The Lion is The Gospel of St. Mark's Symbol

       "St. Mark's is the Gospel for the Romans, the Gospel of incident, the anecdotal Gospel, the Gospel which represents Christ as the Son of God and Lord of the world." 

       His emblem is the lion: expressing courage, dignity, and energy.

Scriptural Resources for The Gospel of St. Mark's Symbol - A Lion:

• "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Mark 1:1 (ESV)
  
• "and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:15 (ESV)
  
• "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." Mark 1:9-11 (ESV)
• "Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him." Mark 1:16-20 (ESV)
• "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins." One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." Mark 2:22-28 (NIV)
  
• "At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." Mark 13:26-27 (NIV)

The Symbol for The Gospel of Mark is a Lion.

 

St. Mark's Gospel by Rudolf Koch. To see more lion symbols by Rudolf Koch click here.

 

 

The Man With Wings is The Gospel of St. Matthew's Symbol

Winged man with star for Matthew's Gospel.

       "St. Matthew's is the Gospel for the Jews, the Gospel of the past, the Gospel which sees in Christianity a fulfillment of Judaism, the Gospel of discourses, the didactic Gospel, the Gospel which represents Christ as the Messiah of the Jew."
       His emblem is the man: expressing the kingly and human characteristics of Christ.

Rudolf Koch's Gospel of St. Matthew.

Scriptural Resources for The Gospel of St. Matthew's Symbol - A Winged Man:

• "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Matthew 1:1(KJB)
• "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Matthew 1:18-20 (KJB)
• "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew 1:23 (KJB)
• "From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matthew 4:17 (BSB)
• ""In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote: 'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'" Matthew 2:5-6 (NLT)
• "Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing consolation, because they are no more." Matthew 2:17-18 (BSB)

 

St. Matthew's Gospel, winged man in medallion.

The Ox is The Gospel of St. Luke's Symbol

Ox symbol with wings and star.

 

      "St. Luke's is the Gospel for the Greeks, the Gospel of the future, the Gospel of progressive Christianity, of the universality and gratuitousness of the Gospel, the historic Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus as the Good Physician and Savior of Mankind." 

       His emblem is the ox: expressing power and sacrifice, Christ's priestly and mediatorial office.

Scriptural Resources for The Gospel of St. Luke's Symbol - An Ox:

• "But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves." Luke 23:47 (NIV)
• "But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves." Luke 6:27 (NLT)
• "And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Luke 22: 41-42 (NASB) 
• "But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves." Luke 23:34 (NASB)

The above Gospel of St. Luke is by Rudolf Koch.

 

St. Luke's Gospel, ox inside a medallion.

 

More About The Ox:

• The Ox Symbol without wings...

The Eagle is The Gospel of St. John's Symbol

Eagle head with halo.

      "St. John's is preeminently the Gospel for the church, the Gospel of eternity, the spiritual Gospel, the Gospel of Christ as the Eternal Son, and the Incarnate Word." His emblem is the eagle: because "he soars to heaven above the clouds of human infirmity, and reveals to us the mysteries of the God-head, and the felicities of eternal life, gazing on the light of immutable truth with a keen and steady ken."

Scriptural Resources for The Gospel of John's Symbol - An Eagle:

• Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." John 8:58
• The crowd then answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" John 12:34
• "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever." John 8:35 

 

St. John's symbol, the eagle, by Rudolf Koch.

Gospel of John, eagle medallion

The Savior's Anchor Symbol

       As the Greek word for a fish, ΙΧΘΥΣ, contained the initials of the name and titles of Christ, "Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ", Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior, the figure of a fish was one of the earliest Christian symbols.

Scripture References for The Savior's Anchor Chrismon:

• "But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?" When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!" Mark 4:37-41(NLT)
• "Where is your faith?" He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!" Luke 8:25 (BSB)
• "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8 (KJB)

Anchor of the soul in medallion.

The Divine Hand of Christ Chrismon

       The Divine Hand of Christ or The Divine Hand of Jesus rests on a Cruciform Nimbus. He is giving the blessing holding up two fingers which is symbolic for The Second Person of The Holy Trinity. This particular Chrismon or Christian Symbol comes from an Italian sculpture of the XII century: in the porch of the Cathedral of Ferrara.

