Christian Symbols

Definition and Meaning

Christian symbols are signs that express the content of the Christian faith through images, letters, or objects. The most prominent is the cross. Others in wide use include the fish, the dove, and the lamb. Symbols based on letters include the Chi-Rho, formed by superimposing the first letters of the Greek word for "Christ"; IHS, an abbreviation of the name of Jesus; and INRI, an abbreviation of the inscription on the placard above the cross. Denominations differ in how far they admit symbols into worship and in how they regard them.

Biblical and Historical Background

Scripture contains a number of images that later became established as symbols. At the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended "like a dove" (Matthew 3:16). John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God (John 1:29). The Book of Revelation calls God the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8).

Early Christians used the image of a fish as a sign of their faith. This is generally understood to be because the letters of the Greek word for "fish" correspond to the initial letters of the phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." The cross came into wide use from the fourth century onward. According to tradition, the Emperor Constantine placed the Chi-Rho on his military standard.

In the eighth and ninth centuries, controversy arose in the Eastern Church over whether icons (images of Christ and the saints) could be used in worship. The Second Council of Nicaea in 787 affirmed the veneration of icons, and the Orthodox Church has since regarded icons as an important element of worship. During the sixteenth-century Reformation, the Reformed churches in the tradition of Zwingli and Calvin removed images from their places of worship on the basis of the second commandment of the Ten Commandments ("Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"). Lutherans, by contrast, retained comparatively more crucifixes and images.

Practice in the Korean Church

The most common symbol in Korean Protestantism is the cross mounted on the roof or bell tower of a church building. Red neon crosses lit at night are often cited as a distinctive feature of the Korean urban landscape. Critics have described them as light pollution or ostentation, and some churches have dimmed or turned off their lighting. It is also common for believers to attach a fish emblem to the back of their cars.

Protestants generally use an empty cross without the body of Jesus, which is sometimes explained as signifying the resurrection. The Catholic Church uses the crucifix, which bears the body of Jesus, as well. Churches in the Reformed tradition, such as Presbyterian churches, tend to minimize images within the sanctuary. The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea make comparatively extensive use of liturgical symbols such as the altar cross, candlesticks, and liturgical colors following the church year. Methodist and some Presbyterian churches also change the color of the cloth hung on the pulpit according to the season. Some churches depict biblical stories in stained glass.