Jws Are Not The First A Restoration Light Bible Study
Disclosure http://reslight.net/cross.html
(20) Many are aware of the
"Jehovah's Witnesses" (JWs) belief that Jesus did not die on a cross,
and think that this idea originated from them. There were others, however, who
held to this idea long before the JWs took up the teaching. We have not been
able to obtain a specific date, but JWs evidently did not begin their avoidance
of the cross symbol until either the 1930s or 1940s. However long before this,
back in 1896, J. D. Parsons wrote in his book, The Non-Christian Cross:
"There is not a single sentence in any of the numerous writings forming
the New Testament, which, in the original Greek, bears even indirect evidence
to the effect that the stauros used in the case of Jesus was other than an
ordinary stauros; much less to the effect that it consisted, not of one piece
of timber, but of two pieces nailed together in the form of a cross.... It is
not a little misleading upon the part of our teachers to translate the word
stauros as 'cross' ...without carefully explaining that that was at any rate
not the primary meaning of the word in the days of the Apostles, did not become
its primary signification till long afterwards, and became so then...despite
the absence of corroborative evidence." (Pages 23, 24) Even earlier, in
the year 1874, we find the following in The Imperial Bible Dictionary
(Edited by P. Fairbairn, London,
1874, Vol. I, Page 376): "The Greek word for cross, [stau�ros'],
properly signified a stake, an upright pole, or piece of paling, on which
anything might be hung, or which might be used in impaling [fencing in] a piece
of ground. . . . Even amongst the Romans the crux (from which our cross is
derived) appears to have been originally an upright pole." Additionally,
Bullinger, who died in 1913, said concerning the word stauros:
"It never means two pieces of timber placed across one another at any
angle, but always of one piece alone. Hence the use of the
word xulon (No. 2, above) in connection with the manner of our Lord's death,
and rendered "tree" in Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29. Galatians 3:13. 1 Peter 2:24. This is preserved in
our old English name rood, or rod. See the Encycl. Brit., 11th (Camb.) ed.,
volume 7, page 505d."(Companion Bible, Appendix 162, See the
full quote close to the end of this document) According to the Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine,
"STAUROS....denotes, primarily, an upright pale or stake. On such
malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroo, to
fasten to a stake or pale, are originally to be distinguished from the
ecclesiastical form of a two beamed cross. The shape of the latter had it's origin
in ancient Chaldea, and was used of the symbol of of the god Tammaz
(being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name in that country
and adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent.
A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain
doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the
apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were recieved into the churches apart
from regeneration of faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan
signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in it's most
frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the cross
of Christ." From http://reslight.net/cross.html
Other Reference For
Constantine’s Cross Vision Plus Must More Open
C
Since the 1930s Jehovah's Witnesses have taught that Christ died
suspended not on a cross, but on a torture stake. The New Testament word
for cross is stauros, which can refer either to a cross or to a
single upright position stake without a crossbeam; Jehovah's Witnesses accept
only the latter meaning, believing the cross to be a pagan
symbol. Cruciform symbols do antedate Christianity; see cross for
more information.
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Cross Plus More--- http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Christian_cross#Forms_of_the_Cross
Forms of the Cross –Compare the Below With What
is In-- CrossPlus.htm
The cross is often shown in different shapes and sizes, in many
different styles. It may be used in personal jewelry, or used on top of
church buildings. It is shown both empty, and with the body of Christ (corpus)
nailed to it, in which case it is typically called a crucifix.
Roman Catholic depictions of the cross
are often crucifixes, in order to emphasize Christ's sacrifice; but many Protestant
traditions depict the cross without the corpus, in order to emphasize the
resurrection.
Crosses are a prominent feature of Christian cemeteries,
either carved on gravestones or as sculpted stelae.
Because of this death meaning, planting small crosses is sometimes used in
countries of Christian culture to protest
alleged deaths.
Crosses have been erected or carved on pagan sites of worship like mountain
tops or menhirs
to counter their influences. In Catholic countries, crosses are often
erected on the peaks of prominent mountains, such as the Zugspitze
or Mount Royal, so as to be visible over the entire
surrounding area.
Perhaps the best-known form of the Christian cross is that depicted
here, called the Latin cross, an equal-armed cross with a longer foot. It
may be so called because it is the type of cross used in the Latin (Roman
Catholic) church, as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox cross.
Other forms of the Christian cross include:
- the Celtic Cross, with the crossing circled, as
in the standing High crosses;
- St. Andrew's Cross, the decussate
cross that takes the form of the Roman numberal 10, an 'X' shape or saltire,
the symbol of Scotland;
- the Cross of Lorraine, with a smaller bar
above the main horizontal one;
- the Eastern Orthodox Cross, like the Cross
of Lorraine, sometimes with a crossbar at the bottom (☦);
- the Maltese Cross or Greek
Cross with all members the same shape and form;
- the Cross of St. Peter, an upside down
cross, also a symbol of Satanism;
- the
Cross of St. Anthony, or Tau Cross,
because it is shaped as a capital 'T'.
In heraldry,
while the overwhelming majority of forms of crosses are symbolic of Christianity,
it should be noted that a very few, such as the cross moline,
are not. See cross (heraldry).
See also: Christian symbolism, Sign of the Cross
Compare the crossed circle of the Norse god Odin. 'Cross'
itself is a word taken from Old
Norse, which supplanted the former word 'rood' in Old English. See Roodmas, Rood
screen, Rood loft.
Alternative
theological views of the cross
A number of Christian Anabaptist
theologians including John
H. Yoder and Walter Wink suggest an alternative reading of the
cross in Jesus's teaching. Instead of seeing Jesus instructions to
"take up the cross" as simply a spiritual call to endure
suffering, they interpret the phrase as a call to a life of radical
Christian discipleship that may end in death at the hands of
the state. For these theologians, accepting the possibility of crucifixion
(often the penalty for political prisoners in Roman times) means rejecting
the use of violence as well. This view would be most prevalent
among Mennonites
and other Peace churches with a history of martyrdom.
This view is for the most part shared by Roman Catholic and Orthodox
theologians, with the exception that they do not completely reject the use
of violence.
Since the 1930s Jehovah's Witnesses have taught that Christ
died suspended not on a cross, but on a torture stake. The New Testament
word for cross is stauros, which can refer either to a cross
or to a single upright position stake without a crossbeam; Jehovah's
Witnesses accept only the latter meaning, believing the cross to be a pagan
symbol. Cruciform symbols do antedate Christianity; see cross for
more information.
For Muslims and Jews the symbol of the Cross or Religious
Icons are sacrilegious
as God cannot be depicted in any physical form. For more on Jesus see Non-Christian perspectives on
Jesus
Further reading
External links
ja:十字架 uk:Хрест
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Encyclopedia Index: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q
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