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Welcome to a tour of Symbols at St. Mark’s. Followers of Jesus began using symbols as soon as the church was formed in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. These very first Christians could expect persecution from the Roman government and Jewish religious leaders, so symbols served as a means of covert identification among followers.
As the good news of acceptance into the Kingdom of Heaven through faith in Jesus Christ spread outward from Judaea into Gentile Asia Minor, symbols became a means of advertising the existence of local churches to those who had heard bits and pieces of the gospel message and wanted to know more. The sign of the cross and symbols alluding to Jesus’ name in Greek became well-known. This by no means meant pressure from Rome had abated: the reigns of emperors Nero, Decius, and Diocletian stand out as eras of the most severe persecution.
With the Edict of Milan in 313, emperors Constantine of the western Roman empire, and Licinius in the eastern Roman empire officially legalized Christian religion. The status of the church changed from officially banned to the state religion over a period of a few years, although persecution continued in some areas at the whim of local officials. Symbols took on an instructional purpose, to make known Christian precepts to the masses, many unschooled and illiterate.
The great east-west schism of 1054 impacted symbology to the extent that Roman and Eastern Orthodox theologies were now on different paths. The Eastern tradition embraced iconography, but this was not a substitute for symbology, and a great many symbols are used by both branches of Christianity. There are exceptions, e.g., Eastern churches do not use the Lamb of God symbol, and for many years the Roman church was officially iconoclastic. Eastern churches tended to use stained glass sparingly in comparison to Western churches where it flourished beginning in the late middle ages. Many Eastern churches in the west now have beautiful stained glass symbols and icons.
Our tour of Symbols at St. Mark’s takes us through the main floor and fellowship hall, to the various places symbols are displayed. Many of the symbols are beautiful stained glass best seen on a sunny day. Enjoy your journey!
As the good news of acceptance into the Kingdom of Heaven through faith in Jesus Christ spread outward from Judaea into Gentile Asia Minor, symbols became a means of advertising the existence of local churches to those who had heard bits and pieces of the gospel message and wanted to know more. The sign of the cross and symbols alluding to Jesus’ name in Greek became well-known. This by no means meant pressure from Rome had abated: the reigns of emperors Nero, Decius, and Diocletian stand out as eras of the most severe persecution.
With the Edict of Milan in 313, emperors Constantine of the western Roman empire, and Licinius in the eastern Roman empire officially legalized Christian religion. The status of the church changed from officially banned to the state religion over a period of a few years, although persecution continued in some areas at the whim of local officials. Symbols took on an instructional purpose, to make known Christian precepts to the masses, many unschooled and illiterate.
The great east-west schism of 1054 impacted symbology to the extent that Roman and Eastern Orthodox theologies were now on different paths. The Eastern tradition embraced iconography, but this was not a substitute for symbology, and a great many symbols are used by both branches of Christianity. There are exceptions, e.g., Eastern churches do not use the Lamb of God symbol, and for many years the Roman church was officially iconoclastic. Eastern churches tended to use stained glass sparingly in comparison to Western churches where it flourished beginning in the late middle ages. Many Eastern churches in the west now have beautiful stained glass symbols and icons.
Our tour of Symbols at St. Mark’s takes us through the main floor and fellowship hall, to the various places symbols are displayed. Many of the symbols are beautiful stained glass best seen on a sunny day. Enjoy your journey!