By CHE, licensed under CC BY 4.0
As nation after nation goes into lockdown because of the Coronavirus, so many are frightened and desperate. The social landscape we grew up with is changing – for better or worse. Although we are exploring Scottish Christian heritage in this Facebook series, we thought it would be good to draw out one of Christianity’s oldest symbols, which was used to encourage God’s people in times of real darkness.
The anchor seems to be the oldest Christian artwork anywhere in the world, with the earliest example being inscribed in stone in the Catacomb of St Priscilla in Rome in about AD 150. I recall the experience years ago of following a priest into the underground network where thousands had once been buried. What a contrast it was to the dripping wealth and stunning artwork of Michelangelo in St Peter’s! Down here the atmosphere we breathed was raw and simple, earthy and tangible. The priest led us to an open chamber for questions. ‘How many Christians who were martyred for their faith were buried in the catacombs during the Roman Empire?’ I asked. ‘About 150,000 to 200,000,’ the priest replied.
Earlier we had seen some of the most ancient Christian artwork, including the anchor. It was a sign of hope for them in the midst of great danger through persecution, plague and death. A Bible verse from Hebrews 6:19 came back to my memory: ‘This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.’ This simple symbol of the anchor recalled God’s promises to those early Christians in times of trial. Their hope was in Christ, who was their spiritual anchor for every storm of life they faced. It was not the power of positive confession that would hold them in the storm, but Christ himself. They looked at the anchor and saw the cross where he died for their sins; they remembered that he rose from the grave, conquering the enemy of death and giving them eternal life. And he was with them by the Holy Spirit. In their darkest hour they could call out with Paul: “’Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”’ (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). May the anchor be a symbol of hope for you today during this Coronavirus crisis.