At 09:58 22.03.00 -0800, you wrote:
> Does
>anybody know whether the term "to take the cross" was used as early as
>1095, or earlier for any holy war, and what *specifically* did it refer
>to.
>
Well... I don't know whether the term existed before the crusades or was
coined during the wars but as far as the crusaders are concerned, taking
the cross for them meant that a cross was sewn to their coats - if I recall
correctly, to the left shoulder -, thus identifiying them as crusaders. In
the beginning, I think, the cross had to come off after the crusade (that
is, if the guy survived at all *g*) but later on they wore it more or less
continuously, or rather: it became a sign for some orders. The Templars,
for example, picked it up and wore it on their coats; I guess you could
interpret that as a symbol for eternal crusade :)
Susanne Lang
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