Religious Tattoos (Judeo-Christian)

It is not surprising that religious tattoos are growing in popularity, given our tattoo choices often reflect our deep, personal values. For our purposes, this category refers to symbolism associated with the Judeo-Christian tradition, i.e. those religions who trace their belief system back to the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament and/or the New Testament (for comparison, see our pages on Spiritual and Mystical tattoos).*

Some people believe that those who are truly religious DO NOT get tattoos. After all, the Bible says in Leviticus 19:28 that you shall not “tattoo any marks upon you.” Many Orthodox Jews continue to follow this mandate. Others look at the Old Law of Leviticus and understand it as a series of prescriptions that were necessary for the time; but ones that have less relevance in our practices of today (such as “do not wear clothing made of two different kinds of material” or “do not clip off the edges of your beard”). They are viewed as lessons to learn from, not laws to follow.

Christians will generally tell you that the Old Testament provides the history of their faith, but the New Testament – and Christ’s teachings – brings a new law. Granted, the New Testament tells us that our bodies are temples (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), but that is referring to sexual promiscuity, and not tattoos. Some Christians justify their tattoos with the New Testament passage in Paul’s letter to the Galatians (6:17) where he says that he now bears “the brand marks of Jesus.” While no doubt referring to both the symbolic and physical scars he endured as a persecuted follower of Christ, it’s important to note that “brand marks” of the time were the tattoos that owners put on their slaves. To bear the brand marks of Christ could be interpreted as the tattooing of Christian symbols to show that Christ is one’s new master. As a form of witnessing, tattooed Christians are even invited to join the Christian Tattoo Association (CTA).

Well, it seems that plenty of religious people are willing to take the chance and get a tattoo anyway. Most often, they choose a tattoo that has some religious meaning and symbolism.

Popular Religious Tattoos

• Cross tattoos

• Christian Symbol tattoos (includes Alpha & Omega, Sacred Hearts, and more)

• Holy Spirit tattoos

• Jesus tattoos

• Judaic Symbol tattoos

• Mary tattoos

• Trinity tattoos

*We at Tattoo Meanings are not trying to offend anyone with our definitions of religion and/or spirituality. In an effort to keep our pages manageable and our searches easy, we need to use some simple category schemes. While conducting our research, it became clear that tattoo symbols could often be distinguished between those stemming from Judeo-Christian perspectives and those that do not.

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