Catholic crucifix vs. Protestant cross

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What are the differences, and when was Jesus taken off the Protestant cross and for what reason?
 
Mgray82 said:
What are the differences, and when was Jesus taken off the Protestant cross and for what reason?
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An evangelical criticised our crucifix because, he says, it focuses on the dead Christ instead of the Resurrected one.

Theologically, protestants to seem to focus less on the Passion and Death of Christ than us Catholics do.
 
PazzoGrande said:
An evangelical criticised our crucifix because, he says, it focuses on the dead Christ instead of the Resurrected one.

Theologically, protestants to seem to focus less on the Passion and Death of Christ than us Catholics do.
Click to expand...
I think examining the differences in our beliefs regarding the Eucharist can help shed light on why we use a crucifix, rather than an empty cross.

As Catholics, we believe that we are mystically present at the Crucifixion (literally…the actual Crucifixion, not just symbolically) during every Mass. Protestants tend to see the Passion, Crucifixion, Resurrection as one-time events that occurred only in the past. OTOH, Catholics believe that we participate in Christ’s sacrifice each time we receive the Eucharist, since we are eating the REAL body of Christ and drinking the REAL blood of Christ. To Catholics, these events are not over-and-done just because they happened 2000 years ago.

As a former Protestant, this was a big eye-opener for me.
 
The “empty” cross is not of protestant invention - it has been used throughout history.

There are three basic cross designs - the Crucifix, the empty Cross, and the “Christ the King” Cross - which features Jesus wearing kingly robes, with the Cross behind him, but he is not nailed to it or suffering - his arms are usually raised in benediction.

These correspond to the anthem, Christ has died (Crucifix), Christ is risen (empty Cross), Christ will come again (Christ the King Cross).
 
Sorrow for sin is easier when looking at the broken body of Christ hanging on a crucifix.

Sin was the reason for his suffering, and Jesus died for every individual sin of every individual person. And when we as individuals look at him suffering, it brings heartfelt sorrow to us that we contributed to his suffering by our sins. Then a person is more likely to make a better resolution never to be more responsible for this then they already are.

And it makes us realize how far his love extends for us. And when we look at his dying love on the crucifix, it makes it easy to say to him, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

Just a thought.
 
“Keep your eyes on the crucifix, for Jesus without the cross is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever.”
—Blessed Fulton Sheen
 
With the reminder of Our Lord hanging on the cross in the crucifix, I ponder that there is still much for me to pray about and undergo until I die to myself fully.
 
Mgray82 said:
What are the differences, and when was Jesus taken off the Protestant cross and for what reason?
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Catholics were first with the “empty cross” too - but Protestants (which ones stumps me, but Protestants) started the “controversy.”

At the Catholic Communion Service I do at a Children’s home (the kids aren’t released for Sunday mass, and there aren’t enough priests to do Mass for the handful of kids) - a
visiting child gave me this report.

“We don’t believe in that” she said, pointing to the crucifix, “we just believe in the cross.”

“OH!” I said. “Like THIS?” (turning the crucifix around). “Yes!” she said, smiling.

“As you see we have that too,” I said, “… and you know we don’t think this visual aid is GOD, but a piece of ART right?” She agreed.

“Let me ask you this, when you look at a cross, what do you think of?” “Jesus,” she said.

“Why does a cross make you think of Jesus?” “Because He died for my sins on a cross.”

I turned the cross back around. Like THIS? She nodded.

I thanked her for sharing about Jesus and explained that BOTH were good.

The empty cross reminds us of Jesus and His sacrifice, the crucifix that MOMENT when He died and freed us from our sins.

“It wasn’t just any cross that saved us ,” I smiled, “it was the cross with Jesus on it.” The cross or crucifix being the PLACE where it happened of course.

In the 1 Corinthians chapter 1, St. Paul says " … 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,"

and using visual aids are perfectly fine for preaching the Gospel.
 
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” - Paul, the same Paul who wrote Romans 3:28.
 
PazzoGrande said:
Theologically, protestants to seem to focus less on the Passion and Death of Christ than us Catholics do.
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That’s because unlike Catholics, they don’t renew Christ’s Sacrifice on their altars every day. It’s 2,000 years behind them, while it’s our past, present, and future.
 
Rich_C said:
That’s because unlike Catholics, they don’t renew Christ’s Sacrifice on their altars every day. It’s 2,000 years behind them, while it’s our past, present, and future.
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Interestingly, according to exorcists, demons are afraid of crucifixes because it reminds them of their defeat.

It’s a mistake to underestimate its value.
 
