The use of the cross in worship started in Ancient
Babylon as part of the rebellion of Nimrod and his son
Tammuz and his mother-wife Semiramis.
The worship of the snake, Fire, the sun, and the
sexual organs, all originated in Ancient Babylon
The cross was originally a symbol of that union,
and did not find its way into Christian Art until almost
700 years after the death of Christ.
"The Cross had its origin in ancient Chaldea (Babylon),
and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz
(being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial
of his name)."
--Vine's Expository Dictionary
of New Testament Words
Apostate Christendom has adopted the cross of
the pagans, and in doing so - she has added just
another vestige of Ancient Babylonian worship
to her corruption.
This along with pagan holidays like Christmas
and Easter, that originated in Ancient Babylon,
all of these corruptions are the reason that
False religion is called "Babylon-The-Great".
Yes, by adopting Ancient Babylonian Beliefs,
rituals, traditions, holidays, and worship -
including the "trinity" and "Nameless LORD"
worship - it makes it easy to identify who
is part of the Mystery of Revelation - known
as the Harlot - "Babylon-The-Great".
Jesus did not die on a cross - in fact the cross
was not used as a religious symbol by Christians
until Rome took over Christianity and made it a
state religion. Then the cross of the pagans was
adopted to stand for the instrument that Jesus
was impaled upon.
A tradition of the Apostate Church which our
fathers have inherited, was the adoption of the
words "cross" and "crucify".
These words are nowhere to be found in the Greek
of the New Testament. These words are mistranslations,
a "later rendering", of the Greek words stauros and
stauroo.
"crosses were used as symbols of
the Babylonian Sun-god..."
--The Companion Bible; pg 162
Dr. Bullinger
"the cross was a pagan symbol
borrowed by the Christians and
interpreted in the pagan manner."
--The Encyclopaedia Britannica,
11th edition, vol. 14, p. 273
"all things indicate that sex worship
is long anterior to sun worship. And yet,
both sex worship and sun worship were
mingled with each other. They were tenets
that mingled together under the
same faith."
--The Masculine Cross
and Ancient Sex Worship; 1874
By By Sha Rocco; ISBN 0977100324
"Serpent Worship, next to the adoration of
the phallus, is one of the most widespread
and persistant forms of religion that the
world has ever known. There is not a
country of the ancient world where it cannot
be traced, pervading every known faith and
system of theology, and leaving abundant
proof in its monuments, symbols, and temples.
That the serpent was a phallic symbol, there
is no doubt, for its worship is coequal with
that of the phallus, and formed part of every
sex-worshipping religion that ever existed.
--Chaper VIII
The Serpet and The Cross
"Common among the Ancinets was the Cross;
an image made of wood or stone, in representation
of the union of the lingam and yoni. The cross
was merely a simplification of the congress of
the sexes."
-- Sex Worship: An Exposition
of the Phallic Origin of Religion
By Clifford Howard
Published 1898; pg 154-170
Chicago Medical Book Co.
"From time immemorial the cross has been used
as a religious symbol. There is no portion of
the earth inhabited by man and no time in the
history of the world - that it has not been found.
The cross primarily represented the divine union
of the sexes. At first, however, the use of the
cross in any form was not permitted by the early
Christian Church, because it was a pagan symbol,
and its introduction into Christian celebration
was regarded as rank profanation, and sternly
forbidden."
-- Sex Worship: An Exposition
of the Phallic Origin of Religion
By Clifford Howard
Published 1898; pg 154-170
Chicago Medical Book Co.
Did Jesus Die on a Stake ?
Many scholars believe that Jesus died on
an upright Stake rather than a "cross" -
According to a literal translation of the bible
Jesus died on a "tree" or "stake" - and NOT
on a cross. Both of the words used to describe
his execution "stauros" and "xylon" are literally
translated as tree or stake, and never had any
other meaning. The word "cross" did not appear
in any Bible translation, until Rome adopted the
Cross of the pagans.
"his body shall not remain all night upon the tree,
but thou shalt surely bury him the same day;
for he that is hanged is accursed of God..."
(Deuteronomy 21:23)(ASV)-BibleGateway
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law,
having become a curse for us;
for it is written, Cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree. "
(Galatians 3:13)(ASV)-BibleGateway
"A stauros was a mere stake,
and horrible to contemplate,
it was used in the cruelest fashion
to execute criminals
and other persons..."
