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<p>[QUOTE="Victor_Clark, post: 8070705, member: 10613"]There has been a lot written about that coin over the years. Here is some from my page</p><p><br /></p><p><b> So the SPES PVBLIC reverse "is the first coin type where the design explicitly proclaims Constantine's new faith." Some people may wonder why Constantine took so long before using Christian symbolism in an overt fashion on his coins. Constantine had to exercise some caution and not upset too many people, especially the army. "He was careful, and that was why his Christianization of the empire was only gradual...reflected in the slow and for a long time minimal infiltration of the coinage by Christianity."</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b> Constantine, and Eusebius, compared serpents/dragons to evil on many occasions. In one instance, when he referred to Arius, Constantine talked about the serpent and the Devil as if they were one.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>"Take heed, everyone take heed, how sad he sounds, when pierced by the serpent's sting [that is the Devil's]."</b></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine also used the dragon/serpent symbolism to specifically describe Licinius.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>"Like some <i>wild beast</i>, or a <i>twisting snake</i> coiling up on itself."</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>"But now, with liberty restored and that <i>dragon</i> driven out of the public administration through the providence of the supreme God and by our service."</b></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><b> "The references to "liberty...restored" and the perishing dragon-serpents in the palace sermon and the episcopal letter must be the literary twins of the <a href="http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/asst2/libertas25.jpeg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/asst2/libertas25.jpeg" rel="nofollow">LIBERTAS PVBLICA</a> and the pierced dragon coins issued about the same time." </b></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Eusebius also described a painting that Constantine placed above the door to his palace.</b></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><b> This he displayed on a very high panel set before the entrance to the palace for the eyes of all to see, showing in the picture the Saviour's sign placed above his own head, and the hostile and inimical beast, which had laid siege to the Church of God through the tyranny of the godless, he made in the form of a dragon borne down to the deep. For the oracles proclaimed him a 'dragon' and a 'crooked serpent' in the books of the prophets of God (Isaiah 27:1); therefore the emperor also showed to all, through the medium of the encaustic painting, the dragon under his own feet and those of his sons, pierced through the body with a javelin, and thrust down into the depths of the sea.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b> The coin shows three medallions on the standard. The medallions were portraits of Constantine I and two of his sons. The sons were probably Constantine II and Constantius II, as Eusebius said that Constantine personally showed him the standard. Eusebius did not meet Constantine until 325, and Crispus was dead by 326, so the other two sons are the most likely candidates to have been represented on the standard.</b></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><b> The symbol of the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre: and these letters the emperor was in the habit of wearing on his helmet at a later period. From the cross-bar of the spear was suspended a cloth, a royal piece, covered with a profuse embroidery of most brilliant precious stones; and which, being also richly interlaced with gold, presented an indescribable degree of beauty to the beholder. This banner was of a square form, and the upright staff, whose lower section was of great length, bore a golden half-length portrait of the pious emperor and his children on its upper part, beneath the trophy of the cross, and immediately above the embroidered banner.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><a href="http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/symbols/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/symbols/" rel="nofollow">http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/symbols/</a></b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Victor_Clark, post: 8070705, member: 10613"]There has been a lot written about that coin over the years. Here is some from my page [B] So the SPES PVBLIC reverse "is the first coin type where the design explicitly proclaims Constantine's new faith." Some people may wonder why Constantine took so long before using Christian symbolism in an overt fashion on his coins. Constantine had to exercise some caution and not upset too many people, especially the army. "He was careful, and that was why his Christianization of the empire was only gradual...reflected in the slow and for a long time minimal infiltration of the coinage by Christianity."[/B] [B] Constantine, and Eusebius, compared serpents/dragons to evil on many occasions. In one instance, when he referred to Arius, Constantine talked about the serpent and the Devil as if they were one.[/B] [B]"Take heed, everyone take heed, how sad he sounds, when pierced by the serpent's sting [that is the Devil's]."[/B] [B]Constantine also used the dragon/serpent symbolism to specifically describe Licinius.[/B] [B]"Like some [I]wild beast[/I], or a [I]twisting snake[/I] coiling up on itself."[/B] [B]"But now, with liberty restored and that [I]dragon[/I] driven out of the public administration through the providence of the supreme God and by our service."[/B] [B] "The references to "liberty...restored" and the perishing dragon-serpents in the palace sermon and the episcopal letter must be the literary twins of the [URL='http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/asst2/libertas25.jpeg']LIBERTAS PVBLICA[/URL] and the pierced dragon coins issued about the same time." [/B] [B]Eusebius also described a painting that Constantine placed above the door to his palace.[/B] [B] This he displayed on a very high panel set before the entrance to the palace for the eyes of all to see, showing in the picture the Saviour's sign placed above his own head, and the hostile and inimical beast, which had laid siege to the Church of God through the tyranny of the godless, he made in the form of a dragon borne down to the deep. For the oracles proclaimed him a 'dragon' and a 'crooked serpent' in the books of the prophets of God (Isaiah 27:1); therefore the emperor also showed to all, through the medium of the encaustic painting, the dragon under his own feet and those of his sons, pierced through the body with a javelin, and thrust down into the depths of the sea.[/B] [B] The coin shows three medallions on the standard. The medallions were portraits of Constantine I and two of his sons. The sons were probably Constantine II and Constantius II, as Eusebius said that Constantine personally showed him the standard. Eusebius did not meet Constantine until 325, and Crispus was dead by 326, so the other two sons are the most likely candidates to have been represented on the standard.[/B] [B] The symbol of the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre: and these letters the emperor was in the habit of wearing on his helmet at a later period. From the cross-bar of the spear was suspended a cloth, a royal piece, covered with a profuse embroidery of most brilliant precious stones; and which, being also richly interlaced with gold, presented an indescribable degree of beauty to the beholder. This banner was of a square form, and the upright staff, whose lower section was of great length, bore a golden half-length portrait of the pious emperor and his children on its upper part, beneath the trophy of the cross, and immediately above the embroidered banner. [URL]http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/symbols/[/URL][/B][/QUOTE]
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