Some non-Catholics read the Commandment prohibiting the making of idols (“You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth,” Exodus 20:4) out of context and understand it as a prohibition against making religious statuary, oblivious to all the approved religious statuary mentioned in the Old Testament.
 
The crucifix and the cross are both Catholic. Protestants just don’t use the crucifix.
 
DavidFilmer said:
The “empty” cross is not of protestant invention - it has been used throughout history.

There are three basic cross designs - the Crucifix, the empty Cross, and the “Christ the King” Cross - which features Jesus wearing kingly robes, with the Cross behind him, but he is not nailed to it or suffering - his arms are usually raised in benediction.

These correspond to the anthem, Christ has died (Crucifix), Christ is risen (empty Cross), Christ will come again (Christ the King Cross).
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👍

The Lutheran parish I grew up in built a first-floor chapel and included a Christ the King crucifix.

The the OP. Lutherans regularly use both “empty cross” and a crucifix. Perhaps my most precious possession is my dad’s crucifix, which he wore over his alb - he was a Lutheran pastor. Our current parish has a beautiful large crucifix over the altar.
A crucufix is scriptural sound in light of Paul’s statement that "we preach Christ crucfied.

Jon
 
Though I’ve never been asked the question by a non-Catholic before, I thought of this answer: “it reminds me how much He loves me.”
 
John Martignoni has a very good response to this on his 2-Minute Apologetics.

I had a friend ask me why Catholics have Crucifixes in our churches…don’t we believe Jesus has risen? Why do we keep Him on the cross?
First of all, you would want to check out 1st Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 23. Paul says, “…but we preach Christ crucified…” Why does Paul preach Christ crucified? Doesn’t he know Jesus has been raised from the dead? Of course he does! But, he knows that it is through the power of the crucified Christ on the cross that the bonds of sin and death are broken. As Paul says in verse 24, Christ crucified is the “power of God”.
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1 Cor 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Again, didn’t Paul know that Jesus had risen from the dead? Of course, he did.
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Paul preaches Christ crucified because an empty cross has no power. The cross that bears the beaten, battered, and bloodied body of Jesus Christ, however, that cross is the “power of God”. This is why, we “keep Jesus on the cross,” because we, too, preach Christ crucified. The Crucifix reminds us not only of God’s power, but also His love for us - giving His only begotten Son up for suffering and death.
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Also, here in this life we do not share so much in the glory of the Resurrection, as we do in the suffering of Jesus on the cross; after all, we must take up our cross daily if we are to follow Jesus, as it says in Lk 9:23.
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And, we must die with Christ in order to live with Him as Romans 6:8 tells us. Where did Christ die? On the cross. The Crucifix serves to remind us of these things.
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One other passage to keep in mind is Galatians 3:1, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” Did you catch that? Jesus was publicly portrayed, before their “eyes”, as being crucified. Sounds kind of like they may have been looking at a Crucifix, doesn’t it?
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Speaking as someone who does not use the crucifix in their tradition… I think that most of us would see the cross and the crucifix as one and the same. The cross without recognizing Jesus’ sacrifice is just a brutal instrument of execution. That being said… even though most Protestants would agree that the crucifixion is the central event of history, I don’t know if they fully recognize the centrality of the crucifixion in the person of Jesus. So it is a little jarring to see Jesus hanging on the cross if you’re not used to seeing it.
 
DavidFilmer said:
The “empty” cross is not of protestant invention - it has been used throughout history.

There are three basic cross designs - the Crucifix, the empty Cross, and the “Christ the King” Cross - which features Jesus wearing kingly robes, with the Cross behind him, but he is not nailed to it or suffering - his arms are usually raised in benediction.

These correspond to the anthem, Christ has died (Crucifix), Christ is risen (empty Cross), Christ will come again (Christ the King Cross).
Click to expand...
Interesting! I have had the debate regarding Crucifix vs Cross several times. It has always been suggested by those opposed to the Crucifix that an empty cross “signifies that Christ is risen”. The problem with that suggestion IMHO is that the empty cross has nothing to do with Christ being risen. Christ was removed in the usual way from the cross - he was removed from it after he died like the others crucified with him. And so there is nothing about the empty cross that logically symbolizes anything of Christ’s resurrection. The symbol of the risen Christ is the empty tomb. I attended Mass in “The Church of the Resurrection” yesterday and the church is designed to look like…an empty tomb. It’s kinda ugly, but accurate! Anyhow, so now you claim that the empty cross was a symbol of the risen Christ. Where’d you get this info? It makes no sense to me but I’ve read enough of your posts to know you are knowledgeable.
 
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