Irish High Crosses (3)

Fresh motives could be more easily transferred from one art centre to another, and decorative designs could be combined and elaborated in a way that was impossible when working in such intractable materials as metal or stone instead of drawing on parchment with a facile pen. The new Celtic style of the Christian period soon took a definite shape, and after the patterns had been fully developed in the illuminated MSS, they were afterwards applied to decorative work in stone and metal.

  - Allen, Celtic Art In Pagan and Christian Times[1]

And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

 - Joshua 4.20-24

The beauty and utility of the high crosses which began to appear throughout Ireland in the afterglow of the Celtic Revival derives from their overall design and intricate craftsmanship. Crosses are marked off into panels which contain illustrations, mostly from stories in the Bible. We will examine several of these panels over the course of our study.

But the panels are not the only important aspects of the artistry of these crosses. Spread throughout many of them are elements of pre-Christian Celtic art which are more symbolic than representative. Plaitwork, interlacing, key patterns, knots, spirals, chains, and circles feature in many, if not most of these crosses. These are used symbolically to frame and contextualize the illustrated panels and the cross as a whole. Artists of the Celtic period borrowed these forms from pre-Christian Celtic art and introduced them first in various illuminated manuscripts, such as the Book of Kells. Once Christian artists had perfected the use of these forms in writing and drawing, it was only natural that the forms—and their symbolic meaning—should appear on the high crosses of Ireland.

The use of symbolic art shows up in various places in the Old Testament, especially in the making of the tabernacle and the building of God’s temple. A much simpler use of symbol in art is the heap of stones God commanded His people to erect in Gilgal. A representative of each of the twelve tribes was selected to take one stone out of the dry Jordan Riverbed and carry it across to the western bank. We can imagine that tribes selected their strongest member so that he could select and carry the largest stone, although at the time they had no idea what the purpose of this effort was to be.

Joshua explained to the people the symbolism of the art. The stones, piled into a heap, would be a reminder to the people for generations to come of the saving mercy of God, how He dried up the Jordan and allowed them to pass through to the land of promise. But Joshua also explained that these stones would be a witness to “all the peoples of the earth” that they “may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty”. This simple work of symbolic art would serve to keep the people mindful of God and His grace, so that they would fear Him forever.

Symbols in art can be powerful, but only when they are understood. They take identifiable forms, but their meaning is not confined to the form they take. Rather, the form bears some aspect which points beyond it, like the stones of Gilgal, to a larger and more significant meaning that must be learned.

So it is with the decorative elements carved into the high crosses of Ireland. All that plaitwork, those spirals and knots, the circles and balls, the various keys and chains add not only to the beauty of the crosses but to their story as well. And while these symbolic forms have their origin in pagan Celtic art, their use and meaning have been reinterpreted to suit a Christian narrative. As Derek Brice explains, “in the Celtic cross there is no question of paganism infiltrating Christianity, but simply of Christianity adopting a form of symbolism which is universal.”[2]

When, following the conquest of Canaan, the twelve tribes of Israel began to make their settlements, those whose inheritance lay east of the Jordan did not want to be forgotten by their brethren on the other side. So they erected “a great impressive altar” like the pagan altars the people had destroyed (Josh. 22.10). When confronted by their brethren about having constructed such a form, the Israelites east of the Jordan explained they intended this work to be “a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, ‘You have no part in the LORD’” (Josh. 22.27).

The use of pagan art forms in the illuminated manuscripts and high crosses of Ireland acknowledged the sovereignty of God and the blessings of His grace over all peoples, but especially those who had come to faith in Jesus Christ. They can speak to us today with as much power and beauty as they did to those first believers who sat before them to meditate and learn.

For Reflection
1. The use of symbols in art is, indeed, universal. Can you think of some—such as light, wind, trees—that are used to bear a message beyond themselves?

2. How does the cross serve as a symbol used in art for Christians today?

Psalm 19.1-3 (St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus)
The heav’ns declare God’s glory, the skies His work proclaim!
From day to day and night by night they shout His glorious Name!
No speech, no words, no voice is heard, yet all across the earth
the lines of His all-present Word make known His holy worth.

Lord, make me more aware of those aspects of the creation that symbolize your Presence, so that I…

T. M. Moore

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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] Allen, p. 171.

[2] Brice, p. 128