When I was in Israel and Palestine during the summer of 2005, I decided to get a tattoo. I had thought it would be cool to get one for awhile, but after seeing the Coptic cross tattoo that some friends of mine had gottein in Cairo, I was determined to get one as well. It turned out that I was in Cairo on the wrong day and so wasn’t able to get one at the cathedral for a couple dollars.
However, while I was in Jerusalem one day to hang out with some folks at Sabeel, Naim Ateek’s daughter, Nevart, said she knew a really great place in West Jerusalem for a tattoo. So we went, I drew him what I was hoping it’d look like and then I sat down and he started. The tattoo artist humored me enough to let me take my picture with him after he was done.
So I figured that’d be it, right? I got my tattoo.
But a few years later, I started to want another one. And then today, after reading Travis Keller’s blog about wanting to get a tattoo, I started thinking about it again.
But the obvious question is – what would I get? Where would I get it? And what am I still going to be okay having inked on my body tomorrow, next week or 20 years from now?
Travis was talking about wanting some Greek or Hebrew words. I have some friends who have gotten similar tattoos. There is one word that I really like: Epektasis. This Greek word is often connected to St. Gregory of Nyssa of “stretching out toward” or “perpetual seeking.” It’s this idea that we are constantly and forever seeking. We are progressing toward and participating in God in love and knowledge. It’d be a little cooler than getting “It’s all about the journey – not the destination” tattooed on myself, but it’s a similar idea. And it’s one that I really resonate with and believe strongly in. So, that’s what I’m thinking right now.
Naturally I’d want to get it around my bulging bicep. Obviously.
Do you have any tattoos? What are they? Any advice or thoughts for me?
Hopefully you would not get an improper final sigma tattooed on your arm, which would ironically display to the world your ignorance of what you have tattooed on your arm: ἐπἔκτασις is what you’re looking for.
Gratuitously visible tattooes are a bad idea. In the end, you’ll regret it, if for no other reason than that when you’re 40, people will take you less seriously, whether you want to admit that or not.
That should read ἐπέκτασις.
@Jason – thanks. It’s been about 3 years since I’ve taken Greek and I just typed it in my computer and slapped a Greek font on it. Wasn’t sure if it was right now. Thanks for the correction.
i am 40, have 3 tattoos and have no trouble with people taking me seriously, Jason. People find my tattoos beautiful pieces of artwork and compliment me and them all the time. So, please don’t make broad generalizations like that. i also know of plenty of people over 40 with ink all over their bodies and don’t have problems with people taking them seriously either. Maybe it is where you live?!
Adam,
On my left leg, right above my ankle, i have a blue ringed octopus.
On my back b.w my shoulder blades i have Chinese kanji for ‘New Creation’.
On my front right thigh i have anime eyes.
i am thinking and pondering my next one, which i plan to do as a sleeve on my left arm for recently turning 40 and surviving a lot of crap in my life and still a follower of Christ. Tattoos are ‘addictive’ in the sense once you have one, the desire for more is always around the corner! They are AWESOME and great ways to tell stories.
ADVICE: Ask around about ink artists. Try and stay away from shops that their main business is flash art rather than original art. Think a lot about how and where you want it. If you see someone whose ink you admire, ask them where they got it done.
Look forward to seeing your next piece!
Shalom,
EP
i also know of plenty of people over 40 with ink all over their bodies and don’t have problems with people taking them seriously either. Maybe it is where you live?!
Eh, I doubt it. Don’t get a tattoo Adam. You’ll regret it.
Jason – why would a person over 40 regret getting a tattoo that they have put a great deal of thought into and spent a great deal of time considering? It’s the people who get impulsive & tacky tattoos done after a few drinks or on a dare that end up regretting it.
There are no regrets with a well thought out & planned tattoo of a meaningful design done by the right artist.
On the other side – you do have a right to say that you personally want nothing to do with tattoos, but then you must allow others to have their preference as well.
Jason, are you calling me and my personal experiences lies? i do not regret my ink at all and neither do the people i know. Making broad generalizations is not good and Adam is a grown man who can make up his own mind. How do you know whether Adam or anybody else will regret something?
Warm Regards,
EP
I currently have four tattoos. ‘apprentice’ in Chinese symbols on my right forearm. This version means a younger brother following an older brother. A huge cross on my back designed by one of my ‘kids’ and I. (we both have the same one.) A Trinity symbol with our fellowship’s name under it. And finally a Celtic shepherd’s staff on my left upper arm (the only color ink I have)..
Advice? Well, make sure the symbology is meaningful, you have a good artist and you’re willing to live with it and where it’s located for the remainder of you life.
Next is a colorful Gryphon covering my right shouder/chest/upper arm. Still working on the design.
Hey Adam,
I’m a long time reader, but seldom commenter… but couldn’t resist on this one since I just got my first tattoo in December. I turned 30 in December, and had been thinking about a tattoo for a long time for a lot of reasons.
