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The Lutheran Rose is also known as Martin Luther's seal, or as his coat of arms. Its first known representation was on a signet ring ordered by Prince John Frederick in 1530, as a gift for Martin Luther, then living under the Prince's protection in Coburg Castle. The seal was designed to represent the basics of Luther's theology, and this is how Luther himself explained it to the town clerk of Nuremberg:
"As you wish to know whether I have selected my seal - the symbol of my theology - correctly, I will share with you the first concepts I had about this seal when designing it. The cross must come first, black and within a heart, which has its natural colour, so that I can be reminded that it is our faith in Christ crucified which makes us blessed and happy. He who sincerely believes, will be righteous... Such a heart should be placed in the centre of a white rose, to grant my faith joy, comfort and peace... This is why the rose must be white and not red, as white is the colour of all spirits, souls and angels. Such a rose in turn is in the middle of a sky-coloured field symbolizing heaven; my joy in faith is the beginning and my heavenly bliss is the future. The golden ring around the sky coloured field is a symbol of my eternal happiness in heaven, a bliss which is greater than all joy and possessions. It is gold as gold is the most precious and exquisite ore.". |
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The Anchor: Like many Christian symbols, the anchor has pre-Christian meanings as well. In ancient times it was regarded as a symbol of safety, and so it is to Christians, and is among the earliest of Christian symbols. The triple symbol of the Cross, Anchor and Heart, represents the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. The anchor is the symbol of Hope, where Christ is the unfailing hope of salvation for all who believe in Him.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast...
Hebrews 6:19
In fact, the anchor is a Chrismon, a monogram of Christ, in that it is actually a stylized form of the Alpha and Omega (A W -- see below), shown in lower case Greek letters, and metamorphosed.
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The Menorah: As do many Lutheran churches, Hope has a menorah among its altar vessels and lights. As one of the special vessels from the Temple of Jerusalem, the menorah is part of our identity as people of God, and a visible reminder of Christianity's Old Testament heritage. It harkens back to Christ's teaching in the Temple, his driving out of the money-changers and merchants, and his betrayal at the behest of the scribes and pharisees. Like the other vessels in the sanctuary, the menorah has symbolic value. According to Judaic thought, it is a reflection of the way that the soul finds its expression in this world. The menorah represents the fire of the soul and its ceaseless desire to rise to the Godhead. Its seven branches represent seven channels of spiritual self-expression. According to Cristian thought, its seven lights represent the seven flames of Pentecost, the visitation of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus ten days after his ascension.
The lights of the menorah represent the victory of monotheism over classical paganism, a light that has endured for two thousand years. |
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The Orb Cross, or Triumphant Cross, symbolizes the final victory of Christ and His reign over the world. The orb cross is a common feature among the crown jewels of the world's Christian monarchies, a vestige of the concept of the divine right of the king, annointed by God, to rule his people. The cross itself represents Christ, while the orb (or ball) below represents the Earth, and reminds Christians that the world needs Christ, the King of Kings.
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The Latin or Passion Cross, also known as the long or Crusaders' cross, is a representation of the cross of the Crucifiction and is the cross most often seen in the heraldry of Western Christendom. It can appear in a wide array of variations from the very plain to the extremely ornate. Here, adorning a Lenten parament, it takes the form of an ornate cross botonée, an heraldic term referring to the stylized ends of the cross's arms, depicting them as trefoils of leaves, petals, or simple disks.
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This is the logo chosen to represent Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church at Saint John, N.B. It combines the Lutheran Rose -- symbolising our Evangelical Lutheran faith, with the anchor cross -- symbolising hope. The cross of the anchor bears an escutcheon displaying the Dannebrog in tribute to our Danish founders. At the base of the anchor is the scallop or cockle shell, the token of Saint John the Baptist, for whom our city was named. In heraldic terms the whole device states "Hope Evangelical Lutheran, Saint John".
