The Crown and the Cross is a logo of the Knights Templar within the York Rite Appendage body. The Crown and the Cross is also a popular symbol in Christianity. This shows how the Knights Templar is founded on Christian principles and symbolism.

The logo unites the Crown and the Cross symbols. When the two symbols are united, they form a unique meaning. But separately, each symbol has a vast history and symbolic interpretation.

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”      

Revelations 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

The Crown of life and the Cross together represents the rewards that await faithful believers in Heaven after the trials and suffering of this life. The Crown assures, and the Cross secures. Some experts interpret the Crown and the Cross to represent the life, ministry, glory, and message of Jesus Christ.

The Cross

There are many crosses used in Masonic appendage bodies, but we will not discuss the meaning of each cross. We shall discuss the general symbolism of the Cross. The Cross mostly reminds us of the crucifixion of Christ, but it is older than Christianity.

A cross consists of a vertical beam intersecting a horizontal beam. There are different alterations of the cross, depending on religious denomination. Here are the four basic forms of the cross.  

The Latin Cross: The Latin Cross is one in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam.

The Latin Cross

The Greek Cross: The Greek Cross is similar to the Latin Cross except that all four arms of the cross are of equal length. The Greek Cross is the most ancient among the commonly used symbols of the Cross.

The Greek Cross

St. Andrew’s Cross:  St. Andrews’s Cross is a type of diagonal cross that looks like the letter X. The St. Andrew’s Cross is very similar to the Greek letter Chi that is represented as an X. This was one of the symbols seen by Constantine in a dream that led him to victory against Maxentius. It led Constantine to convert to Christianity.

St. Andrew's Cross

The Tau Cross:  The Tau Cross resembles the Greek letter Tau. It was named after the Greek letter.

The Tau Cross

The Templars use various variations of the Cross, especially the Greek Cross and the Latin Cross. The Templar Cross is a variant of the Greek Cross. The Templar Cross is made from four equilateral triangles with their apexes meeting at a common center. The Templar Cross is used in the badge of the Past Grand Commander and the Grand Commandery Officer.

The Latin Cross with rays of light coming from the intersection is the badge of a Past Commander and Commander in the Knights Templar. The Latin Cross symbol used in this manner is called the Passion Cross.              

Other symbols are used among the Masonic Knights Templar, but they shall be explained in another blog post.

The Latin Cross was not used as a Christian symbol until the 7^th century. Before then, the lamb and the fish were the most popular Christian symbols. The Latin Cross was used in Mesopotamia, Assyria, the Far East, Persia, Assyria, Pre-Columbian America, India and Scandinavia. In the ancient cultures, the Cross represented the Sun, and it is a symbol of the Earth and nature with the number Four representing the cardinal directions, the alchemical elements, the changing seasons, the quarters of the moon, and the four winds. The Cross also represented the union of the Heaven and the Earth. The number four represents the Four Evangelists and their Gospels. This symbology reminds us of the delineation of the seasons and time. For, it was on the fourth day that God put lights in the firmament to separate lights from darkness to mark the days and to further outline the passing of time and seasons.            

Older cultures have also used the cross as an emblem. The Egyptian Ankh also known as the Handled Cross, the Egyptian Cross, the Crux Ansata, or the Key of the Nile, is a Tau Cross with an inverted tear shape on its top. The Egyptian Cross represents Isis and Osiris in their sexual union. In Scandinavia, the Tau Cross represents the hammer of Thor. In some other cultures, the Egyptian Cross represents the four directions in which the Sun shines.

The Egyptian Ankh

The Cross could represent the four elements with the intersection representing a 5^th element called quintessence or Ether. With the Templar Cross and some other crosses, you can see a liberal representation of the four equilateral triangles symbolizing the 12 signs of the Zodiac. The Greek Cross has been applied with circular diagrams of the Zodiac to represent the equinoxes and solstices. The Greek Cross with a circle can be found all over the Paleolithic world as a representation of the Sun.

The Crown

The Crown has traditionally been a symbol of sovereignty and authority. It represents governance over a community, society, or even oneself. Crowns and other head coverings are seen as a symbol of victory like garlands or a wreath.

The Crown represents perfection and eternal life. The Crown unites the spiritual world with the material world where the sovereign can receive divine inspiration to rule justly.    

The most basic of symbols has a lot of history and means a lot to several people of diverse opinions and beliefs. When combined, these symbols stack and complement each other. They have interpretations and history spanning several centuries. When combined, they mean a lot to followers of the Masonic Knights Templars and other followers of Jesus Christ.        

Here are some Knights Templar items from our collection.

IN HOC SIGNO VINCES Knights Templar Masonic Flag

 KNIGHTS TEMPLAR MASON IN HOC SIGNO VINCES Car Emblem Golden

Knights Templar Masonic Baseball Cap