- Jesus: God, Man, or Myth
(The Truth Seeker, 1950)
FIRST - LET'S LOOK AT WHAT
THE APOSTLES HAD TO SAY :
If a contemporary artist had stood before the dying Jesus
on Golgotha, he might have left us an authentic portrayal
of that highly significant event. But no artwork of this kind
is in existence, and certainly later tradition is not conclusive.
Nevertheless, we do have the recorded words of an
eyewitness.
Who was he?
As Jesus looked down from that implement of torture and death,
he saw "the disciple whom he loved," the apostle John.
To him Jesus committed the care of his mother, Mary.
(John 19:25-30)
So, John was there.
He knew whether Jesus died on a cross or not.
What did John Say ?
To designate the instrument of Christ's death,
John used the Greek word "stawros".
(John 19:17, 19, 25)
In classical Greek, 'stawros' denotes the same thing
that it does in the common Greek of the Christian Scriptures -
primarily an upright stake or pole with no crossbar.
'stauros': "Literally an upright stake, pale, or pole...
As an instrument of execution."
-The Jnterpreter's Dictionary of the Bible
"The Greek..... 'stauros', 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,
and this always remained the more prominent part."
-The Imperial Bible Dictionary.
Most of the time, the noun stauros (stake)
and the verb stauroo (impale)
are used in connection with Jesus Christ's death.
These two words appear 74 times in the New Testament.
The New Testament uses the word 'tree' five times
to refer to Christ's death. The references are found in
Acts 5:30, 10:39, 13:29, Galatians 3:13 and 1 Peter 2:24.
In rendering Deuteronomy 21:22, 23 ("stake")
and Ezra 6:11 ("timber"), the translators of the Septuagint Version
employed the Greek word xylon, the same term that Paul used
at Galatians 3:13. It was also the one employed by Peter,
when he said that Jesus "bore our sins in his own body
upon the stake." (1 Pet. 2:24)
"When they had carried out all that was written about him,
they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb."
"We are witnesses of everything he did
in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They killed him by hanging him on a tree."
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
by becoming a curse for us, for it is written :
"Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;
by his wounds you have been healed. "
"The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--
whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. "
CROSS - IS A WRONG TRANSLATION
OF "STAUROS"
"The New Testament word 'cross' is an incorrect
translation of the Greek word stauros. The word
"stauros" referred to any upright wooden stake
firmly fixed in the ground. A stauros could serve
a variety of purposes as, for example, a pole in
a picket fence. The word stauros also represented
a pointed stake used for impalement of human beings.
This was an ancient form of punishment used to
publicly display the bodies of executed criminals."
-The New International Dictionary
of New Testament Theology
"It is not a little misleading upon the part of our teachers
to translate the word 'stauros' as 'cross' - when rendering
the Greek documents of the Church into our native tongue...
that was... not the primary meaning of the word
in the days of the Apostles."
-The Non-Christian Cross, by J. D. Parsons (London, 1896)
Pp. 23, 24
"A tradition of the Church which our fathers
have inherited, was the adoption of the words
"cross" and "crucify." These words are nowhere
to be found in the Greek of the New Testament.
These words are mistranslations, a "later rendering,"
of the Greek words stauros and stauroo."
-The New International Dictionary
of New Testament Theology
NOW - LET'S LOOK AT WHAT THE SCHOLARS
HAVE TO SAY :
Was Christ Hung on a Cross ?
TO MANY millions of people the answer to this question
seems as simple as the three-letter word "Yes".
To serious students of both ancient history and the Bible
the answer is even simpler, as simple as the two-letter word "No!"
It is common knowledge in this enlightened age that the Bible
was not first set down in English. Consequently, to settle the question
as to whether Christ was hung on a cross or not - it is necessary
to consult the original Hebrew and Greek languages in which the Bible
was originally written. Manuscript copies of the original accounts,
some of which copies date back to within fifty years of the originals,
are available to scholars. Besides these, the original words are defined
and explained in dictionaries or lexicons written in modern English.
And, in addition, there are dependable encyclopedias, histories, etc.,
to which reference can be made.
"It may come as a shock to know
that there is no word such as 'cross'
in the Greek of the New Testament.
The word translated 'cross'
is always the Greek word [stau·ros']
meaning a 'stake' or 'upright pale.'
