Sandals in Christianity

It is not yet the occasion for a comparative religion nevertheless, the parallel conception of
the Sandals in ancient Egypt and in Christianity is surprising. The conscientious perusal of the
Egyptian and Biblical verses establishes the truth of identic revelation, excepting the
antecedent of the Egyptian by over three millennia.

Ephesians 6:10-13 (NKJV): The Whole Armor of God

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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do
not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the
heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
You have no excuse for yourself, for He has provided you with a complete set of armour for
the battle. You have the sword of the Spirit, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of
faith, the helmet of prayer, and sandals of gospel truth. Your foes with whom you are to fight
are, sin, the world, and the devil. Your shield is sufficient to keep off all the fiery darts of
satan, your sandals are sufficient to keep you firm and steadfast on your journey, your sword
is sufficient to cut his designs, your breastplate is sufficient to show that you are a soldier of
the King of kings, and Lord of lords, with whom all things is possible, your helmet is
sufficient to call your Captain to your assistance, when the fire of sin is beyond your power to
resist. (100)
The feet are to be shod with Gospel sandals for evangelistic work. Wherever we go we are to
carry the Gospel with us and strive to lead others to know its power. What a bright example
have we of this in the Apostle Paul's own life! He had indeed those sandals of Gospel peace,
and his feet were winged with zeal to carry everywhere the truth which he loved. North,
south, east, or west –anywhere and everywhere, as the lord directed his steps. (101) It is not
abstruse to discern that the writer is capitalizing on the legendary winged sandals of Hermes
that have been once given to Perseus for his mythical onslaught against Medusa.
The Instructions which Jesus gives to the Twelve as he sends them on their mission; to
observe especially what is of permanent import and continuous application in his counsel.
"Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house, or
that city, shake of the dust of your feet." They may, such is the fortune of all reformers, find
householders and neighborhoods that will contemptuously condemn them unheard. As it had
been the custom for the rabbis, when their counsel was rejected by a household or a city, on
departing to symbolically separate themselves from such an house or city by wiping their
sandals of the last atom of dust which may have been gathered in the inhospitable place, so
Jesus would have his disciples give this testimony against who, in rejecting their word, sinned
against light. (102)

100. The British Flag, United British Army Scripture, Readers' and Soldiers' Friend Society, Issue 65 January 1, 1862 p. 23
101. The Quiver, London 1891, Article "The Sandals of the Gospel", By Rev. G. Everard p. 362
102. The Sunday School Helper, Volumes 25-26, 1894, pp. 395-396

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Matthew 22:44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies
under your feet’?
Commenting on The 'Preparation' of the Gospel of Peace: Chrysostom speaks of the gospel of
peace being a foundation for the believer as the sandals were to the warrior. Now Paul does
not wish to teach the Christian soldier that he needs to be shod with the gospel of peace so as
to propagate it, but he is speaking of the whole armour of God, which is to be "put on," that
may stand, "and having done all, may stand in the evil day." (103)
The Christian must be strong in the lord, equipped with God's armour, in face of the devil's
wiles. He wrestles, not against mere human foes, but against the dæmonic powers and
principalities who are the rulers of this dark and wicked world; against the evil spiritual
agencies in the heavenly sphere. Against such, if he is to stand in the day of evil, his armour
must indeed be the armour of God – his girdle truth, his breastplate righteousness, his sandals
the preparedness begotten of the peace the gospel brings; in all circumstances he must take
trust in God as shield – so shall he be able to quench all the Evil One's flaming darts; he must
take the helmet which consists of salvation, and the Spirit's sword, i.e. the utterance of God;
with constancy, moreover, of ceaseless prayer and intercession in the Spirit at every moment,
keeping vigil thereunto with perseverance. (104)
The Christus Victor motif (Christ the Victor) offers an alternative perspective on the work of
Christ, viewing the cross and resurrection from the standpoint of conflict and victory over
Satan, sin, and death rather than ceremonial sacrifice for sin. It is a perspective that sees the
plight of Israel and humankind as bondage to a power rather than laboring under guilt (though
these are not ultimately exclusive perspectives). The cross and resurrection form the climax of
the paradoxical battle that engages spiritual and human forces within Israel, with the cross, the
harsh symbol of Christ's victory. In the words of Paul, "having stripped of the powers and
authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, and led them in triumphal procession on the
cross" (Col 2:15). Since Jesus has triumphed over his enemies, "God has highly exalted him"
(Phil 2:9) as cosmic Lord. He is pictured both as presently subduing his enemies (1 Cor
15:24-26) and as reigning in triumph over his enemies, who are now "under his feet" (Eph
1:19-22; cf. Ps 110-1). And he will come again in visible power and glory to vanquish the last
embodiment of evil (2 Thess 2:1-12) and establish his kingdom (1 Cor 15:25-28). (105)

