This document discusses the origins and meaning of the Tau cross symbol within Franciscan spirituality. It traces how the Tau symbol emerged from passages in Ezekiel and Revelation and was promoted by Pope Innocent III. Francis of Assisi was influenced by Innocent's homily using the Tau at the Fourth Lateran Council. Sources suggest Francis greatly venerated the Tau and used it in blessings. Today the Tau symbolizes the Secular Franciscan Order.

1. Exploring the Tau Cross -
A Franciscan Symbol
By Bob Golobish, OFS

2. How did the Tau come to be?

3. Ezekiel 9:2
"And there were six men ... each with a
weapon of destruction in his hand. In their
midst was a man..."

4. Ezekiel 9:4
and the LORD said to the man: “Pass through
the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and
mark an X on the foreheads of those who
grieve and lament over all the abominations
practiced within it."

5. Ezekiel 9:5
To the six the Lord said "Pass through the city
after him and strike! Do not let your eyes spare;
do not take pity. Old and young, male and
female, women and children—wipe them out!
But do not touch anyone marked with the X. "

6. Translation
X = Tau

7. Found in Two Ancient Alphabets
● The Tau is 19th letter in the Greek
alphabet.
● The Tau is the last letter in Hebrew
alphabet, but the shape of the letter has
changed over time. The last letter no
longer looks like a T.

8. What influenced Francis
● Fourth Lateran Council, the pope’s homily
● The Antonines, their ministry to lepers
● The Book of Revelations, the angel of the
sixth seal

9. The Fourth Lateran Council
Francis of Assisi
Innocent III

10. Francis of Assisi
● poverty
● living the gospel
● peaceful
● humble

11. Pope Innocent III
● aristocratic family
● church lawyer
● born to rule
● Vicar of Christ

12. 1209 - Francis and Pope Innocent III
Francis travelled to Rome to propose to
Pope Innocent III the plan for a new form of
Christian life.

13. Pope Innocent III’s dream
Saw the Basilica of St John Lateran, the mother
of all churches, collapsing and one small and
insignificant religious brother supporting the
church on his shoulders to prevent it from
falling.

14. 1209 - Francis and Pope Innocent III
Francis received verbal approval from Pope
Innocent III for his new rule.

15. Basilica of St John Lateran

16. Influence of Fourth Lateran Council
● Started on November 11, 1215
● Innocent III presided
● 71 patriarch and metropolitans
● 412 bishops
● 900 abbots and priors
● delegates from various kings and princes
● Francis was there, too.

17. Fourth Lateran Council
Approved 70 decrees, on such topics as
● procedure and penalities against heretics
● papal primacy
● moral reform of the clergy
● plans for another crusade
● prohibition against new religious orders

18. Innocent III’s Homily
During the Fourth Lateran Council, in a
homily, Pope Innocent III made reference to
the TAU and quoted Ezekiel 9:4.

19. Ezekiel 9:4
"Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a
TAU on the foreheads of those who grieve and
lament over all the detestable things that are
done in it."

20. Innocent III’s Homily
"The TAU has exactly the same form as the
Cross on which our Lord was crucified on
Calvary, and only those will be marked with
this sign and will obtain mercy who have
mortified their flesh and conformed their life
to that of the Crucified Savior."

21. Innocent III’s Homily
At the end of his sermon, Innocent III
exclaimed: “BE CHAMPIONS OF THE TAU….”
And, so they did. And, so did Francis.

22. Influence of The Antonines
● The Brothers of St. Anthony the Hermit
cared for the sick, especially lepers. A large
Tau was sewn on their black habits.
● Francis knew of them. He and his brothers
also cared for lepers.

23. Influence of the Book of Revelations
“Then I saw another angel coming up from the
east, having the seal of the living God. He
called out in a loud voice ... “Do not harm the
land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal
on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
Revelation 7:2-4

24. Connection
● Ezekiel 9:4
the man who marked...
● Revelations 7:2
the angel who marked...

25. From Franciscan Sources
“The holy man (Francis) venerated this symbol
(Tau) with great affection, often spoke of it
with eloquence, and signed it with his own
hand in the letters he sent...”

26. From Franciscan Sources
“...as if his whole desire were, according to
the prophetic text, to mark with a Tau the
foreheads of those moaning and grieving, of
those truly converted to Christ.”
Bonaventure of Bagnoregio - The Major Legend
of Saint Francis, FA:ED II 556

27. From Franciscan Sources
Francis gave Brother Leo a
blessing that he signed with a
large Tau.
The Writings of Francis of
Assisi FA:ED 1 112

28. From Franciscan Sources
A man had lost the use of his legs. Francis
“touched the source of the pain with a small
stick bearing the figure of the Tau. The
abscess healed quickly.”
The Treatise on the Miracles of St. Francis by
Thomas Celano, FA:ED II 458

29. From Franciscan Sources
Brother Pacifico saw the “sign of the Tau on
the forehead of blessed Francis….”
The Remembrance of the Desire of a Soul by
Thomas Celano FA:ED II 317

30. From Franciscan Sources
...when he went into heaven, he left you the
seal of the kingdom of heaven to mark the
elect…. For no one can enter the kingdom
except the one signed with your seal.”
The Sacred Exchange Between St. Francis and
Lady Poverty FA:ED I 536

31. Today: A Franciscan Symbol

32. Symbol of the Secular Franciscan Order
SFO Rule - Tau is NOT mentioned.
SFO Constitution - Article 43 - “The national
statutes establish: the distinctive sign of
membership in the Order (the "Tau" or other
Franciscan symbol).”

33. Symbol of the Secular Franciscan Order
SFO National Statutes - Article 16 - “The
external sign of the SFO in the United States is
the Tau.”
SFO Formation Manual (FUN) - “The TAU is
designated as the distinctive sign of the Secular
Franciscan Order of the United States.” pg 10

34. By the way...
Tau is a new mathematical symbol
= C/r = 6.283185...

35. By the way...
Francis of Assisi: Early Documents
They are on the Internet!
http://franciscantradition.org:8080/FAED/landing.jsp

36. By the way...
Great little book!
Published in 1979
By Damien Vorreaux, OFM
Translated by
Marilyn Archer, OSF
Paul Lachance, OFM (deceased)

37. Questions for Discussion
● Did Francis consider himself to be
spiritually marked by the Tau?
● Was Francis on a crusade to mark the Tau
on the faithful?
● Was Francis the man in Ezekiel 9:4 or the
angel in Revelations 7:2?
● Is the Tau the “seal of the kingdom of
heaven?”

38. Created by
Bob Golobish, OFS
People of Peace SFO fraternity
Indianapolis, IN
September, 2015