The cross was NOT originally a Christian symbol;
it is derived from Egypt and Constantine."
-Dual Heritage-The Bible and the British Museum
"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."
- The Non-Christian Cross;
John Denham Parsons
"If Jesus had been executed, mythically or historically,
it would NOT have been with outstretched arms on a
cruciform structure. Cutner reports that scholars
have been aware of the error but have been unable to
resist the TRADITIONAL MISTRANSLATION.
In the 18th century - some Anglican bishops recommended
eliminating the cross symbol altogether, but they were ignored.
There is no cross in early Christian art before the middle of the
5th century."
- Jesus: God, Man, or Myth (The Truth Seeker, 1950)
"Another...tradition of the Church
which our fathers have inherited,
was the adoption of the words 'cross' and 'crucify'.
These words are nowhere to be found
in the Greek of the New Testament." (Koster, p. 29).
-Koster, C.J. Come Out of Her My People. Johannesburg, RSA:
Institute for Scripture Research, 1998.
"Homer uses the word 'stauros' - of an ordinary pole or stake,
or a single piece of timber. And this is the meaning and usage
of the word throughout the Greek classics.
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' [which means a timber]
in connection with the manner of our Lord's death,
and rendered tree in Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Gal. 3:13;
and 1 Pet. 2:24.
. . .There is nothing in the Greek N.T. even to imply two
pieces of timber. . . The evidence is thus complete,
that the Lord was put to death upon an upright stake,
and not on two pieces of timber placed at any angle."
- The Companion Bible,
published by the Oxford University Press.
On page 186 in the "Appendixes"
Prophecy Points To A "TREE" -
NOT A Cross
"you must not leave his body on the tree overnight.
Be sure to bury him that same day,
because anyone who is hung on a tree
is under God's curse. "
(Deuteronomy 21:23)(NIV)-BibleGateway
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
by becoming a curse for us, for it is written :
"Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
(Galatians 3:13)(NIV)-BibleGateway
Hence the Jewish Christians would hold as accursed
and hateful - the stake upon which Jesus had been executed.
Says the celebrated Jewish authority, Moses Mai.mon'i.des,
of the 12th century:
'They never hang upon a tree which clings to the soil by roots;
but upon a timber uprooted, that it might not be an annoying plague:
for a timber upon which anyone has been hanged is buried;
that the evil name may not remain with it and people should say,
"This is the timber on which so-and-so was hanged."
So the stone with which anyone has been stoned; and the sword,
with which the one killed has been killed; and the cloth or mantle
with which anyone has been strangled; all these things are buried
along with those who perished.' "
- (Apud Casaub. in Baron. Exercitat. 16, An. 34, Num. 134)
" 'Consequently since a man hanged was considered
the greatest abomination- the Jews also hated more than other
things the timber on which he had been hanged, so that they
covered it also with earth, as being equally an abominable thing.' "
- Kalinski in Vaticinia Observationibus Illustrata, page 342
MODERN DAY CHRISTIANS - TREAT THE CROSS -
IN THE SAME WAY - AS THE PAGANS DID
IN ANCIENT TIMES
"'In the Egyptian churches,
the cross was a pagan symbol of life
borrowed by the Christians
and interpreted in the pagan manner'."
-The Encyclopedia Britannica,
11th edition, vol. 14, p. 273
"It was not until Christianity began to be PAGANIZED
that the cross came to be thought of as a Christian symbol."
- Babylon Mystery Religion; Ralph Woodrow (pg 50)
"STAUROS denotes, primarily, an upright pole
or stake...Both the noun and the verb stauroo,
to fasten to a stake or pole, are originally
to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical
form of a two-beamed cross. The shape of the latter
had its origin in ancient Chaldea (Babylon),
and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz
(being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial
of his name)... By the middle of the 3rd century A.D.
the churches had either departed from,
certain doctrines of the Christian faith.
In order to increase the prestige of the apostate
ecclesiastical system pagans were received into
the churches apart from regeneration by faith,
and were permitted largely to retain their pagan
signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its
most frequent form, with the cross piece lowered,
was adopted..."
-Vine's Expository Dictionary
of New Testament Words
"crosses were used as symbols of the
Babylonian Sun-god...It should be stated
that Constantine was a Sun-god worshipper...
The evidence is thus complete, that the Lord
was put to death upon an upright stake,
and NOT on two pieces of timber placed
at any angle."
