Mar Thoma Sleeva can be found at the following locations: Other similar crosses: •
Xi'an, China. On the
Xi'an Stele (also known as the "Nestorian Stele"), erected in 781, there is a cross rising from a lotus, surrounded by a pair of symmetrical clouds. The lotus consists of seven petals, and two branches with flowers are depicted on either side of the main pattern. At the top of the cross is a glowing flame motif (similar to the dove above the cross in the case of the St. Thomas crosses). •
Taxila, Pakistan. It is a very small cross that found in a field near the ancient city
Sirkap near Taxila. The cross is kept at the
Cathedral Church of the Resurrection, Lahore. However, experts point out that the cross shares only one characteristic with other St Thomas crosses: mostly equilateral, with arms of equal length. They claim that the Christian antiquity of this cross cannot be conclusively proven, as the same characteristic is also observed in pre-Christian Buddhist crosses and Swastika-variants found in the region, and even in
Greek crosses. • An Indian cross is depicted on the rock-piece at the front of the Parur (North) church, first published in the
St Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Vol.II, 1973, Ed. George Menachery. • There is a St Thomas cross in stone on the porch of the
Church of St Thomas the Apostle, Killinghall, carved by Charles Mawer of Leeds.
Interpretation of the inscriptions In 1873, an archaeologist named Arthur Coke translated the inscriptions as follows: ::"In punishment by the cross (was) the suffering of this one; ::He who is the true christ, and God above and Guide ever pure."
F. C. Burkitt and C. P. T. Winckworth, the then-reader of Assyriology in the
University of Cambridge, studied the inscriptions and produced a translation, which was then discussed at the 1925
International Congress of Orientalists at Oxford. The interpretation is as follows: ::"My Lord Christ, have mercy upon Afras son of Chaharbukht the Syrian, who cut this (or, who caused this to be cut)." On the large cross, there is this additional sentence in Estrangelo Syriac. (Galatians 6:14) ::"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." The inscription at Kadamattom church when translated is, ::"I, the beautiful bird of
Nineveh has come to this land. Written by me Shapper, who was saved by the Holy Messiah from misery."
Symbolism of Mar Thoma Sleeva Unlike crosses in other traditions, the St Thomas cross does not carry the
effigy of the Christ. In addition to this unique quality, each of its elements carry symbolic meanings. Generally the Cross symbolizes life rather than death and suffering. • Lacking the effigy of Jesus, the St Thomas cross presages the discovery of the
empty tomb, glorifying the
Resurrection of Jesus. • The four edges of the cross are
floral in shape, symbolizing fruition and life from the
tree of life. • The lotus flower beneath the cross is a symbol of Buddhism and India. A cultural adaptation of local imagery, the cross fixed on the lotus would symbolize Christianity in India in the first century. • The three steps below the Cross represent
Golgotha, symbolically referring to the
death of Jesus, also the three decks of the Ark and the ascent to Mt. Sinai. • Finally, the
dove above the cross represents the
Holy Spirit, the third person of the
Holy Trinity according to the Christian tradition. It is this spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and bestows
gifts upon the Church's faithful. ==Stone crosses of Kerala==