Cross (2)

Cross The statement of Bede relating to the four kinds of wood of which the cross of Christ was made-the upright of cypress, the cross-piece of cedar, the head-piece of fir, and the foot-support of box-de parts from the Eastern tradition, which substitutes olive and palm for the two latter varieties of wood. See CROSS, CHRISTS.

The private use of crosses, or representations of the cross, is highly uncertain before Constantine, though Martigny refers to Perret for certain stones, apparently belonging to rings, on which the cross is engraved, and which appear to be of date prior to Constantine. It seems probable that the use of the monogram prevailed before and during his time, with sacrificial meaning attaching more and more to the cruciform in the Christian mind. See MONOGRAM OF CHRIST.

The following engravings illustrate the various forms which this symbol of Christianity assumed in early times. See CRUCIFIX; see INSCRIPTIONS.