Editing Labarum (section)

==Iconographic career under Constantine==
[[Image:Maiorina-Vetranio-siscia RIC 281.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Coin of [[Vetranio]], a soldier is holding two labara. Notably, they differ from the labarum of Constantine in having the Chi-Rho depicted on the cloth rather than above it, and in having their staves decorated with [[Phalera (military decoration)|phalerae]] as were earlier Roman military unit standards.]]
[[Image:Consular diptych Probus 406.jpg|thumb|right|The emperor [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]] holding a variant of the labarum - the Latin phrase on the cloth means "In the name of Christ [rendered by the Greek letters XPI] be ever victorious."]]
The labarum does not appear on any of several standards depicted on the [[Arch of Constantine]], which was erected just three years after the battle. If Eusebius' oath-confirmed account of Constantine's vision and the role it played in his victory and conversion can be trusted, then a grand opportunity for the kind of political propaganda that the Arch was built to present was missed. Many historians have argued that in the early years after the battle, the Emperor had not yet decided to give clear public support to Christianity, whether from a lack of personal faith or because of fear of religious friction. The arch's inscription does say that the Emperor had saved the ''[[res publica]]'' <small>INSTINCTV DIVINITATIS MENTIS MAGNITVDINE</small> ("by greatness of mind and by instinct [or impulse] of divinity"). Continuing the iconography of his predecessors, Constantine's coinage at the time was inscribed with solar symbolism, interpreted as representing ''[[Sol Invictus]]'' (the Unconquered Sun), [[Helios]], [[Apollo]], or [[Mithras]], but in 325 and thereafter the coinage ceases to be explicitly pagan, and Sol Invictus disappears. And although Eusebius' ''[[Church History (Eusebius)|Historia Ecclesiae]]'' further reports that Constantine had a statue of himself "holding the sign of the Savior [the cross] in his right hand" erected after his victorious entry into Rome, there are no other reports to confirm such a monument.

Historians still dispute whether Constantine was the first Christian Emperor to support a peaceful transition to Christianity during his rule, or an undecided pagan believer until middle age, and also how strongly influenced he was in his political-religious decisions by his Christian mother [[Helena of Constantinople|St. Helena]].

As for the labarum itself, there is little evidence for its use before 317.<ref>Smith, JH, p. 104: "What little evidence exists suggests that in fact the labarum bearing the chi-rho symbol was not used before 317, when Crispus became Caesar..."</ref> In the course of Constantine's second war against Licinius in 324, the latter developed a superstitious dread of Constantine's standard. During the attack of Constantine's troops at the [[Battle of Adrianople (324)|Battle of Adrianople]] the guard of the labarum standard were directed to move it to any part of the field where his soldiers seemed to be faltering. The appearance of this talismanic object appeared to embolden Constantine's troops and dismay those of Licinius.<ref>Odahl, p. 178</ref> At the final battle of the war, the [[Battle of Chrysopolis]], Licinius, though prominently displaying the images of Rome's pagan pantheon on his own battle line, forbade his troops from actively attacking the labarum, or even looking at it directly.<ref>Odahl, p.180</ref>

Constantine felt that both Licinius and [[Arius]] were agents of Satan, and associated them with the serpent described in  the [[Book of Revelation]] ([[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Revelation#12:9|12:9]]).<ref>''Constantine and the Christian empire'' by Charles Matson Odahl 2004 {{ISBN|0-415-17485-6}} page 315</ref> Constantine represented Licinius as a snake on his coins.<ref>''A Companion to Roman Religion'' edited by [[Jörg Rüpke]] 2011 {{ISBN|1-4443-3924-9}} page 159</ref>

Eusebius stated that in addition to the singular labarum of Constantine, other similar standards (labara) were issued to the Roman army.  This is confirmed by the two labara depicted being held by a soldier on a coin of [[Vetranio]] (illustrated) dating from 350.