_Symbols of our Lord._--While the cross was in {67} constant use by the early Christians, no effort was made at direct representation of our Saviour's sufferings. The crucifix was not introduced until five centuries had passed. Resort was had instead to the use of symbols. [Illustration: The hand of God] [Illustration: The name and the triangle] {68} Several of these were derived from Holy Scripture. The most common was the figure of the _Good Shepherd_, a picture drawn from our Lord's own description of His loving care and self-sacrifice. Another was derived from the words of St. John the Baptist, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" By this symbol, known as the _Agnus Dei_, our Lord is represented by the figure of a lamb--often with a nimbus, or glory, about the head--bearing a cross, the symbol of His sacrifice, or a banner, the sign of His triumph. [Illustration: Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God] {69} The _Alpha and Omega_, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, are used as the emblem of the eternity of our Lord: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." [Illustration: Alpha and Omega] The _Star_ is a symbol of Christ. It owes its origin to His own words, "I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." It was by the leading of a star that God manifested His only begotten Son to the Gentiles. The five-pointed star commonly represents the star of Bethlehem. It is a Christmas and Epiphany emblem. [Illustration: Star of Bethlehem] This star is sometimes called the "pentalpha," as the crossing of its lines suggests five A's. It was used in ancient times as a magic talisman against the powers of witchcraft. The Greek Christians at one time placed it, instead of the cross, at the beginning of inscriptions. The six-pointed star is said to symbolize the Creator, as, according to the old alchemists, the double triangle of which it is composed represents the elements of fire and water. {70} The seven-pointed star has reference, it is said, to St. John's words in the Revelation: "I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." A star of nine points has allusion to St. Paul's enumeration of the fruits of the Holy Spirit: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." An interesting symbol of our Saviour is that of the _Pelican_, which, the old naturalists said, was accustomed to tear open its breast in order to feed its young with its own blood. So the blood shed on Calvary gives life to the Church. [Illustration: The pelican]