Source: “Cracking the Symbol Code: The Hidden Messages Within Church and Renaissance Art”, By Tim Wallace-Murphy, Watkins Publishing, London, 2010.
6. Decoding Christian Symbolism.mp4
6. Building Christian Europe - Power, Paradox, and the Strategic Rebirth of Symbols.m4a
This comprehensive text explores the consolidation of Christian Europe and the evolution of its symbolism, detailing how the Church asserted its dominance. It highlights the Church's strategic efforts to establish a monopoly on sacred knowledge by defining heresy, refuting rivals, and even incorporating pagan traditions and sites into its own framework. The document further explains how biblical narratives became the foundation for Christian art and iconography, illustrating concepts like "type" and "anti-type" to connect Old and New Testament events. Finally, it delves into the specific symbolism of Christ, saints, and numerical and color codes within Christian art and ritual, revealing a rich tapestry of meaning developed over centuries.
Topic 1: Church's Consolidation of Power and Control The growing Church faced the persistent challenge of heresy, which Saint Augustine of Hippo defined as the distortion of a revealed truth by either a believer or an unbeliever. The Church hierarchy conveniently defined "revealed truth" as whatever the Church itself declared it to be. This circular and self-serving definition enabled Church leaders to establish a complete monopoly over all access to the sacred. Driven by its need to survive, the Church increasingly and vehemently refuted anything it deemed heretical, leading to the development of rigid dogmatic statements of belief that forcefully resolved areas of dispute. The powerful Roman Church tolerated no rivals, whether within Christianity or from the pagan world, and actively campaigned for the closure of temples and worship centers of competing faiths. After their closure, the Church took over these established sacred sites for its own use, effectively abolishing ancient Greek mystery temples and silencing their oracles permanently. The Church also feared any access to sacred or secular knowledge that it did not monopolize, restricting education primarily to the clergy. This restriction was so pervasive that even the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, could barely write his name. By controlling access to books, education, and understanding, the Church aimed for absolute power and control over rulers, territories, peoples, and individuals, extending its authority over their earthly lives and their entrance to the afterlife.
Topic 2: Assimilation and Distortion of Pagan Traditions With the decline of the Roman Empire, the Church became the primary lawmaker for the newly converted peoples of Europe. The clergy, acting as scribes, codifiers, and final arbiters whose decisions were unappealable, codified the customary laws of these peoples. As self-appointed and sole literate guardians of history, priests recorded the oral legends and myths of various tribes, carefully omitting elements offensive to Christian teaching, retaining others, adding new ones, and subtly altering ancient histories. This process created a new, distinctly Christian culture. Through this pervasive method, the Church not only distorted the histories of entire peoples but also devalued any pagan rivals in the religious sphere. This all-encompassing strategy was further reinforced by incorporating pagan festivals into the developing Christian calendar. For example, Easter replaced the festival of Astarte, the Phoenician goddess of love and fertility; the feast of St. John the Baptist took over older pagan celebrations of the summer equinox; and the celebration of the winter equinox was merged with Mithras's birthday on December 25th to become Christmas.
Topic 3: Incorporation of Mithraic Mythology into Christianity A significant amount of Mithras's own mythology was integrated into the Christian narrative. Legends recount that shepherds adored Mithras at his birth. After performing various good deeds for his followers, Mithras, too, celebrated a last supper with them before ascending to heaven. Furthermore, Mithras, in the form of Sol Invictus—the deity worshipped by Emperor Constantine the Great—was believed to return to Earth at the end of time to judge humanity. These parallels might seem unusual to Christians who believe in the uniqueness or significant distinction of their faith from its predecessors.
Topic 4: The Church as Lawmaker and Custodian of History Following the decline of the Roman Empire, the Church assumed the role of the principal lawmaker for the newly converted European populations. The clergy, being the literate members of society, were responsible for giving written form to the customary laws of these peoples. They acted as scribes, codifiers, and the ultimate arbiters, with no avenue for appeal against their decisions. As the self-appointed and sole guardians of history, priests meticulously recorded the oral legends and myths of various tribes. In this process, they selectively omitted any content deemed offensive to Christian teaching, retained other elements, added new ones, and subtly modified people's ancient histories, thereby creating the foundational mold for a new, predominantly Christian culture.
Topic 5: Negative Consequences of the Church's Absolute Power The Church's endeavor to monopolize all access to the sacred and claim exclusive rights over spiritual knowledge and revelation set in motion a course of action that resulted in centuries of repression and persecution, ultimately culminating in the Inquisition. The Church, despite its vast influence, was seen as corrupt, and its impact on intellectual life was stifling, inhibiting progress and critical thought.
Topic 6: The Church as a Preserver of European Culture through Art and Architecture Despite its negative impact on intellectual life and its corrupt nature, the Church played a crucial role as the true savior of European culture, particularly in the fields of architecture and art. During the Dark Ages, the literacy of the clergy led to the development of some of the most exquisite symbols of early Christianity. This indicates that while it stifled intellectual discourse, the Church paradoxically provided the framework and patronage for significant artistic and architectural achievements.
Topic 7: The Early Development of Christian Symbolism During the Dark Ages, the literacy primarily confined to the clergy facilitated the emergence of some of the most beautiful symbols of early Christianity. Illustrations of the evangelists, which were initially the sole images in early manuscripts, evolved by the tenth century into declarations not only of faith but also of the almost divine achievement of learning. While historians often view the tenth century as equally dark and barbaric as the seventh, the art produced in both periods is considered astonishing. Princely patrons, such as Lothar and King Charles the Bald of France, commissioned numerous manuscripts adorned with jeweled book-covers, along with exquisitely crafted reliquaries. These were often intended as gifts for other rulers or influential bishops. In these stunning religious artifacts, a desire for 'gold and wrought gem-work' transitioned from being solely a symbol of a warrior's courage to celebrating the glory of God. By the tenth century, Christian art had largely adopted many of the characteristics it would maintain throughout the Middle Ages.
Topic 8: Christian Symbolism as a Unifying Force In the early years of the second millennium, Christian symbolism became a vital unifying force. It connected many artistic, mythical, and legendary traditions inherited from the conquered peoples' pagan past. These diverse traditions were interwoven by the common thread of Christian belief, demonstrating how the Church integrated existing cultural elements into its new framework. Consequently, many Christian symbols share common ground and symbolic meanings with those found in pagan religions, indicating a syncretic development rather than a complete break from the past.
Topic 9: The Evolution of Crucifixion Symbolism in Christian Art Representations of the Crucifixion, which is the redemptive act central to Christian faith, were rarely used in the early stages of Church symbolism development. In fact, early Christian art hardly features it at all. This absence was not due to theological reasons but was pragmatic: the early Church needed converts, and it was believed that depictions of the Crucifixion would not encourage people to embrace the faith. Therefore, early Christian art focused much more on the miracles of Christ, his healings, and other inspiring aspects of faith, such as the Ascension and the Resurrection, which were seen as more appealing to potential converts. However, as time progressed, the Crucifixion became a more prominent theme in Christian art.