Shamrock

We just learned about the Christian symbol of the anchor.

Another symbol is the shamrock.

This is a three leaf clover, and is used sometimes to mean God, Jesus and the Holy spirit.


(from: wikipedia - christian symbolism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

Anchor

We just learned about the Christian Symbol of the Pelican.

Another Christian symbol is the Anchor.

The anchor was seen as something that was very safe, and something that you could hold on to if you needed to be strong.
(from: wikipedia - category:anchors on stained glass windows)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Paul's Letter to the Galatians

Pelican

We just learned about the Christian symbol of the Peacock.

Another symbol is the Pelican.

There are legends about pelicans being such loving mothers than if their children were starving they would use their beak to poke themselves so that the babies could survive from their own blood.

Because Jesus died on the cross and and had the nails poke through his hands, the pelican is like a way to think of Jesus suffering for his children in the same way.


(from: wikipedia - Christian Symbolism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians

Peacock

We just learned about the Christian symbol of the Dove.

Another Christian symbol is the Peacock.

Long ago people thought that the peacock's body did not get old after it died, so it was like a symbol of living forever like Jesus.

The large parts of the peacock's tail that look like eyes were thought of like the all seeing eyes of God.
Sometimes pictures of peacocks drinking water were used as symbols of Christians drinking from the waters of eternal life.


(from: wikipedia - christian symbolism)


(from: wikipedia - peafowl)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians

Dove

We just learned about the Christian symbol of The Good Shepherd.

Another Christian symbol is the Dove.

When Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit came down on him like a dove from the sky.
The dove was also the bird that brought an olive branch to Noah after the flood.


(from: wikipedia - christian symbolism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Paul's Letter to the Romans

The Good Shepherd

We just learned about the Christian symbol of the Iota Chi - IX Monogram.

Another Christian Symbol is the Good Shepherd.

In the Bible, Jesus Christ is called the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.


(from: wikipedia - good shepherd)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Paul's Letters

Iota Chi - IX Monogram

We just learned about the Christian Symbol of Iota Eta - IH Monogram.

Another Christian symbol is the Iota Chi - IX Monogram.

The Greek letter Iota (Ι) is the first letter in the Greek spelling for Jesus: ἸΗΣΟῦΣ
and the Greek letter Chi (Χ) is the first letter in the Greek spelling for Christ: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ

So Iota and Chi were crossed together mean Jesus Christ.


(from: wikipedia - christian symbolism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Saul's Conversion

Iota Eta - IH Monogram

We just learned about the Christian symbol Chi Rho.

Another Christian symbol is the Iota Eta, also called the IH Monogram.

In Greek, Jesus is spelled ἸΗΣΟῦΣ.

Ἰ - Iota
Η - Eta
Σ - Sigma
Ο - Omicron
ῦ - Upsilon
Σ - Sigma

Iota is like an I, and Eta is like an H.
Sometimes people would combine the ἸΗ into one symbol to mean Jesus.



(from: wikipedia - christian symbolism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Philip and the Ethiopian

Chi-Rho

We just learned about Staurogram.

Another Christian symbol is the Chi-Rho.

In the Greek language, the name for Christ was spelled ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, and sounded like "Christos".
Χ - Chi
Ρ - Rho
Ι - Iota
Σ - Sigma
Τ - Tau
Ο - Omicron
Σ - Sigma

The first two letters Chi and Rho, ΧΡ, were put together as a symbol to mean Christ.

Over 1,500 years ago one of the Emperors of Rome named Constantine became a Christian, and he had his armies put the Chi Rho symbol on their shields and armor to show that he was fighting for Christ.


(from: wikipedia - chi rho)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Choosing of Stephen

Staurogram

We just learned about the symbols Alpha and Omega.

Another Christian symbol is the Staurogram, which is like the letter P crossed with the letter T.

It comes from the greek word stauros (σταυρός), which means cross.
When you say the letters tau (τ) and rho (ρ) together as tau-rho it almost sounds like stauros, so that was a way to make a symbol of the tau and rho to mean stauros.

