Due in large part to persecution, the early church developed a system of cryptic symbols to signify places of worship, such as the fish (ichthus), or Greek cross within a circle. Later, Christograms appeared, such as the Chi-Rho (also known as Constantine's cross). As Christian art developed, church fathers came to be symbolically represented as well, usually in remembrance of their martyrdom.

• Andrew - A cross saltire (or X-shaped cross), as he was crucified on such a cross. 
  
  
• Bartholomew (Nathanael) - A knife, as he was flayed (skinned) alive.
  
  
• James the Greater - Either a sword, signifying his death at the command of Herod Agrippa I, or more often, a scallop shell, for he is considered by many, the patron saint of travelers. This may seem unusual as he was the first apostolic martyr and probably never ventured outside of Palestine during his lifetime. However, James' remains are reportedly buried in Spain (of which he is also considered the patron saint) near Compostella, and the adjacent seashore apparently abounds with scallop shells. Over the centuries, pilgrims to that site have taken to collecting (and evidently wearing) those shells as testimony of their journey, thus the symbol came to be.
  
  
• James the Less (or Younger) - A fuller's pole, for tradition has it that he was killed by a blow to the head by Simeon the fuller.
  
  
• John the Divine (also, the Evangelist, or the Beloved) - A chalice with a serpent flying out of it. This alludes to a story that a priest of the pagan goddess, Diana, offered John a poisoned drink. It is said that John made the sign of the cross over it (hence its origin), and the poison removed itself in the form of a serpent. John's other symbol is a cauldron of boiling oil, as the Romans tried to have him so dispatched. To their dismay, he survived and was banished to Patmos. The aging saint was eventually released...and enjoyed the distinction of being the only apostle of Jesus' original twelve to die of natural causes. As the writer of one of the four Gospels, as well as three epistles and the book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse), he is also sometimes represented by an eagle, signifying spiritual sublimity.
  
  
• Judas Iscariot - (Yes, he has one.) - A money bag for his treason. When his symbol is depicted, it is usually somehow separated from the other apostles, either visually or architecturally.
  
  
• Jude (or Thaddeus) - Either a carpenter's square, indicating his trade, or a club, as he was so martyred.
  
  
• Matthew (or Levi) - A hatchet or halberd, indicating his death. As a former tax collector, he is also symbolized by a purse, and as author of one of the four Gospels, he is sometimes represented as an old, bearded man with an angel standing nearby, dictating his Gospel.
  
  
• Matthias (named in Acts 2:23-26) - The elected replacement for Judas Iscaariot after Jesus' ascension was stoned, then beheaded with a battle-ax, which serves as his symbol.
  
  
• Paul - A sword with which he was beheaded on orders of Nero. The actual sword is reportedly in the possession of the convent at La Lisla, Spain.
  
  
• Peter - A bunch of keys, as Christ gave him "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16:19). He is also represented by a rooster, recalling his repeated denial of Jesus before cock crow (Matthew 26:75).
  
  
• Philip - A long staff (often topped with a cross). He was hanged from a pillar.
  
  
• Simon (the Zealot) - A saw, for by tradition, he was sawn in two.
  
  
• Thomas - A lance or arrows, signifying his martyrdom near Mount Ararat.

Although not among the "official list" of apostles, the following faithful are noteworthy:

• Mark (or John Mark) - A writer seated beside a crouching lion. Mark's Gospel was probably dictated by Peter. It is the most action-oriented of all the Gospels, opening with Christ's baptism and temptation in the wilderness by Satan.
  
  
• Luke - A writer with an ox nearby, chewing the cud, showing the deliberate, logical nature of his Gospel, which was written primarily for Greeks.
  
  
• The Wise Men (or Magi) - The initials C (Caspar), M (Melchior) and B (Balthazar), engraved in rings or written over doorways (the latter is an ancient Epiphany custom from Czechoslovakia). Although the actual number of Magi who journeyed to find "the King of the Jews" are extra-Biblical, as are their names, these three come to us by way of antiquity. They were evidently martyred in India. Empress Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine) had their bodies removed to Constantinople. Frederick Barbarossa eventually had their remains placed in the Cathedral of Cologne (Koln), Germany, where they rest today.

© Russ Brown, 1998