Was the Christian cross originally a pagan symbol.?
The cross was originally an instrument of torture/capital punishment in ancient times, used by the Romans among other ancient civilizations. What you have to understand is that pagan things, theologically neutral things, ANYthing really, can become Sanctified and bare a new religious significance. The cross became Sanctified when the Lord Jesus was crucified on it.
During the first two centuries of Christianity, the cross symbol was not used as it depicts a purposely painful and gruesome method of public execution. The Ichthys, or fish symbol, was used by early Christians. The Chi-Rho monogram, which was adopted by Constantine his banner was another Early Christian symbol of wide use. Celtic Catholic cross was introduced by Saint Patrick or possibly Saint Declan during his time converting the pagan Irish, though no examples survive from this early period. It has often been claimed that Patrick combined the symbol of Christianity with the sun cross, to give pagan followers an idea of the importance of the cross by linking it with the idea of the life-giving properties of the sun.
