Crucifix

A cross bearing a representation of Jesus Christ’s crucified body. Crucifixes serve as objects of Christian worship and devotion.

Crucifixion of Jesus: The execution of Jesus of Nazareth by crucifixion under Roman authority. The event depicted gives the crucifix its central subject and devotional meaning.
Christian cross: The cross-shaped symbol associated with Christianity and the execution of Jesus. A crucifix adds Christ’s body to this underlying Christian symbol.
Early Christian art: Visual art produced by Christian communities in the early centuries of Christianity. Its early imagery provides context for the gradual appearance of Christ’s crucified body.
Empty cross: A Christian cross depicted without the body of Jesus. Its absence of a corpus contrasts directly with the defining form of a crucifix.
Catholic Church: The largest Christian church, led by the pope and centered on the sacraments and apostolic tradition. Crucifixes are prominent in Catholic churches, liturgies, and devotional practice.
Passion of Jesus: The final suffering and death of Jesus, from his arrest through his crucifixion and burial. The crucifix condenses the Passion’s suffering into a single image.
Corpus: The representation of Christ’s body attached to a crucifix. Its presence is the defining visual feature separating a crucifix from a bare cross.
Council of Ephesus: A church council held in 431 that affirmed Mary as Theotokos, or God-bearer. Its Christological debates formed part of the theological setting for later images of Christ.
Iconoclasm: The rejection or destruction of religious images, often on theological grounds. Iconoclastic disputes challenge the devotional use of images such as crucifixes.
Rosary: A Catholic prayer devotion that meditates on events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. A crucifix commonly forms the starting point of a rosary.

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Piss ChristRelated: The small plastic crucifix is the central object depicted in the photograph.