the Bull: * see EndNote<A>

key symbol for the Roman Mithraic Mysteries, commonly depicting a bull; the Tauroctony was a standard image in every mithraeum, showing Mithras half-straddling a bull forced to the ground, the bull appears in profile, facing to his left, the head of Mithras is turned away from the bull, looking back over his right shoulder up to Sol.  The early Christians also used the bull, as it was a sacrificial animal, in Christian iconography a symbol of redemption & life through sacrifice, relating to Luke's records of Christ as a priest and his ultimate sacrifice .  In traditional depictions (paintings, evangelist portraits, church mosaics), Luke is often accompanied by an ox, usually having wings.  Sometimes only the symbol is shown, especially when in a combination of those of all 4 Evangelists. 

 

the Lamb: * see EndNote<B>

In Christian iconography an allusion to Jesus, found frequently in the NT as well as Psalms in the OT.  Christian doctrine holds that a divine Jesus chose crucifixion as a sign of his full obedience to the will of his divine Father, a sacrifice to carry away the sins of the world.  As a sacrificial image the Lamb of God is integral to the Christian message.  Early Christian art used lambs as a substitute for portraying Christ as a human being; this iconography will usually have a halo featuring a chi-rho.

 

the Fish: * see EndNote<C>

Christian iconography, a symbol consisting of 2 intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point to resemble the profile of a fish; the Greek word for fish (ΙΧΘΥϹ) also spells the first letters of the phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour”; Clement of Alexandria (150 A.D.) is the first Christian father to mention the fish symbol; it became increasingly popular late 2nd century & was used widely in the 3rd & 4th centuries. Owing to Roman persecution it initially was a secret symbol to recognize churches & other believers.  It is also a reference to "the Holy Eucharist, with which the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes is connected; as well as this fish are mentioned and given symbolic meaning several times in the Gospels.

 

the Triangle: * see EndNote<D>

the anthropomorph symbol is present on many archaeological remains of the Punic civilization; its basic form consists of a disc on top of a triangle, separated by a horizontal line, like a schematic image of a person.  It is associated with the goddess Tanit, most important goddess in the Punic religion, whose partner was Ba'al Hammon, the Romans knew her as Dea Caelestis or Virgo Caelestis

 

the Cross:

Christian symbol or "seal" used as early as the 2nd century; Syrian Christians were hanging the cross on the eastern wall of their house and prayed in that direction, symbolizing "their souls facing God, talking with him, and sharing their spirituality with the Lord."  In addition the marking of a cross upon the forehead & chest was regarded as a talisman against the powers of demons.  In the 2nd century the Church Fathers had to defend themselves against charge of worshiping the cross.  There are few extant examples of 2nd century crosses in Christian iconography; possibly Christians were reluctant to use it as it depicts a purposely painful and gruesome method of public execution.

 

“in hoc signo vinces”: * see Endnote<D>

Latin meaning "In this sign thou shalt conquer".  According to Lactantius (Latin historian & advisor to Constantine) Constantine was marching with his army, when he looked up to the sun & saw a cross of light above it & the Greek words "(ἐν) τούτῳ νίκα" (Latin "In this, conquer").  That night, Christ appeared to the emperor in a dream, telling him to make a replica of the sign he had seen in the sky & put it on the shields of his soldiers.  Constantine obliged & the Chi Rho (Greek XP, first 2 letters of the Greek Christos) was duly ascribed onto shields.  That day Constantine's army fought & defeated the forces of Maxentius at Milvian Bridge (312 AD) outside Rome.  After Constantine, the Chi-Rho became part of the official imperial insignia.

