Saltire (Andrew’s) Cross… Humility
Thursday, March 5th, 2009St. Andrew’s or Saltire Cross
It is believed that the apostle Andrew was crucified on a saltire (X-shaped) cross; hence the name St. Andrew’s Cross. He is said to have told his executioners that he was not worthy to be crucified on the same cross style as Jesus, and persuaded them to alter the shape. If this is true, it’s a remarkable example of stoicism displayed by a man, no doubt beaten and starved, yet retaining the mental energy to plead such a thing with his brutal executioners.
Detailed records of his crucifixion only date back to the Middle Ages, and these records are influenced be the imagination of the medieval artists. But even if the origin is a myth, the cross shape reminds Christians that they should exercise humility.
In Greek, the first letter for Christ (Chi) also happens to be ‘X’-shaped, as in the Chi Rho Cross. An alternative name for Christmas is Xmas, a valid abbreviation although rejected by some as being a commercial attempt to remove Christ from Christmas, by crossing Him out.
Instead of simply saying that something is ‘X-shaped’ or ’saltire’, the term ‘St. Andrew’s Cross’ is used for several items that have absolutely nothing to do with St. Andrew or even religion. For example, there’s argiope kiyserlingi and the argiope mangal - a tiny, brightly striped spider found in the mangroves of Singapore. These are commonly known as ‘St. Andrew’s Spiders’ because they hold their eight legs in pairs, forming an X shape. Then there’s the hypericum hypericoides, a small shrub of the St. John’s-wort family. Its flowers form a cross with their four yellow petals and is known as ‘St. Andrew’s Cross’.
The St. Andrew’s Cross is seen on the American Civil-War Confederate flag, showing the Scottish lineage of many Southerners. On this flag it is known as the Southern Cross. It is also seen on several national flags. For example the white cross on a blue background as the flag of Scotland, and a red cross on a white background as St. Patrick’s Cross of the Irish. Both of these crosses were superimposed on England’s red cross on a white background, St. George’s Cross, to give the United Kingdom’s Union Flag (’Union Jack’)
The saltire on the flag of Scotland is called ‘St. Andrew’s Cross’. (This is also the flag of the Saint Andrew and Providence Islands - San Andrés y Providencia - northwest of Colombia, once the settlement of English Puritans, and the flag of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, albeit a slightly darker shade of blue.) The colours are said to come from a white cross made by clouds in the blue sky. In the ninth century, King Angus saw this arrangement on the day before a decisive battle over the English Northumbrian Angles command by Athelstan. King Angus considered it to be a good omen and won the battle.
Finally, there’s a variation of St. Andrew’s cross on the flag of the Vatican . Since the 14th century, two crossed keys have been the official insignia of the Holy See. These keys are the symbols of St. Peter (popes are considered direct descendants of St. Peter’s office). The keys were given to Peter (see Matthew 16:19) by Christ to open the doors to paradise, just as the cross opens the gates of heaven for those who believe in Him.
