| A Background
on the Cross and Crucifix
The cross is sacred emblem of the Christian faith. It is a symbol
of redemption, signifying Christ's death on the cross for man's
sins.
The cross and crucifixion was an instrument and method
of capital punishment widely used in ancient times. The victim of
this cruel punishment was either impaled on or bound to an upright
stake or else fastened by cords or by nails through the hands and
feet to an upright post with a crossbar. In either case he was then
left to die of exhaustion, thirst or wounds Under the Romans crucifixion
was always proceeded by scourging. Often the legs of the victim
on the cross would by broken by mallets to accelerate the death,
this was considered an act of mercy. With broken legs, the victim
would be unable to use the legs to aid in breathing and overall
support. The lungs would then typically fill quickly and the victim
would asphyxiate.
The death of Christ on the cross conferred a new significance
on crosses in there various forms which to that point had been associated
with pre-Christian religions that were often directly opposed to
Christianity (the ankh of Egypt, the swastika of India, and the
Tau cross of the Greeks). It was not however till the time of Constantine
that crosses were publicly used as the symbol of the Christian religion.
Crucifixes would not develop to the form we see today until the
middle ages.
The 13th century saw the theological importance of
the Incarnation and the humanity of Jesus advance greatly which
radically transformed the stylized Byzantine crucifixes such as
the San Damiano, into crucifixes showing Jesus’ body twisted
and bleeding on the cross. These realistic objects became the centerpiece
of veneration in churches and cathedrals, and then as now, were
and are favored objects of contemplation for both mystics and laity
alike.
The Renaissance painters and sculptors of the 15th
century, transform the image of Jesus yet again. Christ’s
arms are outstretched, his head bowed, his eyes closed, but his
body is no longer wracked with pain. Instead, he is modeled on the
Greek ideal of taut muscularity, displaying serenity rather than
agony. The optimism of the Renaissance regarding human nature and
the body stands in stark contrast with medieval realism. |
