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Christian symbols
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_symb.htm
13 facing upwards
11 facing to the left
10 facing to the right
None facing downwards.
We also found a satirical essay "Experts concerned about backward Jesus fishes" which
suggested, with tongue in cheek, that fish swimming to the right is "a duplicitous tool of
Satan, the Lord of Lies...Our children are viewing these fish and are losing their grip on
morality....These backwards fishes, and all their inherent evils could destroy a society." 13
The most meaningful orientation is probably to have the fish swimming to the left, as is
shown above. The symbol then resembles the first letter of the Greek alphabet, alpha. That
recalls Revelation 1:8:
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which
was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (King James Version).
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_symb.htm
The use of the cross as a symbol was condemned by at least one church father of the 3rd
century CE because of its Pagan origins. The first appearance of a cross in Christian art is on a
Vatican sarcophagus from the mid-5th Century. 11 It was a Greek cross with equal-length arms.
Jesus' body was not shown. The first crucifixion scenes didn't appear in Christian art until the
7th century CE. The original cross symbol was in the form of a Tau Cross. It was so named
because it looked like the letter "tau", or our letter "T". One author speculates that the Church
may have copied the symbol from the Pagan Druids who made crosses in this form to
represent the Thau (god). 7 They joined two limbs from oak trees. The Tau cross became
associated with St. Philip who was allegedly crucified on such a cross in Phrygia. May Day, a
major Druidic seasonal day of celebration, became St. Philip's Day. Later in Christian history,
the Tau Cross became the Roman Cross that we are familiar with today.
The shape of the original crucifixion device is a matter for speculation. Sometimes, the
Romans executed people on a Tau cross, sometimes on a Roman cross and sometimes on a
simple stake. The gospels, which were originally written in Greek, use the word "stauros" to
refer to the execution structure. (see Mark 15:21, Mark 15:32, Matthew 27:32, Luke 23:26,
John 19:17). Acts 5:30 refers to "hanging him on a tree." 1 Peter 2:24 says "He himself bore
our sins in his body on the tree."
Deuteronomy 21:23 stated that a person hung on a tree was be cursed by God. This verse
was a major stumbling block that prevented many Jews from accepting Jesus as the Messiah.
According to author Graydon F. Snyder:
"[Today's]....universal use of the sign of the cross makes more poignant the striking lack of
crosses in early Christian remains, especially any specific reference to the event on Golgotha.
Most scholars now agree that the cross as an artistic reference to the passion event cannot be
found prior to the time of Constantine."
More on the pre-Christian history of the cross symbol
"From its simplicity of form, the cross has been used both as a religious symbol and as an
ornament, from the dawn of man's civilization. Various objects, dating from periods long
anterior to the Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of different designs, in
almost every part of the old world." 9 The cross symbol was found in: 10
Scandinavia: The Tau cross symbolized the hammer of the God Thor.
Babylon: the cross with a crescent moon was the symbol of their moon deity.
Assyria: the corners of the cross represented the four directions in which the sun shines.
India: In Hinduism, the vertical shaft represents the higher, celestial states of being; the
horizontal bar represents the lower, earthly states.
Egypt: The ankh cross (a Tau cross topped by an inverted tear shape) is associated with
Maat, their Goddess of Truth. It also represents the sexual union of Isis and Osiris.
Europe: The use of a human effigy on a cross in the form of a scarecrow has been used
from ancient times. In prehistoric times, a human would be sacrificed and hung on a cross.
The sacrifice would later be chopped to pieces; his blood and pieces of flesh were widely
distributed and buried to encourage the crop fertility.
References
D.T. Kauffman, Ed., "Baker's Concise Dictionary of Religion", Baker Book House, Grand Rapids MI,
(1985), Page 13.
J.C. Cooper, "An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols", Thames & Hudson, London, UK,
(1979), Page 68-69.
Information about the fish wars can be seen at:
The Fish Wars http://www.expocity.com/.
See also http://www.meangene.com/
Evolution Observed at: http://www.rof.com/
Ring of Fire catalog at: http://www.rof.com/
B.G. Walker, "The Woman's Encyclopaedia of Myths and Secrets", Harper & Row, San Francisco CA
(1983), Page 313-314
J.C. Cooper, op cit, Page 15.
B.G. Walker, "The Woman's dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects", Harper Collins, San Francisco
(1988)
B.G. Walker, "The Woman's Encyclopaedia" op cit, Page 188-190
The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Vol. VII, Page. 506
J.C. Cooper, op cit, Page 45-47.
B.M. Metzger, M.D. Coogan, "The Oxford Companion to the Bible," Oxford University Press, (1993),
Page 57
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_symb.htm