AChristogram (Latin:Monogramma Christi)[a] is amonogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name ofJesus Christ, traditionally used as areligious symbol within theChristian Church.
One of the oldest Christograms is theChi-Rho (☧). It consists of the superimposed Greek letterschi(Χ) andrho(Ρ), which are the first two letters of the Greekχριστός, 'Christ'. It was displayed on thelabarum military standard used byConstantine I in 312 AD. TheIX monogram (_I_193_4.jpg)
) is a similar form, using the initials of the nameἸησοῦς (ὁ) Χριστός, 'Jesus (the) Christ', as is theΙΗ monogram (
), using the first two letters of the nameΙΗΣΟΥΣ, 'JESUS' in uppercase.
There were a very considerable number of variants of "Christograms" or monograms of Christ in use during the medieval period, with the boundary between specific monograms and merescribal abbreviations somewhat fluid.
The nameJesus, speltΙΗΣΟΥΣ in Greek capitals, has the abbreviationsIHS (also writtenJHS, IHC, orΙΗΣ). The nameChristus , speltΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, hasXP (and inflectional variants such asIX, XPO, XPS, XPI, XPM). In Eastern Christian tradition, the monogram ΙϹΧϹ (withOverline indicating scribal abbreviation) is used forἸησοῦς Χριστός in both Greek and Cyrillic tradition.
AMiddle Latin term for abbreviations of the name of Christ ischrisimus.[1] Similarly, the Middle Latincrismon,chrismon refers to the Chi-Rho monogram specifically.[2]
In antiquity, thecross, i.e. theinstrument of Christ's crucifixion (crux,stauros), was taken to beT-shaped, while theX-shape ("chiasmus") had different connotations. There has been scholarly speculation on the development of the Christian cross, the letter Chi used to abbreviate the name ofChrist, and the various pre-Christian symbolism associated with the chiasmus interpreted in terms of "the mystery of thepre-existent Christ".[3]
InPlato'sTimaeus, it is explained that the two bands which form the "world soul" (anima mundi) cross each other like the letter Chi, possibly referring to theecliptic crossing thecelestial equator:
And thus the whole mixture out of which he cut these portions was all exhausted by him. This entire compound divided lengthways into two parts, which he joined to one another at the centre like the letter X, and bent them into a circular form, connecting them with themselves and each other at the point opposite to their original meeting-point; and, comprehending them in a uniform revolution upon the same axis, he made the one the outer and the other the inner circle.
— Plato,Timaeus, 8.36b and 8.36c[4]
The twogreat circles of the heavens, the equator and the ecliptic, which, by intersecting each other form a sort of recumbent chi and about which the whole dome of the starry heavens swings in a wondrous rhythm, became for the Christian eye a heavenly cross.
— Rahner 1971, pp. 49–50. See alsoGrigg 1977, p. 477
Justin Martyr in the 2nd century makes explicit reference to Plato's image inTimaeus in terms of a prefiguration of the Holy Cross.[5] An early statement may be the phrase inDidache, "sign of extension in heaven" (sēmeion epektaseōs en ouranōi).[3]
An alternative explanation of the intersecting celestial symbol has been advanced by George Latura, claiming that Plato's "visible god" inTimaeus is the intersection of the Milky Way and the Zodiacal Light, a rare apparition important to pagan beliefs. He said that Christian bishops reframed this as a Christian symbol.[6]
The most commonly encountered Christogram in English-speaking countries in modern times is the Χ (or more accurately, Chi), representing the first letter of the wordChrist, in such abbreviations asXmas (for "Christmas") andXian orXtian (for "Christian").
An early form of the monogram of Christ, found in early Christianossuaries inPalaestina, was formed by superimposing the first (capital) letters of the Greek words forJesus andChrist, i.e.iotaΙ andchiΧ, so that thismonogram means "Jesus Christ".[7]: 166
TheAlpha and Omega symbols may at times accompany the Chi-Rho monogram.[11] Since the 17th century,Chrismon (chrismum; alsochrismos, chrismus) has been used as aNeo-Latin term for the Chi Rho monogram.
