The top beam represents the plaque bearing the inscription "
Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" (often abbreviated in the
Latinate "
INRI" and in the Greek as "
INBI"). Many symbolic interpretations of the double-cross have been put forth. One of them says that the first horizontal line symbolized the secular power and the other horizontal line the ecclesiastic power of
Byzantine emperors, and also that the first cross bar represents the death, and the second cross the resurrection, of
Jesus Christ.
Other variations The
Russian Orthodox cross can be considered a modified version of the patriarchal cross, having two smaller crossbeams, one at the top and one near the bottom, in addition to the longer crossbeam. One suggestion is the lower crossbeam represents the footrest () to which the feet of Jesus were nailed. However, there is no evidence of footrests ever being used during the crucifixion, and it has a deeper meaning. The bottom beam may represent a balance of justice. Some sources suggest that as one of the thieves being crucified with Jesus repented of his sin and believed in Jesus as the Messiah and was thus with Christ in
Paradise, the other thief rejected and mocked Jesus and therefore descended into
Hades. In some earlier representations (and still currently in the
Greek Church) the crossbar near the bottom is straight or slanted upwards. In later Slavic and other traditions, it came to be depicted as slanted, with the side to the viewer's left usually being higher. One tradition says that this comes from the idea that as
Jesus Christ took his last breath, the bar to which his feet were nailed broke, thus slanting to the side. Another tradition holds that the slanted bar represents the
repentant thief and the
unrepentant thief that were crucified with Christ, the one to Jesus' right-hand repenting and rising to be with God in Paradise, and one on his left falling to Hades and separation from God. In this manner, it also reminds the viewer of the
Last Judgment. Still another explanation of the slanted crossbar would suggest the
Cross Saltire, as tradition holds that the Apostle
St. Andrew introduced
Christianity to lands north and west of the
Black Sea: today's
Ukraine,
Russia,
Belarus,
Moldova, and
Romania. Image:Template-Metropolitan Archbishop.svg|Roman Catholic metropolitan archbishop's coat of arms (version with
pallium) Image:Cross of the Russian Orthodox Church 01.svg|The Russian cross, with slanted cross-bar () Image:Russian Golgotha cross.png|A variation of the Russian cross, so called "
Calvary cross" File:Cross of the archangels 1.svg|Archangels' cross File:Cross of the archangels 2.svg|Archangels' cross variant == Byzantine Empire ==