Scriptural References for the Divine Hand of Christ Chrismon:

• "Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens." Ephesians 1:3 (HCSB)
• "He'll love you and increase your numbers. He'll bless the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your land (the grain, new wine, and oil), the offspring of your herds, and the lambs of your flock, in the land that the LORD promised your ancestors he would give you." Deuteronomy 7:13 (ISV)
• "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." Numbers 6: 24-26 (KJB)
• ""Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Malachi 3:10 (NASB)

Latin Form - Hand of God

The Virgin Holding Baby Jesus Chrismon

Mary is pictured: seated on a throne that is carved like a church, on her lap is the baby Jesus, on her head is a crown of honor for her sacrifices, she is handing to Jesus a piece of fruit that is symbolic for the tree of knowledge. This symbolism refers to the task that Jesus must accomplish: to replace Adam, Romans 5: 12-21.

The Scripture Reference for the Christian Chrismon Above:

• "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:12-21 (ESV)

More Scriptural Resources for Crown Images in Chrismons:

A Crown, in Christian art, is the symbol of sovereignty, victory, and of the glory of martyrdom. It is assigned in five instances. The scripture that you teach and/or include along with that Chrismon is dictated by it's visual or traditional representation:

1. It is given to Deity, to Jesus who is the only one who has paid the blood sacrifice for the sin of mankind and who is also the second person of The Holy Trinity. "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:26 (NIV)
2. Traditionally the Catholic church has also assigned a crown to Mary because she bore Jesus into the world against the enemies of the air and she was also was one of the first woman to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. She is ranked high with the 12 apostles. "She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne." Revelation 12:5 and "When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." Acts 1:13-14 (NIV)
3. As the symbol of victory and the glory of martyrdom, it is given to saints and martyrs that have been canonized by Christian Orthodox Churches.
4. Crowns are also assigned to all people who believe on the basis of their faith as described in Revelations, this being the traditional perspective held by Protestant Christendom. These people toss their crowns at the feet of King Jesus in the end times. "the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4: 10-11 (gotquestions.org)
5. And lastly, crown symbols are assigned to ruling monarchs on Earth.

  "Oh My Soul" by Casting Crowns
Web interview about how "Oh My Soul" was written.

Babe In The Manger Symbol

       The baby in the manger serves to remind us of how Jesus first came to earth, fragile and small, through humble beginnings.

       Little Jesus was descended from the house of David, Malkhut Beit David (מלכות בית דוד) – "Kingdom of the House of David" Both Joseph and Mary were from this same house.

       The Holy Babe was also born of a virgin; he was conceived in the womb of his mother Mary through the Holy Spirit without the agency of a human father and born while Mary was still a virgin. The New Testament references are Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38 and Isaiah 7:14.

       He was wrapped in swaddling an age-old practice of wrapping infants in blankets or similar cloths so that movement of the limbs is tightly restricted. 

       Baby Jesus was laid in a manger filled with hay, a structure used to hold food to feed animals. The word manger originally referred to a feed-trough, but it may also be used to refer to a water-trough when this is not being used. Mangers are generally found at stables and were made of either stone or wood at that time.

       His birth took place in Bethlehem, Hebrew: בֵּית לֶחֶם‎ Bet Lehem, [bet ˈleχem], "House of Bread". Biblical scholars believe Bethlehem, located in the "hill country" of Judah, may be the same as the Biblical Ephrath, which means "fertile", as there is a reference to it in the Book of Micah as Bethlehem Ephratah. The Bible also calls it Beth-Lehem Judah, and the New Testament describes it as the "City of David". It is first mentioned in the Tanakh and the Bible as the place where the matriarch Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside" (Gen. 48:7). 

Scriptural Resources for The Babe In a Manger Chrismon:

• "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
• "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 (JPS Tanakh 1917)
• ""Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek. "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." Micah 5:1-2 (NASB)
• "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:1-7 (ESV)
• ''For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Music About The Birth of Christ:

• Handel's Messiah - full concert from Academy of Ancient Music

Three Crown of Thorns Chrismon Patterns

Triclavianism is the belief that three nails were used to crucify Jesus Christ.
 The exact number of Holy Nails has been a matter of theological debate for centuries.

       The mocking of Jesus occurred several times, after his trial and before his crucifixion according to the canonical gospels of the New Testament. It is considered part of Jesus' passion.

       According to the gospel narratives, Jesus had predicted that he would be mocked (Matthew 20:19, Mark 10:34, and Luke 18:32). The mocking of Christ took place in three stages: immediately following his trial, immediately following his condemnation by Pontius Pilate, and when he was being crucified.

       The New Testament narratives of Jesus being mocked are filled with irony, while the mockery focuses on Jesus' prophetic and kingly roles.

       According to three of the canonical Gospels a woven crown of thorns was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. It was one of the instruments of the Passion, employed by Jesus' captors both to cause him pain and to mock his claim of authority. It is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew (27:29), Mark (15:17), and John (19:2, 5) and is often alluded to by the early Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and others. Read more...

