shape. In Orthodoxy, six- and eight-pointed crosses are common. The six-pointed cross has two horizontal bars, and the eight-pointed one also has a lower, oblique one. The upper crossbar was nailed over the head of the convict and the crimes committed by him were listed on it, and the lower one - the foot - symbolizes the "righteous measure": on one side of the scales are sins, on the other - the good deeds of people.

Children's silver Orthodox cross with a crucifix SOKOLOV 94120134_s

Silver Orthodox cross with a crucifix SOKOLOV 95120097_s

However, along with the eight-pointed cross, the Orthodox Church also accepts two other common designs of the cross: the six-pointed cross (it differs from the eight-pointed one in the absence of a small, upper crossbar) and the four-pointed one (it differs from the six-pointed one in the absence of an oblique crossbar).

Golden Orthodox cross with a crucifix "Ural Jewelry Factory" 3-02789-013 with enamel

crucifixion

Another important difference between the Orthodox and Catholic crosses is the image of Jesus Christ. On Catholic crosses, the image of Jesus Christ is depicted dead or suffering torment. His head and hands are often lowered, his palms are clenched into a fist, and his legs are crossed and nailed with one nail.

Children's silver Orthodox cross with a crucifix SOKOLOV 94120104_s

On the Orthodox cross, Christ is depicted as resurrected: his palms are open, and his arms are straight or raised up, as if he spread them in his arms towards believers. On Orthodox crosses, Christ's legs are not crossed, but nailed with two nails, each separately. Such a symbolic position of the Savior on the Orthodox cross testifies to the Lord's victory over death and the subsequent resurrection, personifies His mercy to people and the salvation of the human race.

The main differences between the Catholic and Orthodox crucifixion

First difference. On the Orthodox Crucifix, Jesus is nailed to the Cross with 4 nails, and on the Catholic - 3.

The second difference. The most basic. The Catholic Crucifixion (Cross) is naturalistic and extremely sensual, while the Orthodox one is more spiritual. At the same time, on the Catholic Crucifixes, Jesus is depicted with a suffering face, a body sagging in his hands, a crown of thorns on his head, as well as with wounds and blood. The classic Orthodox icon of the Crucifixion depicts Jesus the Conqueror. His appearance demonstrates Divine peace and majesty. Christ does not hang helplessly in his arms, but soars in the air, as if inviting the whole Universe into his arms. The Mother of God steadfastly empathizes with the sufferings of the Son.

The iconography of the Orthodox Crucifixion received its dogmatic justification only in 692. It was enshrined in the eighty-second rule of the Tula Cathedral. The main condition is the harmonious combination of the realism of Divine Revelation and true history. The figure of Christ expresses peace and majesty. The Lord opens his arms to all those who want to turn to him. In this iconography, the rather difficult task of depicting the two hypostases of Christ - the Divine and the Human, which simultaneously demonstrate both death and the complete victory of Jesus over it, is successfully solved.

It is worth noting that the Catholics did not accept the rules of the Tula Cathedral, abandoning their early views. In addition, they did not accept the symbolic spiritual image of the Savior.

This is how the Catholic type of crucifixion appeared in the Middle Ages, where the naturalism of human torment becomes predominant. The head of Jesus, crowned with a crown, crossed feet, additionally nailed with one nail - an innovation of the 13th century. The anatomical details of the Catholic image, clearly conveying the veracity of the execution itself, hide the main event - the triumph of Jesus, who conquered death and reveals eternal life to us.

A few more important details

The outstretched arms of Jesus in an Orthodox crucifix should be straight. They should not sag under the weight of a dying body.

A distinctive feature of the Catholic Crucifixion are both feet of the Savior crossed and pierced with a nail. In the Orthodox tradition, Jesus is depicted crucified on 4 nails.

The palms of Christ on the Orthodox Crucifix are necessarily open. It is worth saying that the issue of the inadmissibility of depicting the bent fingers of the Savior on icons under Catholic influence was raised by the clerk Viskovaty in 1553. Even though he was condemned for his reasoning about the iconography of those times, the arguments he provided about the need to depict precisely open palms were recognized as correct, after which the controversial icons were subject to rewriting.

There are no naturalistic traces of Christ's suffering in the Orthodox cross.

The crown of thorns is an attribute of the Catholic crucifixion, which is extremely rare in the Orthodox tradition (on Easter artos, for example).

Common features

Back in the 9th century, St. Theodore the Studite taught that "a cross of any shape is a true cross."

