Nostra:Holy Land: Difference between revisions

=== Coats of arms ===

[[File:Theocracy Israel..png|thumb|191x191px|''Town of the Catholic Theocracy of Israel'']]

[[File:Quarox arms12 (1).png|thumb|185x185px|''Archbishop of Jerusalem, Cardinal Quarox'']]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 shield 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 the peace which comes with Christ's 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 over the Theocracy. 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.           

The coat of arms of the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Cardinal Quarox is structured as following: On top is the ecclesiastical hat as a distinctive part of arms of a Catholic cleric, also called a [[wikipedia:Galero|galero]]. The galero is ornamented with tassels on both sides, also called fiocchi. The color of the hat and number of tassels indicate the cleric's place in the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Generally, priests, abbots and ministers have a black hat with cords and tassels, the number depending upon their rank. Bishops generally use a green hat with green cords and six green tassels on each side, archbishops have likewise a green hat with green cords and ten green tassels on each side, and cardinals have a red hat with red cords and fifteen red tassels on each side. The coat of arms also contains a cross: In the Catholic Church, display of a cross behind the shield is restricted to bishops and archbishops as a mark of their dignity and office. The cross of an ordinary bishop has a single horizontal bar or traverse, also known as the [[wikipedia:Latin_cross|Latin cross]]. A archbishop or patriarch uses the [[wikipedia:Archiepiscopal_cross|Archiepiscopal cross]] with two traverses, also known as the [[wikipedia:Patriarchal_cross|Patriarchal cross]]. The [[wikipedia:Papal_cross|Papal cross]] has three traverses. The shield is decorated with symbols that are directly or indirectly connected with the Holy Land. As with the other coats of arms, the Jerusalem cross is visible. The sand and the castle are intended to refer to the local natural and urban infrastructural conditions of the Middle East. On the blue background, which is meant to represent the sky, the [[wikipedia:Star_of_Bethlehem|Star of Bethlehem]] is depicted, which, according to biblical tradition, was visible at the birth of Christ. The praise C''hristus imperat'', taken from the famous [[wikipedia:Laudes_Regiae|Laudes Regiae]], serves as motto of the cardinal's coat of arms and translates as ''Christ commands''.  

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