I finally got my second tattoo a few months ago. As I did with the first one, I want to lay out the significance of its meaning here.
Broken Sword: The image of a sword is the most recognizable. However, you'll notice that the sword is broken and in the process of shattering. It is not a useful weapon, but one that has been, or is being demolished.
ICXCNIKA: This is a popular depiction on crosses in the Eastern tradition. It stands for "Jesus Christ Conquers." You are probably familiar with the word Nike (or Nika here), which just means "to conquer." This phrase is meant to be ironic in that we have depicted a flawed weapon - a broken sword - but then declared that Jesus Christ conquers. This phrase, along with the ironic image, should lead to a final image made prominent through the placing of the letters.
The Cross: The letters help to illuminate that while we initially see a sword in the image, we are also seeing a cross. When we put the letters together along with the idea of a broken sword, we recognize that this irony here is an irony we see in the book of Revelation. In Revelation we initially see Jesus as a lion, but then he becomes the slain lamb. We see him going out to conquer, but he does this through his blood. We see him wield a sword, but this sword is the testimony of his mouth. Likewise, my tattoo depicts that it is not with a sword that Jesus conquers, but rather through the cross. He shatters swords.
Broken Sword: The image of a sword is the most recognizable. However, you'll notice that the sword is broken and in the process of shattering. It is not a useful weapon, but one that has been, or is being demolished.
ICXCNIKA: This is a popular depiction on crosses in the Eastern tradition. It stands for "Jesus Christ Conquers." You are probably familiar with the word Nike (or Nika here), which just means "to conquer." This phrase is meant to be ironic in that we have depicted a flawed weapon - a broken sword - but then declared that Jesus Christ conquers. This phrase, along with the ironic image, should lead to a final image made prominent through the placing of the letters.
The Cross: The letters help to illuminate that while we initially see a sword in the image, we are also seeing a cross. When we put the letters together along with the idea of a broken sword, we recognize that this irony here is an irony we see in the book of Revelation. In Revelation we initially see Jesus as a lion, but then he becomes the slain lamb. We see him going out to conquer, but he does this through his blood. We see him wield a sword, but this sword is the testimony of his mouth. Likewise, my tattoo depicts that it is not with a sword that Jesus conquers, but rather through the cross. He shatters swords.
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