Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. -1 Corinthians 12:27

This original design by Marian Adams is inspired by the beauty and intricacy of an ancient prosphora seal. This design features four different symbols used in the ancient Christian church, inspired by art found in the Roman catacombs used by these early Christians. The symbols are: the fish, ICXC, the alpha and omega with an anchor, the chi-rho. (For a longer explanation, scroll to the bottom!)

The design is printed in cool grey on a black Gildan unisex sweatshirt, which is delightfully soft and fits well. It is 80% cotton, sustainably grown in the US, and 20% polyester. This design is also available as a tee in a separate listing.

These sweatshirts make great gifts or a unique addition to your wardrobe. These are a special limited edition fall release— once they are sold out, they are gone.

Longer explanation of the design:

This design is based on an old, hand carved prosphora seal. Each of the squares within contains a symbols used to represent Christ, dating back to early Christianity. These symbols are based on designs found in the catacombs of Ancient Rome, where the persecuted Christians used to hide. In clockwise order, they are: ICXC NIKA. This stands for “Jesus Christ Conquers.” The IC and XC are the first and last letters in the Greek words for Jesus and Christ, respectively. NIKA is derived from the word for victory. The anchor was a very common symbol, referencing the Bible verse, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19. The Anchor also contains the shape of the cross. The Greek letters beside it are alpha and omega, the beginning and end of the Greek alphabet. This is to symbolize that God is eternal, the “beginning and the end.” The fish and Greek with “icthus” (meaning fish) were other common symbols for Christ (and still are today!). There are many Biblical references to Christ as a fisherman, and in Ancient Rome Christians often used the symbol of a fish to secretly identify to each other their common faith. The final symbol is the Greek letter chi and rho (XP)superimposed. They are the beginning of the Greek word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos). This design as a whole is intended to turn our thoughts towards Christ, and as reminder of how we are united in faith with the believers from so many centuries ago!