SOLID STERLING SILVER \"925\" LARGER ORTHODOX \"OLD BELIEVERS\" CROSS with PSALM 68 For Sale

Solid sterling silverEastern Orthodox Cross pendant (approx. 1 5/8\" tall with rotating bale;weight approx. 5.3 g) featuring traditional \"Old Believers\" plain andhumble design with rich symbolism including image of the three-bar Savior\'sCross flanked with the Instruments of the Passion over the skull (Adam\'s head),and words of the Orthodox prayer to the Holy Cross based on Psalm 68 of Davidthe King inscribed on the reverse. The shape of the pendant ischaracteristic of historical Russian North crosses, in which the verticalcrossbar widens from the center downwards and upwards, whereas the horizontalcrossbar has a rectangular shape. The Cross is made from sterling silver andbears the \"925\" print on the reverse. Gently used condition withsome signs of wear such as small deformations, scratches and dents and fewpatches of silver patina/oxidation. The locking bale is not soldered and couldbe opened to attach the Cross to a slip on (over the head) chain. The sizeand weight of the pendant are shown on the photographs for this listing.

The obverse bears animage of the three-bar Suppedaneum cross surrounded with the Instruments of thePassion of Christ, such as the Holy Lance (spear) and the Holy Sponge attachedto the end of a cane, several inscriptions with Cyrillic letters, and an imageof the skull, or the Adam\'s head buried below the cross. The three-bar cross isvenerated as the true Savior\'s Cross in the Slavonic Orthodox and some EasternCatholic churches. Such a cross has three horizontal crossbeams: the top onerepresents the \"INRI\" nameplate, and the bottom one, a footrest. Thefootrest bar is depicted pointing up, toward Heaven, on Christ\'s right handside where the Penitent thief, St. Dismas was crucified. The Holy Lance and theHoly Sponge are the subjects of adoration together with the Cross, andtherefore, are often depicted on the Russian Old Believers\' Baptism or bodycrosses, creating an image of Calvary (Golgotha) with the three-bar cross andAdam\'s head.

In such a cross\'depiction, the \"INRI\" inscription made by Pontius Pilate, isconsidered blasphemous or profane, and is not used as the nameplate. Instead,the top end of the cross pendant bears a four-word abbreviation in ChurchSlavonic which means \"KING OF GLORY JESUS CHRIST\".

The other inscriptionsin Church Slavonic made above and below the central horizontal crossbar mean\"SON OF GOD\" and \"NIKA\" (\"VICTORIOUS\"),respectively.

Taken together, theseinscriptions make a full traditional Orthodox \"Title\" of the Savior:\"KING OF GLORY JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, THE VICTORIOUS\".

An image of the skull(Adam\'s head) buried below the Savior\'s Cross also refers to Golgotha(Calvary), the elevated site where Jesus was crucified, which the Bible saysmeans \"the place of the skull\" in Hebrew. The skull is marked withtwo larger Cyrillic letters \"Г\" meaning \"HILL GOLGOTHA\". Anancient tradition of the Church held that it was also the burial place of Adam,thus symbolizing the ultimate victory of Christ over sin and death.

The bottom end of thevertical crossbar bears a four-letter abbreviation in Cyrillic letters\"МЛРБ\" (\"MLRB\") meaning \"The CALVARY (Golgotha) BECAMEPARADISE\", a symbol of the execution place becoming a place of theredemption and reclaiming of the lost paradise.

The reverse shows the beginning fragment of the Orthodox prayer to theHoly Precious and Life-Giving Cross based on Psalm 68beginning with \"ДА ВОСКРЕСНЕТ БОГ И РАЗЫДУТСЯ ВРАЗИЕГО...\" meaning \"MAY GOD ARISE AND MAY HIS ENEMIES BESCATTERED\". This psalm-based prayer is traditionally inscribed on the reverse of theOld Believers\' Orthodox body (Baptism) cross pendants. It is a powerfulreminder to a person wearing the cross to invoke God through thisprayer and through making a sign of the Cross to provide His protection againstthe evil spirits (God\'s enemies), and thereby is considered a version of theExorcism prayer.

Please examine all photographs carefully and do your own research if necessary. Please note that photographs are an important part of the item\'s description. The measuring meter and electronic scale are not for sale, and might be photographed with the item in order to provide a size and weight reference.Please ask all questions before making a purchase.There are no guarantees with the listing because most items are original vintage or antique objects that are quite old and could be fragile. All items are sold \"as is\" with no returns because of a change of mind offered. Will ship to the USA only.