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The scallop shell, or escallop, or cockle shell, is the token of both Santiago el Grande -- St James the Great, and of Saint John the Baptist. It is also the emblem of pilgrims taking the Strange Road to St James' main shrine at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. Most importantly, it is a symbol representing the sacrament of Holy Baptism. This association between Baptism and the scallop shell comes from early Christian artworks, some found within the Roman catacombs, depicting Saint John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan with water poured from a scallop shell. The three drops of water represent God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in whose names Christ commanded his disciples to baptize all nations.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 28:19
And he said unto them: Go ye into all the world and preach to every creature. He that believeth in me and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mark 16:16
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This symbol is a Chrismon, a monogram of Christ formed by combining the Greek letters iota and chi, the initials of the Greek spelling of Iesu Christos, Jesus Christ. Shown here against a sky field within a golden circle it represents Christ as the Lord of Heaven through all eternity.
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Alpha and Omega, A and W, are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; they represent Christ as the beginning and the end of all things, unto eternity. In Christian heraldry the letters may appear separately or in combination with each other, or with other Christian symbols.
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.
Revelation 1:8
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The Chi Cross is another Chrismon, a monogram of Christ, formed of a combination of the Cross, either Latin or Greek, with the Greek letter chi, which is the first letter of the Greek spelling of Christ. Together, the two symbols represent Christ the Son of God incarnate, and the crucifiction of Christ, a shorthand summary of the life and mission of our Saviour on this Earth. Shown here against a star field within a golden circle it represents Christ as the eternal Lord of the Universe.
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The Chi-Rho Cross is another Chrismon, a monogram of Christ, formed of a combination of the Greek letters chi and rho, which are the first two letters of the Greek spelling of Christ. It is seen frequently in the catholic church, either plain, stylized, or in combination with a variety of related symbols.
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The exact origin of the fish, or stylized fish, as a Christian symbol is unclear, but we do know that it was used extensively by early Christians. Its main association with Christianity comes from its acrostic interpretation: fish written in Greek is ichthys or "icquV", a shorthand script for Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, or Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. It is seen variously by itself, together with the Greek script, or formed into a cross. It is sometimes combined with the Greek letter rho either plain or stylized as a shepherd's crook, to form a stylized Chi-Rho Chrismon. It also provides one of the three elements of the Messianic Seal seen below.
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The Messianic Seal, a symbol dating from the 1st century A.D. and used by Jews who accepted the Evangelist's message of salvation, is one of Christianity's oldest symbols. The seal is a combination of two potent Jewish symbols -- the menorah of the Temple and the Magen David -- with the "icquV" symbol of the first Christians. This seems to have been done in a conscious effort to draw the two religious viewpoints together, at least in symbols, connecting the traditions of the Old Testament with the Gospels of the the New Testament.
In the present era the Messianic Seal is seeing renewed popularity with two quite different groups. It is the symbol of choice for Messianic Jews -- Jews who accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah while still retaining their Jewish faith and identity.
The seal is also popular with and instrumental for Christians who are making the effort to evangelize the Jews for the purpose of converting them to Christianity. Shown here alight with the flames of Pentecost it offers an excellent symbol of missionary endeavour.
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Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after the Resurrection, ten after the Ascension, to commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, according to the promise of Christ. The flames of Pentecost symbolize this event. They are traditionally seven in number and are depicted either as a fire of seven branches or as "cloven tongues like as of fire".
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.
Luke 3:16
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4
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Various animal symbols are used to represent elements of scripture and of Biblical history. The Holy Spirit is sometimes depicted as a dove; Christ is sometimes represented as a lamb. Neither depiction implies a reverence for or worship of the animal so used. Both come from the same scene in the Gospels -- the Baptism of Christ by his earthly cousin Saint John the Baptist.
The depiction of the Holy Spirit as a dove is grounded most beautifully in the description within the Gospel of Saint Matthew:
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3:16-17
The use of the lamb as a representation of Our Lord is founded on the Bible's epic tale of the emancipation of the Jews from bondage in Egypt, and the recurring image of the sacrificial lamb throughout the Scriptures. The specific image of Christ as the "Lamb of God" -- the Agnus Dei, God's sacrifice for the sins of mankind, comes from the Gospel of Saint John the Divine reporting the words of Saint John the Baptist, rendered in Latin as:
Ecce Agnus Dei; ecce Qui tollis peccatum mundi
(or, in English...)
