Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| Pendant Find by Brian H. Photo by Brian H. |
First off, I'm wishing you all a very merry Christmas. May it be filled with wonderful memories that last a lifetime.
Yesterday I received this picture of a pendant that was found a couple of years ago by Brian H. Brian asked how he could get an appraisal.
I don't think the value would be any greater than the melt value of gold, if that is what it is made of.
As I often suggest, many pawn shops or jewelry stores will test metals if you ask them.
I decided that this would be an excellent time to explain the pendant. You'll see why.
It is called a Christogram. Here is what Wikipedia says. A Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbol. The term Christogram comes from the Latin phrase "Christi Monogramma", meaning "monogram of Christ."
The front shows four Greek letters. Greek, you might know, is the original language of the New Testament.
On the far left and right are alpha and omega. "Alpha and omega" is an expression used in the Bible several times and refers to Christ. It is found in the last book of the Bible in Revelation 1:8, 1:17-18, and 22:13.
The expression is also found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah (written in Hebrew), which is the prophetic book which gives the prophecy of the Messiah to be born of a virgin.
Isaiah 44:6, for example, says "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.'"
In between the alpha and omega are two more Greek letters, Chi and Rho. In Greek those are the first two letters of the name "Christ."
The big X is the Chi, and the thing in the middle that looks like a big "P" is the rho.
You will often see this Chi Rho combination used as a monogram of Christ.
On the back is a Latin phrase, pax vobiscum, meaning "peace with you" or "peace be with you."
And the word "Roma", suggesting Rome as the place of manufacture.
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| Back of Same Pendant |
Research suggests that the book of Isaiah goes back to at least the 8th Century BCE. The pendant itself might not be very old, but the design and message extends back thousands of years.
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I'm not expecting any real change in beach detecting conditions for a few days.
Merry Christmas,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