It is obvious that in Catholicism there are no clear rules about the crucifixion. On the most ancient crucifixes, the Savior is depicted alive, in clothes, and additionally crowned with a crown. The crown of thorns, blood and wounds that are collected in a bowl appear only in the Middle Ages with other details that have a mystical or symbolic meaning.

Those. in the Romanesque era, or in the east, where the Greek tradition was successfully preserved, there are no significant differences between the Catholic and Orthodox crucifixions. Naturalism and realism arose in the Gothic era, after which they received a special development in the Baroque period. Features of such naturalism passed into the religious painting of Russia in the Synodal period, although, of course, they cannot be considered examples of the canon.

It is important to emphasize that Catholic and Orthodox crucifixes depict two sides of one important event. Just as on Catholic images depicting suffering, hopelessness and death, the subsequent resurrection and victory of Christ are implied, so, looking at Orthodox crucifixes, which depict the triumphant Savior the Victor, we clearly understand that He suffered His suffering for the sins of all mankind.

The Christian (Orthodox) pectoral cross is a symbol of faith that a person receives at the moment of his initiation into the faith - Baptism and wears of his own free will all his life until his last earthly days. It is designed to protect, protect from troubles and misfortunes, bring inspiration and remind of the essence of faith.

The cross has an ancient history, it appeared long before Christianity in different cultures: Eastern, Chinese Indian and others. Archaeologists find ancient impressions of the cross in the rock carvings of the caves of Scandinavia, Easter Island, India, Japan….

The cross personifies the great balance, harmony in the Universe, carries a deep secret meaning of the knowledge accumulated by our ancient ancestors. The cross acquired its sacred (hidden deep) meaning after Jesus Christ was crucified on it.

There are people who wear a cross as a decoration, as a tribute to fashion, while not considering themselves believers. Is it forbidden? Of course not, for such a person the cross will serve as an ornament, completely devoid of the meaning of those things that we have indicated above.

What is the difference between the Orthodox cross and the Catholic

The eight-pointed cross with ancient people is considered the most powerful protective amulet against evil spirits and all kinds of evil. Although the hexagon was also widely used.

There is an opinion that Catholics and Orthodox have different forms at the cross. How to distinguish an Orthodox cross from a Catholic one? In general, an Orthodox believer should not have such a question, since any form of the cross is acceptable for such a believer. Rev. Theodore the Studite wrote:

"The cross of every form is the true cross."

And although the shape and meaning of the cross have changed over the centuries, some attributes have been added, but since Christ accepted the sacrifice on it, it has become a symbol of the victory of good over evil.

The Lord himself spoke about how important this symbol is for every believer:

« Whoever does not take up his cross (shirks the feat) and follows Me (calls himself a Christian), he is not worthy of Me» (Matthew 10:38). -24).

Serbian Patriarch Irinej says:

« There is no significant difference between Latin, Catholic, Byzantine, and Orthodox crosses, as well as between any other crosses used in the service of Christians. In essence, all crosses are the same, the differences are only in form.».

But what is the meaning of all the faces of the cross and what do they mean?

The Orthodox often wore six-pointed crosses, when the lower crossbar was added, symbolizing the “righteous measure”: sins are on one scale, and righteous deeds are on the other.

For the Orthodox, the shape of the pectoral cross should not matter, much more important is the information that is indicated on it.

• The inscription "Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews" on the crosses is the same, only they are written in different languages: in the Catholic Latin script "INRI", in the Orthodox - Slavic-Russian "IHЦI". Sometimes it has this form "IC" "XC" - the name of Jesus Christ;
• Often on the back of the cross there is an inscription "Save and save."
• At the very bottom, sometimes in a different place you can see the inscription "NIKA" - which means Winner.

• Another distinctive feature is the position of the feet on the Crucifixion and the number of nails. The feet of Jesus Christ are located together on a Catholic crucifix, and each separately is nailed to an Orthodox cross.

• Western Christians (Catholics) portray Jesus as exhausted and dead to them, he is a human being. For the Orthodox, Jesus is God and man rolled into one; his crucifixion most often has a flat image. Catholics make it more voluminous.
• Catholics have a crown of thorns on the head of Jesus, Orthodox Christians do not cover their heads.

But once again I repeat, in fact, all these differences are not so significant.

And yet, choosing a cross and a child for yourself, give preference to the one without a crucifix. With all the love for Jesus and filled with gratitude and reverence, remember that the crucifixion contains the energy of pain and suffering, which presses on your soul and heart chakra, filling your already full of suffering life. Think…. Watch this video:

And remember that the cross is just a symbol of faith and cannot replace faith itself.