THE EASTERN ORTHODOX CROSS
Abstract:
The Eastern Cross, recognizable as the cross used to symbolize the Russian Orthodox Church, is distinctive in form from other Christian used crosses. This paper seeks to discuss the origin as well as the connotations behind this distinctive yet unfamiliar image. What has come down to us concerning its origin is legend and theological attempts at uncovering its hidden meaning. The most widely accepted interpretation concerning the incorporation of the cross of St. Andrew, Russias patron saint, like its counterparts, is a mere legend and educated guess. My research, though, drawing on conclusions of scholars of the Orthodoxy, has found that in using this interpretation, the origin of the modern Orthodox Cross can be traced to Greece and not Russia.

Legend, history and faith share a complex and overlapping meaning to the culture of Russia. The deep symbolism and the tradition of icons was preserved from Byzantium through the Christian Empire it created in Russia. One of the most distinct images of the Orthodox Faith is the three-barred cross that rests high upon the onion domes of Russian cathedrals and is sold as an icon in kiosks outside the churches themselves. The source of this mastiff of the Russian faith, though, has been long obscured by the passage of time, and what survives today is built on speculation and legend. There is a distinctly recognizable iconography present in the form of the Russian Orthodox Cross, or more accurately the Eastern Cross. With its slanted lower third bar and top horizontal bar built on the foundation of the Latin Cross, it is both intrinsically Russian and evocative of the Russian Orthodox faith. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the form of the cross as well as to illuminate for discussion the different traditions that surround its most enigmatic feature, the slanted lower cross bar.
While the symbol of the cross did not originate with the Christian faith, undoubtedly it has come to most commonly be associated with it (Robinson 3). The standard Latin Cross, which is a vertical bar crossed two-thirds of the way to the top by a single horizontal beam is, in its most basic form, representative of the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth (see Appendix A2). While the passage of time and theological mysticism has produced and incorporated multiple facets to the meaning and symbolism of the Latin Cross, scholars and theologians have argued the true origin of the three barred Orthodox cross with little success in garnering either accepted meaning or source. Even the earliest accounts struggle with an acceptable and complete interpretation of the meaning behind the crosswise slanted lower bar within the Orthodox Cross (OCIC 1).
The Russian Orthodox Eastern Cross is composed of three horizontal slashes built on the Latin frame. The topmost bar lies directly above the bar to which Christs arms were affixed. It is shorter in length than in the bar below it. The third and lowest bar is the smallest, and in some early art, barely visible. In the earliest versions of the cross this beam, like the others, was horizontal to the vertical beam and parallel with the others (1). Gradually between the tenth and eleventh centuries, the bar slanted in appearance, eventually taking the traditional form by which it is known today (see Appendix A1).
The tradition of adding the shorter horizontal beam to the upper region of the cross is not widely debated as in meaning of its slanted lower counterpart. This topmost bar is representative of the plaque bearing Pontius Pilates inscription written in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, Jesus the Nazorean, King of the Jews. The letters INRI typically placed on this beam are derived from the Latin which reads, Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. (Wegast 3; Saunders 1). This upper beam is found not only within the Orthodox tradition but also is present in the Patriarchal cross adopted and carried by Roman Catholic cardinals and archbishops as a hierarchical distinction. The top of the Papal Cross, differing from this symbolism, features two of these bars and is said to represent the three crosses on the Calvary and/or the Popes three realms of authority, i.e. the church, the world and heaven ( Appendix A3 & A4) (Wegast 4).
There are many varied accounts concerning the meaning and origin of the slanted crosswise lower bar present on the Orthodox Cross. In early forms from Byzantium, this lower bar appeared perpendicular to the vertical bar. This square foot bar was a representation of the footstool that may or may not have been present on the cross of Jesus crucifixion and onto which Christs feet were nailed (Saunders 1; OCIC 1).
There are many possible interpretations and inferences as to the origin of the slanted bar in the cross, and even to antiquity the beginning of the Eastern Cross and its modified footstool was subjective. An eleventh century tradition states that the slant symbolizes a scale of balance showing the good thief, St. Dismas, finding salvation at the end of his life would ascend to heaven, while the bad thief would be send downwards to hell (OCIC 1-2; Saunders 1). Thus in this interpretation, Christ and the Cross is a balance of justice, and Gods judgement has been passed on both the good and bad thief according to their piety.
Closely related to this interpretation is another one that reports that Christ lifts his right foot in order to lighten the sins of those who believe in him while casting those who disbelieve down to hell (OCIC 1). This view seems to be founded off the idea of the redeemed and cursed thieves as it first appears within Russian literature in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It is obvious that these later writers were influenced by the previous versions of the origin stories of the cross; but as these are later additions, it can only be included as evidence to the perpetuation of the legend.
Of the many theories on the symbolism behind the slanting of the crosswise bar, the most popular, and purported to be most accurate is that it is an incorporation of the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Russia. (Saunders 1-2;) St. Andrew was a first century Judean, the first apostle, who preached Christianity both before and after the death of Jesus. Condemned to crucifixion for his teachings, St. Andrew was martyred on an X-shaped (Saltire) cross in 60 C.E. in Greece during the reign of Emperor Nero (see Appendix A5) (Saunders 2; Wegast 5; Chrysostom 1).
Following the Schism of 1054, the Russian Church officially separated from the Western Latin Church, and it was around the time of the Mongol invasions, beginning in the late 1200s, that St. Andrew was formally adopted by the Russian Orthodox Church as its patron saint (Saunders 2). While this view is most commonly accepted as the most likely explanation of the slanted bar, there is evidence that like most all other explanations, this too lies within the realm of legend. The Cross of St. Constantine, which resides within the monastery of Vatopedi on Mt. Athos, is a three-barred cross of the distinctly Orthodox design (OCIC 2-3). This cross, hidden during the tenth century from Arab invaders and said by legend to be that of the monasterys original founder, predates the adoption of St. Andrew as the patron saint of Russia. If this is the case, then the origin of the slant in the Eastern Cross is not of Russian modulation, but is instead of Greek. While this does not discount the theory that the crosswise slant is representative of St. Andrews Cross, since St. Andrew is also the patron of Greece, the origin would lie within Greek mastery instead of finding its roots on Russian soil.
The iconography of the Russian Cross is important not only to theology, but also to history as well. The adoption of an Orthodox Cross by the Russians and by Byzantine alike was a product of a schism in church doctrine as well as in political alliances. While Greek in origin, Russian religion created for itself a distinctness in doctrine and iconography. In doing so, the Russian Orthodoxy became itself a separate entity, and following in the tradition of Constantinople, developed from the Latins something intrinsically its own. Russian religious artists and architects sought to built and continue the legacy of the Christian religion from Rome through imitation, but into their icons went the legacy of Russia and her peoples. The evolution of the Russian Cross, its origin lost in legend, is reflexive of the Russian Christianity: thrice borrowed in origin, yet distinctively its own.
Appendix A: Images of Crosses Discussed



1. The Eastern Cross
The triple crossed vertical beam
used primarily in the Russian Orthodox Tradition.




2. The Latin Cross
The traditional form of the Latin Cross.





3. The Papal Cross
Here the three crossbars are indicative
of the three crosses on the Calvary.




4. The Patriarchal Cross
It is carried by archbishops and
cardinals as a symbol of position.



5. St. Andrews Cross
The patron saint of Russia was crucified on the X-shaped cross upon request; he did not think himself worthy of being crucified on the same cross Christ was.



Bibliography
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Robinson, B.A. The Fish (Ichthus), Cross & Crucifix. Principal Christian Symbols
(28 December 1999). Online. Available:
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