The drawing of a skull and two bones under it is often found on the image of the crucifixion of Christ and is found not only in iconography, but also in body crosses. This sometimes puzzles converts because it is associated with modern man with the grave and death. However, in Christianity this symbol has a slightly different meaning - not at all so gloomy.

Adam's head is a symbol of salvation

It should be said that neither in the Old nor in the New Testaments there is a single detail that would exist on its own and would not be connected by many semantic and philosophical threads in other details and episodes of the Bible. These threads firmly connect both of these books into one whole, giving the history of mankind unity and volume.
It is known that when, after the Fall, the first people were expelled from paradise, they lived in the same area where the Savior lived, preached and suffered. Story early Christianity says that Christ was executed on a hill - Golgotha, on top of which rested the head and two bones of the ancestor of all people, Adam.
His death's head was for all believers a symbol of sin and fall, a symbol of death, with which, after expulsion from paradise, all the descendants of the first people died and die.
And only the suffering of the Savior atoned for this sin, washing it away from all humanity. The water gushing from the chest of Christ, pierced by a Roman spear, spilled onto the skull of the first ancestor, washing away the Fall and opening for him - and all of us - the doors of heaven.
The skull and bones at the feet of the crucifix remind Orthodox Christians of the fall of man, of his sinful essence and death, but they also say that the Savior, by his death, destroyed the gates of hell and brought repentant sinners out of there, giving them heaven. This is truly a symbol of death, but also a symbol of life, hope for salvation.
Sometimes the letters G and A are depicted next to Adam’s dead head, which directly mean “Adam’s head.”

How did Adam's head end up on Golgotha?

But how did Adam's head get to this place? And why only the head? Where is the rest of the body? And why then do the Jews honor a completely different burial place of the first people, which exists in Hebron?
Perhaps the rapprochement of Adam with Christ, as with his antipode (the first plunged people into sin, and redeemed him with his second sacrifice), was produced artificially?
Then why do all early Christian authors refer to the fact that it was on Golgotha ​​that the head of the ancestor of all people was buried: Pseudo-Athanasius, Saint Epiphanius, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom?
Moreover, the Savior himself in Scripture time and again called himself “the son of man” - “ben Adam”, which directly means the son of Adam. The Apostle Paul wrote about the Savior as the “second Adam,” who is the “life-giving Spirit.” Are they all wrong?
As it turns out, no. According to legend, Patriarch Noah, who survived the Great Flood, preserved for his descendants the remains of the first people who were actually buried in Hebron after the waters receded.
However, Noah gave Adam's head and two bones to his son Shem to bury the bones in the “center of the world.” So Adam’s head ended up buried on the site of the future great city of Jerusalem.

How this symbol was used in Rus'

With the baptism of Rus', the symbol of Adam’s head firmly entered into the everyday life of Russian Christians. It is known that the Russian Saint Sergius of Radonezh, before the Battle of Kulikovo, placed a schema on the monk Peresvet (Alexander), which depicted the head of the first man. The monk died in a duel with a Tatar, who was also killed, but the battle was won.
The main meaning that Orthodoxy puts into Adam’s chapter is: “Trampling down death by death!”
IN Russian army"chapter" was first used in Patriotic War 1812 in the cavalry regiment, which was called “Immortal” - Adam’s head was depicted in the form of a silver skull, which was attached to headdresses.
Before the World War, Adam's head became the emblem of the Alexandria Hussar Regiment and adorned the caps of the Fourth Mariupol Regiment and the Seventeenth Don Cossack Regiment.
During the First World War, this symbol was used by Russian aviators - by the number of “dead heads” depicted on the fuselage of the aircraft, they kept count of enemy aircraft shot down.
IN Civil War Adam's head became a symbol of readiness to die for a just cause. The banner of the “Tsarskoye Selo Death Battalion” featured a skull and crossbones and the inscription: “ Better death than the death of the Motherland." The death's head was present on the flags and insignia of the units of General Markovna among the Drozdovites, the Cossacks of Anennkov, the fighters of General Avalov, in the units of the Cossack ataman Bulak-Balakhovich and others.
The head of Adam was also used by the Bolsheviks - employees of the Cheka: they attached gold badges to the lapels of commissar leather jackets and painted them on slogans, accompanied by the inscription: “Long live the red terror! Death to the world bourgeoisie!
In Soviet times, Adam's head lost its meaning, turning into a sign of danger. Now the skull and crossbones is gradually returning to its original Orthodox meaning, but in the youth subculture it still means, first of all, human sin and mortality of the human body.

