In hoc signo vinces
"In hoc signo vinces" (German: "In this sign you will win") is a Latin expression . It relates to the victory of Constantine the Great against his rival Maxentius in 312 in the battle of the Milvian Bridge .
The bishop and church writer Eusebius of Caesarea is the author of a biography of Emperor Constantine ( Vita Constantini ). In this he reports on the battle in 312 ( Vita Constantini I 28-30). Constantine and his army saw a cross made of light over the sun at noon with the words " Ἐν τούτῳ νίκα " ( En toutō nika ). Constantine had not understood this sign for a long time, which is why Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream the night before the battle with the sign he had seen, explained to him that he should use the sign against his enemies, and instructed him to use it as a protection and victory sign have. Eusebius further reports that Constantine then ordered the use of the Labarum as a standard (compare Christ monogram ).
The Latin rendition in hoc signo vinces (i.e. in future tense form) of the original Greek text is, however, imprecise. The text handed down by Eusebius is correctly translated (as is the case in most historical specialist publications): “Through this victory”. The modified Latin rendering hoc signo victor eris (“Under this sign you will be victorious”) can be found on coins, but not during Constantine's lifetime.
The sentence adorns the city coat of arms of Pilsen . The noun sacrum IHS is sometimes interpreted as an abbreviation for "In hoc signo vinces". The Pall Mall cigarette brand had the sentence on the tape under its old trademark.
literature
- Nikolaus Staubach : In hoc signo vinces. Declaration of miracles and criticism of miracles in the premodern discourse of knowledge . In: Frühmittelalterliche Studien 43, 2009, pp. 1–52.