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| Coptic Christian Tattoos: Redemption, Reign, Resurrection |
"Tell Me the Story About Your Tattoos ... "
This is a special Eastertide post that's in a 3-part series focusing on the ancient and fresh Christian artwork that is wrapped around my right forearm.
Due to the history and unique line work of Jerusalem Tattoos, along with the strong artistry of my friend, Kevin Shattuck, with Iconic Ink, I get the privilege to talk with curious people who lean in and wonder about the meaning behind each of my tattoos. One Eastern Orthodox brother said, "It's like you have your own icons to turn you back to Christ every time you look at your arm."
Some have even wondered if I could try doing an Instagram or TikTok video sharing about the history and symbology of the various pieces. Maybe someday. But for now, you can read the post below.
Quick History of Jerusalem Tattoos
For a pithy overview of where this particular style of tattoos comes from, it originates in North Africa nearly 800 years ago. In this area of the world, Christians have often suffered intense persecution, particularly among Coptic Orthodox Christians. One family, the Razzouks, were Christians living in Egypt in the 1300s. Seeking to escape the violence, they became refugees who settled in Jerusalem where they set up Razzouk Tattoo, which still exists today and welcomes pilgrims from all over the world.
Quick Story About Tattoo Curiosity
For this specific tattoo, one of my favorite moments was the next day after my first appointment at Iconic Ink when I walked into Trader Joe's with the fresh ink on display. It was during the pandemic when masks were still required, so all I could see were the eyes of the tall girl ready to help me in line.
"Is that new ink?"
she asked.
"Yes,"
I said.
"What is it?"
"It's a type of tattoo
followers of Jesus in North Africa
have been using for nearly 800 years."
"What kind of followers of Jesus?"
"Coptic Christians in Egypt."
"My family is Coptic."
The smiles behind masks were evident through the creases that appeared around our eyes. I shared some more details about the Razzouks (see above) and then she said this:
"You know, it's interesting you mentioned Christians in Egypt in the 1300s. At that time in history, people from Egypt traded with people in Ireland. And for those who sailed to Ireland, but died there, Coptic Christians would give them an honorable burial. Irish Christians who died in Egypt were given the same. So people who followed Jesus across ethnicities and cultures treated each other with compassion and hospitality during a tumultuous time in history when people feared the stranger."
I smiled even more.
"Well, my last name is Sullivan and my family is Irish so you just brought the story full circle to us today."
She leaned in:
"Oh, we need to talk more about this."
"Oh, we need to talk more about this."
That was the last time I saw Eva.
Eva's name means life. I still look for her these couple years later. Sometimes I wonder, "Who was that, God?" Regardless, she gave me a bit of life that day and helped shape the first of many conversations I have been able to enjoy with those curious about this tattoo.
Resurrection Tattoo
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| Resurrection Coptic Jerusalem Tattoo under Right Forearm |
This tattoo on the bottom of my right forearm was my first tattoo I ever had inked. I was on sabbatical, and after a time of solitude and silence in prayer at the Abbey of the Way, I sketched this image. It honors the Emmaus Road story our congregation gets its name from as well as invites each person who sees it (including myself again and again) to welcome hope in a time of uncertainty because Jesus' loving care and pursuit of us is relentless.
I call this my "Resurrection Tattoo" (the others l refer to as my "Redemption" and "Reign" tattoos) because it showcases that:
God the Father planned to rescue us,
God the Son meets us right where we are,
and God the Spirit, transforms our story
to raise us from death to life
to raise us from death to life
and move us through darkness to light,
to walk humbly with Jesus on any
road that we think is hopeless, but is
ultimately a journey brimming over
with abundant light and life.
Our resurrected King is
resurrecting us.
The elements of the Emmaus story, seen and unseen, that I have specifically included in the tattoo are listed below with brief explanations for each, beginning from the top to the bottom.
+ Trinity Rule of Love
The top image is a crown centered between the sun and crescent moon with the symbol of the Trinity in it and a cross above it. This is to show that the God who is the Creator of the universe is the God of love who is self-giving. As the Father loves the Son and the love between them overflows with the Spirit, so this same love is given to us, His beloved creation.
And ultimately this love is given for those who welcome His adoption of them as His children, fully showcased in Jesus' death to pay for adoption, because "greater love has no one than this: that Someone would lay down their life for their friends."
The God revealed in Jesus
is the One who loves us to the end.
This is the love that is beautiful,
true, and good that overcomes evil
in us and throughout the world.
is the One who loves us to the end.
This is the love that is beautiful,
true, and good that overcomes evil
in us and throughout the world.
This is the Love we want and
we need to rule everything.
+ Unseen & Seen Prince of Peace
The olive tree branches that form the oval shape around the central image represent the wholemaking peace that comes when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is near. An oval is an ancient and fresh Coptic Orthodox representation of the divine and human, heaven and earth, the seen and unseen coming together.
