What is the difference between the Catholic and Orthodox cross?

When Christ, the son of God and man, suffered on the cross (and this is not a religious dogma, but a historical fact), he certainly could not imagine that faith in God would not be united. But History judged differently: now we have not only Orthodoxy and Catholicism, but also a host of other movements within the Christian Church. Even the symbolism of intra-Christian confessions differs: the Orthodox cross differs from the Catholic one, and Protestants do not at all recognize crosses and other symbols revered by the dominant movements of Christianity.

Front and back sides of an Orthodox cross

Is it possible for an Orthodox Christian to wear the Jerusalem cross? Is it necessary to have a crucifix? How do the pectoral crosses of the main Christian denominations differ? Let’s figure it out together!

The split of the Christian Church occurred in the middle of the 11th century as a result of many years of disagreement between Rome and Constantinople. And a little later, dozens more currents separated from it. Even the Orthodox Church is not united!

What does a Catholic and Orthodox cross look like?

Disagreements between the main Christian denominations are, rather, formal in nature and based on insignificant, from the point of view of an ordinary person, details. They relate to the peculiarities of church rituals, interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, external paraphernalia and other particulars.

As an example, consider the differences between the Orthodox and Catholic crosses. There are not as many of them as it seems to the uninitiated. Despite widespread misconceptions, the Orthodox Church accepts crosses of all shapes for consecration: four-, six- and eight-pointed, with and without crucifixes. Catholics often use the simplest four-pointed cross, neglecting additional crossbars.

However, the well-known Jerusalem cross (a large cross surrounded by four small ones) is not included in this list. So it is not recommended to use a shrine brought from the Holy Sepulcher during baptism according to Orthodox custom. But you can wear it. Moreover: the most advanced priests even bless Jerusalem crosses, which seemed impossible just a few decades ago!

The Christian pectoral cross is more characteristic of Orthodoxy. Catholics wear crosses less often, and Protestants completely reject them, believing that true faith does not need any material carriers!

However, let’s return to the main Christian denominations and try to distinguish an Orthodox cross from a Catholic one. Please note the following differences:

• Savior pose. Before the schism of the Christian Church, it was customary to portray Christ as resurrected and triumphant. However, in subsequent centuries, Catholicism began to depict the Savior as suffering, hanging helplessly on the cross.
• Head. The Catholic Christ usually lowers his head powerlessly or raises it up with inexpressible torment on his face. A crown of thorns is often present. The Orthodox Savior is spiritualized and exalted, looking at people with a benevolent expression. There may be a halo with Greek letters denoting “Is That Which Is.”
• Hands. In the Orthodox tradition, Christ’s arms are almost straight, his palms are open – as if he wants to hug all of Humanity. In Catholicism, he hangs on relaxed arms, fingers clenched into fists in pain.
• Legs. Before us is a visual embodiment of the subject of the most fierce debate between Catholic and Orthodox theologians. Catholics believe that the Savior was nailed to the cross with three nails (the feet were placed one on top of the other and pierced with one nail). Orthodox believe that there were four nails, and place Christ’s feet in parallel.
• Title. During the execution of criminals, signs with a list of their crimes were supposed to be nailed on top of the crosses. For Christ they came up with a sarcastic inscription: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” In the Orthodox tradition, such a tablet (titlo) was transformed into the upper bar of an eight-pointed cross. It is usually depicted with the abbreviation I.N.C.I. (Church Slavonic) or I.N.C.I. (Russian). In Catholicism, the Latin abbreviation INRI, meaning the same thing, is written directly on the cross.
• Christogram. On the Orthodox cross there is often a Christogram, that is, the initials of Jesus Christ. Usually it is located on the crossbar of the cross on both hands of the Savior.
• NIKA. This Greek word for “victory” is found only on Orthodox crosses. And no wonder: Emperor Constantine erected a cross with such an inscription in Byzantium (later Constantinople). He believed that it was faith in Christ that helped him defeat his Roman “colleague” Marcus Aurelius (a pagan, of course). And Constantine is considered the first Christian emperor, who was subsequently more revered in Orthodoxy.
• “Bless and save”. We are talking about the inscription on the back of the cross. These words are inscribed exclusively on Orthodox crosses. They can be decorated with bunches of grapes.
• Head of Adamov. We are talking about a symbol that plunges many uninitiated into amazement. Often under the crucifix (usually on Orthodox crosses) a skull and crossbones are depicted. Of course, this is not a pirate “Jolly Roger” or an occult symbol. The fact is that Christian religious doctrine places the grave of the forefather Adam on Calvary. There his remains rested in the ground, which were subsequently washed by the blood from Christ’s wounds. Thus, Christ atoned for the sins of not only our ancestor, but also of humanity as a whole.

