What could be a better symbol of Jesus Christ than the sun? Like the Savior, it gives light and life to mankind. Christian tradition is full of solar symbolism, from the celebration of Christmas and Easter to the use of celestial imagery in sacred art. Read on to learn about the ways that the sun is used as a metaphor for Christ.
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| Christ in the Center of the Zodiac, Dekoulou Monastery, Greece, 16th century |
Why do we celebrate Jesus’s birth on the 25th of December? What is the significance of His death and resurrection during the vernal equinox? And what is the symbolic meaning of Sunday as “the Lord’s day”? All of these aspects of Christianity, and many more, use the sun and its cycles to teach about the Savior. The sun is an appropriate symbol for Jesus: it gives us light and life just like He does. Understanding the solar symbolism of the New Testament helps us to see the Christian meaning of solstices, equinoxes, and certain signs of the Zodiac.
The Sun in the Ancient World
Before diving into solar symbolism, it is important to understand how ancient cultures perceived the sun. To our ancient ancestors, each year constituted a solar life cycle; at the winter solstice, the old sun was thought to die, and a new sun was born. This new sun steadily gained ascendancy over the darkness of winter as the days grew longer. At the vernal equinox, the ancients celebrated the maturing sun’s victory over darkness, because the days and nights were now of equal length. After the sun reached its prime at the summer solstice, it began its decline into old age. This decline continued until the sun’s death at the winter solstice, and the cycle began again with the birth of a new sun.
Each year, as the sun made it’s life-journey through the backdrop of the stars, it passed through twelve constellations known as the Zodiac. The term “Zodiac” roughly translates to “circle of animals.” True to its name, the Zodiac consists mostly of animals as well as a few humans and one object. Each constellation in the Zodiac is symbolic of the nature of the sun when it resides in that part of the sky. For example, the sun reaches it’s fiery glory in Leo, the lion, during mid-summer, and it becomes more gentle and temperate as it passes over Virgo, the virgin, in late-summer. Because of their seasonal association, the signs of the Zodiac became symbols of the sun in its various aspects.
Christmas and Easter
So, what does all this information about the sun have to do with Jesus Christ? You’ve probably already realized some of the connections. One of the most obvious is Christmas; it’s no coincidence that Jesus’s birth is celebrated just after the winter solstice, on a day that was anciently considered the birthdate of the sun. Like the increasing daylight following the solstice, Jesus’s birth represented regeneration and new hope. As a symbolic confirmation that the Light of the Messiah had arrived, a new star appeared in the sky, similar to the concept the “new sun” following the solstice. There are also many ways in which the birth of the Savior parallels the sunrise: it occurred out-of-doors, probably in a sort of stable-cave, reminiscent of the sun’s apparent rise from the caverns of the earth. Jesus’s nativity was heralded by animals and shepherds, who typically greet the rising sun.
Another clear connection between Jesus and the sun’s cycle are the signs of His death. Fist of all, there was premature darkness following Jesus’s demise. Just as the sun seems to “die” for the three months of winter, the number three is prominent in the death of the Savior: three men were crucified together, He hung on the cross for three hours, and He remained in the tomb for 3 days.
Not surprisingly, solar symbolism is also present in Jesus’s resurrection. The time of His rise from the tomb references the sun in many ways: it was near the time of the vernal equinox (the time of year when light overcomes darkness), on a Sunday (a day traditionally devoted to the sun), at sunrise. In addition, He rose from a cave-like tomb, harkening back to the symbolism of His birth (the sun ascending from the caverns of the earth, as was anciently believed).
The Zodiac
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| South Rose Window of Christ, Saint Maurice Cathedral, Angers, France, 1451 (Note the signs of the Zodiac depicted on the large outer circles of each pane) |
Given the symbolic significance of the vernal equinox in Christianity, it makes sense that the Zodiac signs related to spring play an important role in its iconography. At the time of Jesus’s earthly ministry, the sun would have been somewhere between Aries (the ram) and Pisces (the fish) during the vernal equinox. (The stars have shifted slightly since that time due to a phenomenon known as axial precession.) The ram is symbolically linked to Christ in several scriptural passages: in the Biblical account of Abraham, the ram served a Messianic role by serving as a sacrificial substitute for Isaac. Because a ram is a male sheep, it relates to the New Testament themes of Jesus as the “Lamb of God” and the “Good Shepherd.”
As for the sign of Pisces, fish are one of the most commonly mentioned animals in connection with Jesus: He caused Peter to catch a miraculous draught of fish, He fed thousands with fish and bread, and He charged His apostles to be “fishers of men.” Furthermore, the ichthys, or Jesus fish, is one of the most widely-used symbols for Christ.
There are a few ways in which the twelve signs of the Zodiac as a whole may be representative of Jesus. First, Jesus’s closest associates were the twelve apostles, who can be seen as representations of each Zodiac sign through their various characteristics. There are several theories about which Zodiac sign represents each apostle, but that’s a subject for another article.
The Tetramorph
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| Baldachin from Tost, La Seu d'Urgell, Spain, c. 1220 |
The other way in which the wheel of the Zodiac enters Christian symbolism is through the tetramorph, also known as the four living creatures. These are surreal beings that are described in the Books of Ezekiel and Revelation. In Ezekiel, the tetramorph have four faces each: these four faces resemble a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. In Revelation, each living creature has only one face, but the same four animal types (man, lion, ox, etc.) are featured in each one. In both books, the tetramorph are presented as sentinels that surround the throne of God. Interestingly, representations of these creatures surround Jesus in many medieval works of art. The four living creatures are also used as a symbols of the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, respectively.
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| Romanesque Illuminated Gospel, c. 1220 |
So what is the meaning of these four creatures, and what do they have to do with Jesus? One of the most common explanations of the tetramorph is that they represent the four fixed signs of the Zodiac: Aquarius (a man), Leo (a lion), Taurus (an ox), and Scorpio (a scorpion, but the constellation was also perceived as a falcon by the ancients). Don’t let the name “fixed signs” confuse you; they aren’t any more stationary than the other Zodiac signs. The term “fixed” describes the steady characteristics that they symbolize. If you arrange the 12 signs of the Zodiac in order and then divide them into groups of 3, the fixed signs are in the middle of each group. When the Zodiac is arranged in a circle, the fixed signs form a cross (see the image below). Because of this arrangement, they serve as a symbol for the four quarters of the earth. One interpretation of the tetramorph, therefore, is that each of the four creatures represents an angel that has been given stewardship over one of the earth’s quarters. Because of this, depictions of Christ surrounded by the tetramorph imply His dominion over the whole earth. Likewise, the use of these four creatures to represent the four evangelists signifies that the gospel of Jesus Christ will go forth to the whole world.
The Return of the Light
In addition to symbolizing Jesus’s universal influence, the sun is also used to represent the inevitability of His return. Just as the sun leaves in the night and returns in glory in the morning, we are promised that Jesus’s triumphal second coming is imminent. Although we don’t know the day or the hour, we can be as sure of His return as we are of the daily rising of the sun.
Finally, the sun is a symbol for Christ because it overlaps in function with the Savior. Both illuminate the path before us and bring growth, vitality, and renewal. Sunlight is a healing force that can cure sickness, just like Christ. Also, like our Savior, the sun gives us life by providing energy and warmth to the earth. Jesus explained the similarity as follows: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (St John 8:12)
Acknowledgement
Most of the ideas presented in this article are not my own. I intended the article as a compilation of ideas that I have encountered, but I can’t take credit for them. My primary source was Manly P. Hall, who wrote extensively on solar symbolism in scripture and mythology.
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