The cross in its place -- The cross and non-Christian society -- The cross in a Jewish cradle -- The cross in textual images -- The cross in the material record -- The cross in a Pompeii bakery -- The cross in the literary record -- The cross and its advocates -- A very short conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index of subjects -- Index of modern authors -- Index of ancient sources -- Index of locations
Summary
Upending a longstanding consensus, Bruce W. Longenecker presents a wide variety of material artifacts to illustrate that Christians made use of the cross as a visual symbol of their faith long before Constantine appropriated it to consolidate his power in the fourth century. Constantine did not invent the cross as a symbol of Christian faith; for an impressive number of Christians before Constantine's reign, the cross served as a visual symbol of commitment to a living deity in a dangerous world
