Star Cross
or Messianic Cross
.... and of course love is central to both Christianity and Judaism.
The term 'Star Cross' could be applied to several designs and in heraldry a cross with pointed arms is called a Stellated Cross. One such six-pointed star is seen with the Etoile Cross, and others include the
- Bath Star Cross
- Bethlehem Star Cross
- Brunswick Star Cross
- Garter Star Cross
- Sun Cross
- Southern Star Cross
- Northern Star Cross
On this page, we'll look at the Christian cross combined with the Mogen Dovid, the Jewish Star of David.
The Star of David was considered to be a 'cross' in European heraldry. It is sometimes called a Jewish Cross but generally, this is a misnomer - 'emblem', 'medallion' or 'badge' is more accurate than 'cross'.
Judaism denies that Jesus rose again as Christ; therefore the Cross has no significant meaning for Jews. However, entering the Twilight Zone of logic, since Jesus was a Jew, then the cross used to crucify him could be referred to as a Jewish Cross. But we already have a name for that – the True Cross.
The Star of David comprises two triangles, representing the Greek letter for 'D' inverted over the other, which happens to have been King David's royal cipher (since his name began and ended with a 'D'). The symbol represents the town of Bethlehem, first and foremost, the place of Christ's birth.
As with the Crescent Cross, the Star Cross shown on the left is a hybrid and symbolises Christianity being central to Judaism. The symbol is used by Jewish Christians; a sect that retains its Jewish heritage yet believes in Salvation through Jesus, rather than through works. They tend to join Protestant or Catholic churches.
Another group are called Messianic Jews, who believe that Yeshua (Jesus) came as the Messiah, but they continue to worship in the synagogue.
Despite the differences between Judaism and Christianity, the two religions also have fundamental similarities; such as, ethical standards, sacred texts, and belief in the same God. It is not surprising therefore that some people decide to enjoy the best of both worlds.
An alternative arrangement is shown on the left, which can be interpreted as Judaism being central to Christianity. A significant feature of this pattern is that the lines of the star are intertwined with the lines of the cross. (Click the image for an enlarged view.)
The colours used for our image are arbitrary, selected to show the overlapping lines rather than imply any particular meaning. However, red is quite often used in the Christian faith to remind us of the spiritually cleansing blood, shed by Jesus when he was crucified. Blue is often used in the Jewish faith to symbolise the sky, heaven, and by extension, the Divine nature of God. (The blue tint used for this image is copied from the flag of Israel. For an interesting background to the Jewish use of the Mogen Dovid, see the Israeli government's official webpage about the Emblem of Israel.)
Neither the star nor the cross is in front of the other and consequently the symbol does not say that one element should have precedence over the other.
Your own faith will tell you whether the cross or the star is more important and relevant.
Other Star Crosses
See also St. David's Cross and Ninja Cross
And if you fancy a puzzle, see if you can explain why the star is on this gravestone.
The black and red Quaker Star is not an official or universal symbol of the Religious Society of Friends, but the Quaker Service Star (black and red) was used by the Friends War Victims Relief Committee during the Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871, and has been used by some Quaker groups since 1917.
A cross inside the star of the bizarre Raelian movement's logo.
The voided Texas Star or Mullet Star on the logo of the Baptist General Convention of Texas texasbaptists.org. (A 5-pointed star in heraldry is called a 'mullet'.)
And on the subject of Texas...
Some Texans feel their country should be called "The United States of Texas". Their famed cockiness makes the state the butt of many jokes, which makes their occasional display of shrewd common sense difficult to be recognised as such.
"It's a Texas thang, y'all wouldn't understand..."
You must be joking!
A big-city Californian lawyer goes duck hunting in rural Texas. He shoots and drops a bird, but it falls into a farmer's field on the other side of a fence. As the lawyer climbs over the fence, an elderly farmer rides up on his dirt bike and asks him what he's doing. The lawyer responds, "I shot a duck and it fell into this field, and now I'm going to retrieve it." The old farmer replies, "This is my property, and you are not coming over here."
The indignant lawyer says, "I am one of the best trial attorneys in the US and, if you don't let me get that duck, I'll sue you and take everything you own."
The old farmer smiles and says, "Apparently, you don't know how we do things in Texas. We settle small disagreements like this with the Texas Three-Kick Rule."
The lawyer asks, "What's the Texas Three-Kick Rule?" The Farmer explains "Well, first I kick you three times and then you kick me three times, and so on, back and forth, until someone gives up."
The lawyer quickly thinks about the proposed contest and decides his daily workouts at the health club and completion of the Honolulu Marathon makes it easy to take on the old codger. He agrees to abide by the local custom.
The old farmer slowly climbs off his bike and walks up to the city fella. His first kick plants the toe of his heavy work boot into the lawyer's groin, droping him to his knees. His second kick nearly wipes the man's nose off his face. The lawyer is flat on his belly when the farmer's third kick to a kidney nearly causes him to give up.
The lawyer summons every bit of his will and manages to get to his feet and says, "Okay, you old coot! Now, it's my turn!"
The old farmer smiles and says, "No, I give up. You can have the duck."
Next...
A Texas farmer puzzles about the best way to fence of the largest possible area with the least amount of fence. He commisions three renowned mathematicians to suggest the solution.
The first boffin suggests making the fence in a circle as the most efficient design.
The second suggests a straight line of infinite length, pointing out that fencing off half of the Earth is certainly a more efficient way to do it.
The third just laughs, saying the ultimate way is for the farmer to build a tiny fence around himself and declare himself to be on the outside.
The farmer thanks the three and realises the time-honoured rectangle pracitce is the best after all.
And finally...
The lawyer (mentioned above) is sitting next to a pretty Texas girl on a long flight. The man leans over and asks if she'd like to play a quiz game.
The girl, rather annoyed, says she's not good at games.
The man persists and explains that the game is really easy, "I ask you an easy question and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $10," and the smug man continues, "and since I've played the game before, if I can't answer your question, I'll pay you $100."
The girl decides that the only way to stop the annoying man is to play and teach him a lesson. The man asks the first question. "What's the distance from the earth to the moon" The girl doesn't say a word, reaches into her purse, pulls out $10 and hands it to the man.
Now, it is the girl's turn. "What," she asks, "goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?"
The man is dumbfounded. He picks up his laptop computer and searches all through the internet, but to no avail. After an hour of frustrated searching, he finally hands her $100. The girl politely takes the money and leans her head against the window to take a nap.
The man, miffed at losing, wakes the girl and asks, "Well? So what does go up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?"
Without a word, she reaches into her purse, hands the man $10, and goes back to sleep.
