Monuments of the early church . factory account of theword laharum, which was used to denote the military standardsadorned with the Constantinian cross. In no other way wasthe official adoption of the Christian religion so plainly marked PAINTIXa—The Cross 241 as in the use of the Christian emblem for the standards of thearmy. The standards of the different legions were distin-guished from one another. Several varieties of them are illus-trated upon the coins of Constantine (Fig. 81, b, c, and d). Thehrst one here illustrated shows the monogram surmounting abanner upon which are three dots, wh
Monuments of the early church . factory account of theword laharum, which was used to denote the military standardsadorned with the Constantinian cross. In no other way wasthe official adoption of the Christian religion so plainly marked PAINTIXa—The Cross 241 as in the use of the Christian emblem for the standards of thearmy. The standards of the different legions were distin-guished from one another. Several varieties of them are illus-trated upon the coins of Constantine (Fig. 81, b, c, and d). Thehrst one here illustrated shows the monogram surmounting abanner upon which are three dots, which represent the por-traits of the emperor and his sons. In the second instance theimperial portraits are arranged in a vertical order along thestaff, and it is not the monogram, but the equal-armed crosswhich is framed above. On the third coin the monogramappears in a similar frame. On a coin of Nepotianus thefigure of Rome is represented holding the globe of the world,which is surmounted by the monogram. In Fig. 81, h, the. Constantine the Great. staff of the standard transfixes a serpent. This representsChrist treading upon the serpent, or more generally Christi-anit}^ triumphing over iniquity. One of the rings illustratedin Fig. 78 represents a serpent coiled about the base of thecross; but notwithstanding its great similarity in form to thepreceding, it seems to represent a different idea. The twodoves which accompany the serpent and the word salus writtenbeneath suggest the bronze serpent of Moses. AVe have Con-stantines idea expressed again, and more fully, in two pictureswoven in silk (Fig. 171). This monument comes from Achmimin Egypt, and it is ascribed to the fifth or sixth is represented the imperial eagle, attacking an evilbeast; below, Christ slaying the dragon. Christ holds hiscross in his left hand, and in his right a spear which ismarked with a cross at its handle. The dragon is representedas a crocodile, after analogies in Egyptian art. The pi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectchristi, bookyear1901