Our Preparation before Satan Attacks: To be victorious, we must do certain things to prepare
ourselves before the enemy launches his attack against us. We must put on the whole armor of
God (Eph. 6:11-18). Beginning this section with a command to "put on the whole armour of
God, with its goal of withstanding Satan (vv. 11, 13) and its reason, "for we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood" (humans) but powerful evil spirits., the apostle Paul lists the parts of
the armor and compares these spiritual qualities to the battle of a Roman soldier.
The belt of truth (Eph. 6:14; cp. John 14:6)
The coat of righteousness (Eph. 6:14; cp. Phil. 1:11)
The sandals of preparation (Eph. 6:15; cp. 2 Cor. 5:20)

103. The Expository Times, Volume 9, 1898, James Hastings, p. 39

104. A Commentary on the Bible, New York 1920, p. 867
105. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, 1998, p. 42

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The shield of faith (Eph. 6:16; cp. Gal. 2:20)
The helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17; cp. Heb. 13:
the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17; cp. John 1:14) (106)
Under the entry "Sandals, as insignia of office", it is written: They consisted of a sole so
attached to the foot as to leave the upper part bare. Without these no priest was permitted to
celebrate mass; but after the 7th and 8th centuries we find them expressly mentioned as an
episcopal badge, distinct from that of the priests. They were supposed to indicate firmness in
God's law and the duty of lifting up the weak. (107)
From the Legend of St. George of Cappadocia, we read: The genius of chivalry and romance
mistook the symbolical representations, which were common to St. George of Cappadocia
and to several other saints, the dragon painted under their feet was designed for the devil,
whom the martyr transpierced with the spiritual lance of faith, and thus delivered the church,
described under the figure of a woman. But in the time of the crusades, the dragon so common
in Eastern romance, was considered as a real monster slain near the city of Silena in Lybia, by
the Christian hero, who (like another Perseus) delivered from his fury a beautiful and real
damsel named St. Margaret. (108)

Icon 2: The Falcon's Sentence of Death

Davis' description of Icon 2 is here quoted: Here a rebus depicts the enemy or enemies
brought to the ruler by a falcon—an aspect, double, or representation of the ruler or perhaps
his divine protector. The falcon inserts a hooked cord into an enemy's nose, possibly to
prepare him for the beheading whose aftermath is related in the obverse top zone, where the
king inspects decapitated corpses. It is sometimes said that the six stalks of papyrus growing
from the enemy's body—treated abstractly and looking like the later hieroglyph for swampy
or watered land—signify "six thousand [enemies]," on the basis of a presumed parallel
between the papyrus and the lotus hieroglyph (= numeral 1,000), but there seems to be little
justification for the equation. Instead, the papyrus may denote the enemy's home territory,
Papyrus Land (Vandier 1952: 596). However it should be interpreted, the rebus indicates in a
general sense that the ruler—in his aspect as (or with the protection of) Falcon—has defeated
his enemies and prepares them for their judgment or destruction. (109)
Scholars have described the device used by the falcon as "hooked cord or rope inserted
into the enemy's nose" but its symbolization never questioned. Nothing at all has been slight
or skipped over by the Egyptian hierophant in his teachings of the Egyptian religion. The
symbolization meant by the device has been generously extant in Egyptian texts. The next
excerpt from chapter II is to refresh our memory of the breath of life and nostrils.
"I robbed their nostrils of the breath of life."
"As my nostrils are filled with satisfying life"
"May they give life and joy to your nostrils"
106. Practical Christian Theology: Examining the Great Doctrines of the Faith, 2001, Floyd H. Barackman, p. 240
107. Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Volume 9, 1880, by Rev. John McClintock and
James Strong, p. 336
108. MEDII ÆVI KALENDARIUM: Dates, Charters, and Customs of the Middle Ages, 1841, By Robert Thomas Hampson,
p. 217
109. Masking the Blow, The Scene of Representation in Late Prehistoric Egyptian Art, 1992, by Whitney Davis, pp.168-169
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"As my nostrils are refreshed with life and dominion"
"And promises them that they shall breathe air through their nostrils"
"The princes of this foreign land came on their bellies to kiss the ground to the might of his
majesty, and to beg breath for their nostrils."
"I have deprived their nostrils of the breath of life."
"All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils. Job 27:3."

