Nostra:Holy Land: Difference between revisions

The coat of arms of the Catholic Theocracy of Israel displays the so-called [[wikipedia:Jerusalem_cross|Jerusalem Cross]] on its shield, derived from the [[wikipedia:Kingdom_of_Jerusalem|Kingdom of Jerusalem]], a crusader state established immediately after the success of the [[wikipedia:First_Crusade|First Crusade]] in the 11th century. In this sense, the Holy Land made use of the symbolism and narratives of the medieval crusades from its very beginning. The symbolism of the five-fold cross is variously given as the [[wikipedia:Five_Holy_Wounds|Five Wounds of Christ]] or Christ and the [[wikipedia:Four_Evangelists|four evangelists]]. The bishop's staff, also known as the [[wikipedia:Crozier|crosier]], crossed with the sword behind the coat of arms represents the elimination of the separation between state and religion: pastoral religious guidance as well as canonical ecclesiastical jurisdiction are merged and connected with civil law and government policy, each represented by the staff and the sword. The shield is surrounded by olive branches, which on the one hand have the ancient symbolism of welcoming a newly crowned king (in this case Jesus Christ himself) and on the other hand symbolise the peace (in this case that comes with the new Kingdom). Above the shield the so-called [[wikipedia:Mitre|mitre]] is displayed, symbolising the episcopal dignity traditionally carried by the bishop on ceremonial and liturgical occasions. The [[wikipedia:Crown_of_thorns|crown of thorns]] of Jesus is depicted at the very top, symbolising the sovereign kingship of Christ. The motto ''Christus vel mors'' was inscribed, which translates as ''Christ or death'', meaning the spiritual and eternal death that follows with rejecting Christ as saviour of mankind.