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?

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.

Ihs meaning catholic

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. 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. The latter holy missionary, at the end of his sermons , was wont to exhibit this monogram devoutly to his audience, for which some blamed him; he was even called before Martin V.

MLA citation. Latin hyet, they have entirely different sounds and uses.

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.

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.

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? 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.

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Its ancient pictograph looked exactly like the head of an ox, horns and all. Without donors, Aleteia's future is uncertain. Prayer for this evening. This is particularly true with matters of the ancient Church about which we have very unreliable information. He gave the Church its freedom to worship. This is to say that languages and their graphics naturally go through transitions over time. Domine Iesu, sis mihi Iesus. Yet, the misunderstanding seemed to win out as the symbol became a commonplace way of writing the Name of Jesus in Western Latin Rite religious culture. Your email address will not be published. Toggle limited content width. These developed inscriptions were most likely formed because in the Middle Ages people mistakenly read the letter E as H. Remy Lafort, S. It was a truly big event! 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. Contact information.

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.

Ignatius adopted the monogram to represent his newly founded order, the Society of Jesus. One obvious example is the ubiquitous St. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. 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. Prayer for this morning. Without donors, Aleteia's future is uncertain. This is particularly true with matters of the ancient Church about which we have very unreliable information. Donate now! Join our Lenten Campaign The monogram became more popular after the twelfth century when St. Maere, R. And the rest is history.