-Dr. Bullinger, The Companion Bible, appx. 162
Wasn't it a Roman Custom
To execute Evildoers on Crosses ?
Not Always !
- read the evidence below -
"A stauros was a mere stake,
and horrible to contemplate,
it was used in the cruelest fashion
to execute criminals and other persons...I
t was sometimes pointed and thrust through
the victim's body to pin him to earth; or he was
placed on top of the stake with it's point upwards
so that it gradually pierced his body;
or he was tied upon it and left exposed till death
intervened; and there were other methods too.
There is not a scrape of evidence
that a stauros was ever in the form of a cross
or even of a "T" shape......"
- Jesus: God, Man, or Myth
(The Truth Seeker, 1950)
"Beside scourging, according to the gospel accounts,
only the simplest form of Roman crucifixion comes into
consideration for the infliction of punishment upon Jesus,
the hanging of the unclad body on a stake. . .Anything other
than a simple hanging is ruled out by the wholesale manner
in which this execution was often carried out : 2000 at once by Varus"
-- (Jos. Ant. XVII 10. 10), by Quadratus (Jewish Wars II 12. 6),
by the Procurator Felix (Jewish Wars II 15. 2),
by Titus (Jewish Wars VII. 1)." - P. W. Schmidt ; pp. 387-389
"Crosses must have been commonly of the simplest form
(Stakes - without crossbeam), because they were used
in such marvellous numbers. Of Jews alone, Alexander
Jannaeus crucified 800, Varus, 2000, Hadrian, 500 a day;
and the gentle Titus so many that there was no room
for the crosses, nor crosses for the bodies."
-Smith's Dict. of the Bible.
The Latin word used for the instrument on which Christ died was 'crux'
which, according to Livy, a famous Roman historian
of the first century C.E., " it means a mere stake. "
The 'crux simplex' was a
"a mere stake 'of one single piece WITHOUT transom [crossbar]. "
-The Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological,
and Ecclesiastical Literature
"Trees were not everywhere available at the places chosen
for public execution. So a simple beam was sunk into the ground.
On this the outlaws, with hands raised upward and often also
with their feet, were bound or nailed....Jesus died on a simple death-stake."
- Das Kreuz und die Kreuzigung (The Cross and the Crucifixion),
by Hermann Fulda, Breslau, 1878, p.109, pp. 219, 220
"Lipsius and other writers speak of the single upright stake
to which criminals were bound as a cross,
and to such a stake the name of crux simplex has been applied."
- The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Edition
" 'In Livy,' even crux means a mere stake "
- Smith's "Dictionary of the Bible "
DID EARLY CHRISTIANS
USE A CROSS IN THEIR WORSHIP ?
NO !
"The representation of Christ's redemptive death on Golgotha
does not occur in the symbolic art of the first Christian centuries.
The early Christians, influenced by the Old Testament prohibition
of graven images, were reluctant to depict even the instrument
of the Lord's Passion."
-New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), Vol. IV, p. 486
"There was NO use of the crucifix
and NO material representation of the cross."
-A History of the Christian Church (New York, 1897),
J. F. Hurst, Vol. I, p. 366.
"Most scholars now agree that the cross,
as an artistic reference to the passion event(Jesus' death),
cannot be found prior to the time of Constantine."
--Archaeological Evidence of Church Life
Before Constantine (1985),
by Professor Graydon F. Snyder, page 27
An early Christian wrote this to the pagans -
thus showing the early Christian attitude
toward their pagan Crosses.
"Crosses, moreover,
we neither worship - nor wish for.
You, indeed, who consecrate gods
of wood, adore wooden crosses
perhaps as parts of your gods. . ."
-(The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 4, p. 191)
Minucius Felix - 3rd Century
"It was not until Christianity began to be PAGANIZED
that the cross came to be thought of as a Christian symbol."
- Babylon Mystery Religion; Ralph Woodrow (pg 50)
IN CONCLUSION :
Regardless of whether Jesus died on a Stake or a Cross -
we must be careful not to place his instrument of execution
as something sacred. We must not idolize it, nor pray before it,
nor adore it as something wonderful. For the Bible warns us about
idolatry and also says that the instrument of Christ's death was
an abomination.
What really is important is the fact that Jesus remained faithful
to Jehovah God, even up to death.
"Jesus was humble. He obeyed God..."
