Description

Image

Memorial

To William Augustus & Harriet Crosby Thompson. (1905)

Given by their children in 1907.

Three Fish

The fish is one of the earliest symbols of our Lord.  In the Perilous Days of the early church, it was a secret sign of identification and loyalty used among Christians.  Three fish are the sign of the Holy Trinity.

Greeks, Romans, and many other pagans used the fish symbol before Christians. Hence the fish, unlike, say, the cross, attracted little suspicion, making it a perfect secret symbol for persecuted believers. When threatened by Romans in the first centuries after Christ, Christians used the fish to mark meeting places and tombs, or to distinguish friends from foes. According to one ancient story, when a Christian met a stranger in the road, the Christian sometimes drew one arc of the simple fish outline in the dirt. If the stranger drew the other arc, both believers knew they were in good company.

Crown

This is the symbol of victory.  It denotes the Lord’s Kingly office and expresses the fact that through Him we have eternal life.  The “Crown of Life.”

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures trial; for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.

Eagle

The eagle is the symbol of St. John the Evangelist.  This symbol represents the height and majesty of his Gospel, soaring above earthly matters to explore the depths of spiritual truth.  The Gospel of John is often regarded as a profound and contemplative account of Jesus' life, emphasizing His divine nature and the eternal life He offers to believers emphasizing His divine nature and the eternal life He offers to believers.

Lion

The lion symbolizes royalty, courage, and power. It was the symbol of the tribes of Judah, Dan, and Gad.

In the Bible, lions are known for their courage, beauty, and strength; they have mainly been used as a sign of God’s power and authority.  This is noted in several passages such as Revelation 5:5, which refers to Jesus as the “Lion of Judah” to show His power over creation and sin.

Chalice with Serpent

Related to St. John the Apostle.  There is an old legend that once St. John was given a cup of wine which had been poisoned but that, by his blessing, the poison came out of it in the form of a snake and John drank the cup unharmed.

Fuller’s Club

Symbol of St. James the Less who was martyred by being clubbed to death after first being pushed from the top of a temple and stoned.  James was 96 at the time of his martyrdom.  The club is also a symbol of betrayal.

Crossed Keys

Symbol of Peter.   The keys represent Peter’s authority as the leader of the twelve apostles and the head of the early Church. After Peter made his profession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:19), Jesus said, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven…”

Winged Man

St. Matthew is represented by a divine man because the Gospel highlights Jesus’ entry into this world, first by presenting His family lineage — “A family record of Jesus Christ, Son of David, son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1) — and His incarnation and birth: “Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about” (Matthew 1:18). “This then,” according to St. Irenaeus, “is the Gospel of His humanity; for which reason it is, too, that the character of a humble and meek man is kept up through the whole Gospel.”

Harp

Represents David, the shepherd son of Jesse who was made king over Israel.  He played upon the harp and composed the Psalm of David.  The harp is a symbol of joy, music, and worship in heaven.

Sundial

Symbolic of the passing of time.  Related to: And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?  And Isaiah said, This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that He has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps? And Hezekiah answered, It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps: rather let the shadow go back ten steps. And Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and He brought the shadow back ten steps, by which the sun had declined on the dial of Ahaz (2 Kings 20:8-11).

This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that He has promised: Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz, turn back, ten steps. So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined. (Isaiah 38:7,8).

Jesus Christ the Victor

IC XC NIKA means "Jesus Christ Conquers." The IC and XC are the first and last letters in the Greek words for Jesus and Christ, respectively. NIKA is connected to the word for victory, which we know from Greek mythology

Winged Lion

St. Mark, represented by the winged lion, references the Prophet Isaiah when he begins his gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: “Behold, I send my messenger before thy face who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight.” (Mark 1: 1-3)

The voice in the desert crying reminds one of a lion’s roar, and the prophetical spirit descending to earth reminds one of a “winged message.” The lion also signified royalty, an appropriate symbol for the Son of God.

Pilgrim’s Staff

Symbol of St. James the Greater, known for zeal and missionary spirit.  The title "the Greater" was added to St. James' name to help distinguish him from the Apostle James "the Less," who is believed to have been shorter or younger than James "the Greater."

Thaddeus Cross

Symbol of St. Jude (Thaddeus). 

Carpenter’s Square

Symbol of St. Thomas the patron saint of builders, is believed to have preached the Gospel in India and built a Church there.

St. Andrew’s X Cross

Supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.

Winged Ox

Symbol of St. Luke reminds us of Christ’s sacrificial death.  The ox is a symbol of strength and sacrifice.  “For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:30) This symbol represents St. Luke because he gave a very full account of the sacrificial death of our Lord.

Oxen were used in temple sacrifices. For instance, when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem, an ox and a fatling were sacrificed every six steps (2 Samuel 6).

St. Luke begins his Gospel with the announcement of the birth of St. John the Baptizer to his father, the priest Zechariah, who was offering sacrifice in the Temple (Luke 1). St. Luke also includes the parable of the Prodigal Son, in which the fatted calf is slaughtered, not only to celebrate the younger son’s return, but also to foreshadow the joy we must have in receiving reconciliation through our most merciful Savior who as Priest offered Himself in sacrifice to forgive our sins. Therefore, the winged ox reminds us of the priestly character of our Lord and His sacrifice for our redemption.

Raven

Possibly a symbol for Elijah.  A raven provides sustenance in the Bible through its delivery of food to the prophet Elijah. In the book of 1 Kings, during a time of drought and famine, God commands ravens to bring bread and meat to Elijah, who's hiding by the Brook Cherith.

Ravens were messengers and even provided food in some stories. They hold a symbolic meaning as spiritual guides, teaching us about trusting in God's care and provision.

Star of Jacob

A symbol of early Christians based upon the prophecy “there shall come a star out of Jacob” and the Lord’s words “I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright morning star.”

Open Bible with Sword

Symbol of St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles.  St. Paul is frequently depicted with a sword for two primary reasons.

• St. Paul is well-known for his epistle to the Ephesians, where he famously describes the “armor of God.” He uses the armor that was commonly worn by a Roman Soldier to describe a spiritual armor that prepares a Christian to “stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11-12).  A few verses later St. Paul writes, “And take the … sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).  For this reason, St. Paul is frequently depicted with a sword, while also holding a book, the “word of God,” making an artistic connection to these scripture passages.
• The second reason why St. Paul often carries a sword is because of a long-standing tradition of depicting martyred saints with the instrument of their death. As St. Paul was a Roman citizen, he was not eligible to be crucified. Instead, St. Paul was decapitated with a sword outside of the walls of Rome.

Battle Axe

Symbol of Matthias.  It is generally believed that Matthias ministered in Judaea and then carried out missions to foreign places. Greek tradition states that he Christianized Cappadocia, a mountainous district now in central Turkey, later journeying to the region about the Caspian Sea, where he was martyred by crucifixion and, according to other legends, chopped apart.

Ship

Symbolizes the Church on the Sea of Life.  Additional ship related references are to God protecting the Ark and Jesus protecting the ship with the Apostles during the storm.

Phoenix

Ancient symbol of the resurrection.  After living several hundred years, this bird is said to have gathered a nest of twigs, which was set on fire by the sun consuming the bird.  Out of the ashes the bird came forth, recreated for another four or five hundred years.

Saw

Symbol of Simon the Zealot.  Said he may have been sawn in half.

Flying Knife

Symbol of Bartholomew, referring to his manner of death.

Spear

Symbol of Phillip, represents the way he gave up his life for Him who is the Bread of Life.

Money Bag

Symbol of Matthew, because he was a Roman tax gatherer.

Ten Commandments

The tablets given to Moses.