The Cross

Definitions: Denotations and Connotations

The Cross is a universal symbol. Its denotative meaning may be described in the following manner: the cross is an instrument of death, traditionally connected with the death of Jesus Christ.

However, there are many connotative meanings that come along with this denotative meaning. We automatically make associations when we see the cross. The following ideals and images may come to mind:

Sacrifice

Suffering

Redemption

Martyrdom

Blood

Agony

Salvation

Slippage

Meaning has shifted in this sign. When the disciples watched Jesus die in agony upon the cross, they certainly felt that they were experiencing defeat. Thousands of years later, in the aftermath of the bloody death, yet in the light of the glorious resurrection, many Christians use this symbol with pride. To many modern-day Christians the cross represents not defeat, but victory.

Moving outside of the Christian semiotic domain, we see that the cross has taken on other meanings, sometimes in a negative way. For instance, in the 20th century, the Klu Klux Klan put burning crosses on the properties of African-Americans in an attempt to intimidate them and warn of future violence. For white supremacists, the cross meant something very different than it did for a Christian. Some of these white supremacists were convinced that they were Christians, but that is another story...

In the semiotic domain of rappers, the cross represents a movement from economic suffering to astronomical wealth. It retains its connotation of suffering, yet it is usually diamond studded and swinging from the necks of vulgar poets.

How about satanists? They simply turn the cross upside down, and we automatically understand that the set of ideals to which they hold are completely opposite those of the Christian.

The cross is an example of a time-bound symbol (as it represents an ancient form of execution), yet it has also gained new meaning throughout the course of thousands of years.