Ihs meaning catholic

It is extremely common to walk into a Catholic church and ihs meaning catholic the letters IHS etched on a crucifix or prominently featured in a stained glass window.

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.

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.

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, ihs meaning catholic, spirituality, and more. These developed inscriptions were most likely formed because in the Middle Ages people mistakenly read the letter E as H.

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".

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. Sometimes above the H appears a cross and underneath three nails, while the whole figure is surrounded by rays. IHS became the accepted iconographical characteristic of St. Vincent Ferrer d. Bernardine of Siena 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.

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Support Aleteia with a gift today! And it set the course for the Christian Church to flourish even to this very day. Your email address will not be published. And the rest is history. 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. And today we celebrate Nihil Obstat. So they were just shrunken down to smaller and starker graphic forms based on the pictures. APA citation. Remy Lafort, S. A century later in St. The son of one of those men was Constantine the Great. Contents move to sidebar hide. Tags: Jesus Christ.

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.

My email address is webmaster at newadvent. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. APA citation. As a foundational act of religious freedom, it left its traces emblazoned on Church architecture similar to the way Roman soldiers emblazoned the Cross on their shields. Toggle limited content width. Daily meditation. But, the Divine Name was customarily shortened to a 3-letter symbol for use in early Christian iconography and church decorations. Perhaps you are now starting to see the problem. And the rest is history. Perhaps it has an entirely different symbolic value in Latin proper. Bernardine of Siena d. Contact information. And he became a bloody martyr because of his conversion. Latin, for instance, took much of its substance from the Greek language. Romanus too CC.