The Cross

The idea of second level signification is pretty sweet, and when I was sitting in class I was thinking about how really cool it is when we think about the symbol of the cross. So, to the Romans the cross was a symbol of capital punishment- a tool used by the state to brutally murder those who step out of line, not much unlike the modern day electric chair. Small little event called "the crucifixion" happened; fastforward a few hundred years and all of the sudden the cross becomes a symbol of unconditional love and forgiveness. Its sort of amazing how that happens, but the wierder thing is the cross has also changed a few more times. Now we have crosses made out of chains to show how Christ can break any bondage you are in. We also have crosses made of palm branches so you can remember the whole Palm Sunday and Easter story all in one handy cross. We also have the cross of nails variety, the ornate Greek cross and celtic cross. Come to think about it, if you look many of the Christian symbols, they have changed from their original meaning, anointing with oil, baptism, communion, etc. So that is my story about second level signification and slipage.