The Horse, the Theology of Victory, and the Roman Emperors of the 4th century CE (original) (raw)

The close relationship between ancient Christianity and some animals such as the dove, lamb, fish and peacock, has been thrown into relief by historians of Paleochristian Art. But the relationship of the horse to early Christianity is much less well known. As much in representation as in perception, the horse is however central to the symbolism of victory, both in Christian graves and in the coinage of the Christian Roman emperors of the fourth century, where it can be seen in association with the monogram of Christ. In addition, the presence of the horse exists by far in the Bible, particularly in the Apocalypse. Prior to the Christian period, the horse already had a mythological status, as a companion for Greek and Roman heroes and the gods. Some studies have shown as a “theology of Victory,” the belief that gods do step into human conflicts (Jean Gagé, François Heim). The Ancients saw the horse as an auxiliary in victory ; they attribute to it a divine aura. Whereas Christians perceive it as a symbol of victory over death or the enemy, it happens that pagans, in some texts, associate it with military defeats, binding it with a defection of the gods. So the ancient perception of this animal appears to be ambivalent. The purpose of this paper is to hold an inquire into mystic symbolism of the horse in the fourth century between Christianity and paganism, and through the antagonism defeat/failure. We shall study the way in which the iconography (coinage, sculpture) and texts make use of it, whether in the sense of victory or of defeat. We shall also consider the long life within, and the obliteration of this symbol in the context of the christianization of the Roman Empire. With regard to the coinage, mythical animals are still very present during the third century, but in the fourth century they disappear, while the horse remains through the entire century. http://www.compitum.fr/publications/10529-patricia-a-johnston-attilio-mastrocinque-and-sophia-papaioannou-animals-in-greek-and-roman-religion-and-myth-