(Philippians 2:8)(CEV)-BibleGateway
"He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death...."
(Phil. 2:8)
Instead of idolizing a cross - we should show our appreciation
for everything that Christ has done for us, and will do for us
in the near future.
Surely, the instrument of Jesus' suffering and death would not merit
reverence, worship, or adoration any more than would the gallows
on which a beloved one might have died unjustly. Moreover,
God's Word prohibits such veneration, for it says, "flee from idolatry"
and "guard yourselves from idols." (1 Cor. 10:14; 1 John 5:21).
The Cross and Ancient Sex Worship
A shocking Look
at the Origin of the Cross
in Ancient Sacred Worship
The Cross was originally
a Symbol of Phallic (Sex) Worship.
The Cross - The Idol of Babylon
Later - Adopted by Rome
The cross is a very ancient religious symbol that
got it's start in Ancient Babylon. It was from
here that this symbol spread to other pagan relgions
around the world. Even Egyptian tombs are decorated
with this religious symbol, often in the form of
the ankh cross.
Eventually, even pagan Rome embraced the Cross in
her religious worship as well. It is well known
among the pagans of the world that the cross represent
the union of the male with the female and is thus
considered a "Phallic Symbol".
How offensive this must be to Christ - to have the
symbol of sex worship adopted by Christendom for
use in their apostate worship of him. And worse yet,
is the fact that the instrument upon which he was
tortured - is used by Christendom as an idol of
worship.
The stake or tree upon which a criminal was executed,
by Jewish law was considered an "Abomination", and
certainly nothing to kiss or bow down before.
The Cross as an Idol :
"Yet the cross itself is the oldest of phallic emblems,
and the lozenge-shaped windows of cathedrals are proof
that the yonic symbols have survived the destructions
of the pagan Mysteries. The very structure of the church
itself is permeated with phallicism. Remove from the
Christian Church all emblems of Priapic origin
and nothing is left..."
-The secret teaching of all ages; by Manley P. Hall
"The practice of making the Sign of the Cross
originated in Babylon as people paid homage to
their Messiah, Tammuz..."
-The Two Babylons; Alexander Hislop
"the crucifix was not always the symbol
of Christianity but ,in fact, it started out
as a Pagan Roman symbol."
-ROMAN RELIGION
Mark Brown and Farsheed Khosmood
"It was not until Christianity began to be PAGANIZED
that the cross came to be thought of as a Christian symbol."
- Babylon Mystery Religion; Ralph Woodrow (pg 50)
"The magic virtues attributed to the so-called sign of the cross,
the worship bestowed on it... was used in the Babylonian Mysteries,
was applied by Paganism to the same magic purposes."
-The Two Babylons; Alexander Hislop
"You certainly, who worship wooden gods,
are the most likely people to adore wooden crosses."
- Minucius Felix, Christian of the 3rd Century
"The Vestal virgins of Pagan Rome
wore it (the cross) suspended from their necklaces,
as the nuns do now. "
- The Two Babylons ; Alexander Hislop
Why should we Reverence and love the horrible image
that was used to cruelly kill our Savior ! ???
THE CROSS - CHRISTENDOM'S IDOL
For many people, the portrayal of Jesus on the cross
is sacred. In fact, some people have made the cross itself
an object of adoration. Many people in Christendom bow
down before the Cross or use it as a symbol by which to pray,
or as a magical charm (amulet) by which to seek divine protection.
Christendom uses the CROSS in much the same way as the
ancient pagans did.
"The Vestal virgins of Pagan Rome
wore it suspended from their necklaces,
as the nuns do now. "
- The Two Babylons ; Alexander Hislop
"You certainly, who worship wooden gods,
are the most likely people to adore wooden crosses."
- Minucius Felix, 3rd Century
"...he maketh a god, even his graven image;
he falleth down unto it and worshippeth,
and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me...
an abomination....
shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?"
(Isaiah 44:17,19)(ASV)-BibleGateway
"The magic virtues attributed to
the so-called sign of the cross,
the worship bestowed on it...
was used in the Babylonian Mysteries,
was applied by Paganism to the same
magic purposes (as used by Christians now)."
-The Two Babylons; Alexander Hislop
“From the most remote antiquity
the cross was venerated in Egypt and Syria;
it was held in equal honour by the Buddhists
of the East; . . . about the commencement of our era,
the pagans were wont to make the sign of a cross
upon the forehead in the celebration of some of
their sacred mysteries.”
