DOI article:
Miziołek, Jerzy: Ascensio, Apotheosis czy Resurrectio?: Rozważania o Currus Solis w mauzoleum Juliuszy pod bazyliką watykańską
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13597#0047
ASCENSIO, APOTHEOSIS CZY RESURRECTIO?
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from out of the darkness itself. «Awake, thou that sleepest», Не cries, «and arise from the death, and thèse shall shine upon thee
Christ the Lord», the Sun of Résurrection [this and following underlines made by the author], He that is begotten «before the
morning star», He that dispenses life by His own rays" {Protreptikos IX, 70, quoted from the Loeb Classical Library).
"«Hail, о Light» upon us who lay buried in darkness and shut up in the shadow of death a light shone forth from heaven purer
than the light, and setting through fear, gives place to the day of the Lord. The universe has become sleepless light and the setting
[décline] has turned into rising [ascent]. This is what was meant by «the new création». For He who rides over the universe, «the
Sun of righteousness», visits mankind importially, imitating His Father, who «causes His sun to rise upon ail men», and sprinkles
them ail with the dew of truth. He is was who changed the setting [West] into rising [East], and crucified death into life; who
having snatched man out of the jaws of destruction raised him to the sky, transplanting corruption to the soil of incorruption, and
transforming earth into heaven" {Protreptikos XI, 88, quoted from the Loeb Classical Library. Cf. Murray's interprétation to this
text — p. 94, 95). A similar idea is to be found among the so-called Odes of Salomon: "The Lord is my Sun, His rays have raised me
up [...]".
Hippolitus of Rome in his Paschal homily, describes the Résurrection of Christ in such a manner: "Voici que les rayons sacrés
de la lumière du Christ, resplendissent [...] L'Orient des Orients occupe l'univers, et celui qui était «avant l'étoile du matin» et
avant les astres, immortel et immense le grand Christ brille sur tous les êtres plus que soleil [...] (quoted after Sources chrétiennes,
No. 27, p. 116 f.).
One may quote also an important passage from the latter part of the 3rd century (or the early part of the 4th), which explains
the "unconquered nature" of Christ-Sol in Mausoleum M: "they [...] call [this day] the birthday of the unconquered sun. Yet who is
as unconquered as our Lord, who threw down death [...] They may call this day the birthday of Sol, but He alone is the Sun of
Righteousness of whom the Prophet Malachi said: Therc shall arisc to you who fear His name the Sun of Righteousness and there
shall be healing under his wings" (Latin treatise, De solstiis et aequinoctialis, quoted after Rahner 1963). This text treats of
Christmas, but at the same time speaks on Christ "unconquered" who conquered death. Thus, the mosaic on the vault in the Julii
Tomb shows the Résurrection of Christ. It is well known besides, that the number "Eight" is connected with the Résurrection. It is
important to remember that the Vatican Helios is depicted in an octogonal shape. On the symbolism of the number Eight many
Christian apologists wrote before the end of the first quarter of the 4th century, including Justin the Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons,
Clément of Alexandria, Hippolitus of Rome, Origen, Methodius of Olimpus and Eusebius of Caesarea.
Three christians buried below the floor of Mausoleum M, against the East wall, are to "rise" to a new life, as in the case of
Christ depicted on the vault. Ignatius of Antioch considered death as a "sunrise", a rising towards life eternal, towards glorification
with Christ: "[...] you may sing to the Father in Christ Jesus, that God has vouchsafed that the bishop of Syria schall be found at the
setting of the Sun, having fetched him from the Sun's rising" (Ad Romanos 2, 2, quoted from the Loeb Classical Library, tr. Kirsopp
Lake. Cf. also hymn in the Symposium <Book X> of Methodius of Olimpus, see Sources chrétiennes, No. 95, p. 310).
