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Re: stauros
On Tue, 19 Jul 1994 CWALKER@apollo.roundlake.baxter.com wrote:
> I must say that I have enjoyed this discussion on the meaning of -stauros-
>
> I do have one question. Can early Christian grafitti help us out in
> determining the shape of the _stauros_?
Interestingly enough, not only are cross symbols found in early
Christianity, but also in Judaism. There seems to be some evidence of
pre-Christian Judaic religious significance in the "Tav" (+) symbol, and
that could have translated easily into the early Christian concern with
the "chi" (x) as the symbol for Christ's name. Of course there is the
famous wall graffito of a (presumably) crucified ass, with the inscription
"Alexamenos worships his god," but the significance of that image has not
been fully established. Nonetheless, even though early graffitti are
interesting, the question arises as to what extent the tradition was
influenced by other usage--possible prior Judaic usage, as well as
Egyptian usage.