As a pectoral cross, Catholics usually use a simple four-armed version without a crucifix. Among the Orthodox, the four-ray version is also common, but the rays have an intricate shape. Crucifixion is more common.

Is it possible for an Orthodox Christian to wear a Catholic cross?

In connection with the above, the question arises whether Orthodox Christians can wear a Catholic cross. Church ministers have very different opinions on this matter.

The most orthodox priests of the old formation refuse to consecrate crosses that bear obvious external signs of Catholic “origin.” As a rule, they sanctify everything with simple crosses, but problems can arise with a crucifix. In particular, they pay attention to the language of the inscriptions (it must be Church Slavonic or Russian) and the number of nails on the crucifix.

More progressive representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church do not prohibit an Orthodox person from wearing a Catholic cross. They naturally believe that the spiritual content of the cross and the degree of Jesus’ sacrificial feat do not depend on the visual nuances of the material object.

With equal success, one can assume that wearing an Orthodox cross is also not prohibited for a Catholic. This can be done fearlessly, without regard to the private opinion of Orthodox priests.

True faith and piety are found within a person and do not depend on the appearance of the cross. You can hang yourself with “correct” crucifixes, even from head to toe, but still commit unseemly acts. Or you can not wear a cross at all, but with all your actions and thoughts you can prove your own piety and adherence to the basic principles of Christianity.

Of all Christians, the Orthodox and Catholics are best known for the veneration of the cross. Everyone knows that the Catholic and Orthodox cross are different from each other, what is the difference?

catholic cross

Most often, Catholics depict the cross as four-pointed.

Four-pointed crosses have been known since the 3rd century. Having once appeared in the Roman catacombs, they remain to this day the main form of depiction of the cross among Catholics. However, Catholics do not attach much importance to the shape of the cross, noting that it is not the basis of the creed. The image of the Savior is not always found on Catholic crosses, but if it is present, then Jesus’ feet are nailed with three nails. Catholics believe that three nails were used in the Crucifixion. Above the head of Jesus there is a tablet on which is written in Latin “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” – INRI. Usually above the head of the crucified person there was a description of his crime. Pontius Pilate did not find another name for the “crime” of the Savior.

Catholic cross: difference from the Orthodox one

The Orthodox cross does not always have an eight-pointed shape, although this is the form of the cross used by Orthodox Christians in the East. A lower crossbar can also be added to an Orthodox cross, which symbolizes the “righteous standard.” On one side of the scale are sins, on the other are the good and righteous deeds of people.

The shape of the cross is also not decisive for Orthodox Christians. Much more important in this case is what is depicted on the cross. So the sign “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” in Orthodoxy looks like IHHI (in Slavic-Russian). Jesus’ feet are not nailed to the cross together and there are only four nails on the crucifix. The letters IC XC on the right and left hand of the Savior are a Christogram and stand for Jesus Christ.

On the reverse side of the Orthodox cross there is always the inscription “Save and Preserve.”

The palms of Jesus on the Orthodox cross are usually open. It’s as if Jesus is taking the world into his arms. On the Catholic cross, the Savior’s hands can be clenched into fists.

The use of the cross also differs: during burial, Orthodox Christians place a cross at the feet of the deceased, and Catholics place a cross at the head of the deceased. However, the rule is not mandatory and mainly depends on the local traditions of Christians. Catholics always install a four-pointed cross on domes (spires near churches), but in Orthodoxy there are different forms of crosses.

Catholic and Orthodox cross – is the difference significant?

The Monk Theodore the Studite wrote “a cross of any form is the true cross.” Neither Catholics nor Orthodox Christians attach much importance to the shape of the cross. The Catholic cross has changed over the centuries, just like the Orthodox one. Thus, until the 10th century, Christ was depicted on the cross as resurrected and triumphant; the image of the dead and suffering Christ appeared only in the 10th century and is more often found among Catholics.

Both in Catholicism and Orthodoxy there are six and eight-pointed crosses, these are the crosses of the hierarchy (archiepiscopal and papal).

The main thing that unites all Christians: if earlier the cross was an instrument of torture and shame, then after Christ’s sacrifice on the cross it became a symbol of the victory of good over evil. The Lord himself spoke about the necessity and significance of the feat of the cross: “He who does not take up his cross (deviates from the feat) and follows Me (calls himself a Christian) is unworthy of Me“(Matthew 10:38). The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, also addressed the topic of the sacrifice of the cross: “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in the wisdom of words, so as not to make the cross of Christ abolish. For the word about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and destroy the understanding of the prudent. Where is the sage? where is the scribe? where is the questioner of this century? Has not God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness? For when the world through its wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. For both the Jews demand miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, for the Jews a stumbling block, and for the Greeks foolishness, but for those who are called, Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God“(1 Cor. 1:17-24).

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