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The Labarum
The Labarum
An image of the labarum, with the Greek letters Alpha and Omega inscribed.
An image of the labarum, with the Greek letters Alpha and Omega inscribed. Alpha (uppercase Α, lowercase α; Αλφα is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. OMEGA is the premier Counter-terrorism unit of Latvia. Founded in 1992 OMEGA cooperates with many other counter-terrorism units over the world
Labarum with Jesus Prayer in Romanian: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner. The image appears on Romanian Philokalia book cover.
Labarum with Jesus Prayer in Romanian: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner. The Jesus Prayer, also called the Prayer of the Heart, is a short formulaic prayer often uttered repeatedly Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance The image appears on Romanian Philokalia book cover. The Philokalia ( Gk φιλοκαλείν "Love of the Beautiful" is a collection of texts by masters of the Eastern Orthodox, hesychast

The Labarum (☧) was a military standard that displayed the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" (Greek: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, or Χριστός) — Chi (χ) and Rho (ρ). The Greek alphabet (Ελληνικό αλφάβητο is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Chi ( Uppercase Χ, Lowercase χ; Χι He is the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet, pronounced as in English Rho (uppercase Ρ, lowercase ρ or ϱ) is the 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. [1] It was first used by the Roman emperor Constantine I. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine

The etymology of the word before Constantine's usage of it is unclear. [2]

Contents

Christian origin account

According to Lactantius,[3] a historian of North African origin saved from poverty and under the patronage of Constantine Ι as tutor to his son Crispus, who was writing in Latin, Constantine had dreamt of this emblem and a voice saying In hoc signo vinces ("In this sign you shall conquer"). Lucius Caelius (or Caecilius? Firmianus Lactantius was an Early Christian author (ca Flavius Julius Crispus, also known as Flavius Claudius Crispus and Flavius Valerius Crispus was a Caesar of the Roman Empire. In hoc signo vinces is the rendition in Latin of the Greek phrase "εν τούτω νίκα" en toutōi nika, meaning "in this you will [4] On waking he ordered his soldiers to put the emblem on their shields; that very day they fought the forces of Maxentius and won the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312), outside Rome. Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c 278 - 28 October 312) was Western Roman Emperor from 306 to 312 The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place on October 28, 312, between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius

Writing in Greek, Eusebius of Caesarea, the bishop who wrote the first surviving general history of the early Christian churches (died in 339), gave the two definitive versions of Constantine's famous vision, accepted by the Orthodox Churches, by which Constantine I was later canonized for his contributions to Christianity as a saint, together with his mother Helena who introduced him to the Christian religion and was a strong influence throughout his life:

Constantine's modern biographer, the Western-European historian Ramsey MacMullen, doubtfully comments:[5] "If the sky writing was witnessed by 40,000 men, the true miracle lies in their unbroken silence about it", disputing Eusebius' account. Regardless, there are numerous astrological theories[6] that defend the astrological possibility of Eusebius' account. In the late 40’s and 50’s, F. Heiland, of the Zeiss planetarium at Jena, published in that institution’s journal “Die astronomische Deutung der Vision Kaiser Konstantins” (The Astronomical Interpretation of the Vision of The Emperor Constantine) his observation that the fall of the year 312 was attended by an unusual spectacle: the syzygy or close alignment of three bright planets in the evening sky above the southwest horizon and in particular Mars, Saturn and Jupiter which were positioned along a line within about 20 degrees of each other on the border of Capricornus and Sagittarius. In broadest terms Syzygy (ˈsɪzɪʤi is a kind of unity especially through coordination or alignment most commonly used in the Astronomical and/or Astrological Heiland suggests that Constantine overcame the psychological impact on his army, of the ill pagan content of the astrological omen that associated syzygies with bad outcomes, by appropriating it to fashion a Christian token of victory in the form of the labarum.

