Showing posts with label accompanying symbol. Show all posts

Monday, March 26, 2012

Chi Rho Six Pointed Star

Chi Rho (1870) carved in stone at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem

The Chi Rho was used by early christians. It is called after the names of the first two Greek letters Chi and Rho (ΧΡ). These letters start the word "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ" =Christ. The letter on the right is Alpha and the letter on the left is Omega. The term Alpha and Omega comes from the phrase "I am the alpha and the omega" in the Book of Revelation (1:8) which means that Jeusu is the First and the Last, the beginning and the End, since Alpha is the first and Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet.

The beginning of this symbol is ascribed to Roman emperor Constantine (272- 312 C.E.) who called it labarum and used it as a military symbol.

There is no unequivocal proof that Constantine invented the ChiRho and that he started its usage as a military symbol, but it is interesting tocompare his legend to those about the beginnings of the star of David and theFleur de Lis. Constantine and King Davidboth won wars by inscribing their emblems on their shields. In 493 King Clovis Igot the Fleur de Lis emblem from God, after his conversion to Christianity… likeConstantine. In all three legends kings start the history of a symbol. These threesymbols are actually three aspects of the same six-pointed star symbol (Fleurde Lis is a six-pointed star viewed from the side).
The same goes for Solomon's Seal symbol which started from King Solomon . The name "Solomon's Seal" was used during the Middle Ages to mark stars with five or six points.

Researchers Aarne andThompson in their typology of International Folktales proved that the same legendmay appear in different cultures without any known connections between theirinventors, and it seems to me that this is the case here. Usage of thesesymbols did not start from historicalevents but from the need of folk consciousness to attribute the beginning to asupreme source of authority - a king by the grace of God.

Roman Mosaic. Center: Chi Rho 4th Century

CC Image from Wikipedia entry: Hinton St Mary Mosaic

The Chi Rho is flanked by two pomegranates

It is interesting to notice that in any pomegranate before the crown

(Six pointed Star) opens it looks like Six Radiuses with a common center,

just like the Chi Rho

View my Chi Rho Christogram Six Pointed Star Gallery on Flickr

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Jew Watch

Jew Watch is the most famous anti semitic website
It's Logo includes a colorful star of David above Hammer and Sickle

the former USSR Coat of Arms

hinting that Jews were behind the invention of Communism

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The six pointed star and the crescent

Contemporary Crescent and six pointed Star in the old City of Jerusalem.in Arabic this crescent emblem is called hilal.

Photo: Ze'ev Barkan

= =

It is interesting to notice that the origin of the famous Islamic symbolof the five pointed star and the crescent was not Islamic but Sassanian, and atfirst it had six points. The fivepointed star and the crescent actually became a symbol of Islam only during the19th century, sporting on the Ottoman flag from 1793. It entered the TurkishFlag in 1923 and then it had been adopted by other Muslim countries. Actually the Crescent and six pointed Star appearalready on a roman Denarius minted by Augustus (27 BC-CE 14)

Photo from Wikipedia entry: File:Augustus_denarius_coin_star_crescent

= =

Coin of King Juba II of Numidia
52/50 BC – CE 23

King Juba II was a close friend of Augustus

And on byzantine Drachma from 52-42BCE

Michael G. Morony‏in his book Iraq after the Muslim conquest p. 40 writes that the star and thecrescent were combined for the first time on the coins of Khosrau I the twentieth Sassanid Emperor (alsocalled Chosroes I, and Anushirvan (r. 531–579.Hurmizd IV replaced the six pointed star in some of his coins with a fivepointed star. This tradition continued on coins of the seventh century. After the conquest of Iraq the MuslimGovernment accepted these coins as well.This tradition lasted until 695 or 696, when coins were minted without anyimages.

Picture from Wikipedia entry: Khosrau I

Yoel Natan in his book Moon-o-theism: religion of a war and moon godprophet Vol. 2 p. 434 wrote that "Inottoman times the crescent and the star became emblems on Muslim battle flagsand royal standards.

Chief Hizir Hayreddin (Barbarossa) was the Great Admiral of the navy ofSuleiman the Magnificent from 1534 until his death on 1546. Now the flag is atthe Naval Museum of Istanbul.

Picture is copied from Wikipedia

= =

Christian Star surrounding Muslin Crescent in a Mosaic Pavement at the 8th century Monastery of St. Euthymius in Mishor Adumin. The Monastery was built by members of an Arab Tribe whichlived nearby.

= =

Provisional - 1915 overprint on 1892 Turkish stamp

Picture from Wikipedia entry Postage stamps and postal history of Turkey

= =

1923 Riffan Banknote
The Republic of the Rif (North Morocco) was created in 1921
Image from Wikipedia entry Rif Republic

Photo and text From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_and_crescent

"Before the 14th century, the crescent and star does not seem to havebeen associated with Islam at all, and appears in Christian iconography. Miniature illustrating the victory of the Mongols (left) over theMamluks (right) at the Battle of Homs (14th-century illustration from amanuscript of the History of the Tatars). The flag of the Mamluks is shown as ablack star and crescent on a red field. The crescent is facing the hoist, andthe star is shown as a six-pointed mullet".

See Also an article in French
http://www.ouarzazate-1928-1956.com/pour-memoire/petite-histoire-dune-etoile-a-six-branches.html