5" Magic Cross Star

Ancient Egyptians obtained scarlet cloth dye from shellfish. Ancient Hebrews used a kernel-shaped insect that infested oak trees. (Greeks called the insect Kokkinos, which reminds me of cochineal – the cactus-infesting bugs that provide red food coloring. I wonder if they’re related.) Scarlet was a status symbol in the Roman Empire, second only to the color purple. It’s mentioned dozens of times in the Old and New Testaments. It was (and still is) a very steadfast dye; almost impossible to wash out. If you’ve ever washed red socks in warm water with a white shirt, you already know: the socks won’t look a bit less red. But try what you will, that shirt will be forever pink. It gives more vivid meaning to Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”