The Swedish geologist Jens Ormo et al also suggests that the latter account may have had its origins in Constantine witnessing the day-light effects of a meteorite's descent through earth's atmosphere, of which the impact he believes resulted in the Sirente crater situated in Sirente-Velino Regional Park, Abruzzo, Italy[7]

Eusebius may have felt that the dream mytheme on its own needed reinforcement supporting his emperor's account and trying to influence the hearts and minds of the people towards the change of the religion of the empire to Christian, presenting it as a true miracle. A meteorite is a natural object originating in Outer space that survives an impact with the Earth 's surface The Sirente crater is a small shallow seasonal lake in Abruzzo. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest In the study of Mythology, a mytheme is the essential kernel of a myth an irreducible unchanging element similar to a cultural Meme, one that is always found shared Of this, he wrote in the Vita that Constantine himself had told him this story "and confirmed it with oaths," late in life "when I was deemed worthy of his acquaintance and company. " "Indeed," says Eusebius, "had anyone else told this story, it would not have been easy to accept it. "

Right-angle labarum, retaining the horizon: Romanesque carving at Santa Maria de Cóll, Vall de Boí, Spain
Right-angle labarum, retaining the horizon: Romanesque carving at Santa Maria de Cóll, Vall de Boí, Spain

Celestial Chi

Though modern representations of the chi-rho sign represent the two lines crossing at ninety degree angles, the early signs of the labarum cross at an angle that is more vividly respresentative of the chi formed by the solar ecliptic path and the celestial equator. The Vall de Boí is a narrow steep-sided Valley and a small municipality in the Spanish province of Lleida, in the autonomous community The ecliptic is the apparent path that the Sun traces out in the sky during the year The celestial equator is a Great circle on the imaginary Celestial sphere, in the same plane as the Earth 's Equator. This image is most familiar in Plato's Timaeus,[8] where it is explained that the two bands which form the world soul (anima mundi) cross each other like the letter chi. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece For other uses see Anima Mundi Anima mundi ( Latin) is the world soul, a pure ethereal spirit which was proclaimed by For other uses see Anima Mundi Anima mundi ( Latin) is the world soul, a pure ethereal spirit which was proclaimed by Not only did the two legs of the chi remind early Christians of the Cross, "it reminded them of the mystery of the pre-existent Christ, the Logos Theou, the Word of God, who extended himself through all thing in order to establish peace and harmony in the universe," in Robert Grigg's words. [9] Hugo Rahner summarized the significance:

"The two great circles of the heavens, the equator and the ecliptic, which, by intersecting each other form a sort of recumbent chi and about which the whole dome of the starry heavens swings in a wondrous rhythm, became for the Christian eye a heavenly cross. A great circle is a Circle on the surface of a Sphere that has the same circumference as the sphere dividing the sphere into two equal Hemispheres. [10] Of Plato's image in Timaeus, Justin Martyr, the Christian apologist writing in the second century, found a prefiguration of the Cross,[11] and an early testimony may be the phrase in Didache, "sign of extension in heaven" (sēmeion ekpetaseōsen ouranō). Saint Justin Martyr (also Justin the Martyr, Justin of Caesarea, Justin the Philosopher, Latin Iustinus Martyr or Flavius The Didache ( Koine Greek:, Didachē, meaning "Teaching" ˈdɪdəkiː in English ðiðaˈxi in Modern Greek) is the common name of a brief [12]

Iconographic career

Among the many soldiers depicted on the Arch of Constantine, which was erected, largely with fragments from older monuments, just three years after the battle, the labarum does not appear. The Arch of Constantine (Italian Arco di Costantino is a Triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. A grand opportunity for just the kind of political propaganda that the Arch otherwise was expressly built to present, was missed, if Eusebius' oath-confirmed account can be trusted, although it can be argued that still, in the early years after the battle, the emperor still had not decided to give clear support to Christianity, either for lack of personal faith or in fear of religious friction. Its inscription does say that the emperor had saved the res publica INSTINCTV DIVINITATIS MENTIS MAGNITVDINE ("by greatness of mind and by instinct [or impulse] of divinity"). This article is about the Latin phrase For the historical state see Roman Republic; for the dialogue by Cicero see De re publica; for the former Estonian As with his predecessors, the sun symbol - interpreted as Sol Invictus (the Invincible Sun) or also as Apollo or Mithras — is inscribed on his coinage, but in 325 and thereafter the coinage ceases to be pagan, and Sol Invictus disappears. Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun" or more fully Deus Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun God" was the late Roman state Sun god. The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late In his Historia Ecclesiae Eusebius further reports that, after his victorious entry into Rome, Constantine had a statue of himself erected, "holding the sign of the Savior [the cross] in his right hand. " There are no other reports to confirm such a monument.

