Early Christian New Testament manuscripts, written by hand on scarce vellum or papyrus, sometimes use the letters Chi and Rho, superimposed on one another, instead of fully writing out Christ. You might think of the Chi Rho as Christian shorthand, used from the earliest days of the church, to point to Jesus as the Christ. Hence we see it used in Church art to represent Christ.
Chi (usually pronounced key, with a long e sound in Koine Greek grammars) and Rho (pronounced like row) are the first two letters in Christ in the Greek Alphabet. Sometimes, we see the Chi Rho, or even the Chi alone, in Church art, or on Christmas Cards. Yet, they are often misunderstood.
The Chi looks like the letter X and has a hard Ch sound, as in Christ. The Rho, which has an R sound, looks like the letter P. I often see the Chi Rho on Christmas ornaments.
We are now in the season of Epiphany, the showing, or manifestation of Christ. As you go tochurches during Epiphany, looking at art on church altars, pulpits and windows, remember that the Chi Rho is a sign of Christ. The use of a Chi Rho is to help us focus our attention on Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, God’s Anointed.