Crucifix

Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, like Protestants, use a wide variety of crosses. A crucifix is usually a cross that features a corpus and often referred to as a Catholic Cross in contrast to the plain Protestant Cross.

Crucifix

A Crucifix is any cross with a superimposed figurine, usually representing crucified Jesus. This figure is known as a Corpus can be two-dimensional (painted) or three-dimensional.

But a representation of Jesus has not always been the norm for a crucifix. On early Christian crosses, rather than risk offending Christ by attempting to create an image of Him, the custom was to show a lamb; a symbol of sacrifice.

Ideas about life and death in general must have changed during the Great Plagues that swept through Europe in the Middle Ages (see Black Death Cross). Death was no longer a matter of dying through old age; the pestilence wiped out whole families and communities of all ages. And the death was not the peaceful grandparent drifting into permanent sleep; the death was violent which left twisted and grotesque bloodied faces on the corpses.

This reminded crucifix makers that Jesus' death was also gruesome. Jesus did not pass-away in comfort, which is easily imagined looking at a figure of a cuddly little lamb. Possibly for these reasons, imagery changed from the sacrificed lamb to that of a man, with a face and body wracked by physical and spiritual pain.

Alex Roman writes:

Crucifixes showing Christ in His 'extreme humility' on the Cross often show Him having offered His Soul into the Hands of the Father through the Spirit. This proclaims that He has gone on to release the souls from hades before returning to life in His Body on Easter. Although the Soul of Christ was separated from His Body at that time, His Divinity was not.

The Cross with the Corpus underscores that Christ laid down His life voluntarily and took it up again by the power of His Divinity in the Resurrection that transforms the suffering He underwent and also our own suffering.

A large crucifix forming part of an entrance to a chancel or sanctuary, is referred to as a Rood Cross. Rood is an old English term for 'wood' and represented the wood of the True Cross. Rood screens were erected to separate the church nave (where congregation would gather) from the chancel (accessed usually only by clergy). Clergy had responsibility for protecting the sacrament and altar, and the wooden screen (rood) was a symbolic enclosure.

A crucifix is often referred to as a Catholic Cross in contrast to the plain Protestant Cross.

When a skull and/or crossed bones are seen at the base of the cross, this represents Golgotha; the place where Jesus was crucified (see Skull and Crossbones Cross.)