Whether Constantine I was the first Christian emperor supporting during his rule a peaceful transition to Christianity or an undecided pagan believer until middle age, strongly influenced in his political-religious decisions by his Christian mother St. Helena is still in dispute among historians. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Saint Helena (pronounced saint he-LEE-na) named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin and a British overseas territory He is celebrated together with his mother St. Helena as Equal-to-apostles (isapostoloi) on 21 May by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy as a saint of Christianity. Saint Helena (pronounced saint he-LEE-na) named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin and a British overseas territory An equal-to-the-apostles ( Greek:, isapostolos; Latin: aequalis apostolis; întocmai cu Apostolii равноапостольный ravnoapostolni Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three Ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings but the Latin Roman Catholic Church, while celebrating Helena of Constantinople as a saint, has never placed Constantine among the saints, but has been content with naming him "the Great," in "just and grateful remembrance of his services to the cause of Christianity and civilization". Saint Helena (Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (c

He definitely bestowed imperial favor on Christianity by returning and legally protecting thereafter property taken from the early Church. He offered legal protection of the freedom of confession to all religions within the Empire, with the famous Edict of Milan in 313 and not only "toleration of other religions as indulgence" as Galerius did in 311. The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by emperors Constantine and Licinius, that proclaimed Religious toleration in the Roman Empire. Galerius Maximianus ( ca. 260&ndashlate April or early May 311 formally Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus was Roman Emperor from 305 to 311 Constantine I was the first to declare (7 March 321) dies Solis (Day of the Sun, Sunday) as the day of rest throughout the Empire. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus He declared Rome a Christian city and allegedly placed his mother in charge of locating Christian relics, resulting in the discovery of the True Cross in the Holy Land. The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which by a Christian tradition are believed to be from the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified A small portion of the relics that she located (together with the Nails), two of which she later gave to her son Constantine for protection, together with soil from the True Cross excavation site and big parts of the Cross itself were then stored in a room inside her palace in Rome around which the basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme - housing the Passion relics - was built (also named St. Relics that are claimed to be the Holy Nails with which Christ was Crucified are objects of veneration among some Christians In Christian This article describes the Christian Passion For other meanings see Passion. Helena's chapel). It was later (15th century) converted into the Abbey of Santa Croce. Santa Croce in Gerusalemme is a Basilica in Rome. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. The famous relics, whose authenticity is disputed, are now housed in a chapel (the Cappella delle Reliquie), built in 1930 by architect Florestano di Fausto. They also include: a part of the Elogium or Titulus Crucis, i. Titulus Crucis (Latin for "Title of the Cross" also known as ogium is a relic kept in the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome e. the panel which was hanged to the Christ's Cross; two thorns of his crown; the third nail (incomplete); and three small wooden pieces of the True Cross itself. A much larger piece of the holy cross was brought from Santa Croce in Gerusalemme to St. Peter's Basilica on instruction of Pope Urban VIII in the year 1629. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St Pope It is kept near the statue of St. Helena, made by Andrea Bolgi in 1639. Andrea Bolgi (1605 — 1656 was an Italian sculptor responsible for several statues in St

Coin of Magnentius with large Chi-Rho at ecliptic angles
Coin of Magnentius with large Chi-Rho at ecliptic angles

As for the labarum, its first appearances to which a precise date can be assigned are numismatic: the usurper Magnentius appears to have been the first to use the chi-rho monogram flanked by Alpha and Omega, on the reverse of some coins minted in 353. Flavius Magnus Magnentius (303– August 11, 353) was a Roman usurper ( January 18, 350 – August 11, 353 Numismatics (numisma nomisma "coin" from the νομίζειν nomízein, "to use according to law" is the study or collection of Currency Flavius Magnus Magnentius (303– August 11, 353) was a Roman usurper ( January 18, 350 – August 11, 353 [13]

