VINTAGE STERLING SILVER ORTHODOX 3-BAR CRUCIFIX HOLY FACE OF JESUS with PSALM 68

Description: Vintage or antique solid sterling silver medium-sized but sturdy (approx. 1 1/4" tall with solid bale; weight approx. 2.8 g) Orthodox Crucifix pendant featuring classic design of the Slavonic Orthodox 3-bar Savior's Cross with a relief iconic image of the Crucified Savior with the Instruments of the Passion over the skull (Adam's head) and the Holy Face of Jesus (icon "Not Made by Human Hand") in the top part. The reverse displays Church Slavonic words of the Orthodox prayer to the Holy Cross based on Psalm 68 of David the King. The back surface of its large solid bale bears the "925" print indicating the "sterling" purity. It has been confirmed using the silver acid test. The item has vintage or antique appearance with signs of aging and wear that might include diminished quality of the artwork, deformations of its original shape, scratches, dents, and patches of discoloration/dark patina. The size and weight of the item are shown on the photographs for this listing.The pendant is shaped as a three-bar Suppedaneum cross. The three-bar cross is venerated as the true Savior's Cross in the Slavonic Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches. Such a cross has three horizontal crossbeams: the top one represents the "INRI" nameplate, and the bottom one, a footrest. The footrest crossbeam is depicted pointing up, toward Heaven, on Christ's right hand side where the Penitent thief, St. Dismas was crucified. The obverse bears an image of the Crucifixion recreated according to the ancient Orthodox iconographic tradition. The Savior is depicted crucified on the three-bar cross, with its top "nameplate" horizontal bar displaying the Sacred Name of Jesus Christ inscribed as the "IC XC" Greek Christogram. The space within the central horizontal crossbar just above Christ's hands is filled with abbreviated inscription in Church Slavonic meaning "Son of God". The top part of the vertical crossbar above the Savior's Cross bears a smaller image of the Holy Face of Jesus ("Savior (Spas) Not Made by Human Hands"), which is considered to be the oldest known Christian icon, and also the oldest known portrait of Jesus. According to the Eastern Church tradition, Jesus made an imprint of His face by wiping it with a linen cloth, which was sent to King Abgar of Edessa to cure his leprosy. The image of the Holy Face of Christ on the cloth was preserved for centuries in Edessa as the most sacred treasure. In 944, the Byzantines brought it with a great veneration to Constantinople. It remained there until the capture of the city by the Crusaders in 1204, when it was lost. However, by that time, numerous copies of the image were painted as the Holy Icons, preserving the sacred image to this day. This icon is called in Greek "Achieropoietos", meaning "not made by human hands". In the Byzantine tradition, the image was sometimes called the Mandylion, meaning "small handkerchief". In the Western Catholic tradition, the image is known as the image of the Holy Face of Jesus, as preserved on the Veil of Saint Veronica.The space between the Holy Face icon and the top part of the Savior's Cross is filled with a larger abbreviated inscription in Church Slavonic meaning "KING OF GLORY".Parallel to the vertical crossbar, there are images of the two Instruments of the Passion (Arms of Christ, Arma Christi), the Holy Lance (spear) of a Roman soldier, and the Holy Sponge attached to the end of a cane. They are subjects to adoration along with the Cross, and are often depicted on the "Golgotha" Slavonic Orthodox crosses worn as baptism body crosses for the entire life of a faithful Christian. The two instruments are marked with their names in Church Slavonic inscribed in the space within the central horizontal crossbar just below Christ's hands as "Копие" ("Kopiye") and "Трость" ("Trost"), respectively. The side ends of the main horizontal crossbar of the pendant show symbolic images of sun (at the right hand of Jesus) and moon (at the left hand of Jesus) representing the solar eclipse causing the Crucifixion darkness, an event described in the Gospels in which the sky became dark in daytime during the crucifixion of Jesus.The bottom end of the vertical crossbar of the pendant shows a symbolic image of the skull, or Adam's head, buried in a cave below the Savior's Cross. It refers to Golgotha (Calvary), the elevated site where Jesus was crucified, which the Bible says means "the place of the skull" in Hebrew. An ancient tradition of the Church held that it was also the burial place of Adam, thus symbolizing the ultimate victory of Christ over sin and death. The reverse shows the beginning fragment of the prayer to the Holy Cross based on Psalm 68 beginning with "ДА ВОСКРЕСНЕТ БОГ И РАЗЫДУТСЯ ВРАЗИ ЕГО..." meaning "MAY GOD ARISE AND MAY HIS ENEMIES BE SCATTERED". This psalm-based prayer is traditionally inscribed on the reverse of the Old Believers' Orthodox body (Baptism) cross pendants, meaning to provide protection of the faithful cross-bearer against the evil spirits (God's enemies), and thereby is considered a version of the Exorcism prayer. Please examine all photographs carefully and do your own research if necessary. Please note that photographs are an important part of the item's description. The decorative stone and measuring meter are not for sale, and are photographed with the item in order to provide a size reference. Please ask all questions before making a purchase. There are no guarantees with the listing because most items are original vintage or antique objects that are quite old. All items are sold "as is" with no returns because of a change of mind offered. Shipping and handling is free for the continental US. International shipping is handled by Ebay. International buyers, please ask your shipping questions, if any, prior to buying. Please note that customs regulations differ from country to country, and it is a buyer's responsibility to ensure that any customs fees or other duties collected by the buyer's country are paid and satisfied in full.

Price: 49 USD

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-11-05T15:55:21.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD