Sol was not a perfect symbol for Jesus. As Christians began to understand their faith free of the Roman lens, this image was abandoned. At the start, though, early Christians were better able to relate to this makeshift icon than images that are familiar to us. Through borrowed, familiar Roman imagery, Christianity became readily understandable to the pagan world. This familiarity and comprehensibility vastly expanded the audience ready to hear the Christian message. This important connection to the sun was communicated perfectly to that group of people.
This is an ancient master class in imagery. It shows how images shape us and how we, in turn, can shape both images and others.
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