Among the symbols employed by the early Christians, that of the fish seems to have ranked first

in importance. Indeed, from monumental sources such as tombs we know that the symbolic fish
was familiar to Christians from the earliest times. It can be seen in such Roman monuments as
the Capella Greca and the Sacrament Chapels of the catacomb of St Callistus. The fish was
depicted as a Christian symbol in the first decades of the 2nd century.

Ancient people believed that the flesh of a peafowl did not decay after death, and it so became a
symbol of immortality. This symbolism was adopted by early Christianity, and thus many early
Christian paintings and mosaics show the peacock. The peacock is still used in the Easter season
especially in the east.

Here are some of the most popular christian symbols.

The Chi Rho is one of the earliest

cruciform symbols used by Christians. It
is formed by superimposing the first two
letters of the word "Christ" in Greek, chi =
ch and rho = r. Although not technically a
cross, the Chi Rho invokes the crucifixion
of Jesus as well as symbolizing his status as The philosopher A.N.
the Christ. The earliest evidence of the Chi Whitehead said that real
Rho symbol is Constantine's use of it on the symbols have the power to
labarum, the imperial standard, in the early change history. The history
4th century CE. Lactantius, a 4th century of the chalice symbol is
Christian apologist, reports that on the eve significant. It began by
of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 representing the religious courage of Jan
CE, Constantine had a vision of God in Hus, a 15th century Czech priest, who was
which he was commanded to mark his martyred for offering communion to his
men's shields with the Chi Rho symbol. congregants in defiance of the Roman
After Constantine's success at the Milvian church, which reserved the sharing of wine
bridge, the Chi Rho became the official to priests only. He was burnt at the stake for
imperial insignia. Archaeologists have this act, and Unitarians too have a history of
uncovered evidence demonstrating that the being persecuted for innovative and
Chi Rho was emblazoned on the helmet and democratic deeds in religion.
shield of Constantine as well as those of all
of his soldiers. Coins and medallions minted
during Constantine's reign also bore the Chi
Rho. By the year 350 CE, the Chi Rho
began to be used on Christian sarcophagi
and frescoes. [A.E.M.]
 Related Christian Jewelry

By the Artist - David Weiztman and Ka Gold Jewelry

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Gods word article Vesica Pisces article Seed of Life article

Ichthus (ikh-thoos) or
ichthys is the Greek
word simply meaning
fish.
The Greek spelling for ichthus is -- Iota,
Chi, Theta, Upsilon, and Sigma. The
English translation is IXOYE. The five
Greek letters stand for the words meaning,
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. The
Greek rendering is, Iesous Christos, Theou
Uios, Soter.
This symbol was used primarily amongst
Christians of the early church years (1st and
2nd century A.D.) The symbol was
introduced from Alexandria, Egypt; which
at the time, was a very heavily populated
seaport. It was the port in which many
goods were brought over from the European
continent. Because of this, it was first used
by the peoples of the sea as a symbol of a
familiar deity, in this case, Jesus Christ.
After his commission at the foot of the
San Damiano Cross, Saint Francis
chose a more ancient symbol of
redemption as his standard: the Tau cross.
In commenting on the scriptures of Israel,
the early Christian writers used its Greek
translation, the Septuagint, in which the last
letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the tau, was
transcribed as a T in Greek. Prefigured in
the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, then,
the stylized Tau cross came to represent the
means by which Christ reversed the
disobedience of the old Adam and became
our Savior as the New Adam.
 The Latin Cross, also know as the
Protestant Cross and Western Cross
Latin cross.
The Latin cross (crux ordinaria) is a symbol
of Christianity even though it was used as a
pagan symbol for millennia before the
foundation of the Christian Church.
It has been found in China and Africa. It
appears on Scandinavian Bronze Age stones
depicting the hammer of Thor, their god of
thunder and war. It was regarded as a
magical symbol. It brought good luck and
diverted evil. Some people interpret rock
carvings of the cross as a solar symbol, or a
symbol of Earth with its points representing
north, south, east, and west. Others say it
represents the human form.
Dove: symbol of
the Holy Ghost
and used
especially in
representations of
our Lord's Baptism
and the Pentecost. It also symbolizes
the release of the soul in death, and is
used to recall Noah's dove, a harbinger
of hope.
Anchor: found in the first
century cemetery of St.
Domitilla, the second and
third century epitaphs of the
catacombs, and especially in
the oldest parts of the
cemeteries of Sts. Priscilla
(about 70 examples in this cemetery
alone), Domitilla, Calixtus, and the
Coemetarium majus. See Hebrews
6:19.
Baptismal Cross: consisting of
the Greek Cross with the Greek
letter "X", the first initial of the
Lamb: symbol of
Christ as the Paschal
Lamb and also a
symbol for Christians
(as Christ is our
Shepherd and Peter
was told to feed His
sheep). The lamb is also a symbol for
St. Agnes (Feast Day 21 January),
virgin martyr of the early Church.
Rose: the Holy Faith, Our
Lady, martyrdom, the
secrecy of penance. Five
roses grouped together
symbolize the 5 Wounds
of Christ.
Jerusalem Cross: also
called the "Crusaders'
Cross," it is made up of 5
Greek Crosses which are
said to symbolize a) the 5
Wounds of Christ; and/or b) the 4
Gospels and the 4 corners of the earth
(the 4 smaller crosses) and Christ
Himself (the large Cross). This Cross
was a common symbol used during the
wars against Islamic aggression.
Peter's Cross: because when Peter
was to be martyred he chose to be
crucified upside-down out of respect
title "Christ," this Cross is a symbol of
regeneration, hence, its association with
Baptism
for Christ, the upside-down Latin Cross has
become his symbol and, thereby, a symbol
of the papacy. Sadly, this cross has been co-
opted by Satanists whose purpose of
"inverting" Christianity (e.g. as in their
Black 'Masses') is expressed by taking the
Latin Cross of Christ and inverting it.