Ad. 4. One may compare the Vatican représentation of Helios with a fresco from the Cemetery of SS. Peter and Marcellin in
Rome (ca. 320), where a figure in a biga is pictured on the vault of an arcosolium between two scènes of Jonah. Murray rajected
previous suggestions that charioteer is Sol or Christ-Sol. She follows Tertullian (De Spectaculis IX, 3) in thinking that the biga
cannot be connected with Sol. The author points to other examples of Helios in a biga (see fig. 22, this représentation dates from the
12th century, but was made after an antique model; see also examples collected in note 99). Christ as a charioteer was also probably
shown in a mosaic in one of the niches in the Chapel of S. Aquilino in the Church of S. Lorenzo in Milan (ca 400, fig. 23) as Grabar
and Bertelli put it. Christus-Helios in a chariot occurs also in the Utrecht Psalter. Although dated from 9th century, it was probably
based on an earlier archétype (fig. 24).
The idea of Christ-Oriens linked with the Résurrection is to be found in two représentations from the 6th century, i.e.: in the
apse mosaic in SS. Cosma e Damiano in Rome (here are represented Christ-Oriens on the clouds of dawn and higher up the Phoenix,
well-known symbol of Résurrection — fig. 25 and in one of the miniatures from the Rabbula Gospels (Florence, Bibl. Laurenziana,
with rays = rising sun, fig. 26) shining from the Tomb of Christ.
Représentations of the Résurrection of Christ linked with solar symbolism are to be found not only in the art of the first
millennium, but also in art of the late médiéval and the Renaissance period (see notes 111 — 113). The most famous and impresive of
them was depicted by Grunewald (fig. 27).
Translatée! by the Author
NOTE: John F. Moffitt in his recently published paper on the mosaic under discussion (Helios, Christ, andChristmans, „Arie Cristiana", LXXVIII, 1990, pp. 437-441)
writes: "the mosaic vaults of the ceiling, might in fact belong to the early part of Constantine's reign, perhaps even before his proclamation of the "Peace of the Church" in
313 ..." (quote from p. 440). Cf. Roberto Giordani, "/« Templum Apollinis". A proposito di un incerto tempio d'Apollo in Valicano menzionato nel Liber Pontificalis, „Rivistadi
Archeologia Cristiana", LXIV, 1988, pp. 161-188, esp. 180-185.
43
from out of the darkness itself. «Awake, thou that sleepest», Не cries, «and arise from the death, and thèse shall shine upon thee
Christ the Lord», the Sun of Résurrection [this and following underlines made by the author], He that is begotten «before the
morning star», He that dispenses life by His own rays" {Protreptikos IX, 70, quoted from the Loeb Classical Library).
"«Hail, о Light» upon us who lay buried in darkness and shut up in the shadow of death a light shone forth from heaven purer
than the light, and setting through fear, gives place to the day of the Lord. The universe has become sleepless light and the setting
[décline] has turned into rising [ascent]. This is what was meant by «the new création». For He who rides over the universe, «the
Sun of righteousness», visits mankind importially, imitating His Father, who «causes His sun to rise upon ail men», and sprinkles
them ail with the dew of truth. He is was who changed the setting [West] into rising [East], and crucified death into life; who
having snatched man out of the jaws of destruction raised him to the sky, transplanting corruption to the soil of incorruption, and
transforming earth into heaven" {Protreptikos XI, 88, quoted from the Loeb Classical Library. Cf. Murray's interprétation to this
text — p. 94, 95). A similar idea is to be found among the so-called Odes of Salomon: "The Lord is my Sun, His rays have raised me
up [...]".
Hippolitus of Rome in his Paschal homily, describes the Résurrection of Christ in such a manner: "Voici que les rayons sacrés
de la lumière du Christ, resplendissent [...] L'Orient des Orients occupe l'univers, et celui qui était «avant l'étoile du matin» et
avant les astres, immortel et immense le grand Christ brille sur tous les êtres plus que soleil [...] (quoted after Sources chrétiennes,
No. 27, p. 116 f.).
