The ankh is an ancient symbol consisting of a cross shape with a loop at the top.

Over 3000 years before Jesus’ birth, the ankh was found throughout ancient Egypt in tombs, jewelry, inscriptions, even painted in the hands of Egyptian gods. In hieroglyphics, it meant eternal life.

Historians don’t know how this trend began.

Some guess it is because the ankh’s shape resembles the strap on the Egyptian sandal, strongly relating to daily life. Some say it looks like the belt buckle of the Egyptian goddess, Isis, who helped her lover overcome death. Some say it looks like the life-giving, rising sun.

Regardless, the ankh unmistakably hints of Jesus as well. Of course, the ancient Egyptians would not have known God’s plan to send His Son to be crucified on a cross and raised back to life, but it appears to be one of the many ways God has been foreshadowing His coming, preparing the world to grasp His eternal life plan.

In the fourth century, new Christians realized the great similarity to their faith and the ankh. As the Egyptians’ gods began to fall out of favor in their society, Christians adopted the ankh. Today it’s a reminder of the One who has been offering eternity to God-seekers everywhere, for thousands of years.