Cross Tattoos

If you mention that you might want to get a Christian cross tattoo to a devout audience, you may have someone protest that the book of Leviticus clearly states “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.”

Yet, there are some Biblical scholars who believe that this passage is actually referring to a practice belonging to pagans at that time, in which they would carve images of their idols on their bodies at funerals, to make atonement for themselves and the dead.

Because you, or any Christian who decides to get a tattoo is not doing it to find favor with a pagan idol, the New Testament has no such restrictions. And Christian tattoos have indeed become an extremely popular way for many young Christians to both make a public statement about their faith, and display some of the most meaningful Christian icons.

Praying Hands, chalices, Jesus himself, the Sacred Heart, angels, Mary, the Apostles, and the Holy Spirit are all images which have been adapted into striking tattoos.

But the Christian tattoo, which is far and away the most popular, is the Christian Cross. The Cross has become the universal sign of the Christian faith, and tattoo artists have invented many striking designs to incorporate into the tattoo.

While some of the more intricate Christian cross tattoos actually show a figure of Jesus, many of them have an empty cross, sometimes with a remarkably life-like wood grain.

The cross may be adorned with a crown of thorns, or a reference to a passage from Scripture. Sometimes the cross will have a background of flames, and sometimes the beams of the cross will be made of nails or spikes.

Butterflies, as a symbol of the Resurrection of Jesus, and of the rebirth of sinners, are often incorporated with Christian cross tattoos. If you’re patriotic, why not combine the Christian cross tattoo with the flag of your country?

Some Christian cross tattoo designs have their roots in very early evangelism. A strategy the early Christians used in spreading their faith was to adapt its symbols to those of the cultures whose people they were trying to convert.

One legend has it that when St. Patrick came from Wales to Ireland and saw the Druidic stones inscribed with the circular design which represented the Druid’s moon goddess; he simply bisected the circle with a Christian cross. In doing so, he laid the groundwork for one of the most beautiful of all the Christian cross tattoos, the Celtic cross.

Celtic Christian cross tattoos, because the ancient Celts believed that their souls were simply threads of a divine fabric to which they would return after death, has elaborate knots of “plaitwork,” symbolizing those threads.

They may also contain keys, leaves, spirals, and animal figures, often borrowed from the ancient decorative script, which monks would embellish the pages of Scripture they spent their lives copying.

No matter what Christian cross tattoo you choose, you will be doing your part to spread the Good News.

Article taken from – http://www.targettattoo.com/symbols/crosstattoos.htm

You can read more about Tattoo Meanings for Tattoos starting with the Letter C here – http://www.targettattoo.com/symbols/C.htm

Celtic tattoos were actually transmitted by the Celts. The Celts transmitted their culture orally and never written down history or facts about their culture which accounts for the extreme lack of knowledge about them prior to their contact with the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. Whatever little that has been collected about them reveals that they were generally well educated, particularly on topics such as religion, philosophy, geography and astronomy and also were extremely superstitious. The Celts considered that the loss of King Arthurs who was an important figure in Celtic legend in the war against dark pagan hordes in England their marks the end of their civilization.

The ancient Celtic Art was full of interlacing patterns; elaborate knot work, spirals, animal forms and animal zoomorphic, and color especially displayed in metal: jewelry, weapons, figurines and pots while modern Celtic peoples have evolved symbols for themselves, and they often wear these symbols to show that they are of Celtic descent. For instance, the most common Irish symbol is the three -leaved shamrock, although the harp is often used as well which has been the national instrument for all the Celtic people. With the advent of Christianity to the Celtic lands of Britain and Ireland, two important events took place. Writing came to the Celts for the first time and the adoption of ancient Celtic art forms to the new religion took place. The most famous manuscript by the monks is the beautiful Book of Kells and the Celtic cross and the Tree of Life could be cited as the result of such event.

The symbolism that has come down through the ages is as concealed and indirect as much of the speech and literature of the Celtic people and most symbols are interpreted by archaeologists and other scholars who study the symbols in context. Assuming that many of the ancient designs certainly had some spiritually significance the different symbols were read as: for instance continual looping of the designs suggests themes of eternity and interconnectedness, and knots may have been made at one time to foil evil spirits. The Interwoven figures of people and animals are thought to represent the interdependent nature of life. Two or more knots laced together symbolize lovers, hunters and their prey, God and man, etc whereas the never ending path of the strands may represent the perpetuity and the continuum of life, love and faith.

The Celts themselves left very little records about their culture and due to the strong influence of Christianity and other cultures the original facts ancient Celtic symbols are gradually changing over time.

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