LOGOS TRADING POST - CATHOLIC JEWELRY

Our Catholic Jewelry & The Inspiring Traditions

At Logos Trading Post, we’re quite proud of our specially curated collection of Catholic jewelry. Yes, we are more than just a dedicated Catholic jewelry store, but we still believe that each Catholic necklace and accessory we have available is second to none when it comes to both quality and price - giving other providers a run for their money, for sure! Even still, what we are prouder of than the quality and price is the deep history of Catholic tradition that went into the design of each piece. Because of this, we would like to share with you the origin of a couple of our most popular Catholic necklace designs!

IC XC NIKA

Some text you may have already noticed on a few different pieces of our Catholic jewelry is “IC XC NIKA.” This abbreviation dates back to the early days of belief in Christ, coming from what was once the Hellenistic culture surrounding the Mediterranean. As such, it comes from the Greek phrase, “Ιησούς Χριστός νίκη (Iisoús Christós Niká),” or as defined in English, “Jesus Christ is Victorious.” The IC XC NIKA is found as a result of taking the first and last letter of Jesus - Ι and ς - and the first and last letter of Christ - Χ and ς - and placing them next to NIKA - a Greek term roughly meaning “victorious” in English - serving as a shorthand of sorts to celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death on His cross.

This idea of the victorious Christ isn’t a new one, obviously. However, it is an important way of thinking to consider. In general, there are two ways of viewing the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice on His cross; Catholic tradition would define them as Christus Victor and Penal Substitution. As it is with many matters of belief, it is not a case of picking one over the other; both declare the legitimate truth of the gospel, just from different angles. Penal Substitution is a common emphasis in modern day. Essentially, it touts that the purpose, and thus meaning, of the cross is the substitution of Christ. He took the punishment of death deserved by sinful humanity, creating the way for those who believe to share with Him the eternal, abundant life that He deserves. Like we mentioned before, this is the truth, but not all there is to it. Christus Victor declares that the purpose and meaning of the cross is Christ’s Victory - Christus Victor, or literally, “Christ the Victor.” Through His death and resurrection, Christ declared Himself beyond any doubt to be greater than both sin and death, coming out of a divine struggle for humanity and all of creation as the true champion. This is a much deeper subject than one paragraph could cover, but our hope in bringing it up is to show you that Christus Victor is the heart behind IC XC NIKA; we hope that if you purchase a piece of Catholic jewelry with the IC XC NIKA, the victory of Christ would stay close to your heart as a comfort to you.

The Three-Bar Cross

Another symbol you may have noticed from our catholic jewelry store is the three-bar cross, that is, a traditional cross shape adorned with two additional horizontal bars - one near the top, and one angled near the bottom. This design is visible on its own on our Saint Andrew Sterling Silver Cross Necklace, but there are also some more complex pieces of catholic jewelry that incorporate it, such as the Saint Olga Sterling Silver Cross Necklace, the Alpha and Omega Sterling Silver Cross Necklace, or the Old Believer Soldier’s Cross Pectoral.

You might have picked up on this already, but this three-bar cross is also called Saint Andrew’s cross. Traditionally, it is believed that he would have used this cross as a teaching tool as he made disciples in eastern Europe, predominantly Russia. This cross is a meaningful symbol for any catholic, but it is especially noteworthy is Russian Orthodoxy as a result, being the primary Catholic cross that they depict.

The symbolism involved in this three-bar cross is rich, and as such, we hope you’ll be able to dwell upon it as you consider a Catholic necklace bearing it. The top bar is a reference to the inscription that was hung above the crucified Christ, which read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Meant as a taunt by his executioners much like His crown of thorns, His resurrection casts the title inscription in a new light; no longer is it mockery, but instead it is a declaration of His divine right to rule creation and humanity, Jew or Gentile. Next, the center and widest bar is, of course, the plank upon which Christ’s hands were nailed. He was pierced for us; His pain was real, but He could count it as nothing when compared with the weight of glory and the opportunity of redemption for all who believe in Him. Finally, the bottom, slanted bar is to represent where the Savior’s feet rest. Perhaps it was literally there, perhaps it wasn’t. The symbolism, however, is entirely real. This lowest bar on the three-bar cross is often attributed to the words of Psalm 99:4-5, which say, “The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!” His footstool, then, is connected with His reign as the true and just King. His footstool is a declaration of his victory, another connection to the idea of Christus Victor.

Just the Beginning

Though we’ve done what we can to draw attention to two important symbols visible on our Catholic jewelry, there’s much more to see! Therefore, we encourage you to browse for yourself. If there’s a particular Catholic necklace that catches your attention, feel free to click on it; the description of the individual product should provide a bit of insight into the symbolism involved. In any case, we hope our Catholic jewelry serves its intended purpose as a tool to strengthen your faith and belief.