Comments on Christian Symbols on Roman Coinage

[Deeman]

All observations, suggested additions and corrections are welcome.

There might be some inadvertent errors due to 'copying and pasting'.

[JMP]

On the chiro-christogram:

[Figleaf]

A major new work, Deeman! Thank you for offering so much of your time to us. I see this not only as a thoughtful study but also as a vivid example of how high we can rise with a relatively simple framework like WoC. In one blow, you have made the topic accessible to anyone interested, WoC member or not. Bravo!

By the end of your thread, christianity was firmly the state religion. However, at the start, its followers were bloodily persecuted. The simple reason was that the christians refused both the veneration of past emperors and tolerance towards other religions, a core value of the empire.

That changed under Constantine I in the sense that the persecutions were stopped. There is very considerable doubt on whether and in how far Constantine got personally involved in Christianity, beyond tolerating the religion. His main biographers, Eusebius and Lactantius, were both leading christians, who had a vested interest in creating a storyline of how christianity brings military victory. In fact, the attraction of christianity to commoners in its early centuries was its promise of peace. Since christianity has had an important role and is still part of the culture of many countries, it is important to get things right and unclouded by propaganda.

Taking this into account, keeping in mind that even Eusebius and Lactantius do not agree which symbol was added on the shields of the soldiers before the battle of the Milvian bridge, the first coins of Constantine and Licinius with the Xi-Rho symbol become pretty doubtful. If you wish, you can see the Xi, but there's no Rho. See here for an alternative explanation and a discussion.

Peter