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- Created on Wednesday, 23 December 2009 18:38
Q. Can you tell me what the two-headed snake cane the Greek Bishop is walking with represents? What does it mean?
-V.T.
A. The item to which you referred is properly called a bishop's Pastoral Staff or Crosier (in Greek,
paterissa),
and is a symbol of the bishop's authority and jurisdiction. It is
actually not topped with a double-headed snake, but rather two snakes
intertwined. This symbolism comes from the bronze serpent that God
commanded Moses to construct in the Old Testament:
"And the LORD
said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and
it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh
upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a
pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when
he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." (Numbers 21:8-9).
The
snakes represent the enemies of the Church, and the Cross symbolizes the
authority that Christ has given to the bishop to guard his flock. As
such, it is a powerful reminder of his role as the chief guardian of the
faith in the local Church.
Submit your own questions to
askapriest@hotca.org
.The meaning of the Two-headed Snake on ther bishop's walking cane
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