Background o the cross

Crosses

A Brief Background on The Cross
Crosses are a sacred emblem of the Christian faith. They are 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. It is doubtful if it was used by the Greeks; the Romans, who inflicted it only on slaves and criminals of the lowest class, probably borrowed it from the Carthaginians, among whom its use was frequent.

Besides the simple stake, the Romans used three kinds of crosses: the Tau cross, crux commissa, sometimes called St. Anthony's Cross, the Latin Cross, crux immissa, or St Andrews Cross, the crux decussata. By general tradition it was on a crux immissa that Christ died, but some hold is was the Tau cross.

The death of Christ on the cross conferred a new significance on them 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, their use had been to that point restricted and private among the Christian themselves. The Cross, then as today, is embraced as The symbol of Love, Hope, Redemption, Comfort, and Peace.