IN Christian religion the image of the cross has deep philosophical and moral significance. It became a symbol of the great atoning sacrifice made by God to deliver people from eternal death, which was a consequence of the original sin committed by our ancestors - Adam and Eve. His images are very diverse, and each has a special semantic connotation. One of them, namely the Calvary Cross, is the topic of this article.

The cross is a picture of a great event

Its outlines are familiar to everyone who has met in one way or another Orthodox symbols, and you can see them on the vestments of monks, objects, as well as in attributes associated with the consecration of homes and vehicles. The Calvary Cross is a stylized picture of an event that occurred more than two thousand years ago in Palestine, which radically changed the entire course of world history.

Its composition includes images of the Cross - the instrument of torment of our Savior Jesus Christ, Mount Golgotha, on the top of which this event took place, the head of Adam resting in its depths, traditionally depicted at the foot of the Cross. In addition, this includes inscriptions that have both an explanatory and purely sacred character.

Shine in the Roman sky

The center of the composition is the Cross itself. It is known that his image as magic symbol and even as an image of a deity was found among representatives of the most ancient, pre-Christian cultures. Only in the Roman Empire did it become an instrument of shameful and painful execution, to which mainly slaves and especially dangerous criminals were subjected. His symbols appeared on the walls of the catacombs, where in II and III centuries The first Christians performed secret services. They were images of a palm branch, a whip and an abbreviation of the name of Christ.

In its usual, “unencrypted form,” the Cross first appeared in the 4th century, when Christianity received the status of state religion. According to Sacred Tradition, the Savior appeared to Emperor Constantine in a night vision and ordered him to decorate the banner under which his army was preparing to engage in battle with the enemy with the image of the Cross. In the morning, a light in the form of a cross appeared in the sky over Rome, dispelling his last doubts. Having fulfilled the command of Jesus Christ, Constantine soon defeated his enemies.

Three memorial crosses

The Roman historian Eusebius Pamphilus describes this banner with the image of the Cross in the form of a spear with a crossbar and inscribed on top letter abbreviation There is no doubt that the Calvary Cross, the photo of which is presented in the article, was the result of subsequent modifications of the symbol that adorned the battle banner of the Roman emperor.

After the victory won by Constantine, as a sign of gratitude to the Savior, he ordered the installation of three memorial Crosses and the inscription “Jesus Christ the Victor” on them. In Greek it looks like this: IC.XP.NIKA. All Orthodox Calvary Crosses contain the same inscription, but in Slavic.

In 313, a great event happened: on the basis of the Edict of Milan, adopted on the initiative of Emperor Constantine, freedom of religion was established in the Roman Empire. Christianity after three centuries persecution finally received official state status, and its symbolism was given a powerful impetus for further development.

Basic elements of the Cross

Despite the fact that the main one has different designs, Orthodox Calvary Crosses are usually depicted as three-part, that is, eight-pointed. They are a combination of a vertical post and a large crossbar, usually located at a level two-thirds of their height. This, in fact, is the very instrument of torment on which the Savior was crucified.

Above the large horizontal crossbar there is a small one parallel to it, symbolizing the tablet nailed to the cross before execution. On it were the words written by Pontius Pilate himself: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” These same words, but in Slavic characters, contain all Orthodox Calvary Crosses.

Symbolic measure of sinfulness

At the bottom of the vertical column there is a small inclined crossbar - a symbolic foot, strengthened after the Savior was nailed to the Cross. Calvary Cross, like everything else orthodox crosses, is depicted with a crossbar whose right edge is higher than the left.

This tradition goes back to the biblical text, which tells that two thieves were crucified on both sides of the Savior, the one on the right repented and gained eternal life, and the one on the left blasphemed the Lord and doomed himself to eternal death. Thus, the inclined crossbar plays the role of a symbolic measure of human sinfulness.