 

Roman state worship (post-Trajan): * see Endnote<E>

the immediate successor to Trajan was Hadrian (76-138 AD), like all emperors (Pontiff Maximus) he was responsible for state religious matters.  Born in Hispania (Spain) his cultural bias was to the provinces not the city of Rome.  His religious inclination was Apollonian not Roman; he favoured the Greek pantheon.  His Hispano-Roman origins and marked pro-Hellenism shifted the focus of the official imperial cult, away from Rome towards the provinces.  He gave Greek culture pride of place, promoted dea Roma, a Greek inspired god; he also continued toleration of the eastern Christian cult & in Egypt showed favour to the cults of Osiris & Serapis.

 

Caracalla (217 AD decree):

see Chapter IX page 335

 

Baals of Doliche: * see Endnote<F>

aka Jupiter Dolichenus (in the Empire) Syrian cult adopted by the Romans, focused on Baal who served as a national god & as a 'king' god (also features of Roman Jupiter); initially associated with Hadad the storm & fertility god; he held power over lightning, wind, rain & fertility.  The dry summers of the region were explained as Baal's time in the underworld, his return in autumn caused the storms which revived the land.  His prominence in Asia Minor reflected the regions' dependence on rainfall.  Jupiter Dolichenus was based on Roman interpolations of the Semitic Hadad-Baal-Teshub cult, whose centre was near Doliche (in Commagene, north of Syria).  The Roman cult was fixed on its Syrian' exoticism, locality & identity, tied firmly to the sanctity of Doliche the place & to the oriental nature of the god.  The earliest Roman traces of the cult appear in Numidia where the Romans dedicated an altar in 125 AD.  In Rome a temple to Jupiter Dolichenus was built on the Caelian Hill during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD).   A large number of dedications occur under Septimius Severus (193-211 AD) and Caracalla (198-217 AD), the high point of the cult.

and see above page 406-Jupiter Dolichenus.

​

Baals of Petra: see Endnote<F>

Petra was settled by the Nabataeans early 4th century BC & became their capital.  One of the gods they worshipped was Baalshamin, a Syrian deity, adopted when the Nabataeans expanded into S. Syria.  His named means "Lord of Heaven", associating the deity with the skies; he originated from the storm god Hadad worshiped in Syria & Mesopotamia.  As a deity that deals with the heavens, he is identified by many as a version of Zeus.

 

Baals of Palmyra: * see Endnote<F>

ancient Semitic city in Syria; a commercial hub which allowed its inhabitants to benefit from commerce & became renowned merchants, operating throughout the Empire with colonies on the Silk Road; the population worshiped local Semitic deities, Mesopotamian & Arab gods, one of the more prominent being Baal.  Their wealth allowed them to build several monumental temples to Baal, notably:

The Temple of Baalshamin (late 2nd century BC, with an alter built in AD 115, rebuilt in AD 131; dedicated to the Canaanite sky deity Baalshamin..

Temple of Baal (dedicated in AD 32); with a large precinct lined by porticos; rectangular shape with an exterior wall 673 feet long with a propylaea, a cella stood on a podium in the middle of the enclosure.

The Temple of Baal-hamon (constructed in AD 89) it consisted of a cella and a vestibule with 2 columns; the deity was closely associated with Carthage.

and see above page 406 the Sun-god favoured by Aurelian (the Baal of Palmyra)

 

Baals of Edessa: *see Endnote<F>

city in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (ruled 305–281 BC); cult centre for the moon god mentioned in neo-Assyrian & neo-Babylonian sources.  Literary evidence suggests that Nebō, Bēl (possibly identified with Hadad) & Atargatis were major deities of pagan Edessa.  This is supported by several Christian polemical texts which accused the Edessans of having followed these cults.  During Late Antiquity, it became a prominent centre of Christian learning and seat of the Catechetical School of Edessa.

