On the four arms of the cross

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
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Giuseppe
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Location: Italy

On the four arms of the cross

Post by Giuseppe »

What did the four arms of the cross allegorize? Some have proposed that they allegorize the forces who rule (behind) the 4 elements: fire, air, earth and water.

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Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
archibald
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Location: Northern Ireland

Re: On the four arms of the cross

Post by archibald »

There is also the possibility that 'four' is a pun/metaphor (metafour?) for 'fore'. And of course, 'Forewarned is forearmed' (I'm sure that wisdom can be extracted from some OT verse or other if someone tried hard enough). Is this a hint that Jesus was a militant or terrorist, or at the very least an unpleasant person? In support of this, does the word 'cross' have a hidden double meaning? This may be revealed in the following pericope, which is probably also paralleled in the OT somewhere:

'Verily I say unto you that two nuns were sitting in their car at a traffic light when a bunch of rowdy drunks pulled up alongside. "Hey, show us your tits you bloody penguins!" shouted one of the drunks. The Mother Superior turns to Sister Margaret and says "I don't think they know who we are. Show them your cross." So Sister Margaret rolls down her window and shouts, "Sod off you little fucking wankers before I get out and rip your goddam balls off!" Sister Margaret looks back at the Mother Superior and asks, "Was that cross enough?" '
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