Cross and Book

Crosses made in metal, paint, or stone stand at a singular intersection of past, present and future in the early medieval period. The historical cross of Golgotha is the source of such manufactured crosses' form and power. Most also represent the theology of the Cross, describing the soteriology of the crucifixion and anticipating its consummation at the end of time. As manufactured crosses recount the past and look forward to the eschaton, they concurrently function themselves in the age of the Church, offering specific, contemporary points of access to all the larger cross-sign represents. In its multivalent identity, the cross' status as the Church's central sign reflects the Church's own temporal position, simultaneously commemorating sacred history, functioning in the present day, and preparing for the Second Coming.