Nine, forty, crescent/cross

[Subhash.Jaireth at AGSO.GOV.AU]

Dear Friends,

I have enjoyed the postings about the crescent/cross but was wondering if
some one can give me some information on the history of the onion shaped
domes atop several Russian orthodox churches. Is there a link with the domes
we see on the mosques? In all probability I am wrong hence please excuse my
ignorance.

 Thanks


Subhash


                -----Original Message-----
                From:   Svitlana Kobets [mailto:svitlana at tucows.com]
                Sent:   Tuesday, 2 October 2001 2:03
                To:     SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
                Subject:        Re: Nine, forty, crescent/cross

                Dear SEELANGErs,

                Let me post some additional information re: Genevra's
questions. It was sent
                to me by Father Andrei Brenen, a scholar and a monk. I also
want to thank
                Jack Kollmann for a very interesting discussion of the cross
symbolism.

                Fether Andrei wrote:
                >
                >

                >
                >> 1.What is the source of the Russian custom of
commemorating  death on the
                >> third, ninth, and fortieth days?
                >

                It is believed that the human soul remains with the body
after death until
                the third day, when it begins its migration, ultimately
ascending into the
                presence of God (if a holy soul) on the fortieth day.  This
belief follows
                the timetable given in the New Testament of Christ's
resurrection,
                appearances to the disciples, and ascension as you have
said.

                Traditionally there are 24 tollhouses where the soul is
tested in its faith
                by "assessors" during the "migration".  This belief arises
from fourth and
                later century mystical theology.  Many have argued that the
tollhouses were
                allegories in the writings of the spiritual fathers (e.g.,
in the
                Philokalia, etc.).  Others have interpreted them more
literally.  It should
                be noted that the "tollhouses" are "theologoumena", i.e.,
"pious theological
                opinion", rather than Orthodox doctrine.  Many Orthodox
scoff at these
                accounts, while others believe in them most fervently.  I
personally believe
                that the exact details of what happens to a soul after death
remain a
                mystery.  If one finds comfort in the tollhouse stories,
then that is fine
                with me.  I certainly do not teach such things.

                A popular book on this subject was Fr Seraphim Rose's, "The
Soul After
                Death", (1980, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, Platina,
California).
                Deacon Lev Puhalo (now Archbishop Lazar) has spent the last
20 years
                attempting to refute this work.  You can visit a critical
review of Rose's
                work by the Rev. Dr Michael Azkoul (an Antiochian Orthodox
priest living in
                the U.S.) at this URL:

                http://www.new-ostrog.org/return_tollhouses.html


                >> 4.  The Orthodox cross is sometimes seen with its base at
the bottom of a
                >> semi-circle (crescent?, grail?). I have been told that
the semi-circle
                >plus
                >> the cross represents Islamic Turkey and the Orthodox
victory thereover;
                >and
                >> also I have been told that that explanation is
ridiculous, that the
                >> semi-circle is a grail "graal'" to collect blood at the
base of the
                cross.
                >> Is either explanation at least in the ball park?
                >I always thought that it was a symbol of the triumph of
Orthodoxy over
                >Islam. Is it right?

                Both arguments are in a sense correct.  The ancient
iconography of the cross
                often showed a "grail" at the foot of the cross,
representative of the "holy
                grail" of Christ's blood ("the cup of the New Testament in
my blood").
                After the Islamic conquests in Byzantine lands, the icons
began to be
                changed slightly so that the grails looked more like
crescents.  This was a
                "resistance" move on the part of Greek iconographers, who
were attempting to
                encourage the burdened Greek faithful under Ottoman
overlordship that the
                cross would defeat the Turkish crescent.  So, what started
out as a "grail"
                evolved into an anti-Islamic iconic "slogan", if you will.

                ****

                By the by crosses with crescent on the bottom were not ony
placed on top of
                church domes but also appeared on coats of arms of Slavic
gentry. See
                Oleksii Bratko-Kutyns'kyi, "Fenomen Ukrainy," Kyiv:
Vechirnii Kyiv, 1996,
                256. This source contains a picture of the coat of arms with
such a cross.
                It belonged to a Ukrainian family of Tomary.

                Best,
                Svitlana Kobets


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