When Jesus resurrected, often the first thing He would say to people when they discovered that He defeated death was, "Peace be with you." The travelers on the Emmaus road had lost so much hope and were spiritually and physically walking away from the city of peace (Jerusalem means "city of shalom"). Jesus met them on this road and would soon turn them back with new hope and peace that could face any threat of death that would come their way.
Even though the night was long,
and hope was dim,
God provided a peace
that passes all understanding
to guard these travelers
in Christ Jesus with Christ Jesus.
And their witness would soon
share this peace and multiply it
so much that the power of
the Roman Empire and
its promised peace
of the Pax Romana
couldn't match it.
See Isaiah 9:6, John 20:19, 21, 26, Philippians 4:7
+ Beginning & End of Our Story
There are three travelers on this Emmaus road: Jesus, Cleopas, and the unnamed traveler. Some historians and theologians think the unnamed might have been Luke. Others think it might have been Mary, the wife of Clopas. I tend to lean with the latter as I think Jesus is recapitulating God walking with humanity in the cool of the day to turn humanity back to His presence and peace. But the beauty of an unnamed traveler is that Luke is also inviting you to see yourself in the story as one Jesus meets with on your road.
Jesus is not only writing the story of these two travelers, adding a new beginning and ending that they hadn't anticipated (represented by the Alpha and Omega as the first and letters of the Greek alphabet juxtaposed around them). He is also writing the story for all us who will listen to the Scriptures, meet with the Lord Jesus at His table, trust in His death and resurrection, and go into the world to share this good news of the Chi-Rho (meaning, "Christ," "Messiah," "anointed King," represented in the bottom half of the tattoo by the first two letters of Christ's name, which in Greek are "X" and "P").
Above the Chi-Rho (Messiah)
is the symbol of the open grave
because the tomb is empty,
but the throne will never be.
Christ Jesus is alive.
Death is defeated.
Our hearts burn and come alive
with the surprise and stirring
of this personally-transforming,
history-altering,
world-restoring
Gospel that the grave is open
and will never be shut forever
on all who walk with Jesus
in the wonder of this wild.
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and end
of the greatest story,
the Redeemer, Healer, and Savior
of everything we hope is true.
He is making all things new,
including us.
God is truly with us
and for us forever.
+ The Story of God, the Story of Us
The final piece of the tattoo above the verses Luke 24:13-49 that pull together the context of all the imagery is an open book, or an open story, honoring the Hebrew Scriptures that pointed to Jesus as God with us, the New Testament letters that reflected on what His life, death, resurrection, and ascension means for His people and for the world, and invite us into the Story of God that we get to live in now until Jesus returns to reconcile heaven and earth.
The symbols below the open book are a simple and concise way to share the Story of God through the 6-Act Arc of Creation, Crisis, Covenant Community, Christ, Church, and Consummation. The Bible touches on all these parts of the story, helping us understand and enter into the story we get to live in, one that is filled with creation, communion, and blessing, more than the mere chaos, chance, and the need for constant change we often drown in when we swim in our 21st century Western culture.
My dream for Emmaus City Church is being a people who are transformed by Jesus and live to embody the story above where:
More are Welcome on the Emmaus Road.
More are Welcome on the Emmaus Road.
More Get to Hear the Story of God.
More Encounter the Presence of Christ.
More Find the Peace They Need.
More become part of the
"thousands of nameless,
faceless Christians (who) humbly submit
to the task of contributing
their bucket to the torrent,"
resurrected unseen saints
who love their neighbors,
walking Emmaus roads,
revealing Jesus to many more
in word, actions, and prayers
while sharing Good News
of Great Joy that there
is an empty cross and tomb
and we live in the
Special Note About Tattoos:
God used the skin of His Son
to communicate with us.
God also chose
to write a message on Jesus' skin.
to write a message on Jesus' skin.
The marks that Thomas touched
are the marks that put to death
the ultimate power of death
for every human soul.
The nail prints in His hands and feet,
the gash from the spear that
was thrust in His side,
the marks on His scalp
from the thorny crown,
and the field of furrowed flesh
on His back —
all are the tattoos* that illustrate
the depth of passion God has for us.
*Leviticus 19:28 reads: "Do not cut
your bodies for the dead or put tattoo
marks on yourselves. I am the Lord."
God was instructing His chosen people,
God was instructing His chosen people,
the new nation of Israel, to set
themselves apart. They were not to
imitate pagan religious practices
that used cuttings or tattoos to
honor the dead or as an offering
to false gods.
God forbade these markings because
they reflected a belief that the dead
could intercede (plead with gods
or advocate) for the living. To conclude,
as some do, that this passage prohibits
modern tattoos is to misread it.
+ Tattoos: Telling the Secrets of the Soul
pgs. 145, 162, 170
Other Tattoo Posts:
Tattoo Redemption: Seeds of Hope
Tattoo Reign: Lion & Lambs ClubMany blessings of peace and presence,
Rev. Mike “Sully” Sullivan
