krotsmarts.blogg.se

The experience would deeply impact Constantine and would solidify his positive attitude towards both Christ and Christianity. That day his army won a decisive, upset victory at the Milvian Bridge, allowing him to march on Rome and conquer it. The later account is most likely true but, in either case, Constantine quickly ordered the Chi Rho painted on all of his soldiers’ shields. Some historians say that as Constantine prepared for battle, he saw a vision in the sky of the Chi Rho and heard a voice proclaim, “In this sign you shall conquer.” Others say that he had a dream that evening, and that someone in the dream told him to attach the symbol to his shields and then go and face the enemy. There are two different takes on what happened next. At the bridge a larger and stronger army under the leadership of Maxentius awaited him. The Chi Rho’s popularity got a strong boost after Constantine, a great military commander and disputed Roman Emperor, was on his way to a difficult battle at the Milvian Bridge. It is often combined with other monograms such as the alpha and omega and IHS to form some interesting and beautiful combinations. This symbolizes peace in Christ and was very popular at burial sites. It could be the word nika meaning “to conquer.” The meaning of this symbol would be “Christ conquers.” It could also be the word Noster meaning “our Lord.” In this case, the symbol would read “Christ our Lord.” The Chi Rho design can be combined with doves or doves wings. What word the “N” represents is up for debate. The Chi Rho is sometimes shown with the letter “N”. There are many artistic variations of the Chi Rho. The symbol can be frequently found carved in the catacombs, on tombs and wall paintings. The Chi (χ = ch) and the Rho (ρ = r) are the first three letters of Christ (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, Christos) in the Greek language. It is sometimes referred to as a Christogram. This monogram is the oldest known monogram of Jesus Christ dating back to the second century. The Chi Rho can be seen numerous times through churches and different pieces of art.