Some people think it also looks like Jesus on a cross.


(from: wikipedia - staurogram)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Apostles Persecuted

Alpha and Omega

We just learned about the Christian Ichthys symbol.

Another symbol Christians use is the Alpha and Omega.

In the Greek alphabet, the first letter is the letter Alpha which looks like an A.
The last letter is Omega, which looks like an O but like a horseshoe.

In the book of Revelation it says "I am the Alpha and the Omega meaning that God is the beginning of everything and the end of everything, and everything in the middle.


(from: wikipedia - alpha and omega)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peter and John put in Jail

Ichthys

We just learned about the christian symbol of the crucifix.

Another symbol is the ichthys, pronounced ick-thes.

The word ichthys is Greek for fish, and was used as an acronym to mean Jesus.

Iota (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for "Jesus".
Chi (ch) is the first letter of Christos (Χριστός), Greek for "anointed."
Theta (th) is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for "God's", the genitive case of Θεóς, Theos," Greek for "God."
Upsilon (y) is the first letter of (h)yios[5] (Υἱός), Greek for "Son".
Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr (Σωτήρ), Greek for "Savior."

Long ago there were some people that really did not like Christians, and so they had to find ways to hide who they were, and to send messages to each other.
So they would draw a picture of the fish as a secret way to mean Jesus.


(from: wikipedia - ichthys)


(from: wikipedia - ichthys)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peter Heals a Lame Beggar

Crucifix

We just learned about the Christian symbol of the Cross.

Another Christian symbol is the crucifix.

This is a cross that shows Jesus on the cross being crucified.
Many churches have these crucifixes as artwork by their altar, and some people carry around a crucifix instead of just a cross.


(from: wikipedia - christian symbolism)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

Cross

We've learned all about the Church Calendar.

Let's learn about some of the symbols used in the Christian Church.

The most well known symbol used is the Cross.

Crosses come in all shapes and sizes, and are used to help remember when Jesus was crucified on the cross.


(from: wikipedia - Christian cross)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Ascends to Heaven

Feast of Christ the King

We just learned about All Saint's Day.

The next date in the church calendar is the Feast of Christ the King.


(from: wikipedia - feast of christ the king)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Restores Peter

All Saint's Day

We just learned about Ordinary Time.

The next part of the church calendar is All Saint's Day.

On this day people remember all of the believers who have passed on to heaven long ago.


(from: wikipedia - all saint's day)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears to Thomas

Ordinary Time

We just learned about Trinity Sunday.

Another part of the church calendar is called Ordinary Time.
There are two parts of the calendar for Ordinary Time, and they are the time after Christmas and before Easter, and then after Easter and before Christmas.


(from: wikipedia - ordinary time)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears in his disciples house

Trinity Sunday

We just learned about the church day of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter.

The next day in the calendar is Trinity Sunday.

This day is for Christians to celebrate the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.


(from: wikipedia - trinity sunday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus appears to Peter fishing

Pentecost

We just learned about Easter Sunday.

The next time in the church calendar is Pentecost.

The word means 50th day, and the day is 50 days after Easter.
This is the time when churches remember the Holy Spirit coming to the Apostles.

Many churches use rose petals or images of doves to remember the holy spirit coming down, and some even will lower a dove from the ceiling or drop rose petals from the roof.

Other churches remember the day with confirmation, when young people confirm their faith.

The churches are usually decorated in red, the color of fire.

(from: wikipedia - pentecost)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Appears on the Road to Emmaus

Easter Sunday

We just learned about Holy Saturday.

The next day of the church calendar is Easter Sunday.

This is the day when the church remembers Jesus Christ being resurrected from the dead.

There are many different ways that people celebrate this day, like decorating and finding Easter eggs to remember the tomb Jesus was in, or having parades.
Many churches have a sunrise service, where people greet each other by saying Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.
The decorations on the church are usually white, to show the purity of Christ after coming back from the dead.

(from: wikipedia - easter)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Appears to Mary