This Crown of Thorns is surrounded by a "sun halo." This type of halo is used on Chrismon trees as a symbolic reference to: the Deity of Christ who is the son of God. It is the appropriation of one symbol to contextualize another.

Read more about the "IHS" symbol for Christ here.

Scripture References for a Crown of Thorns Chrismon:

• "But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Galatians 3:13 (NLT)
• "And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains." Genesis 3:17-18 (NLT)
• "But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." Hebrews 2:9 (NIV)
• "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem." Isaiah 53:3 (NIV)
• "And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands." John 19:2-5 (ESV)
• "and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.
   Matthew 27:29 (NIV)

Crown of thorns, Alpha and Omega plus the Chi Rho Chrismon Stencil.

Italian Lamb of God for Chrismons

   An Italian example of the twelfth century. It is noticeable for the Patriachal Cross to which the banner is attached, as well as for the Chalice which receives the Blood of the Covenant. This pattern would make a lovely embroidery or woodcut pattern for the Chrismon tree.

Lamb of God by Matt Maher. Published by spiritandsong.com, a division of OCP, www.ocp.org.Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

In the Mass of the Roman Rite and also in the Eucharist of the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church, and the Western Rite of the Orthodox Church the Agnus Dei is the invocation to the Lamb of God sung or recited during the fraction of the Host.

 

Based upon John the Baptist's reference in John 1:29 to Jesus ("Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world"), the text in Latin is:

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

which means:

Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Scripture References for The Agnus Dei Chrismon:

• "They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." Revelation 12:11 (NIV)
• "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29 (ESV)
• "These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful." Revelation 17:14 (KJB)
• "For the soul (or life) of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to reconcile your persons (or souls) upon the altar; therefore the same blood reconciles the person." Leviticus 17:11 (Jubilee Bible 2000)
• "The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:13 (NASB)
• "In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." Hebrews 9:22 (NLT)
  

More About The Agnus Dei:

• Find more Agnus Dei symbols here
• Animated Agnus Dei symbols for the web

An additional Agnus Dei Chrismon stencil.

The Agnus Dei and Banner of Victory

 

Free little Agnus-Dei cross stitch design

"IHS" Plus a Crown Pattern for Chrismons

This particular pattern would look attractive as an embroidery.

      Crown. - A crown, in Christian art, is the symbol of sovereignty, victory, and of the glory of martyrdom. As the symbol of sovereignty, it is given to the Deity, and sometimes to the Virgin Mary. As the symbol of victory and the glory of martyrdom, it is given to saints and martyrs. In addition, it in some cases alludes to earthly rank. In this case it is a symbol for Christ's deity because it is paired with the Christogram beneath it.

       In the Latin-speaking Christianity of medieval Western Europe (and so among Catholics and many Protestants today), the most common Christogram became "IHS" or "IHC", denoting the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, IHΣΟΥΣ, iota-eta-sigma, or ΙΗΣ.

       The Greek letter iota is represented by I, and the eta by H, while the Greek letter sigma is either in its lunate form, represented by C, or its final form, represented by S. Because the Latin-alphabet letters I and J were not systematically distinguished until the 17th century, "JHS" and "JHC" are equivalent to "IHS" and "IHC".

by ChuckKnowsChurch

Cross of Constantine Pattern - two versions

This pattern would look nice done in felt with pearl beads sewn around the edge.

        Two patterns of the Cross of Constantine for those of you who are crafting Chrismons this Christmas.

Cut this cross of Constantine from wood or Styrafoam before decorating it with glitter.

Left, a simple Cross of Constantine. Center, A coin of Constantine (c.AD 337)
 showing a depiction of his labarum spearing a serpent. Right, modern ecclesiastical labara.

      This cross was the design which the Emperor Constantine saw gleaming in the sky on the eve preceding his great victory over Maxentius. It was surrounded by the motto, "In hoe signo vinces." After gaining the battle, the Emperor professed Christianity, and adopted this Cross as his device on banner and shield. it is also found on his coins.

      The Cross of Constantine is formed of the first two letters of the Greek word Christos or Christ--the X (Chi) and P (Rho) united. It resembles a Monogram rather than a Cross, and was much used as such by the early Christians. It is adapted to Corpus Christi, and Ascension Day.

Scripture References for The Cross of Constantine Chrismon:

• "Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!" Luke 24:31 (NLT)
  
• "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11 (NIV)
• "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God." Mark 16:19 (BSB)

More About The "X":

• Why the "X" Doesn't Take Jesus Out of Christmas!