Jesus h christ
Posted by Bruce Kahl on September 08, 2001
In Reply to: Jesus h christ posted by masakim on September 07, 2001
"IHS" or "IHC." The "H" is the capital form of the Greek letter
eta, but was reinterpreted as being the Latin letter "H" (that is,
"aitch"). (In the "IHC" variant, the "C" is the Byzantine Greek
form of sigma, the "S" letter.)
: The IHS or IHC monogram was (and still is) used on religious articles
as an emblem
The Catholic Church uses the letters IHS on many of its artifacts.
You will often see the letter "I" to the left of the Sign of the
Cross, the letter "H" to the right of the Cross and the "S" at the
bottom of the cross or you will see it many times as an image on
a consecrated host.
I don't think the "H" is the capital form of the Greek letter eta.
IHS is an acronym for the initials of the latin phrase "In hoc signo"
which translates to "By, in or through this sign" referring to the
cross and all its symbolisms.
Many Greek fraternities and other institutions use the phrase "In Hoc Signo Vinces" (In this sign we will conquer) as their motto.