Symbols of the Holy Trinity
Circle
A circle is an
endless line, having no beginning and no end, which
symbolizes eternity or God. Three entwined circles represent
the
Trinity, with its three eternal and unified members
Borromean Rings
According to the Athanasian Creed we worship one God in
Trinity,
and Trinity in unity and so Borromean rings have been used
to represent
this idea. An association can be traced back to Saint
Augustin of Hippo
(354-430). He described how three gold rings could be three
rings but of
one substance.
A now lost 13th century French manuscript described the
word "unitas" at the intersection of all rings and the three
syllables of
"tri-ni-tas" distributed in the outer sectors.
Triangle
An equilateral
triangle having all sides of equal length and each
angle equal represents one God in three Persons.
This is probably one of the earliest symbolic
representations
of the Trinity.
Trefoil
This is
a single design composed of three joined circles. It
is believed
to be a stylized shamrock which St Patrick used to
illustrate the
doctrine of the Trinity. It signifies one God in three
Persons.
Triquetra
An early
Trinitarian design found especially in Great Britain,
its three equal arcs represent equality, its continuous line
expresses eternity, and the interweaving represents
indivisibility.
It is suggested that the design is based on the sign of the
fish known
to be used by early Christians.
Fleur-de-lis
A stylized
lily, or iris, which represents several ideas, purity –
hence
the Virgin Mary (one tradition claims it is the
representation of the
tears shed by the mother of Jesus at his crucifixion),
royalty because
it was adopted by the French kings and the Trinity because
of its
three part shape.
Fish
Which is
believed to be the first early Christian symbol is taken a
stage
further by combining three fish within a basic triangular
shape.
Each letter for "fish" (IXOYG) represented a key word
related to the
identity of Christ. He was "Jesus Christ (IX), Son of God (OY),
Saviour (G)."
Scutum Fidei or the
Shield of the Trinity
This is
described as “a traditional Christian visual symbol which
expresses many aspects of the doctrine of the Trinity
(summarizing
the first part of the Athanasian Creed) in a compact
diagram.
In medieval England and France this emblem was
considered to be the heraldic arms of God (or of the
Trinity).”
The shield
consists of four circles. The three outer containing the
words
Father (Pater), Son (Filius) and Holy Spirit (Spiritus
Sanctus). The centre
circle contains the word God (Deus). The outer links
contain the words
“is not” (non est), whilst the inner links contain the word
“is” (est).
The links are non-directional.
Source for the
above information:
http://www.holytrinityamblecote.org.uk/symbols.htm
For more information about the Scutum Fidei click here
