The Symbol of the Cross - Pagan or Christian?

 

 

The Symbol of the Cross - Pagan or Christian?

One of the key symbols in Roman Catholic worship is the cross. In Catholic practice, the cross and the sign of the cross are everywhere. People use it during prayers, in rituals, and even as a gesture for protection. The cross is seen as a powerful charm—something to rely on during hard times, temptation, or against evil forces.

But the cross wasn’t originally a Christian symbol. It was used long before Christianity was invented by other cultures, including the Babylonians and Egyptians, as part of their religious practices. In those ancient times, it was known as the Tau—a symbol shaped like the letter “T.” The Tau represented Tammuz, a Babylonian god, and could be seen on coins and as marks on people’s foreheads during initiation rituals.

Historian Tertullian mentioned that people baptized into the Christian faith in Africa were marked with the sign of the cross, just like those initiated into ancient mysteries. Sometimes the cross was combined with the sun to symbolize power. A version of this, known as the Maltese cross, is still used today by Roman Catholic bishops to show their authority. Layard, a famous archaeologist, even found this symbol in Nineveh and connected it with the worship of the sun.

The Tau cross was deeply embedded in various cultures. Kings carried it to show divine authority, priests wore it on their robes, and even the Vestal virgins of ancient Rome had it on necklaces—similar to how some Catholic nuns wear crosses today. The Egyptians and other ancient tribes also used it, which we know from their artwork and artifacts.

One scholar, Wilkinson, described how the Egyptians and neighboring cultures often wore small crosses as jewelry. Even before Christianity, Druids in Europe used a cross-like symbol. They shaped trees into crosses by cutting branches so that the trunk and limbs looked like outstretched arms. This symbol represented a god, and it was found carved into the tree’s bark.

In Mexico, large stone crosses were built long before Catholic missionaries arrived, likely as offerings to the God of Rain. The cross was also a symbol of Bacchus, a god in Babylonian mythology, who was often depicted with a crown of crosses on his head. Similarly, Buddhists revere a cross-like symbol known as the "divine tree"—a tree representing life and knowledge, which bears leaves, flowers, and fruit.

Interestingly, early Christians in Egypt used the Crux Ansata—an Egyptian cross with a loop at the top, known as the "sign of life." Over time, this evolved into the simple cross we recognize today. Sir G. Wilkinson observed that Egyptian Christians used the Tau on inscriptions, long before the cross became a Christian symbol.

Many people today might find this surprising, especially since most know the story of Constantine, the Roman emperor who converted to Christianity. According to legend, Constantine saw a vision of the cross in the sky before a major battle, along with the message: “Conquer by this.” That vision convinced him to adopt the cross as his military symbol, and eventually, Christianity became the Roman Empire’s official religion.

However, many historians argue that Constantine’s story was more about politics than faith. Pagans, who had long used the Tau cross as a symbol of life and protection, likely found it easy to continue using it when they were forced to convert to Christianity, When Constantine invited large groups of pagans into the church, they brought their old customs, including their love for the cross, with them. So, while many in this North American society think of the cross only as a Christian symbol, its origins run far deeper, tracing back to ancient Babylon, Egypt, and beyond.

The Babylonians, Egyptians, Druids, and other ancient civilizations all revered the cross in different forms, associating it with life, healing, and divine power. When Christianity spread, especially through Constantine's influence, it absorbed this familiar symbol to appeal to the many pagans converting to the new faith. This pattern of borrowing and re purposing symbols is not unique to the cross but is evident throughout Christianity. Many of its rituals, holidays, and even sacred texts reflect ideas and traditions from older religions, including Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek sources. The "messiah" figure in Christianity is also not original, as similar savior figures—gods who die and are resurrected—appear throughout ancient mythology, such as Osiris, Tammuz, and Mithras.

In conclusion, from the indisputable evidence of historical records, it is quite clear that Christianity in fact stole the symbol of the cross from ancient cultures, hijacking a symbol that existed for millennia before its time, repackaging it as its own sacred emblem. Like scavengers of tradition, they also pillaged ancient texts, symbols, stories, and messiah figures from much older civilizations, leaving little in their doctrine that is truly original!

Not an easy pill for modern day Christians to swallow.