“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  Revelation 22:13

Over the past seventy years or so, Christians have lamented over the commercialization of Christmas.  Many have pointed to advertisements for the holidays that have taken the name of Jesus Christ out of the celebrations and substituted the letter X for the name of Christ.  While it’s true that some might be taking Christ out of Christmas, the term “Xmas” is not a new concept or an irreverent one.  It’s use dates to the earliest days of the Christian church!

Many of the Gentiles who became followers of Christ were Greek.  The Greek for Christ’s name is Xristos, pronounced Christos.  It’s true that the early Christians used a “fish” to symbolize a Christian place of worship, but many Greeks used the letter X as their symbol of faith.  The use of the letter X is one of the oldest traditions of the Christian faith.  To the early Christians worshipping Jesus in the catacombs of Rome, the symbol of the “cross” was anathema to them.  To them, the cross symbolized the death of their Savior and was never used until Constantine made it popular in the third century.

The use of the letter X for Christ signified the gospel message was for people of all races and backgrounds.  It was mindboggling to pagans that Greeks would follow the teachings of a Jewish man, but it spoke to the nature of Christianity that all were welcome to become part of the family of God!

Chi and Rho are the first two letters (XP) of “Christ” in Greek. It is sometimes called the monogram of Christ and was used very early by the persecuted Christians who carved the symbol into the walls of the catacombs as a gravestone for those buried there.  The symbol is an X with a P up the middle.  On either side of the X, the Greek letters Alpha (A) and Omega (w) are shown with them.  Jesus refers to Himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End,” Revelation22:13

Tradition tells us that in 312 AD, as Constantine was about to conquer Rome, he prayed to the “Supreme God” for help. A sign in the sky appeared and he “saw” Jesus telling him to use the “chi-rho” sign.  He ordered it to be put on his soldier’s shields and thus, won the battle.  “Now it was made in the following manner.  A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it.  On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and with this, the symbol of the Savior’s name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its center….” (Eusebius, Life of Constantine)

 Many Greek Christians were persecuted for their faith.  They were stoned, hanged, burned and put to death in horrendous ways in the Colosseum in Rome.  When a Christian was martyred, other believers traced an X to mark the spot.  Thus, in the early days of Christianity, X was the symbol of sacrifice and devotion.  When I was in Turkey, Greece and Italy on a tour of the “Footsteps of Paul,” I saw this symbol in Ephesus, Corinth and Rome.  I bought a necklace with the symbol so I wouldn’t forget the persecutions of my Christian forefathers as they took the light of the gospel to the known world at that time!  So, when you see the word, “Xmas,” you can associate it with something precious!

Your friend, Jean