48.8

John Piper's "Crucifixion" tapestry hangs behind the High Altar at Chichester Cathedral. The design is based on the colours of the liturgy.
White - purity, Yellow - spiritual, Blue - life, Black - death, Red - suffering and pain, Violet - penitent.

Chichester Cathedral is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the centre three panels are dedicated to that.
The white (purity) ball represents God the Father and is Christ's head viewed from above. The yellow swirls are the
spiritual crown and the hair is depicted in black (death). Bellow that is God The Son depicted by a Tau Cross* in
blue for life tinged with black for death, and red for suffering. To the right is God the Holy Ghost a Winged Spirit represented by the orange (earth) background linked by the spirit in yellow (spirit) with the wings in black and white representing purity after death. The three are linked by a green (nature) triangle (the symbol for equality) - we are all equal in the eyes of God.

The top halves of the outer four panels represent (from left to right) the four elements - earth, air, fire and water.
Earth is depicted by brown earth, orange sand and symbolic rocks and stones. Air, is represented by grey - mist, light blue sky, black storms and a moon shape with blue for night air. A white (purity) and red (suffering) flame represents fire, and blue (life) with fish (an early symbol for Jesus a "fisher of men") is water.

The bottom halves of the outer panels show the symbols of the four Apostles:
St. Matthew - the winged mask - his Gospel tells of the Winged Angel's visit to Joseph.
St. Mark - the Lion - the King of Beasts - he describes how Christ cast out evil and of the remission of sins.
St. Luke - the Bull - he describes the birth of Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem.
St. John - the Eagle - because his Gospel soars high in divine reasoning.

* There is considerable debate about the use of the Tau Cross. Tau or "T" is a Greek symbol for life. It is also believed very likely that the traditional cross was reserved for Roman citizens -anyone else being crucified on the Tau Cross. Also, in the James Hastings (ed),
A Dictionary of the Bible, Vol III, p244, Edinburgh, T & T Clark, 1900, William Tyndale called "the sign Tau, that defendeth us from the smiting and power of the evil angels".

I have sourced this information from my mother's notes for guides. She was a guide at Chichester Cathedral for 25 years and Head Guide toward the end of that time.