Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, respectively. St. John writes in the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse), “I am the alpha and the omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (1:8). The use of these letters, therefore, relates not only to Christ as the beginning and the end of material existence, but of His sovereignty before and beyond all time and are used by the Church as both a designation and a decoration. The letters Alpha-Omega are commonly found decorating Altar Tables, Iconostases, church interiors, and were quite prominently found on 3rd century tombstones and throughout the catacombs of Rome.
