4. The crux immisea (or Latin cross) differed fh>m the former by the projection of the upright post (jS6(m {n|/i}\ov, or stipes) above the transverse beam (icipag iyxapmoVf or paiUndum, Eusebius, de V. Constant, i, 31). That this was the kind of cross on which our Lord died is obvious (among other reasons) from the mention of the " title" (q. v.), as placed above our Lord's head, and from the almost unanimous tradi- tion ; it is repeatedly found on the coins and columns of Constantino. Hence ancient and modem imagina- tion has been chiefly tasked to find symbols for this ^rt of cross, and has been eminently successful. They find it typified, for instance, in the attitude of Moses during the battle of Rephidim (Exod. xvii, 12), saying that he was bidden to take this posture by the Spirit (Barnabas, Ep. 12 ; Justin Mart. Dial, c. Tryph. ^ ; Tertull. adv. Marc, iii, 18). Firmidus Matemus («fc Errore, xxi) says (from the Tahnudists?) that Moses made a cross of his rod in order to secure greater success (yAfaaUus impetraret quod magnopere P^^tvlaretj crueem sUn/ecit ex virpS). He also fiintas- tically applies to the cross expressions in Hab. iii, 8-^ ; Isa. ix, 6, etc Other supposed types are Jacob's lad- <^r (Jerome, Com. m Ps. xci; Augustine, Serm. de ^^p. Ixxix); the paschal lamb, pierced by trans- veT8e spits (Justin Martyr, Dial c. Tryph. xl); and ' the Hebrew Tenupha, or ceremony of thehr oblations ^aved by the priest into the four quarters of the world after the form of a cross" (Vitringa, Obs. Sacr. ii, 9; SchOttgen, L c). A truer type (John lu, 14) is the II.— Oo
elevation (Chald. n^C^p*^) of the fieiy serpent (Num. xxi, 8, 9). For some strange applications of texts to this figure, see Cypr. Testim. ii, 20 sq. In Blatt. ▼, 18, the phrase "a single jot or tittie" is also made to represent a cross (Theqphyl. ad loc., etc). To the four wcpa or extremities of the cross they also applied the four dimensions of Eph. iii, 17 (as Gregory Nyss. and Augustine, Ep. 120) ; and another of their fancies was that there was a mystical significance in this four-an- gled piece of wood (Nonnius, m Joh. xix, 18), because it pointed to the four comers of the world (SeduL iii). In all nature the sacred sign was found to be indis- pensable (Justin Mart. Apd. i, 72), especially in such things as involve dignity, energy, or deliverance ; as the actions of digging, ploughing, etc, the human face, the afUemus of a ship in ftill sail, etc (Jerome, in Marc xi; Minutius FeL Oct. xxix). Similar analo- gies are repeated elsewhere (Firm. Maten. de Errore, xxi; TertuU.adp.A^a<.i,12; ApoLlQ*, deCoron.MiL iii) ; and, in answer to the sneers of those to whom the cross was " foolishness," tiiey were considered suffi- cient proof of the universality of this sign, both in na- ture and religion. The t3rpes adduced from Scripture were valuable to silence tiie difficulties of the Jews, to whom, in consequence oi Deut. xxi, 22, the cross was an especial *' stumbling-block" (TertulUan, adv.Jud, ix). Many such fimcies (e. g. the harmlessness of cru- ciform fiowers, the southern cross, etc.) are collected in CommumccUions with the Unseen World.
Besides the four comers (dtcpa^ or apices^ Tert) of the cross was a fifth (t^/m), projecting out of the central stem, on which the body of the sufi^erer rested (Justin Mart. Tiyph. xd, who [more suo^ compares it to the horn of a rhinoceros ; sediHs excessusj TertulL adv. Nat. i, 12 ; Iren. adv. Heeru. i, 12). This was to prevent the weight of the l>ody from tearing away the hands, since it was impossible that it '* should rest upon nothing but four great wounds" (Jeremy Taylor, Life of Christy iii, xv, 2). This projection is probably alluded to in the fiuiaous lines of M»cenas (ap. Sen. j^. 101). Lipsius, however, thinks otherwise {De CrttcCf i, 6). Whether there was also a vvoiroSioVj or support to the feet (as we see in pictures), is doubtful. Gregory of Tours mentions it ; but he is the earliest authority, and has no weight (Voss, Harm, Passion. ii, 7, 28). See Lababvm.
III. Accessoriee of the Cross, — ^An inscription, tttu- hu or eloffktm Qvtypa(^y Luke xxiii; airia, Matt xxvii ; J7 iiriypapi^ rr^g airioQ, Mark ; nrXoc, John xix ; Qui causam poence indicavit^ Sueton. CcU. 82 ; ir/- vaJif Euseb. ; ypafifiara rrjv airiav rifQ OavaTwrtiog SiiKovvTa, Dion Cass. liv. 8 ; irrvx^ov Iviypafifia txov, Hesych. ; Hilb), was generally placed above the per- son's head, and briefiy expressed his guilt (e. g. '* oh» t6c iartv 'ArraXos b Xpurriavoc^" Euseb. v, 1 ; "/f»- pie locutHS parmulaHus," Sueton. Dom. x), and gen- erally waa carried before the criminal (jfrtecedente titU" lo, Sueton.). It was covered with white gypsum, and the letters were black ; hence Sozomen calls it Xtv- laafia {Hist. Eccl. ii, 1), and Nicephorus a Xevin^ oavig (Hist, EccL viii, 29). But Nicquetus (Tit, Sonet. Cru- cis, i, 6) says it was white, with red letters. (See be- low.)
It is a question whether binding or absolute pinning to the cross was the more common method. In fovor of the first are the expressions liffore and deKgare; the description in Ausonius (Cupido Crudf.) ; the Egyp- tian custom (Xenoph. Ephes. iv, 2); the mention by Pliny (xxviii, 11) of spartum e cruoe among magical implements ; and the allusion to cradfixion noted by the &thers in John xix, 24 (Theophyl. and Tertull.). On the other side we have the expression trpooiiXov^ o9aif and numberless authorities (Senec. De VU. Beatd^ xix ; ArtemidoT. Oneiroer., in several passages ; ApuL ifrf.iii,60; PUutus, J/o5fe/. u, 1, 18, et passhn). That our Lord was nailed^ according to prophecy, is certain