-The Ancient Church; by W. D. Killen
"the cross represents the Tree of Life,
the age-old fertility symbol,
combining the vertical male
and horizontal female principles,
especially in Egypt,"
- An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols,
J.C. Cooper, p.45
"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."
-The Encyclopedia Britannica
(Eleventh Edition, Vol. VII, p. 506)
"The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol of life
-- the ankh, a tau cross surmounted by a loop
and known as crux ansata -- was adopted
and extensively used on Coptic Christian monuments."
(The New Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition,
1995, volume 3, page 753)
"The symbol of Phallic worship, the cross,
has become the emblem of Christianity...
We find the cross in India, Egypt, Tibet, Japan,
...it was worn as an amulet...as a symbol of
what was, to them, a religious calling.
The cross...a significant emblem of its pagan origin;
it was adored, carved in temples, and worn as a
sacred emblem by sun and nature worshipers.
-The Christ; by John E. Remsburg
"The origin of the Ankh has been ascribed
to a combination of the male Tau and the female oval
representing unity of the sexual organs.
it was adopted by early Egyptian Christians,
as their ‘cross’."
--SUN DISC TO CRUCIFIX; THE CROSS
A short illustrated history; by Ian McNeil Cooke
(Hieroglyphs in an ancient Ptolemaic Egyptian frieze,
from "The Cross Revealed", by Crichton E. M. Miller.)
"Various figures of crosses are found everywhere
on Egyptian monuments and tombs,
and are considered by many authorities as symbolical
either of the phallus [a representation of the male sex organ]
or of coition (sexual intercourse). . . In Egyptian tombs -
the crux ansata [cross with a circle or handle on top]
is found side by side with the phallus."
—A Short History of Sex-Worship (London, 1940),
H. Cutner, pp. 16, 17
Hence, the cross does not have
what some might term a "Christian" origin.
EARLY CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE
TOWARD THE "CROSS"
"Crosses, moreover,
we neither worship nor wish for.
You, indeed, who consecrate gods
of wood, adore wooden crosses
perhaps as parts of your gods. . ."
-(The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 4, p. 191)
Minucius Felix - 3rd Century
"The representation of Christ's redemptive death
on Golgotha does not occur in the symbolic art
of the first Christian centuries.
The early Christians, influenced by the Old Testament
prohibition of graven images, were reluctant to
depict even the instrument of the Lord's Passion."
—New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), Vol. IV, p. 486
"There was no use of the crucifix
and no material representation of the cross."
—A History of the Christian Church (New York, 1897),
J. F. Hurst, Vol. I, p. 366.
"You certainly, who worship wooden gods,
are the most likely people to adore wooden crosses."
- Minucius Felix, 3rd Century
"Most scholars now agree that the cross,
as an artistic reference
to the passion event(Jesus' death),
cannot be found prior to the time of Constantine."
—Ante Pacem—
Archaeological Evidence of Church Life
Before Constantine (1985),
by Professor Graydon F. Snyder, page 27.
"They did not focus on Jesus the man crucified
on the cross like a common criminal - so they
did not make images of that aspect of his life
in the 3 and 4th centuries. To them the cross as
a common instrument of execution was as much an
abomination as the electric chair to many today."
- The Image of Christ;
Book Review by Bobby Matherne ©2003
VENERATION OF THE CROSS -
"That this custom came at last to be superstitious is
evident. After the boasted vision of Constantine,
and the invention and the multiplication of the wood,
in the name of the cross, had supplied the whole world,
many superstitious practices of the heathen were adopted,
perverting the faith, and changing the significant sign of
Christ's name into the present sign of the murderous tree."
- Veneration of The Cross; Gibbon, chap.xx
"Veneration of the Cross -....in the first ages of Christianity,
when converts from paganism were so numerous,
and the impression of idol-worship was so fresh,
the Church found it advisable NOT to permit
the development of this cult of images;
but later, when that danger had disappeared,
when Christian traditions and Christian instinct
had gained strength, the cult developed more freely."
- II. CATHOLIC DOCTRINE ON THE VENERATION OF THE CROSS
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV
Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company
Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight
Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor
Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
"It may come as a shock to know
that there is no word such as 'cross'
in the Greek of the New Testament.
The word translated 'cross'
is always the Greek word [stau·ros']
meaning a 'stake' or 'upright pale.'
