Constans

10/30/2011                                                                                    link back up to main Chapter 262 Coins

Chi Rho

Do you know the Chi Rho symbol? I didn't until getting back into the coin world. You could say it is unimportant, but it does stand for the largest (33%) percentage of the world's religious belief system. This symbol for Christianity is comprised of the first two Greek letters Chi (χ) and Rho (ρ) of the Greek word for Christ "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ". It appears on the labarum flag pole between the soldiers on my recent year 335 Roman Emperor Constans follis coin obtained via ebay 250,000 year old Murska Sobota, Slovenia. The two soldiers are presumably the two brothers who were co-emperors with Constans.

  It's also may look like Jesus on the cross. It has been used throughout history starting with my Constans' Dad when Rome adopted the new religion.

Constans' Dad was Emperor Constantine I. He had a vision of Chi Rho in the sky to go into battle with "God on his side", an enduring concept that everyone else seems to also claim. He won this famous  Battle of the Milvian Bridge the first time he used this labarum for good luck. His edict a year later ended persecution of Christians although they were still fed to the lions for a few hundred more years. It was during this era when a lot of hashing out of the religion was conducted.

It is ironic that one morning 38 years ago while Kathy and others slept off the weariness of the transatlantic flight, I took a walk across this same historic Ponte Milvio bridge. Constantine the Great killed his adversary throwing him into the river to take control of Rome and change world history. Did not know it's historical significance until today, only recalled the filthy Tiber River and looking down at the rats. There had been a break in the drinking water system and our hotel had rerouted their roof top swimming pool water for our shower water (no drink per favore).

 Our hotel was also right next to the Olympic Stadium and I got a snapshot of the hog sandwiches that morning being prepared for the mobs of local ruffian spectators as they came in for a soccer game. Tried in vain to find this exact location via Google street view but came close.

CONSTANS, as Caesar. 333-337 AD. Æ Reduced Follis (17mm, 1.7g). Struck 335-336 AD. FL CONSTANTIS BEA C , Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. / GLORI-AEXER-CITVS, two soldiers standing, spear in outer hand, inner hand resting on shield on the ground; one standard between them; ΔSIS . (mint of Siscia,Croatia). RIC VII, pg 458, #255;Coin is RARE .

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