Ihs meaning catholic

It is extremely common to walk into a Catholic church and see the letters IHS etched on a crucifix or prominently featured in a stained glass window. What do they mean?

Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. A monogram of the name of Jesus Christ. In the next century the "sigla" chi-rho occurs not only as an abbreviation but also as a symbol. These Greek monograms continued to be used in Latin during the Middle Ages. Eventually the right meaning was lost, and erroneous interpretation of IHS led to the faulty orthography "Jhesus". The monogram became more popular after the twelfth century when St. Bernard insisted much on devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus , and the fourteenth, when the founder of the Jesuati, Blessed John Colombini d.

Ihs meaning catholic

What a strange set of letters. The study of writing graphology is an interesting science because written languages go back some five thousand years. It is believed that the earliest form of writing, not counting cave paintings, was Sumerian Cuneiform. Cuneiform writing dates back to earlier than BC. It is a kind of symbol-writing system rather than an alphabet. Letters that make up alphabets are also tiny symbols, of course, but alphabets came a little later in history. Symbol pictures of ancient systems eventually became too cumbersome for use with a growing literate class. So they were just shrunken down to smaller and starker graphic forms based on the pictures. The best illustration of this transformation from symbol pictures to letters is the Hebrew alphabet, which is quite interesting and expressive. Its ancient pictograph looked exactly like the head of an ox, horns and all. Aleph is the first letter of the Modern Hebrew alphabet. And it even sort of resembles the earlier symbol, if you use a little imagination. This is to say that languages and their graphics naturally go through transitions over time. This is especially true when one language takes much of its substance from another. Latin, for instance, took much of its substance from the Greek language.

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They are the first letters of one from two words in Greek language: Christ and Jesus Christ. The abbreviation in form " IHS " appeared in first time on the coins of Justinian II on the turn of the 7th and 8th centuries. There appeared also Latin interpretations of the abbreviation IHS , among others:. These developed inscriptions were most likely formed because in the Middle Ages people mistakenly read the letter E as H. According to a legend , this inscription with the cross was seen by emperor Constantine the Great in his sleep before the battle against Maxentius in on the Ponte Milvio. Commentators unfriendly to the Catholic Church sometimes interpret the abbreviation IHS as derived from the solar idols of the Egyptian mythology : Isis , Horus and Seth. Nevertheless, present scientific knowledge does not confirm such interpretations.

It is extremely common to walk into a Catholic church and see the letters IHS etched on a crucifix or prominently featured in a stained glass window. What do they mean? In the early centuries of the Church it was a secret symbol, often etched on tombs of Christians. Then in the 15th century, Saint Bernadine of Siena went on a preaching campaign to promote reverence to the Holy Name of Jesus and encouraged Christians to put IHS on the doorways of their homes. A century later in St. Ignatius adopted the monogram to represent his newly founded order, the Society of Jesus.

Ihs meaning catholic

A monogram of the name of Jesus Christ. In the next century the "sigla" chi-rho occurs not only as an abbreviation but also as a symbol. These Greek monograms continued to be used in Latin during the Middle Ages. Eventually the right meaning was lost, and erroneous interpretation of IHS led to the faulty orthography "Jhesus". The monogram became more popular after the twelfth century when St.

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Visit Sacred Windows at www. The vicious persecutor of the Church, Emperor Diocletian, died in AD leaving four men in charge — two for the Greek-speaking East and two for the Latin-speaking West. The ancient IHS symbol permeates Christian art all over the world. Then in the 15th century, Saint Bernadine of Siena went on a preaching campaign to promote reverence to the Holy Name of Jesus and encouraged Christians to put IHS on the doorways of their homes. The Church has managed to assimilate many diverse religious traditions from various cultures throughout its history. Tools Tools. The dot is absent in the Greek, which is the only difference between the two written letters. What a strange set of letters. However, it is most likely a question of a misunderstanding that occurred when the Christian religious culture transitioned from Greek to Latin. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Categories : Jesus Christian symbols. Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you. Graphology The study of writing graphology is an interesting science because written languages go back some five thousand years. Latin h , yet, they have entirely different sounds and uses. Page Talk.

They are the first letters of one from two words in Greek language: Christ and Jesus Christ. The abbreviation in form " IHS " appeared in first time on the coins of Justinian II on the turn of the 7th and 8th centuries.

Tags: Jesus Christ. The vicious persecutor of the Church, Emperor Diocletian, died in AD leaving four men in charge — two for the Greek-speaking East and two for the Latin-speaking West. These Greek monograms continued to be used in Latin during the Middle Ages. Ecclesiastical approbation. The ancient IHS symbol permeates Christian art all over the world. My email address is webmaster at newadvent. Sometimes above the H appears a cross and underneath three nails, while the whole figure is surrounded by rays. Hidden categories: Articles with Polish-language sources pl Webarchive template wayback links All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August Commons category link is on Wikidata. Why is this story important? The dot is absent in the Greek, which is the only difference between the two written letters. Romanus too CC. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.