The letters were shown hanging from the arms of the cross in Early Christian art, and some cruces gemmatae, jeweled crosses in precious metal, have formed letters hanging in this way, called pendilia for example, in the Asturian coat of arms, which is based upon the Asturian Victory Cross. The symbols were used in early Christianity and appear in the Roman catacombs. The letters Alpha and Omega, in juxtaposition, are often used as a Christian visual symbol (see examples). There is no real incongruity in supposing, also, that the writer here meant to refer to God as such." Most Christian denominations also teach that the title applies to both Jesus and his Father. Barnes' Notes on the New Testament (1974) claims: "It cannot be absolutely certain that the writer meant to refer to the Lord Jesus specifically here. Many commentators and dictionaries ascribe the title "the alpha and the omega" to both God and to Christ. This phrase is interpreted by many Christians to mean that Jesus has existed for all eternity or that God is eternal. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet were used because the book of Revelation is in the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek. Thus, the phrase "I am the alpha and the omega" is further clarified with the additional phrase, "the beginning and the end" in Revelation 21:6, 22:13.
Ī similar reference is in Isaiah 44, where the Father says to be the first and the one who is after all.Īlpha (Α) and omega (Ω) are the first and last letters, respectively, of the classical (Ionic) Greek alphabet. Scholar Robert Young stated, with regard to "I am the Alpha and the Omega" in 1:11, the "oldest omit" it. It is, therefore, omitted in some modern translations. Several later manuscripts repeat "I am the Alpha and the Omega" in 1:11 too, but do not receive support here from most of the oldest manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus. The first part of this phrase ("I am the Alpha and the Omega") is first found in Chapter 1 verse 8 ("1:8"), and is found in every manuscript of Revelation that has 1:8. The phrase "I am the Alpha and the Omega" ( Koiné Greek: "ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ"), is an appellation of Jesus and of the Father in the Book of Revelation (verses 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13). The first written record we have of the phrase "alpha and omega" is from some old manuscripts of the Christian New Testament.
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