On the reverse of this coin struck under Vetranio, the emperor is holding two labara, the ensigns introduced by his ancestor Constantine I.
On the reverse of this coin struck under Vetranio, the emperor is holding two labara, the ensigns introduced by his ancestor Constantine I. Vetranio (d c 360 born in the province of Moesia in a part of the region located in modern Serbia, is sometimes but apparently incorrectly referred to as Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine
The shield on the left bears a labarum in this mosaic from the Basilica of San Vitale.
The shield on the left bears a labarum in this mosaic from the Basilica of San Vitale. The Church or Basilica of San Vitale — styled an " ecclesiastical basilica " in the Roman Catholic Church though it is not of architectural basilica

The labarum has since been interpreted by Christians all over the world as a symbol of Christianity. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Because it is composed of the combined chi and rho it is sometimes referred to as the "monogram of Christ". A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other Graphemes to form one Symbol. Some Protestant Christians, especially Restorationists, reject its use due to what they believe to be pagan origins, although it was already in widespread use by Christians in the 3rd century, mostly on sarcophagi. For other usages see Restoration (general disambiguation Apokatastasis (universal restoration Christian Zionism (restoration of Israel and The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. A sarcophagus is a Funeral receptacle for a Corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone

Labarum chi-rho, second half of the 12th century, from the Augustine convent of Montréjeau (Haute-Garonne, France) (Musée de Cluny)
Labarum chi-rho, second half of the 12th century, from the Augustine convent of Montréjeau (Haute-Garonne, France) (Musée de Cluny)

The interpretation of its use as a specifically Christian symbol is reinforced by the fact that Julian the Apostate removed it from his insignia, and that it was restored to use by his Christian successors. The Musée de Cluny, officially known as Musée National du Moyen Âge, is a Museum in Paris, France. Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate (331 or 332 to 26 June 363) was Roman Emperor (Caesar

"Labarum" is also used for any ecclesiastical banner, such as those carried around in processions as well as under the name "the holy lavaro" for the set of early national Greek flags, blessed by the Greek Orthodox Church, under which the Greeks united, from the commencement and throughout the Greek Revolution (1821) against the Ottoman Empire, which was occupying Greece at the time. The Greek War of Independence (1821–1829 also commonly known as the Greek Revolution (Ελληνική Επανάσταση Elliniki Epanastasi; Ottoman Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

It also gives the name (Labaro) to a suburb of Rome adjacent to Prima Porta, one of the sites where the appearance of this symbol is placed. Labaro is a suburb of Rome located 11 kilometres north of its center along the Via Flaminia, just outside of the Grande Raccordo Anulare highway and adiacent Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Prima Porta is a suburb of Rome located 12 kilometres north of its center along the Via Flaminia and just a kilometre outside of the Grande Raccordo Anulare

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In Unicode, the Chi-Rho symbol is encoded at U+2627 (☧), and for Coptic at U+2CE9 (⳩). In Computing, Unicode is an Industry standard allowing Computers to consistently represent and manipulate text expressed in most of the world's The Coptic alphabet is the script used for writing the Coptic language.
  2. ^ Nevertheless, see H. Grégoire, "L'étymologie de 'Labarum'" Byzantion 4 (1929:477-82).
  3. ^ Lactantius, On the Deaths of the Persecutors, chapter 44.
  4. ^   "Labarum (Chi-Rho)". Catholic Encyclopedia. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company.  
  5. ^ MacMullen, Constantine, 1969.
  6. ^ see [1]
  7. ^ BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Space impact 'saved Christianity'
  8. ^ Timaeus 8. 36b and c.
  9. ^ Robert Grigg, "Symphōnian Aeidō tēs Basileias": An Image of Imperial Harmony on the Base of the Column of Arcadius" The Art Bulletin 59. 4 (December 1977:469-482) p. 477.
  10. ^ Rahner, Greek Myths and Christian Mystery, tr. B. Battershaw (New York) 1963:49f, noticed in Grigg 1977:477 and note 59.
  11. ^ Justin, Apologia 1. 60.
  12. ^ Noted by Grigg 1977:477, note 42
  13. ^ W. Kellner, Libertas und Christogramm (Karlsruhe) 1968:57ff, noted in Grigg 1977:469 note 4.

Further reading

Dictionary

labarum

-noun

  1. The Roman military standard adopted by Constantine I. The banner was known for its Christian chi-rho sign.
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