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:29
In Christian symbology the representation of Christ as the Lamb of God, shown with a halo and together with the Cross is known as an Agnus Dei.
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In pagan times many societies regarded the palm as a symbol of victory. It was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of Christ's victory over death, and of their own faith in Christ over their sinful nature. Palms also commemorate Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem:
And a very great multitude spread their garments
in the way; others cut down branches from the
trees, and strewed them in the way.
Matthew 21:8
From the commemoration of this event on Palm Sunday each year Christians have developed the tradition of the blessing of the palms, and of twisting them into crosses. In medieval times the palm cross was the badge of Christian pilgrims or palmers who had made the arduous journey to the Holy Land. Though church historians differ regarding the earliest usage of this blessing, according to Severus, Patriarch of Antioch (A.D. 512-538), circa A.D. 397, Peter, Bishop of Edessa, had decreed the benediction of palms for all churches throughout Mesopotamia, a ceremony that most probably originated at Jerusalem.
The palms blessed on Palm Sunday were in former times used in processions that day; then and now they are taken home by the faithful and retained in prominent places within the house as tokens of faith. The ashes used for the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday are made from palms blessed on Palm Sunday in the previous year.
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The Jerusalem Cross, symbol both of Christianity as a whole, and also of the medieval Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem in particular, consists of a large Greek Cross shown as the heraldic cross potent, the arms of which enclose four smaller plain Greek "crosslets", symbolizing the wounds suffered by Christ on the cross. As a whole, it represents Jerusalem as the centre of Christianity, and has been interpreted as a symbol of our Christian duty to spread the Gospel of Christ to the four corners of the Earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the Name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
teaching them to obey all things
whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway
even unto the end of the world.
Matthew 28:19-20
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The wreath of thorns is of course a representation of the Crown of Thorns placed mockingly on Christ's brow during his crucifiction -- the drops of blood represent Christ's Passion. The legend "INRI" is the acronym for the Latin words which Pontius Pilate caused to be written over the head of Jesus Christ on the cross. The words were Jesvs Nazarenvs Rex Jvdaeorvm or Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. But Latin uses "i" instead of the English "j" so the letters are INRI, not JNRJ.
Latin was the official language throughout the Roman Empire, and that is where the new religion began to spread. Early Christians adopted the acronym of Pilate's Latin inscription INRI, as a symbol. However, as the Apostle John relates, Pilate's title for Christ was written in three languages:
And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
John 19:19-22 |
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The Jelling Stone, erected at the royal tombs at Jelling by King Harald Bluetooth (d. A.D. 987), bears a very Nordic image of Christ along with a runic legend announcing "I united Denmark into one realm and made the Danes Christians." It is regarded as "Denmark's birth certificate". (© -- by permission)
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Candlemas is the commemoration of the Presentation of Jesus Christ at the Temple of Jerusalem and symbolizes his advent as the light of the world, with Simeon prophesying Jesus as:
A light to lighten the Gentiles;
and the glory of thy people Israel.
Luke 2:32
The blessing of candles, traditional since the 11th century, is the common means of commemoration and the origin of the present name. The feast is celebrated on February 2nd, the fortieth day after the birth of Christ, as Levitical law decreed that the period during which women who had newly given birth to male children must abstain from Temple. On the fortieth day Mary came to the Temple, was herself purified according to the law, and presented the Christ child along with the prescribed sacrifice with which to redeem him -- a pair of doves.
Candlemas is celebrated as a feast of Our Lord in the Eastern Church. In the Roman Catholic rite it has been overtaken by the cult of the Virgin Mary, and as a result is largely disused within the Protestant churches. In reaction to Roman usage, during the thirtieth year of his reign King Henry VIII issued the proclamation:
"On Candelmas Day it shall be declared that the bearing of Candles is done in the memory of Christ, the spiritual light whom Simeon did prophesie, as it is read in the Church that day."
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