Everything about Crucifix totally explained
A
crucifix (from
Latin cruciare meaning "to torture") is a
cross with a representation of
Jesus' body, or corpus. It is a principal symbol of the
Christian religion. It is primarily used in the
Catholic,
Anglican, and
Eastern Orthodox Churches and emphasizes Christ's sacrifice— his death by
crucifixion.
The Crucifix
On some crucifixes a
skull and crossbones are shown below the
corpus, referring to Golgotha (Calvary), the site at which Jesus was crucified—"the place of the skull." It was probably called "Golgotha" because it was a burial-place, or possibly because of a legend that the place of Jesus' crucifixion was also the burial place of
Adam. The standard, four-pointed Latin crucifix consists of an upright stand and a crosspiece to which the sufferer's arms were nailed.
The
Eastern Christian crucifix includes two additional crossbars: the shorter nameplate, to which
INRI was affixed; and the shorter stipes, to which the feet were nailed, which is angled upward toward penitent thief St. Dismas (to the viewer's left) and downward toward impenitent thief Gestas (to the viewer's right). It is thus eight-pointed. The corpora of Eastern crucifixes tend to be two-dimensional
icons that show Jesus as already dead, as opposed to the depictions of the still-suffering Jesus that can be found in some other Churches. Also, Eastern crucifixes have Jesus' two feet nailed side by side, rather than one atop the other, as Western crucifixes do. The crown of thorns is also generally absent in Eastern crucifixes.
Another depiction shows a triumphant risen Christ (clothed in robes, rather than stripped as for his execution) with arms raised, appearing to rise up from the cross, sometimes accompanied by "rays of light."
Usage
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Coptic Christians generally use the crucifix in public religious services. They believe the crucifix is in keeping with Scripture, which states that “We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.”
Prayer in front of a crucifix is often part of devotion for Christians, especially those worshipping in a church, and private devotion in a chapel. The person may sit, stand, or kneel in front of the crucifix, sometimes looking at it in contemplation, or merely in front of it with head bowed or eyes closed. In the Roman Catholic Mass, and
Anglican Holy Eucharist, a
procession begins
Mass in which a crucifix is carried forward into the church followed by lector and servers, the priest, deacon, along with some of the other items used in the service such as the
Gospels and the altar candles. Eastern Christian liturgical processions also include a crucifix at the head of the
procession.
The crucifix is also considered by some to be one of the most effective means of averting or opposing
demons, as stated by many
exorcists, including the famous exorcist of the Vatican, Father
Gabriele Amorth. In folklore it's considered to ward off
vampires,
incubi,
succubi, and other evils.
Gallery
Image:Krucifix.jpg|crucifix in front of the Holy Spirit Church in Košice, Slovakia
Image:Small crucifix.jpg|A handheld crucifix
Image:Baux-de-provence-eglise-st-vincent-crucifix.jpg| A crucifix in a church, with votive candles.
Image:CrcifxStP1010002.JPG|A crucifix outside an Anglican church[In Petersfield,Hampshire
Image:Cross on Church.JPG|A crucifix on the wall of a Manhattan church.
Image:Bretagne Finistere StJeanTrolimon 11037.jpg|a "Calvaire" in Finesere, Britanny, a typically Breton form of crucifix with additional images of saints at Calvary and scenes from the Passion.
]Further Information
Get more info on 'Crucifix'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://crucifix.totallyexplained.com">Crucifix Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