 

Sol (monotheism): * see EndNote<G>

in Rome the cult of Sol dates back to the Republic; it rose to brief prominence under Elagabalus (204-222 AD, head priest of the Syrian sun god Elagabal, emperor 218 to 222 AD) who brought his solar deity & cult image from Syria to Rome while neglecting the traditional State deities, a clear attempt to import the Syrian sun god to Rome.  At this time (during the Severan dynasty, 193 to 235 AD) the legions worshipped a panoply of cult gods: the state gods, the Imperial divi, the living emperor's numen & even a cult to the Empress as mother.  Mithras was also popular among the army & Sol Invictus played a prominent role in the Mithraic mysteries as Sol was equated with Mithras.  In 247 AD Emperor Aurelian made Sol Invictus an official religion alongside the traditional Roman cults & placed a cult statue of the sun god from Palmyra in the temple of Sol Invictus.  His god may have Syrian roots linked to Šams, the solar god of Palmyra.  Aurelian’s propaganda campaign celebrated Sol as the exclusive protector of Rome's imperial might, an invincible conqueror of Rome's enemies, companion & guardian deity of the emperor.  Sol retained Imperial favour appearing on coins until AD 387.  Probus (emperor 276–282 AD) continued the propaganda campaign as did Constantine (emperor 306–337 AD).  Religious syncretism led to a gradual amalgamation of gods, their titles & epithets.  A growing feeling of monotheism among philosophers such as the neo-Platonism of Plotinus & common people led to a view that all divinities were emanations of 1 supreme divine force.  So was born Solar monotheism: Sol merged with Mithra.   Sol Invictus Mithra was regarded as the most powerful & immediate divine mediator between humans and the invisible majesty of the supreme god.  Imperial propaganda & the popularity of Mithraism in the 3rd century, assured Sol Invictus an influence upon other divine formulations including Christianity.

 

Licinius (and Sol):

(265-325,emperor 308 to 324) colleague  & rival of Constantine I; although their opposition climaxed in a military campaign, they were also political rivals.  The latter in part meant appealing to the religious sensibilities of their Legions.  A co-signer of the Edict of Milan, this act appears to be a tactical political move and after 313 AD he moved towards paganism.  He was eventually defeated by Constantine (324 AD).

 

Divus Julius (42 B.C.):

Following Caesar’s assignation (44 BC) an angry, grief-stricken crowd gathered in the Roman Forum to see his corpse & hear Mark Antony's funeral oration.  Antony appealed to Caesar's divinity and vowed vengeance.  A fervent popular cult to divus Julius followed, although initially forcefully suppressed.  However Caesarean pressure forced the Senate to confirm Caesar as a divus of the Roman state.  In 42 BC, with the "full consent of the Senate and people of Rome", Octavian held ceremonial apotheosis for his adoptive father.  In 40 BC the senate confirmed Antony as official priest for the divus Julius Caesar.  Provincial cult centres (caesarea) were founded in Caesarean colonies such as Corinth.   In 29 BC at the Roman Forum, Octavian dedicated the temple of the divus Julius at the site of Caesar's cremation.  He now had dutifully, legally and officially honoured his adoptive father as a divus of the Roman state.

 

temples (after Marcus Aurelius):

the cult of the Roman state divi (divine Rome) was associated with temples; the separate cult of the living emperor (worshiping his genius, divine nature) was associated with his altar.  The emperor's image was placed in a point to focus attention on his person & position in the divine and human hierarchies.  Expenditure on the physical expression of the Imperial cult was vast.  However in 235 AD the Empire was engulfed in crisis.  One spin-off of this disaster was runaway inflation & by 284 AD the old coinage of the Empire had nearly collapsed.  Many taxes were collected in kind, with values often notional.  This economic catastrophe radically cut state revenue & spending; no new temples to state divi were built after 235 AD.

 

templum divorum:

Latin meaning temple or shrine in the open air

[Domitian (51- 96 AD, emperor 81 to 96 AD) ordered the construction of THE Templum Divorum to memorialize the military triumphs of the Flavian family.  Spengler is certainly referring to the Latin phrase “templum divorum” and not the temple built by Domitian.  The text is in quotes, italicised & in lower case.  Furthermore in the context of the paragraph, describing of the decay of emperor worship after Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD, emperor from 161-180 AD) it does not fit.]