The symbolism of the alphabet

In ancient times, there was no separation between sacred and secular matters as there is today. Even trivial tasks were made noble by the thought of doing everything for the glory of God. In "horn-books" early educational primers for children, the alphabet was first printed in the shape of a Latin cross. Later, when the letters were arranged in lines, a Greek cross was placed above them. The words Laus Deo Praise be to God were used as a heading for bills and invoices until the end of the sixteenth century. One might even guess that the unusual symbols for British currency, £ s. d., are perhaps a shortened, corrupted form of Laus Semper Deo Praise always to God. The most exalted mottos can fall into such strange uses.

The alphabet, like the layers of rock sedimentary strata on the earth's surface, is the result of a gradual buildup. Every age leaves traces in its formation. Within it are embedded the symbols that successive eras used to express their aspirations, hopes, and fears. The observable world is in constant flux; things we see change and vanish, but symbols are everlasting. From symbols, just as from the evidence found in rocks, the secrets of long-forgotten cycles can be learned. If we could properly decode their meaning, what a story the twenty-six witnesses of the alphabet would tell of the rise and fall of religions, languages, and empires.