The symbolism of the alphabet

Returning to the west, he repeated the process by tracing letters of the Latin alphabet on the other line.

A work on ancient monuments by Giovanni Ciampini original: "Johannes Ciampinus", published in 1690 in Rome, provides some interesting details concerning an ancient custom of depicting certain signs and letters on the hems of church vestments. These are called by various writers symbols, gammadias, squares, and monograms. They were regarded as an arcanum a secret or mystery adopted by Christians from the pagans, apparently taking the place of the animal figures that decorated the tunics of ancient heroes. The Apostles usually have the letter Γ or L on their clothing, the latter being regarded as an inverted Gamma. Sometimes two Gammas are placed together symbol of two Gamma symbols joined back-to-back, and sometimes four are grouped together in the form of a cross a gammadion or swastika-like cross formed of four Gammas. The letters Z, T, D, X, Π, Θ, P, I, and others are also seen. On the vestment of the Savior, the letter H is usually embroidered. Sometimes a symbol consisting of three horizontal lines divided by a vertical line is used; this denotes the ruler of the three regions and recalls the Gnostic emblem of a pillar crossed by three serpentine lines, like the letter S. Reduced to a double "SS" crossed and closed by a bar, this was adopted as a symbol in chivalry. Known as SS fermées closed SS, it was regarded as an emblem of constancy, or fermesse firmness/constancy. An S with a diagonal bar, resembling the American dollar sign ($), was a device used by Henry of Navarre and his family.

The first letter, A, owes its place and prominence to the fact that it is the initial of Alpha or Aleph, the Ox. The ox is the symbol of the chief god, Osiris, who was worshipped in the form of a bull when the sun was in the sign of Taurus during the spring equinox around 4500 B.C. Because of the "precession of the equinoxes," the sun passes backward through the signs of the Zodiac in succession. It takes 25,868 years to complete this circuit, which is called the "great year." After staying for 2,150 years in Taurus, the sun moved backward into Aries. Consequently, the Bull as the emblem of the Deity was replaced by the Ram. The mystic Lamb, "slain from the foundation of the world" at the equinoctial cross, then became the divine emblem. In 255 B.C., the sun passed into Pisces and began its ascent through the twelve signs (or "stalls"). Coinciding with this era, the cult of the Fish was adopted.

Christianity is full of associations with this sign. Early Christians were called Pisciculi little fish; for them, the rite of baptism by water was especially appropriate. The disciples were fishermen. The Bishop's mitre is shaped like the mouth of a fish. "Christ is the Great Fish," exclaimed one of the early Church Fathers. The letters Ι Χ Θ Υ S ICHTHYS are the initials of five Greek words that translate to "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." Toward the end of the last century, the sun moved from the sign under which Christianity flourished into Aquarius. In view of the current upheavals in Christendom, and considering...