Comments on: The “Christian” or “Cross & Bible” Historic Door

By: Marilyn from NY

Marilyn from NY — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:08:45 +0000

I live in a Senior Citizen Building and we just got the apartments remodeled. The new doors to our bedroom and bathroom are the Cross and Bible doors. Being a Christian-I like them. I remember these doors from back when I was a child. Thank you for having the history of the doors.

By: Leslee Eastwood

Leslee Eastwood — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:41:03 +0000

In addition to the note regarding the replacement of CHrist’s blood shed on the cross for the blood of the lamb placed on the door frames at the passover in Egypt, the door also states visually Deutoronomy 6:9 ” Write these on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.”(meaning the commandments of the Lord) and also Joshua 24:15 “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

By: Leslee Eastwood

Leslee Eastwood — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:09:26 +0000

My parents were born in Johnstown, NY (1916 + 1918). According to them, this is a Cross and Bible door, cross on top, bible on bottom. This is not a myth. My mother’s heritage goes back to at least the early 1700′s. It may be the Quaker’s used the door, but my mother’s heritage was Dutch Reformed. The door shows the “scripture alone” theology of the protestant reformation. THe colonists were bible centered CHrist believers and sought to live here seeking Christ first. People who say this is a myth are buying into a lie, are lying, or are misinformed.

By: Mark Marks

Mark Marks — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:23:22 +0000

It is funny to think of all the atheist that have the cross and book doors.
Seriously, though, it is a “picture” of the Passover, instead of blood of animals you have the symbol of Christ’s place where His blood was shed. Hence it is a symbol of true believers that will have death passed by them when Chrsit returns or signify those who will be raptured.
It is a beautiful door and is great how even non Christ believing people liked the look of the door or how they thought it may help them spiritually. It also shows how little we know of history of faithful people and what they went thru in their time period.
I was told one time that the reason people had a nail in the back of a door was from when slaves agreed to willingly continue working for their masters. The salve would drive a nail thru their ear into a door. We have them as coat racks but has anyone else heard this before
Thank you for this nice blog. Great to keep building traditions going an helping the next generation to learn them.

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:50:15 +0000

Hi Margie,

Thanks for visiting the blog! Yes, when people see a Cross & Bible door for the first time, it’s a real “a-hah” moment! It’s a fun conversation piece, for sure. This blog posting continues to be one of the more popular on the site, and I continue to hear different theories on the origin of this design & the meaning — if any. It’s pretty fun!

-Michael

By: Margie

Margie — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 08:19:07 +0000

I was out this evening noticedd the door to the office was a Christian door. The people next to me had never heard the story. When in Hawaii (1983), we toured a missionary’s house. The guide said the door was made by a Christian carpenter: six
panels. Top section is the Cross and bottom represents the tablets of the 10 Commandments. A few years ago, I heard the interpreation that the left is side is the
Old Testament and the right side is the New Testament. The people liked the story and
I came home and found this interesting blog about historic houses! Thanks!

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:47:13 +0000

Ahh…..I see. So you’re saying the two small squares on the “shoulders” of the cross would be the “flames” of the candles? And the actual candles are the vertical rectangles on either side of the cross’s post? I can see that. But the other revelation (no pun intended) in your comment is that there was a heavy Quaker population in Ontario. Didn’t know that.

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:49:07 +0000

Our recent-vintage (1977) house in what was once a heavily Quaker area of southern Ontario (Prince Edward County) has several of these as entry doors. But there’s another symbol in its design all the posters have missed — the two candles and flames flanking the cross. So it’s really a cross, book and candle door.

By: Graham

Graham — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:20:59 +0000

As a Jew living in the US, a Christian country, I have nothing but admiration for those responsible for bringing a Christian significance to the most standard design for residential doors.

What I do not understand is why Christians in Christian dominated countries persist in using the names of pagan gods within the names by which they call the days of the week and months of the year. The least they could do would be to rename their Sabbath day by changing one letter, making it Sonday.

I do confess, that because I learned to recognise the ‘Cross and Book’ doors many years ago, when my home was remodeled recently, I chose doors of a different design.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:06:22 +0000

Ha! I guess that must be the case!