Ecclesiastical Heraldry
THE heraldry of the many church denominations in South Africa takes several forms. Some use coats of arms, some use seals, a few use badges or logos. In some, a single emblem applies throughout the whole church, while in others the individual divisions and congregations have their own arms. The Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches have their own traditions concerning the arms of clergymen.
Anglican Churches
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Anglican Church of Southern Africa (Church of the Province of SA) —
Since 1847, the Anglican Church (the Church of the Province of Southern Africa) has followed the English tradition of using diocesan arms. The province as such has no arms of its own, and it uses the compass rose of the Anglican communion in general. A few parishes have adopted arms.
Diocesan arms consist of a shield ensigned of a bishop's mitre. The anchor of Good Hope, included in the arms of the Diocese of Cape Town in 1847, was later included in some other dioceses' arms, and has become a CPSA emblem of sorts. Between 1949 and 1954, the dioceses had their arms formally granted (and, in some cases, altered) by the College of Arms, at the College's request. Some were later registered at the Bureau of Heraldry.
Diocese of Highveld; CESA; Lutheran ChurchTraditionally, archbishops and diocesan bishops impale their personal arms with those of their dioceses - they place a mitre above the shield, in place of a helmet and crest, and one or two croziers behind the shield. A bishop who does not have a diocese may also use a mitre and crozier(s) with his personal arms. Lower-ranking clergymen may use black clerical hats instead of helmets and crests, the different patterns for the different grades having been laid down in England in 1976. A few clergymen have registered their arms with these hats.
You'll find a selection of CPSA arms here.
Church of England in South Africa — This small Anglican church, which formally separated from the CPSA in 1938, uses an oval seal-like emblem depicting an open Bible, inscribed god's word above all things, on an inverted sword.
Ethiopian Episcopal Church — Originally the Order of Ethiopia, this Church functioned under the auspices of the CPSA from 1899 to 1990, and adopted its present name a few years later. Its arms depict an African mother with her baby.
Lutheran Churches
- The emblem of the various Lutheran Churches is the Luther Rose: a white rose charged with a red heart bearing a cross.
Lutheran Church — Two dioceses have adopted arms, and two German congregations in Pretoria have registered seals.
Lutheran Bapedi Church — This church has registered arms (BoH 2003) depicting two crows on either side of a tree charged with a Latin cross.
Orthodox Churches
- The two Orthodox Church dioceses use the badge of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, based in Egypt. It depicts the winged lion of St Mark.
Reformed Churches
- The (predominantly Afrikaans) reformed churches generally follow the Dutch tradition of using seals.
APK;
GKSA;
NHK;
NGKAfrikaanse Protestante Kerk — The newest of the Afrikaans reformed churches, founded in 1987. Its seal (BoH 1989) depicts a dove, the Greek letters alpha and omega, and the motto lig in duisternis ('Light in darkness'). The APK's theological college, the Afrikaanse Protestante Akademie, registered arms in 2001.
Afrikaanse Reformatoriese Kerk This church, founded in 1982, has registered a seal (BoH 1988) depicting a Huguenot Cross and Noah's ark (an allusion to the church's initials?).
Gereformeerde Kerke van Suid-Afrika — The GKSA, established in 1869, uses a seal which depicts a church building on a rock, with the words die poorte van die hel sal dit nie oorweldig nie ('The gates of Hell shall not prevail against it').
Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk — The NHK was formed in 1853 by the Afrikaners who settled in the Transvaal after migrating from the Cape Colony in the 1830s and '40s. From 1858 to 1886 it was the official state church of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, and it bore - and still bears - the ZAR arms on its seal. As the ZAR, and its successor the Transvaal province, no longer exist, the NHK seal may be the last surviving use of these arms.
Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk — This is the largest of the Afrikaner reformed churches. Established in 1652, it uses congregational seals and synodal seals, and a few congregations have registered arms. The seal of the General Synod serves as the emblem of the NGK as a whole, and has recently been adapted into a logo. You'll find a selection of NGK seals here.
Roman Catholic Church
- The Roman Catholic Church has been in South Africa since 1837. The first vicariate was established in 1847, other vicariates and prefectures were erected over the years, and in 1951 they were reorganised into dioceses, grouped into four ecclesiastical provinces. Each diocese and archdiocese is entitled to a coat of arms, which are ensigned of a mitre, and have a cross and a crozier behind them.
It's customary for (arch) bishops to bear a personal coat of arms, and those who are not already armigerous assume arms when they are consecrated. A galero (clerical hat) is placed above the arms; the colour and the number of tassels hanging from each side indicating rank, e.g. an archbishop's is green with ten tassels on each side. Their arms often allude to their faith and Church background; many include the emblems of the religious orders to which they belong. At one time, archbishops impaled their personal arms with those of their archdioceses, placing a mitre above the arms and a crozier and cross behind them. The mitre and crozier were discontinued in 1969, and impalement with the diocesan arms became optional in 1978.
You'll find a selection of Roman Catholic arms here.
Other Churches
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Congregational Churches —
There have been several groupings of Congregational churches. The Congregational Union of South Africa used a quasi-heraldic device depicting a seven-branched candelabrum standing on a closed Bible, with the words lux fiat ('Let there be light'). The United Congregational Churches of South Africa, formed in 1967, has quasi-arms depicting a Latin cross and a dove - the tinctures appear to be blue and silver.
Methodist Church of South Africa — The MCSA uses a badge, consisting of a white escallop charged with a voided Latin cross whose upper half is red and whose lower half is black.
New Nazareth Apostolic Assembly Church in Zion — This Church's seal (BoH 1995) depicts a simple cross.
Zion Christian Church — The largest church in South Africa. It uses a seal depicting a five-pointed star (BoH 1966). A green and ochre (or orange?) flag, depicting a cow and a star, has been registered (BoH 1986) for the use of its presiding bishop.
Legal protection
- From 1935 to 1963, bible colleges and seminaries could register their coats of arms as 'badges' under the Protection of Names, Uniforms & Badges Act; heraldic correctness was not required. Since 1963, churches, bible colleges and seminaries have been able to register their arms and seals under the Heraldry Act, but only if they are heraldically correct. In the event of misuse, the registered owner can take legal action to obtain an interdict and/or damages plus costs.
You'll find further information about registrations here. Details of items registered up to early 2001 are available on the Bureau of Heraldry Database on the National Archives website. Very few ecclesiastical arms and seals have actually been registered.
Sources/References
Books and articles: Brownell, F.G.; Heraldry in the Church of the Province of SA (2002) •• Catholic Directory of SA •• Dreyer, Rev A.; 'Die Geskiedenis van die Offisiële Seëls van die Gefedereerde Kerke' in Jaarboek van die NGK (1930) •• Engelbrecht, S.P.; 'Ons Wapen' in Die Hervormer (Jun 1961) •• Pama, C.; 'Church Seals' in Standard Encyclopedia of SA (1970); •• Von Volborth, C.A.; Heraldry of the World (1973).
Websites: Archbishopric of Johannesburg & Pretoria (Orthodox) •• Evangelical Lutheran Church •• Methodist Church of SA •• Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference •• United Congregational Churches of SA.
Picture credits: Afrikaanse Protestante Kerk (APK seal image) •• Church of England in SA (CESA seal image) •• Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika (GKSA seal image) •• Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk (NHK seal image) •• Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK seal image).
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