The cross was not originally a Christian symbol;
it is derived from Egypt and Constantine."
-Dual Heritage—The Bible and the British Museum
"It is not a little misleading upon the part of our teachers
to translate the word 'stauros' as 'cross' when rendering
the Greek documents of the Church into our native tongue...
that was... NOT the primary meaning of the word
in the days of the Apostles."
-The Non-Christian Cross, by J. D. Parsons
(London, 1896) —Pp. 23, 24
see also The Companion Bible (London, 1885),
Appendix No. 162.
" 'In Livy,' even crux means a mere stake "
- Smith's "Dictionary of the Bible "
(Livy - famous historian)
"Another...tradition of the Church
which our fathers have inherited,
was the adoption of the words 'cross' and 'crucify'.
These words are nowhere to be found
in the Greek of the New Testament."
-Koster, C.J. Come Out of Her My People.
Johannesburg, RSA: page 29
Institute for Scripture Research, 1998.
"The Vestal virgins of Pagan Rome
(who served the goddess "Vesta")
wore it (the cross) suspended from their necklaces,
as the nuns do now. "
- The Two Babylons ; Alexander Hislop
"Crosses, moreover - we neither worship -
nor wish for. You, indeed, who consecrate
gods of wood - adore wooden crosses
perhaps as parts of your gods. . ."
-(The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 4, p. 191)
Minucius Felix - 3rd Century
Could our blessed Lord himself be pleased
with the evil instrument that was used to kill him?
Could HE want us to make an idol of the wood
on which HE was nailed, then lifted up, and left
to drink the vinegar and the gall in death?
Can it be pleasing in HIS sight for HIS followers
to make an ornament of the image of the instrument
on which HE was hung and cruelly nailed to,
amid the scoffs and jeers of the chief priests and rulers
of his Father's chosen people ?
Can it be pleasing to the blessed Jesus to behold His followers
glorying in the image of that instrument of capital punishment
on which HE was tortured and shamefully suffered upon ?
Surely, the instrument of Jesus’ suffering and death
no more merits such reverence than would the gallows
on which a beloved one might have died unjustly.
Moreover, God’s Word prohibits such veneration,
for it says, "flee from idolatry"
and "guard yourselves from idols."
(1 Cor. 10:14; 1 John 5:21).
DEGRADING HISTORY OF THE CROSS
"We may add that the crux ansata of the Egyptians,
may be shown to be a sex symbol, the union of the oval
with the upright being of symbolic significance.
The crux ansata is found in the hand of most of the Egyptian deities.
It is found in the Assyrian temples
and throughout the temples of India as well. Prehistoric
monuments of Ireland have the same design. Priests are
portrayed in adoration of the crux ansata before phallic
monuments. This symbol, from which our modern cross is
doubtless derived, originated with the religions of
antiquity. Much additional evidence could readily be
given to illustrate this prehistoric origin. The present
Christian symbol affords another example of the adoption
by a new religion of the symbols of the old."
-The Sex Worship and Symbolism
of Primitive Races
by Sanger Brown II., M. D.
"the origin of many church customs and symbols,
and indeed of a great number of obscure customs
and usages, may quite properly be traced to the
religions and practices of primitive races."
-The Sex Worship and Symbolism
of Primitive Races
by Sanger Brown II., M. D.
"The symbol of Phallic worship, the cross,
has become the emblem of Christianity.
We find the cross in India, Egypt, Tibet,
and Japan...it was worn as an amulet and seems
to have been specially worn by the women attached
to the temples as sacred prostitutes, as a symbol
of what was, to them, a religious calling.
The cross is, in fact, nothing but the phallus,
and in the Christian religion is a significant
emblem of its pagan origin; it was adored,
carved in temples, and worn as a sacred emblem
by sun and nature worshipers, long before there
were any Christians to adore, carve, and wear it."
- The Christ by John Remsburg,
Prometheus Books, 1994
"the symbols of the sexual energy were retained
in things like the Christian cross."
-Sex, Religion & Magick:
a concise overview; by Asa Rhadon
`
HOW IS THE CROSS
LINKED TO "SEX WORSHIP"?
"Various figures of crosses
are found everywhere
on Egyptian monuments and tombs,
and are considered by many authorities
as symbolical either of the phallus
[a representation of the male sex organ]
or of coition (sexual intercourse). . . .
