Catholic Crucifixes
The argument has been long and heated in favor of and against the use of Catholic Crucifixes. The protestant Christian claims these symbols are forms of idolatry and the Catholic Christians believe their crucifixes are most precious and meaningful to their fundamental beliefs.
Ours is not to argue the validity of who is the Christian and who is the pagan or the worshipper of idols. Ours is simply to convey the wondrous message that true Catholics today believe; that is to understand their love and devotion of the risen Christ and the elements of worship the Catholic finds when surveying the crucified Christ. Behold if you will, the Catholic Crucifixes in portraiture, sculpture or simply in thought.
Whether your beliefs are of the Protestant or Catholic faith, you must agree that nothing ignites an argument more quickly than that of religion. Even politics become the stepchild of importance in the wake of pontification of such sport and when the simple cross or the crucifix is mentioned, there are no holds barred!
Modern western civilization frequently, if not always recognizes crucifixes as being of the Catholic faith. This is true to an extent. However to get a better picture, we should climb out of our microscopic corner and peer around the globe. There, we find that crucifixes are a part of most religious services that are open and public within the Anglican, Orthodox and Coptic Christian churches. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria or the Egyptian Orthodox church of Alexandria was the authorized name of the biggest Christian church in Egypt.
Catholic Crucifixes depict the feet of Jesus as overlapping or on top of each other, whereas the Eastern rendition place his feet side by side. You will also find the crown of thorns a western tradition.
In speaking of the Catholic Crucifixes, we would be remiss in lack of acknowledgement of those opposed to the Christ on the cross. The major objection to the crucifix within the Protestants is they serve a risen savior, not the dying or dead man on the cross.
Catholicism, however, sees it differently, and cites the Holy Bible New Testament book in support of this usage. I Corinthians, chapter one and verse twenty-three reads, “We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block.”
Catholic Jewelry Crucifixes, or roods, are very important in the whole picture for Catholic mass. Some authorities cannot place the crucifix in free use before the thirteenth century. Others insist that it was venerated, in fact adored as early as the fifth century.
Catholics maintain the use of the crucifix was not only Holy, but also very practical. In the early days, Christians were illiterate. Some ninety percent of the population could not read, and of course mass production from the printing press centuries away. Thus, the awe-inspiring paintings and symbols within the church were ways for the illiterate to “read”. Many churches of the glorious and not-to-distant-past filled their windows with the story of the Crucifixion and other stories from the four Gospels. This was yet another way for the early church to display the complete story of the Christ.
The Catholic church maintains there is dignity in the Catholic Jewelry that they implement and display because these crucifixes represent their love and adoration for their savior.
In the Roman Empire, the cross symbolized a victorious figure because crucifixion was such a brutal method for putting a criminal to death. Of course the Christian looked upon the victory quite differently; seeing the victory in the risen Christ, the defeat of sin and death, and therefore turned the Roman’s savagery to their Lord’s glory.
Later the body of Christ was painted onto a portrait of a cross, and then figures of Christ were carved or molded and added. In some instances, the sculpted body representing the Christ was fastened onto a cross with nails.
The Catholic Church maintains that it and its parishioners do not worship the crucifix. They use it as a gentle reminder. The crucifix rendered in any form reminds the Catholic of what was accomplished at Golgotha on the cross.
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