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Identifya cross
Balkenkreuz
(Not a Balkan Cross)
Two thousand years ago the cross symbolized tortuous death. Then later, unmodified in form, its meaning completely changed to a promise of ultimate bliss for life eternal.
Within these last two millennia, it has sometimes reverted to symbolize terror, as we read below.
Today, however, the symbol is so ubiquitous that many people attach no significance to it at all.
Balkenkreuz
(Not a Balkan Cross)
German military symbols
until 1945
Generally, square crosses are battle crosses1 and square flags are battle flags2. The two images on the left fit into a square and are familiar markings. The smaller images on the right are elongated and rarely seen on official insignia. The elongated cross represents the cross on which Christ was crucified and is the symbol of Christianity. Make no mistake - the Balkenkreuz has little to do with Christianity and much to do with fighting.
The Balkenkreuz with straight arms (upper image) is based on the Greek Cross and with concave arms (lower image) is based on the Maltese Cross. Both of these symbols were used for the Iron Cross, also known as the Mantuan Cross, which has been used by the German military since 1918. The Balkenkreuz, like the Iron Cross, is invariably black.
Bundeswehr symbol
Japanese Imperial Army flag
Jieitai flag
adopted in 1954
The current German military, euphemistically called the 'Federal Defence Force' (Bundeswehr) has a similar symbol but grey with blue flanks. (Interestingly Japan, another country with strong pacifist sentiments, has a similarly euphemistic official name for its military: 'Self Defence Force' (Jieitai). Their insignia was also adopted from a wartime symbol and merged with the civil eight-pointed Brunswick Star.)
The Balkans is a peninsula in south-eastern Europe and a crossroads of various cultures, with a history of an almost contiguous string of wars and battles. However, the Balkenkreuz is not named from this region. The word Kreuz means 'cross' and Balken simply means 'beam', 'girder', 'joist' or 'rail'.
The cross of the Balkans, if they indeed have definitive Balkan Cross, it is most likely a form of Eastern Orthodox Cross. The wars of the area were fought in the name of various religions: Pagan, Muslim, Christian, but the real reason was not for the spread of any particular faith. Like all wars, they were about the acquisition of power and wealth.
The German military based their cross on the Christian Teutonic Knights and have not been alone in hiding behind the cross. Even today, military organisations and political groups attempt to ennoble and dignify their activities by using the Christian symbol. Schools and colleges, commercial organisations and even fashionistas are no exception. The Red Cross headquarters, for example, makes no claim to be a Christian organization. They don't start each day with a Bible reading neither do they go around preaching salvation. Yet the cross symbol gives a subtle, even subliminal, image to the organisation's legitimacy.
If you are a Christian, how can you avoid this tarnished the image of the cross?
The answer is quite obvious: Do not rely on the cross symbol to advertise your Christianity, but show you are a Christian through everything you do and say. In time, this will reclaim the cross as a pure Christian symbol.
| 1 : | Generally speaking, when a battle shield bears a cross, the four cross arms are equal length to fit on the shield. See Heraldic Crosses |
| 2 : | Generally speaking, flags are squared for battle because the symbol or marking on the flag is square. See National Flags |
