Hot answers tagged symbolism
15
I can't answer the question in the way you're asking it, but I can 'disarm' numerology for you. When you encounter something, like say, a set of best practices in an activity, the number of units you decide to divide the information into determines the symbolic meaning you are essentially attaching to the set. This is possible with pretty much everything, so ...
15
This question was answered directly by Gordon B. Hinckley, who was the most recent president of the church before the current one. In an article in 2005, he wrote:
Following the renovation of the Mesa Arizona Temple some years ago,
clergy of other religions were invited to tour it on the first day of
the open house period. Hundreds responded. In ...
12
The symbol has no specific meaning within LDS theology, and there are no teachings regarding it. According to an article found among the Wikipedia page's sources, the pentagram symbol actually has a long history in Christian and Jewish art and architecture, and only first began to be associated with Satanism and the occult in the 1850s. By this point, the ...
9
There is a pretty clear distinction between Catholics and Protestants in that regard, though there may be Protestant denominations that do use the crucifix rather than the cross.
It seems that the main issue that Protestants today have with the crucifix is that it is specifically an image of Jesus, the Son of God. Such an image is believed to be strictly ...
9
I don't think there's any harm in making the sign of the cross. I don't think we could equate it with the type of superstition that equates to idolatry or occultism. (I'm sorry if that sounds offensive to anyone who practices it. Please read on, and you'll see I don't mean to offend.)
It's definitely meant as a Christian gesture for the Catholics and the ...
8
From True to the Faith:
The cross is used in many Christian churches as a symbol of the Savior’s death and Resurrection and as a sincere expression of faith. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we also remember with reverence the suffering of the Savior. But because the Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of His death as the ...
8
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the Mormon disdain for the symbol was more of a late development in Church history, emerging at the grass roots around the turn of the 20th century, and was institutionalized in the 1950′s under the direction of President David O. McKay, on grounds that it was a catholic symbol. Prior to this time, many Latter-day Saints ...
6
Yes, this is one of many allegorical meanings attributed to the unicorn. Sometimes it seems that just about every possible meaning is attached to every possible creature, in the medieval mind. The unicorn's main associations are:
power, as with any horned creature.
purity: the horn was believed to have the power to magically purify water, counteract ...
6
According to John 19:19-20,
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
The phrase "Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews" ...
6
The "Christian Flag" was conceived by Charles Overton, who in 1897 was superintendent of the Congregational Sunday School at Brighton Chapel, Coney Island, New York, USA.1 (That community was incorporated as St Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Coney Island in 1907, and it still exists today). On 26 September of that year, he gave a sermon musing about ...
5
The symbolism actually comes almost entirely from Brigham Young's fascination with one simple verse in the Book of Mormon.
Ether 2:3
And they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind.
...
5
The fish or "Ikthyus" is Greek, is a very ancient symbol. In addition to the obvious parallels with Jesus commissioning the disciples as "fishers of men," there was another reason for using the fish.
The phrase -
Jesus
Christ
God('s)
Son
Savior
is in Greek
Ίησοῦς
Χριστός,
Θεοῦ
Υἱός,
Σωτήρ
ΊΧΘΥΣ (the first letter of each word, pronounced 'Ikthyus') ...
5
ΙΧΘΥΣ means fish in an old form of Greek. It now primarily refers to a particular Christian fish symbol. From Wikipedia:
Ichthys (also Ichthus or Ikhthus /ˈɪkθəs/), from the Koine Greek word for fish: ἰχθύς, (capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ or ΙΧΘΥϹ) is a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to ...
5
The usages you give here are varied and not necessarily related. In today's English would could use the word hand as in to 'offer a helping hand' or to 'hand something over' or 'hand something out' or any number of other expressions. In the same way not every instance of the word 'thigh' necessarily refers to the same thing.
The first two cases you give in ...
5
In ancient Israel putting right your hand on your inner thigh while giving an oath was the equivalent of how people put their right hand on a bible in modern times.
The reason for the thigh was that there was a basic belief that the thigh equalized your walk and represented a well-balanced, just point of view.