One may quote also an important passage from the latter part of the 3rd century (or the early part of the 4th), which explains
the "unconquered nature" of Christ-Sol in Mausoleum M: "they [...] call [this day] the birthday of the unconquered sun. Yet who is
as unconquered as our Lord, who threw down death [...] They may call this day the birthday of Sol, but He alone is the Sun of
Righteousness of whom the Prophet Malachi said: Therc shall arisc to you who fear His name the Sun of Righteousness and there
shall be healing under his wings" (Latin treatise, De solstiis et aequinoctialis, quoted after Rahner 1963). This text treats of
Christmas, but at the same time speaks on Christ "unconquered" who conquered death. Thus, the mosaic on the vault in the Julii
Tomb shows the Résurrection of Christ. It is well known besides, that the number "Eight" is connected with the Résurrection. It is
important to remember that the Vatican Helios is depicted in an octogonal shape. On the symbolism of the number Eight many
Christian apologists wrote before the end of the first quarter of the 4th century, including Justin the Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons,
Clément of Alexandria, Hippolitus of Rome, Origen, Methodius of Olimpus and Eusebius of Caesarea.
Three christians buried below the floor of Mausoleum M, against the East wall, are to "rise" to a new life, as in the case of
Christ depicted on the vault. Ignatius of Antioch considered death as a "sunrise", a rising towards life eternal, towards glorification
with Christ: "[...] you may sing to the Father in Christ Jesus, that God has vouchsafed that the bishop of Syria schall be found at the
setting of the Sun, having fetched him from the Sun's rising" (Ad Romanos 2, 2, quoted from the Loeb Classical Library, tr. Kirsopp
Lake. Cf. also hymn in the Symposium <Book X> of Methodius of Olimpus, see Sources chrétiennes, No. 95, p. 310).
Ad. 4. One may compare the Vatican représentation of Helios with a fresco from the Cemetery of SS. Peter and Marcellin in
Rome (ca. 320), where a figure in a biga is pictured on the vault of an arcosolium between two scènes of Jonah. Murray rajected
previous suggestions that charioteer is Sol or Christ-Sol. She follows Tertullian (De Spectaculis IX, 3) in thinking that the biga
cannot be connected with Sol. The author points to other examples of Helios in a biga (see fig. 22, this représentation dates from the
12th century, but was made after an antique model; see also examples collected in note 99). Christ as a charioteer was also probably
shown in a mosaic in one of the niches in the Chapel of S. Aquilino in the Church of S. Lorenzo in Milan (ca 400, fig. 23) as Grabar
and Bertelli put it. Christus-Helios in a chariot occurs also in the Utrecht Psalter. Although dated from 9th century, it was probably
based on an earlier archétype (fig. 24).
The idea of Christ-Oriens linked with the Résurrection is to be found in two représentations from the 6th century, i.e.: in the
apse mosaic in SS. Cosma e Damiano in Rome (here are represented Christ-Oriens on the clouds of dawn and higher up the Phoenix,
well-known symbol of Résurrection — fig. 25 and in one of the miniatures from the Rabbula Gospels (Florence, Bibl. Laurenziana,
with rays = rising sun, fig. 26) shining from the Tomb of Christ.
Représentations of the Résurrection of Christ linked with solar symbolism are to be found not only in the art of the first
millennium, but also in art of the late médiéval and the Renaissance period (see notes 111 — 113). The most famous and impresive of
them was depicted by Grunewald (fig. 27).
Translatée! by the Author
NOTE: John F. Moffitt in his recently published paper on the mosaic under discussion (Helios, Christ, andChristmans, „Arie Cristiana", LXXVIII, 1990, pp. 437-441)
writes: "the mosaic vaults of the ceiling, might in fact belong to the early part of Constantine's reign, perhaps even before his proclamation of the "Peace of the Church" in
313 ..." (quote from p. 440). Cf. Roberto Giordani, "/« Templum Apollinis". A proposito di un incerto tempio d'Apollo in Valicano menzionato nel Liber Pontificalis, „Rivistadi
Archeologia Cristiana", LXIV, 1988, pp. 161-188, esp. 180-185.