The Cross: History, Art, and Controversy

The cross stirs intense feelings among Christians as well as non-Christians. Robin Jensen takes readers on an intellectual and spiritual journey through the two-thousand-year evolution of the cross as an idea and an artifact, illuminating the controversiesalong with the forms of devotionthis central symbol of Christianity inspires.

Jesuss death on the cross posed a dilemma for Saint Paul and the early Church fathers. Crucifixion was a humiliating form of execution reserved for slaves and criminals. How could their messiah and savior have been subjected to such an ignominious death? Wrestling with this paradox, they reimagined the cross as a triumphant expression of Christs sacrificial love and miraculous resurrection. Over time, the symbols transformation raised myriad doctrinal questions, particularly about the crucifixthe cross with the figure of Christand whether it should emphasize Jesuss suffering or his glorification. How should Jesuss body be depicted: alive or dead, naked or dressed? Should it be shown at all?

Jensens wide-ranging study focuses on the cross in painting and literature, the quest for the true cross in Jerusalem, and the symbols role in conflicts from the Crusades to wars of colonial conquest. The Cross also reveals how Jews and Muslims viewed the most sacred of all Christian emblems and explains its role in public life in the West today.