Page 42 - Emperor Constantine Enforcer of the Trinity Doctrine

Mystica on-line Encyclopedia Article Christ, Constatine, Sol Invictus by Ralph Monday “One of the earliest attributions of the halo to the sky god (sun) is the Egyptian. Egyptians halos commonly were drawn as a large sphere in the color of the sun. Egyptian art contains numerous examples of halos, often associated with self-created and father of all the gods, Ra, who was associated with the sun. The lion-headed Sekhmet is also depicted as having a halo. Sekhmet was sent to a deity who was sent forth to reprimand humanity when the honor of the gods was neglected. Likewise, the Greek sun god Helios (Roman Apollo) is depicted with a halo surrounding his head, in the Roman, Neptune, god of the sea, and the mythic founder of Rome, Romulus are often illustrated with halos adorning their heads. After 100 C.E. Roman emperors used the halo in imperial coins (called a nimbate), (Halos in Western Art). Constantine continued the practice, and the medieval church depicted Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the apostles backlit by the sun halo numerous times in Christian art, a practice that continues to this day. (Above a depiction of the sun god of Emperor Constantine with his solar halo and rays.)
The Egyptians are one of the earliest recorded cultures to fully embrace the sun as a deity. Ra was the major cosmic deity. Early Egyptian kings claimed descent from his lineage. At the beginning of the Middle Kingdom (2134-1668 B.C.E) the worship of Ra, for all intents and purposes, became a state religion. During the Theban dynasties the god was melded to Amon and was transformed into the supreme god Amon-Ra (or Amen-Ra). Then, the pharaoh Amenhotep II during the 18th Dynasty renamed Amon-Ra to Aton ancient term denoting physical solar force. Amenhotep's son when he became king, Amenhotep IV, revolutionized Egyptian religion by issuing a proclamation that Aton was the one true and only god, on the surface creating the first monotheistic religion. An early example of the concept of the trinity is also in evidence, for the Egyptians believed in a divine father, mother, and son (Horus, Isis, Osiris) (Dyson, Jr.). Thus, the stage was early set for the progression of sun through the heavens to become an eventual "concrete" deity for millions upon millions of believers. Predating even the Egyptian belief in the sun as a deity the Sumerian/Babylonian civilization extends backwards in time to about 4500 B.C.E., and this civilization may indeed be responsible for the first cities. Another triad or trinity is found here, that of Shamash (Utu), Sin, and Ishtar (Inanna). Shamash was the common name of the sun god in Babylonia and Assyria and as such was thought of as the dispenser of justice because as the sun disperses darkness, so Shamash brings wrong and injustice to light.”
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