Chi-Rho (Labarum / Christogram)

Chi-Rho Christian Meaning

According to the tradition of the Christian church, the Chi-Rho represents the first three letters of the word "Christos" ("ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ"). The Greek letter "chi" (ch) is written in English as "X". The letter "rho" is written in English as "P".

Chi-Rho History

The Bible (KJV) contains no reference to the Chi-Rho emblem.

Version 1: Constantine

The popular version of the history of the Chi-Rho tells of a battle and of the conversion of Constantine. In the year 312 AD, the armies of Constantine and Maxentius squared off. The winner would become the next Western Augustus, supreme ruler of the Western Roman Empire. The night before the battle, Constantine saw a vision of the Chi-Rho symbol in the sky and heard the words "in hoc signo vinces" ("In this sign conquer"). The next morning Constantine had his soldiers put the Chi-Rho on their shields and later that same day he was victorious against Maxentius.

The following year, 313 AD, Constantine met with Licinius in Milan. Licinius was at the time emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Together they issued the "Edict of Milan", granting tolerance to all religions in the Roman Empire - especially to Christianity - and thus ended (for the most part) the early persecution of the Christians.

Version 2: Possible Earlier Origins

According to some Internet sources, there is archeological evidence that suggests the use of the Chi-Rho monogram prior to 312 AD. Variations of the Chi-Rho has been found in catacombs used by Christians in the years before 312 AD.

Although the Chi-Rho is almost always found as a combination of the "X" and "P", there are also instances where the "X" is dropped in favor of a single cross bar, making the emblem more representative of the cross of Jesus.

These cross versions of the Chi-Rho support a theory that the Chi-Rho is based on the much older Egyptian ankh symbol.

Although the possible link between the ankh and the Chi-Rho cannot be denied, there also seems to be no hard facts supporting the link.

It is also conceivable that Constantine knew of the prior Christian use of the Chi-Rho emblem and chose that emblem in order to send a clear message of solidarity to the fast-growing Christian community - but again, this is only speculation.

The Syzygy Theory

F. Heiland of the Zeiss planetarium at Jena published a theory that, in the fall of 312 AD, there was a particular alignment of the planets Mars, Saturn and Jupiter that could have appeared as a Chi-Rho to Constantine and his men. Ironically this omen would, to Constantine's pagan astrologers, be a negative sign. It is possible that Constantine saw an opportunity to turn a negative omen into a positive one by claiming a divine vision.

General Comments

There are some strong opinions about this emblem. The Roman Catholic Church happily accepts the Chi-Rho as a symbol given to Constantine in a divine vision. No questions asked. The vision is difficult to disprove, but the fact remains the Constantine's conversion was anything but convincing. After 312 AD he continued to have coins made which glorified pagan deities. It seems that Constantine had a hard time letting go of the old Roman gods.

Then there is the view that Constantine deliberately took an old, pagan emblem and gave it to Christianity in a political move to gain support from both Christians and pagans. This is supported by a tale of a new Roman coin that Constantine issued showing the Chi-Rho on one side and a pagan deity on the other. I have yet to find evidence of such a coin. There certainly were coins issued after 312 AD that glorify pagan deities, but none that did so while also showing the Chi-Rho monogram.

And then there is the most radical view: Constantine wanted to cripple Christianity by polluting it with pagan doctrines and practices - and the modified Egyptian ankh symbol was one vehicle he used to sew the seeds of evil within the Christian faith. This theory holds little water if we accept that the Chi-Rho was used by Christians prior to 312 AD and, to my knowledge, it has no basis in provable fact. It seems far more likely that Constantine either really did see the vision or that he realized that Christianity was here to stay and, well, if you can't beat them, join them.

Interestingly, Constantine's devotion to the Christian faith seems to have grown stronger over time. When Licinius, ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire resumed the persecution of the Christians in 320 BC it was considered a challenge to Constantine in the West and resulted in the great civil war of 324 BC. Constantine, fighting under the banner of the Chi-Rho, was victorious.

 

Off-Site Chi-Rho Resources:

http://www.masada.org.za/English/the_cross1.htm

http://www.www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/chi-rho.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08717c.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labarum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_%28emperor%29

http://www.biblenews1.com/babylon/babylon7.html

<< Back to Christian Symbols index

Downloadable versions available:
chi-rho1.jpg (300dpi)
chi-rho1.cdr (vector)

Downloadable versions available:
chi-rho2.jpg (300dpi)
chi-rho2.cdr (vector)

Constantine I
(also Constantine the
Great or St. Constantine)
licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License