X mas what does x stand for

We don't see people protesting the use of the Greek letter theta , which is an O with a line across the middle. We use that as a shorthand abbreviation for God because it is the first letter of the word Theos , the Greek word for God.

The idea of X as an abbreviation for the name of Christ came into use in our culture with no intent to show any disrespect for Jesus. The church has used the symbol of the fish historically because it is an acronym.

That's how the symbol of the fish became the universal symbol of Christendom. There's a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect. Teaching Series. Conference Messages. Tabletalk Magazine. Gift Certificates. Current Issue November Subscribe. Read This Issue. Free Newsletters Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT. Reply on Twitter. Join the conversation on Facebook. Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT.

Tags: Christmas Holidays Surveys. Read These Next Related. Pew: Religious literacy usually helps Americans appreciate other faiths. Evangelicals score highest when it comes to their own. Cover Story. And for people to take Christ out of Christmas. They're happy to say merry Xmas. Let's just take Jesus out. And really, I think, a war against the name of Jesus Christ. This is of a piece with those who fret that saying "happy holidays" is somehow scrubbing the season's religious ties away.

But those who make this argument are barking up the wrong tree, because, you see, the X in "Xmas" literally means Jesus. Allow us to explain. Here's what it looks like:. In the early fourth century, Constantine the Great, Roman Emperor from , popularized this shorthand for Christ.

According to legend, on the eve of his great battle against Maxentius , Constantine had a vision that led him to create a military banner emblazoned with the first two letters of Christ on it: chi and rho. Most scholars agree that the first appearance of this abbreviation for Christmas dates to , "when an Anglo-Saxon scribe saved himself space by writing XPmas," reported First Things. Parchment paper was quite expensive, so any techniques for saving space were welcome.

The abbreviation stuck and eventually was shortened to Xmas. There's an ancient acronym many of us are familiar with, even if we don't realize it. Have a look:. It's pronounced Ich-thus, and it's the Greek word for fish.

You may know it better as the so-called "Jesus fish" of bumper sticker fame. These shorthands happen in seminaries all the time. Santa v. Baby Jesus. Good question. The answer may have something to do with the culture wars, the historical tension between the left and the Christian right.

Think about Franklin Graham's quote above. For him, and to many who share his particular religious leanings, Xmas is symbolic of a bigger problem with our culture: not only are we crossing out Christ in the word, they say, but we're tossing him out of the public square.

Therefore, Xmas, as Graham said, "is a war against the name of Jesus Christ. Graham and those who think similarly like actor Kirk Cameron and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin believe the secularization of American culture is so all pervasive that even if they're aware of the religious roots of Xmas, they still believe it is symbolic of a larger trend.

Thus, it has to go. Certainly, Christians have a right to feel however they wish, and if they think that Christianity is being driven from the public square, there's really no arguing they're wrong. In fact, polls show that organized religion in America has been declining.