Only six people (including my good friend and pastor) knew about the ink before I had it done. I blogged the story of it on St. Patrick’s day. That post can be found here if you are interested.
http://blog.roogles.com/2009/03/it-seems-fitting.html
Adam is a grown man who can make up his own mind.
Then why is he writing blog posts to a world of strangers asking whether he should get a tattoo?
He asked for our opinion. I gave him mine.
Jason,
he asked for thoughts on what to get, NOT if he should get one. He already got one when he was in Jerusalem.
i think your opinion would have been better stated like this, ‘If i got one i might regret it when i get older.’ rather than telling Adam how he will feel. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but the way in which it is communicated is important to good conversation/dialogue.
G-D bless you, Jason.
Warmest Regards,
EP
You know Jason, i was wrong in the last comment of mine. i think Adam was asking for advice and thoughts on tattoos and i offered him my advice/opinion just like you. i am sorry. i still do not think he was looking for an opinion on whether to get one or not since he already stated he has one and has a picture of it in the post. Sorry for my arrogance.
Shalom!
EP
I have the Hebrew for YHWH on my shoulder blade encompassed by a sun (always been a fan of sun tattoos, that part has no real significance), under that is “I am not lost” in latin. Given the chance to do it again, “I am not lost” isn’t what I’d have written, given the connotations attached to it.
Anything written in Hebrew= Win.
I’ve got one on my right shoulder blade (a chi-rho) and one on my left forearm (a larger, more ornate coptic cross – http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakebouma/2296848493/)
I’m constantly scheming for my next one(s). Right now I’m determined to get a half-sleeve on my right arm starting at my shoulder… I can’t do it until I lose some weight though (don’t worry, it’s self-imposed).
I’ve flirted a lot with the idea of the Greek form of the phrase “grace upon grace” from John 1:16, which says “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” I mean, how sweet would χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος look?
I kinda like white tattoos, but they are sort of fadish right now.
wow, that is so cool to read this post and its comments!! I just came back from a conference and I think I had a real important encounter with Jesus. It was the first time after a very long period of doubts and hoplessness. So I decided the day before yesterday (sunday) to get a tattoo that symbolizes my new commitment to never again cease seeking God and communicating to Him / Jesus.
I too, thought about some words in Greek or Hebrew that stand for something like “seek” or “faith” or anything like that. So, now I have new valuable inspirations from this post :-) I still need to think of on which part of my body I will get my tattoo…
A quote from the show, “House, M.D.”:
Dr. Roger Spain (First Applicant): Wow, I thought you’d be the last person to have a problem with nonconformity.
House: Nonconformity; right… I can’t remember the last time saw a twenty something kid with a tattoo of an Asian letter on his wrist. You are one wicked free thinker! You want to be a rebel; stop being cool.
I have, on my right arm, a guy kneeling in front of a bloody cross with fire coming up under him. I see it as, mainly, a visualization of the Spirit on a person who is worshipping, which is what I think of when I read “our God is a consuming fire.”
I got it when I was 18, and I’m almost 26 now. The shop where I got it did a really good job from a detail and aesthetic perspective, but I get the feeling these days that the ink they used might not have been the best (from what other tattoo artists tell me these days), as there is fading in the fire and blood. It needs to be retouched, because of that. I would encourage you to talk with the artist about that before you get inked, so you’re aware of how long your design will last before it needs retouching, if it does need it.
That being said, I love my tattoo and don’t regret it at all. And it’s true: they are addictive, and if you enjoy them you’ll want more. I want to get sleeves. Currently, money is a holdup. Plus, I need to think of a really cohesive story to tell with all of it.
Hey Adam,
I have a small Jesus fish on my inner ankle. One line is in red, the other line in purple to retain the old signifigence. Also red (blood), purple (royalty) embody Phil. 2 for me. Get whatever you want. I am thinking about getting “fiat justicia, ruat coelum” on my other ankle. It means “let justice be done, though the heavens may fall.” It’s not from anything theological, but from british legal case dealing with slavery in 1772. Yet, it seems to sum up my own ideas about social justice. Good luck finding a good tat.
Nicole
Just like to mention a little snipet called Leviticus 19:28
“Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”
Hey Samuel,
Yes – Lev 19:28 is frequently misquoted by Christians in an effort to show that getting a tattoo is wrong or is a sin, etc…I found a good article that explains nicely the true context of that verse and its application. Here it is:
“Leviticus 19:28 – Does this verse really condemn all tattoos?
Read properly, no!
Leviticus 19:26-31 deals with pagan practices and God’s prohibitions against adopting those practices. In verse 28, God is warning the Jewish people about a pagan practice at funerals, where pagans would mutilate/mark themselves to appease their false gods. The pagans hoped that by cutting themselves and marking images/symbols of idols on their bodies, that they would obtain favour in the afterlife from their false gods, both for themselves and for those who just died.
As no one with a Christian tattoo is trying to pacify a pagan deity, it is safe to say this verse is not relevant to us.”
Cheers!