Because thechrismon was used as a kind of "invocation" at the beginning of documents of theMerovingian period, the term also came to be used of the "cross-signatures" in early medieval charters.[c]Chrismon in this context may refer to the Merovingian period abbreviationI. C. N. forin Christi nomine, later (in theCarolingian period) alsoI. C. forin Christo, and still later (in the high medieval period) justC. forChristus.[13]
St Cuthbert's coffin (late 7th century) has an exceptional realisation of the Christogram written inAnglo-Saxon runes, as ᛁᚻᛋ ᛉᛈᛋ, transliterated to the Latin alphabet as 'IHS XPS', with thechi rendered as theeolh rune (the oldz oralgiz rune) and therho rendered as thep-rune.
In theLatin-speaking Christianity of medieval Western Europe (and so among Catholics and manyProtestants today), the most common Christogram became "IHS" or "IHC", denoting the first three letters of theGreek name of Jesus,ΙΗΣΟΥΣ,iota-eta-sigma, orΙΗΣ.[14][15][16]
The Greek letteriota is represented by 'I', and theeta by 'H', while the Greek lettersigma is either in its lunate form, represented by 'C', or its final form, represented by 'S'. Because the Latin-alphabet lettersI andJ were not systematically distinguished until the 17th century, "JHS" and "JHC" are equivalent to "IHS" and "IHC".
"IHS" is sometimes interpreted as meaningΙΗΣΟΥΣ ΗΜΕΤΕΡΟΣ ΣΩΤΗΡ,Iēsous Hēmeteros Sōtēr, 'Jesus our Saviour' or in LatinJesus Hominum (orHierosolymae)Salvator, ('Jesus, Saviour of men [or: of Jerusalem]' in Latin)[17] or connected withIn Hoc Signo. English-language interpretations of "IHS" have included "In His Service".[18] Such interpretations are known asbackformed acronyms.
Used in Latin since the seventh century, the first use ofIHS in an English document dates from the fourteenth century, inPiers Plowman.[19] In the 15th century,Saint Bernardino of Siena popularized the use of the three letters on the background of a blazing sun to displace both popular pagan symbols and seals of political factions like theGuelphs and Ghibellines in public spaces (seeFeast of the Holy Name of Jesus).
The IHS monogram with the H surmounted by a cross abovethree nails and surrounded by aSun is the emblem of theJesuits, according to tradition introduced byIgnatius of Loyola in 1541.[17]
IHS has been known to appear on gravestones, especially among Irish Catholics.[20][21][22]
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InEastern Christianity, the most widely used Christogram is a four-letter abbreviation, ΙϹ ΧϹ—a traditional abbreviation of the Greek words for 'Jesus Christ' (i.e., the first and last letters of each of the wordsΙΗϹΟΥϹΧΡΙϹΤΟϹ, with thelunate sigma 'Ϲ' common in medieval Greek),[23] and written withtitlo (diacritic) denotingscribal abbreviation (І︮С︯ Х︮С︯).
On icons, this Christogram may be split: 'ΙϹ' on the left of the image and 'ΧϹ' on the right. It is sometimes rendered as 'ΙϹ ΧϹ ΝΙΚΑ' (Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς νικᾷ), meaning 'Jesus Christ Conquers'. 'ΙϹΧϹ' may also be seen inscribed on theIchthys.
AfterFrancis Xavier landed inKagoshima, Japan, in 1549, his missionary work grew and became widely distributed throughout Japan under the patronage of thedaimyō. However, during theEdo period (1603–1867), Christians were persecuted and forced to hide. Because they were forbidden to openly reverence the images of Christ orMary, it is believed that they transferred their worship to other carved images and marked them with secret symbols understood only by the initiates. CertainJapanese lanterns, notably theKirishitan dōrō (キリシタン灯籠, 'Christian lanterns'), did bear the "Lhq"monogram, which, a quarter turned, was engraved on the shaft (sao), which was buried directly into the soil without basal platform (kiso). The'Lhq' monogram corresponds to the distorted letters 'IHS'.[24]
In 2016 a 1,300-year-old corpse, was found in a cemetery near a medieval monastery inGhazali, Sudan, whose right foot bore a tattoo from medievalNubia, a region that covered parts of modern-day Egypt and Sudan, depicting aChi Rho and anAlpha Omega. The person, most likely male, lived sometime between 667 and 774.[25]
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