Editing Ankh (section)

==Christianity==<!-- This section is linked from [[crux ansata]] -->
{{redirect|Crux ansata|the book by H. G. Wells|Crux Ansata}}
[[File:Codex Glazier 2.JPG|thumb|right|A ''crux ansata'' in [[Codex Glazier]], a Coptic manuscript of the [[New Testament]], 4th to 5th century AD]]
[[File:Ankh symbols (on a fragment of cloth).jpg|thumb|right|''Crux ansata'' signs on a piece of cloth, 4th to 5th century AD]]
The ankh was one of the few ancient Egyptian artistic motifs that continued to be used after the [[decline of ancient Egyptian religion|Christianization of Egypt]] during the 4th and 5th centuries AD.{{sfn|Du Bourguet|1991|p=1}} The sign resembles the [[staurogram]], a sign that resembles a [[Christian cross]] with a loop to the right of the upper bar and was used by early Christians as a [[monogram]] for [[Jesus]],{{sfn|Hurtado|2006|p=136}} as well as the ''crux ansata'', or "handled cross", which is shaped like an ankh with a circular rather than oval or teardrop-shaped loop.{{sfn|Bardill|2012|pp=166–167}} The staurogram has been suggested to be influenced by the ankh, but the earliest Christian uses of the sign date to around AD 200, well before the earliest Christian adoption of the ankh.{{sfn|Hurtado|2006|pp=140, 143–144}} The earliest known example of a ''crux ansata'' comes from a copy of the [[Gospel of Judas]] from the 3rd or early 4th century AD. The adoption of this sign may have been influenced by the staurogram, the ankh, or both.{{sfn|Bardill|2012|pp=166–167}}

According to [[Socrates of Constantinople]], when Christians were dismantling [[Alexandria]]'s greatest temple, the [[Serapeum of Alexandria|Serapeum]], in 391 AD, they noticed cross-like signs inscribed on the stone blocks. Pagans who were present said the sign meant "life to come", an indication that the sign Socrates referred to was the ankh; Christians claimed the sign was their own, indicating that they could easily regard the ankh as a ''crux ansata''.{{sfn|Bardill|2012|pp=167–168}}

There is little evidence for the use of the ''crux ansata'' in the western half of the [[Roman Empire]],{{sfn|Bardill|2012|p=168}} but Egyptian [[Coptic Christians]] used it in many media, particularly in the decoration of textiles.{{sfn|Du Bourguet|1991|p=1}}