Christian Associations
Around the central Latin letter Ν (en,) a Greek cross can be made that reads both vertically and horizontally the first two words of the 'Pater Noster' (Pater Noster translates as "Our Father", the first words of the Lord's Prayer), each line is surrounded with A and O which represents the Alpha and Omega. The associations indicate the square may have been a safe, hidden way for early Christians to signal their presence to each other in a city without exposing themselves to persecution. The Sator Square uncovered in Manchester has been interpreted as early evidence for the arrival of Christianity in Britain.
The 'Prayer of the Virgin in Bartos' says that Christ was crucified with five nails, which were named Sator, Arepo, Tenet, Opera and Rotas.
Other authorities believe the Sator Square was Mithraic or Jewish in origin because it is not likely that Pompeii had a large Christian population in 79 A.D and the symbolism inferred as Christian and the use of Latin in Christianity is not attested to until later.
Read more about this topic: Sator Square
Famous quotes containing the words christian and/or associations:
“Humility is the sure evidence of Christian virtues. Without it, we retain all our faults still, and they are only covered over with pride, which hides them from other men’s observation, and sometimes from our own too.”
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