Coin of Emperor Probus , circa 280, with Sol Invictus riding a quadriga , with legend SOLI INVICTO, to the Unconquered Sun: the Emperor (at left) wears a radiated solar crown , worn also by the god on the obverse Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) was the official sun god of the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers. In 274 the Roman emperor Aurelian made it an official cult alongside the traditional Roman cults. Scholars disagree whether the new deity was a refoundation of the ancient Latin cult of Sol ,[1] a revival of the cult of Elagabalus [2] or completely new.[3] The god was favored by emperors after Aurelian and appeared on their coins until Constantine I .[4] The last inscription referring to Sol Invictus dates to AD 387, [5] and there were enough devotees in the 5th century that Augustine found it necessary to preach against them. [6] The idea, particularly popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, that the solstice date of 25 December for Christmas was selected in because it was also the date of a Roman festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) is challenged [7] by a different explanation considered academically to be thoroughly viable. [8] Both theories have supporters, with some claiming that the festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti was later syncretized with Christmas, [9] [need quotation to verify] and others saying that the Christian celebration may even predate the festival of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti .[10][11][12]
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 22:50:58 +0000
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