Fire, especially in the form of a candle flame, represents both the Holy
Spirit and light.

Christian Cross -

The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the

crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of
Christianity. It is related to the crucifix (a cross that includes a usually
three-dimensional representation of Jesus' body) and to the more general
family of cross symbols.

The cross-shaped sign, represented in its simplest form by a crossing of

two lines at right angles, greatly antedates, in both East and West, the introduction of
Christianity. It goes back to a very remote period of human civilization. It is supposed to
have been used not just for its ornamental value, but also with religious significance.
The Christian Cross comes in many different forms. Here are a few of the different forms of
the Christian Cross.

Latin Cross
New Coptic Cross

Crucifix - cross with a representation of Jesus' body hanging from it. It is

primarily used in Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches
(where the figure is painted), and it emphasizes Christ's sacrifice - his death by
crucifixion.

Patriarchal Cross

A double cross, with the two crossbars near the top. The upper one is shorter, representing
the plaque nailed to Jesus' cross.

Cross Crosslet

This heraldic cross is made from four Latin Crosses arranged at right-angles
to each other, with their tops pointing north, south, east and west,
traditionally thought to represent the message of the cross going out to the
four corners of the earth. The Cross crosslet, like the Jerusalem Cross, is a
symbol for world evangelism of the Gospels, which gives an alternative name: Mission
Cross. Another common interpretation is that it represents the four evangelists: Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John.
 The Borromean Rings represent the trinity.
There are many symbols of the trinity in Christianity. The
Borromean Rings are three interlocking circles that symbolize the
Christian trinity. The word "trinity" comes from the Latin noun
"trinitas" meaning "three are one." The trinity represents the belief
that God is one Being made up of three distinct Persons who exist in
co-equal, co-eternal communion as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Star of David - The Star of David is a six-pointed star formed by two

interlocking triangles, one pointing up, one pointing down. It is named
after King David and appears on the flag of Israel. While predominately
recognized as a symbol of Judaism and Israel, many Christians identify
with the Star of David as well.
The five-pointed star is also a symbol of Christianity associated with the
birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Bread and Wine - The bread and wine represent the body and blood
of Christ. Often times people associate drinking wine or eating bread
with being holy or doing something akin with God or Jesus.

Holy Bible - The Holy Bible is the Word of God.

The Christian circle represents eternity

 The Horn - This Christian symbol represents God's power. Being the
principal means of defense as well as attack that most animals are
endowed with, the horn is symbolic of dominion, power, triumph,
fierceness, strength, intelligence, dignity, prosperity and glory. A
horn with oil is representative of David being anointed as the King
and the seven horns of the Ram stand for the conquering of Jericho
(Joshua) by the Israelites.

The word is also used in several popular expressions whose meanings

have religious connotations. For instance, the phrase 'horn of plenty' denotes the Almighty's
generosity; and 'horn of salvation' refers to Jesus Christ and is representative of a strong
savior.
Pelican
The Pelican is an exclusive Christian symbol that denotes the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ and is representative of atonement and
redemption. The pelican is said to pierce its breast to feed its young
ones with its blood and save them from starvation. As the
embodiment of self-sacrifice, the bird came to be likened to Christ
readily giving up his life and blood for the spiritual nourishment of
other people and thus, became the ideal symbol for reparation and
salvation. The magnanimous of the pelican has also made it a symbol
of charity, generosity, nurturing, resourcefulness, responsibility, humility and camaraderie.