Symbol of the Place of Execution

The Calvary Cross is always depicted on a certain pedestal, personifying Mount Calvary, the name of which is translated from Hebrew as “skull”. This served as the basis for another name mentioned in the Slavic and Russian translations of the Gospel - “Place of Execution”. It is known that in ancient times it served as a place of executions especially dangerous criminals. There is evidence that the mountain, consisting of gray limestone, actually resembled a skull in appearance.

As a rule, Golgotha ​​is depicted in several versions. It can be a hemisphere, or a pyramid with smooth or stepped edges. IN the latter case These steps are called “steps of spiritual ascent,” and each of them has a specific name: the lower one is Faith, the middle one is Love, the highest one is Charity. On both sides of the mountain on which the Calvary Cross is depicted, two letters are placed - “GG”, which means “Mount Golgotha”. Their outline is mandatory.

Cane, spear and skull

In addition to all of the above, the Calvary Cross, the meaning of which, first of all, is the personification of sacrifice and redemption of humanity through the suffering of Christ, as a rule, is depicted with the attributes of executioners mentioned in the Gospel. This is a cane, at the end of which there is a sponge with vinegar, and a spear that pierced the body of the Savior. Usually they are marked with the corresponding letters - “T” and “K”.

The skull depicted inside Golgotha ​​also occupies an important place in the overall composition. This is the symbolic head of our progenitor Adam, as evidenced by the letters “G” and “A” inscribed next to it. It is generally accepted that the sacrificial blood of Christ, penetrating through the thickness of the mountain, washed it from original sin. There are several versions about how Adam's head ended up in the depths of this mountain. One of them claims that the body of the progenitor was brought here by angels, according to another, he was buried here by Adam’s descendant Seth, and according to the most common version, the body was brought by the waters of the Flood.

Other inscriptions

According to established tradition, there are other symbolic designs accompanying the Calvary Cross. The meaning of the inscriptions (always done in Slavic) in to the fullest is consistent with the Gospel story about the passion of the Lord. At the top of the cross is usually written “Son of God.” In some cases, it is replaced by the inscription “King of Glory”. Above the large horizontal crossbar is the inscription “IC XP” - “Jesus Christ”, and below, as already mentioned, “NIKA” - “Victory”. The place of the event and its main result are indicated by the letters “ML” - “Place of the Execution”, and “RB” - “Paradise to Be”.

A Piece of God's Grace

The schematic representation of the place of Christ's crucifixion - Golgotha ​​and altar - has firmly become one of the most revered Orthodox symbols. Nowadays, it is not only an attribute of monastic asceticism, but also a shrine carefully preserved by pious laity.

Most Russians, sometimes even those who do not consider themselves believers, nevertheless adhere to ancient traditions and wear symbols of Christianity on their chests, including the Calvary Cross. Whether silver was used to make it, gold, or it is made of other metals, consecrated in the Church of Christ, it always carries within itself a particle of Divine Grace, so necessary in the life of each of us.

Archpriest Sergius Ogolyuk

Briefly about the important: why is a skull and crossbones placed under the Crucifixion? (video+text)

Brief answers from priests to pressing questions about spiritual life, the life of the Church, as well as questions that arise in a person when he first comes to church - in the section “Briefly about the important.” Why is a skull and crossbones placed under the Crucifixion? The rector of the Nikolaev Cathedral of Gorlovka, Archpriest Sergiy Ogolyuk, answers.

Our Lord Jesus Christ carried His cross to the place of execution, outside the city. This place was called Golgotha, or Skull. The Hebrew word "Golgotha" means forehead, skull. According to legend, it was here that the remains of the first man, Adam, lay. The crucifixion of the Savior took place over this place.

According to St. Basil the Great, when our forefather Adam died, people, not knowing what to do with the body of the deceased man, laid him on a mountain under the scorching rays of the sun. It lay there, and the skin began to peel off from the forehead. Struck by this sight of a human face, people began to call this place a place open skull or heads - Golgotha.

Several thousand years later, the Son of God was crucified at this place, and the blood and water from the Savior’s perforated rib, falling on Adam’s skull, washed original sin person. It is Adam's skull that we see in churches under the Crucifixion. The burial place of Adam became the site of the crucifixion of the second Adam, as the Apostle Paul calls Jesus Christ. It was at this place that Christ redeemed us from original sin.

Adam's chapter symbolically depicts fallen humanity, stricken spiritually and physically by sin and then by death.

You can ask about important things at [email protected].