The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-09-28

MEANING OF |. 4. S.
Not L Have Suffered But
Jesus the Savior Of
Mankind.
NEWS ERoM THE PARISHES
St. Lucy's New Church Will Be
a Handsome Structure-Mis-
sion at st. Paul's.

1t is difficult to understand why the
true meaning of the letters /. II. 8. IS
not more generally known. The device
is one of the simplest in Christian SYM
bolism. Yet there are many VINO 90 not
understand it's real meaning. Rev. rather
Hugh Flattery explains it as follows
at means Jesus Hominum Salvador, l..
e., Jesus the Savior of Mankind. 1t
comes from Italy, the motherland of re-
ligious inventions in the olden times.
The credit of the ingenious c~ontrfvalce
belongs to a young Tuscan nobleman
named AlbizescfM, who was born in a
town of the Republic of Sienna.
Young Albizeschi having entered the
ministry, attained brilliant distinction In
pulpit e~loquence, becoming one of the
most efficient preachers of his age and
nation. The Italian peninsula was in
those days-3S0-l44Erent asunder by
rolftfco-religious strife. The Guelphs
and Ghibellines were in their hottest
fever of internecine conflict. In. the ran
cor of party violence. coarse language
soon led to an epidemic of profane Inn
precation. Wanton misuse of sacred APP
relations found its zenith in the sacre-
Iigiors Invocation of that name at which
every knee shall bend in heaven, ON
earth and in the depths beneath. To this
zane of b-lasphemous profanity the bril-
liant preacher opposed the antidote OF
eloouent e~ulosies of the Divine Nazarene,
his august name. and hallowed ransom
of o,1r race. Suiting the action to word,
exemplo res fit ~clarior, he executed upon
a glowing shield of FURNISHED gold rhe
emblematsc legend L. H. S. in richly en-
.:-f+1 ~ fne largest con-
aresation. In the climax of his thrllilng
peroraticn he would raise ABORT TINS ~
minous symbol. epitonnizing IN us trlpie
initials the most stupendous mystery o.
the Triune Deity-the redemption OF Inc
world. The magical effect was lnsuah.
taneous on the imaginative people OF
sunny Italy, whose Indignation asaifiS,
profane speech was effectuaily erenuseo
as the result in the obliteratlon OF Inc
vulgar nuisance rpv
ENVY and jealousy were, hoWevei,
likewise aroused in captlous lnteflerenoo
Albizeschi was accused CT toInehlins ~ ~
velty. superstition, idolatry. me queslion
was taken before the last tribunai y
apueal 10 Rome, and debated with MS
storic earnestness by a commission ap-
fnointed by Pope Martin V. The outcome
Is best described by the sequence of "a
vors bestowed upon the Apostolic preacn-
err. and the ~unrivalled popularity which
down to the present has pursued ms
endearing symbol. The latter IS Simply
rbiauitous in the liturgy, in saeerdotal
apparel, in ecclesiastical ornament. tur-
njture. %utensil. or manual OF devotlon-
The preacher was advanced to positions
Of trust. and was within twelve years
OBLIGED to refuse the BishopricS of ST.
erna. Ferrara and Urbino. He is honored
in the calendar of the Church on the 2Otn
of Nav as St. Bsrnardine of Sienna
Few italian cities have more artis-
tic and religious attractions for the ar
~ticuar.an tourist than the beautiful n
quaint Sienna. Yet it is not privileged
TO exhibit, as the curious Traveller would
{ratrrslly expect. the far-famed circular
tahlet of its distinguished citizen. which
since supplied the JesNifs with their
cnat of arms or reginental escntcheon.
shown the writer some thirty years age
in the vestry of the triple basilica of As
siss, in Umbria.
Among the common people ignorant of
the Latin. the ac~ceptat'on. Have suf-
fered, has long been in extensive use.
But il is quite unauthorized and wholly
inaccurate. The reference to the Greek
is likewise arbitrary. It can. only be ex-
planned as an anachronism based upon
a misconception of the primitive signal
or password of the early prosecuted
Christians in Jerusalem and at Rome.
In our Savior's day as Latin was the
legal and Hebrew the literary tongue, so
Greek was the language of
Christians adopted the Greek word for
fish as a symbol of the Master, the let
tiers forming an emblematic acrostfc.
used in sundry relations of life. and
carved upon the tombs of the Christians
in contradistinction tn the pagan world.
Fut the familiar device of the days of
the catacombs has no bearing whatever
upon that of the fifteenth century,"