In Egyptian tombs
the crux ansata
[cross with a circle or handle on top]
is found side by side with the phallus."
—A Short History of Sex-Worship (London, 1940),
H. Cutner, pp. 16, 17;
see also The Non-Christian Cross, p. 183.
"the cross itself
is the oldest of phallic emblems"
- The secret teaching of all ages
by Manley P. Hall
"The Vestal virgins of Pagan Rome
wore it suspended from their necklaces,
as the nuns do now. "
- The Two Babylons ; Alexander Hislop
This extraordinary golden cross
depicts four phalli (Penis)
with a circle of female pudenda (vaginal openings)
around the four testicles in the centre.
It was designed to be suspended from the neck
and is thought to have been intended
for someone of high rank.
Found at San Agata di Goti, Naples, Italy,
during the early 19th century
"The erect penis was commonly used
in religions of early Mediterranean
and West Asian civilisations
to show the procreative
and protective properties
of various deities....
there is concrete evidence
of links between the cross
and the phallus(penis)
in classical pagan civilisations,
a link which was to continue
into Christian art and mythology
not only in the image
of various types of cross
with their symbolism
of protection and renewal (fertility),
but in the adoration of
phallic pagan deities
disguised as ‘saints’ -
Cosmo, Damiano, Foutin, Guerlichon,
Gilles, Rene, Regn, Arnaud, Guignole -
figures associated with phallic rituals
designed to give fertility,
health or just ‘good luck’.
Many of these ceremonies
were carried out in churches
under auspices of the resident priest
as recently as the early 19th century."
-SUN DISC TO CRUCIFIX
THE CROSS
A short illustrated history
Ian McNeil Cooke
Venerating an Abominable Image
Surely, the instrument of Jesus’ suffering and death
no more merits such reverence than would the gallows
on which a beloved one might have died unjustly.
Whether Christ died by stoning, gunshot, knife,
or guillotine - we would never want to use such an
instrument as an object of veneration, prayer or worship.
Moreover, God’s Word prohibits such veneration,
for it says, "flee from idolatry"
and "guard yourselves from idols."
(1 Cor. 10:14; 1 John 5:21).
Could our blessed Lord himself be pleased
with the evil instrument that was used to kill him?
Could HE want us to make an idol of the wood
on which HE was nailed, then lifted up, and left
to drink the vinegar and the gall in death?
Can it be pleasing in HIS sight for HIS followers
to make an ornament of the image of the instrument
on which HE was hung and cruelly nailed to,
amid the scoffs and jeers of the chief priests and rulers
of his Father's chosen people ?
Can it be pleasing to the blessed Jesus to behold His followers
glorying in the image of that instrument of capital punishment
on which HE was tortured and shamefully suffered upon ?
Why should a rational man make an image of the instrument
of our Savior's death - kiss it, wear it as an ornament
around his neck, bow down before it - and even adorn a
building of worship with it?
Why should we Reverence and love this horrible image
that was used to cruelly kill our Savior ! ???
It is monstrous.
Were the crown of thorns taken from the Saviour's wounded
head, or the nails which fastened His hands and His feet
to the tree, or the sword used to pierce his side -
really brought to our view, they would surely be objects
of abhorrence to every loving heart.
Suppose we take up reverently in honour, and glory in,
and even kiss a weapon which had been used to slay
our best friend - an instrument which brought someone
we loved - to an untimely, shameful, and agonising death !
No mortal in his senses is capable of such perverseness,
yet many, under the delusion of the cross, are daily
guilty of such a thing.
It was in this light - that the Holy Crosses of the
pagan nations - were venerated, honored, worshipped,
and idolized.
Many Christians have overstepped the Bible's
commandments concerning the instrument of Christ's
death and have turned it into a type of God- into an idol.
They adore it, they bow down before it, they pray
in front of it, and they attribute special powers
to it. Indeed they have turned the cross into
an idol by which they worship - In direct rebellion
to God's words. Remember that the stake or cross that
Christ died on was used to harm and hurt him, to
kill and humiliate him. Why would we honor and
venerate a wooden instrument used for such a horrible
deed ?
"Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image,
nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that
is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not
bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them, for
I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God..."
The End
The End
Newageofactivism.com: You may have a point there.
Source:http://babylon-the-great.xanga.com
Source:http://babylon-the-great.xanga.com
