Cross nimbus

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Cross nimbus is the name given to the special form of a halo in which a Greek cross is drawn. In Christian art, the cross nimbus is reserved for the three divine persons and makes them recognizable to other saints . In Western art, the two horizontal bars of the cross nimbus contain the two Greek letters Alpha and Omega after the Apocalypse of John , in Eastern church art (since the 14th century) the Greek letters οων or ΟΩΗ (old Gr . ὁ ὤν 'the being'). In the Greek Septuagint , YHWH was translated in this way in Ex 3.14  LUT . Since the Renaissance , the cross nimbus can also take the form of a three-part ray cross.

  • Mosaic, 6th century, Ravenna: Christ

  • Parish church St. Josef, Bolzum, neo-Romanesque: Christ as Easter lamb

  • Lindenberg parish church: God the Father

  • Bible historiale, 15th century: nimbus of the cross with the three divine persons

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Braunfels (ed.): Lexicon of Christian Iconography. Herder Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 1968–1976, ISBN 3-451-22568-9 , Volume 3. Sp. 325.
  2. ^ I. Schwarz-Winklhofer, H. Biedermann: The book of signs and symbols . Verlag für Collectors , Graz 1972, ISBN 3-85365-011-2 , Christian symbols, p. 92 (nos. 393, 394).