5
Narnian has a great explanation of one part of it (no graven images). The other is that Jesus' glory is displayed not only in the cross, or Jesus hanging from it, but also in the empty tomb. While it is incredibly significant that Jesus died for our sins, what makes this sacrifice worthwhile is that in so doing he defeated death, and rose again. In this way, ...
5
Based on my personal experience as a lifelong Roman Catholic, I offer the following brief insight. First, the sign of the cross is just the that: the sign of the CROSS, the cross upon which Christ's blood was spilled in atonement for our sins and to redeem us. That's powerful in and of itself.
Second, in a Catholic mass, when the sign of the cross is ...
5
The short answer is yes, oil was expensive. It was used in ceremonies both because it was often perfumed to have a pleasing aroma and because the financial sacrifice was an act of humility.
You mentioned several good examples, but I figured I would offer you one more: Elisha providing for a widow (2 Kings 4:1-7). In this scenario, Elisha is able to provide ...
4
According to Wikipedia, the Catholics use the Crucifix because:
Roman Catholic (Eastern and Western Rite Catholics), Eastern Orthodox,
Coptic and other Oriental Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran Christians
generally use the crucifix in public religious services. They believe
the crucifix is in keeping with Scripture, which states that “we
preach ...
3
The word means "fish" in Greek. The symbol of the fish was often used in the early church to distinguish believers from unbelievers where persecution was an issue. When meeting another person, one Christian would draw one arc, and if the other person completed the drawing of the fish by adding another arc, then the Christian would know that he or she was ...
3
If you will indulge me in a section of "The Great Divorce," by C.S. Lewis. In chapter 3, a deceased bishop (the "Ghost") who is in hell but does not understand that he is, insists on arguing with a friend of his (the "Spirit") - a "Solid" person who wants to bring him to God. Unfortunately, the poor bishop is so wrapped up in his own theology, that he is ...
3
Since we speak at least one common language, perhaps this illustration will shed some light on what Catholics gain by Marian consecration.
Encapsulation
Mary is not the head of the Catholic Church, she is however, the superclass from which all Christians descend. In my Marian consecration, each day I promise to devote all my prayers, actions and ...
2
I've always thought of it as more of an issue of versatility and approachability. Oils can be used for everything. The only thing on earth which is more useful is water (unless you're willing to start debating gasses &c., in which case I'm going with Hydrogen and Oxygen for the win). But, unlike water, which will often suppress fragrance and flavor, oil ...
2
The snake that Moses raised up, symbolized the snakes that God sent into the Israelite camp as punishment for Israel's sin.
Numbers 21:6
The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; ...
2
Entry from The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed.):
Fish (Gk. ἰχθύς).In Christian art and literature the fish is a symbol of Christ, also sometimes of the newly baptized and of the
Eucharist. It came into use in the 2nd cent., but neither its origin
nor its meaning have so far been completely elucidated. It occurs in
*Tertullian’s ...
2
The idea of the ICTHUS (or Christian fish) symbol was an early example of this. It wasn't pointless, as it was used to identify each other in a society where persecution of Christians was extremely common. One person would draw one arc of the fish, probably in the dirt, and another would draw the other if they were a Christian as well. This wasn't done ...
1
It's the initial letters of the Latin inscription Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" which Pilate wrote at the Crucifixion.
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. John 19:19 NIV
1
The actual inscription on the Cross was written in three languages, Latin, Greek and Aramaic. We know from Scripture that what was actually written was "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews".
The Latin rendering of this has initials I.N.R.I. I know in Greek there is no "J", so "Jesus" and "Jews" is rendered with an "I". The "R" stands for King. The ...
1
From John 3:14 we know it was a foreshadowing of Christ, but I think the desire for absolute certainty concerning any foreshadowing image or shadow of Messiah party misunderstands the concept of a shadow. A shadow is by definition an obscure and fuzzy outline of a real object. This is why we will find invariably numerous perspectives on any given shadow. ...
1
Oil is a healing substance rubbing it all over you will literally strengthen your skin and thereby giving you strength to carry on. That's one of the reasons oil is an excellent symbol for the Holy Spirit and furthermore why it's used all over the Old Testament.
Any time you read oil, wind, water or fire you can read "Holy Spirit" unless otherwise ...
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