"Put Your Sword Back Into its Place" (Matt. 26: 52). An Alleged Warlike Representation of Isaac II Angelos and Other Artistic Evidence

The gold hyperpyron of Isaac II Angelos (1185-1195, 1203-1204) shows the emperor and the Archangel Michael holding together a sword, as the evidence of the divine gift of military power to the ruler. Numismatic studies and most of the art historical scholarship usually stress the warlike connotation of such a scene and insist on the alleged half-drawn aspect of the sword. However, a careful analysis of the coins published in the main numismatic references, along with many specimens available in the collectors’ market, suggests the execution of a fully sheathed sword. Therefore, this can be interpreted as an imperial insignia, just like the crown and the loros, rather than a weapon to be used on the battlefield. On the other hand, comparisons with images of warrior saints actually holding a partially unsheathed sword corroborate such a hypothesis, also by virtue of their different and dynamic poses. Whereas these other figures appear, ideally, ready to act in case of need, the effigy of Michael on Isaac’s coins aims to celebrate the mediation of the divine will, together with the sword as a timeless symbol of power. This is how a sword in its scabbard can better protect the emperor and the subjects than a drawn (or half-drawn) weapon.