CT Spell 229 literally interprets the pictorial narration:

Hail to you, Lady of Goodness who raised up the head of Osiris and who wailed over him in
the Pure Place in this your name of 'Headrest which is under the head': Place my head on my
neck for me, gather up life for my throat, for I am in the following of Osiris among the
blessed ones, the possessors of offerings, for I have come equipped with my magic, I will not
die, breath will not be taken away from my nose and I am a possessor of offerings. (110)
"The hooked cord inserted into the enemy's nose" is a death sentence against the "evildoers
within."
Icon 3: The Fleeing Enemies
Contrary to the evildoers who chose confrontation that ended by robbing their nostrils of
the breath of life, we here observe two evildoers fleeing and looking back over their right
shoulder in fear of being chased. The emplacement of a solid fortified building right close to
the one at right is an indication of escaping from the inner fortress of the soul. The fleeing
evildoers represent the evil ideas that occasionally come to mind. Depending on how morality
is deeply rooted in conscious, the inner voice may abruptly reject the evil ideas. The feeling of
abhorrence and refusal against evil ideas has its positive impact on uprightness.

110. The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts, Volume I, by R. O. Faulkner, Spell 229, pp. 182-183
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The Reverse (fig. 50)
Three icons on the reverse shall be investigated:
Icon 4: The Two Intertwined Monsters
Icon 5: The Mighty Bull
Icon 6: Decapitation of Enemies of Re

Icon 4: The Two Intertwined Monsters

The intertwined long-necked monsters
depicted on the second register of the reverse
have been illogically treated in scholarship.
Petrie suggested this is probably emblematic of
the subjugation of some tribe. (111) Hall and King
assumed the animals no doubt represent part of
the spoil of the North. (112) Frankfort believed the
serpent-necked panthers are pronouncedly
unrealistic character. Animal forms, in all these
instances, are used to produce a decorative
design; they are subjected to a purely aesthetic Fig. 50 Narmer Palette: Reverse
purpose. (113)
Gates suggested that the monsters may represent larger, cosmic forces of chaos, now
subdued by the king. (114) Assmann, adhering to the orthodox view wrote: the obverse is
divided into three sections, of which the central and largest is dominated by two "snake-neck
panthers" whose intertwined necks symbolize the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. (115)
Millmore figured out that the image is unusual in Egyptian art and has no clear
explanation. It could represent the binding together of Upper and Lower Egypt, or the
symbolic taming of wild animals by the king. (116)
The codification of intertwining configures the circle that we exhaustively investigated.
The restraining of the two intertwined animals by ropes symbolizes the reconciliation and the
pacification of the twin antagonist forces of the soul.

Icon 5: The Mighty Bull

In the bottom register, a bull is breaking its way into a fortress and trampling on an
overthrown enemy. In scholars' writings, the bull represented, either symbolically or
metaphorically, the dominance of the king. In contrast to the scholarly prosaic and
monotonous conceit, the epithet "Mighty Bull" designated a profound insight for the
Egyptians. The "Mighty Bull" has been a major epithet of Horus in the titulary of Egyptian
kings.

111. Hierakonopolis Part I, London 1900, Notes by Petrie, p. 10

112. History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria in the Light of Recent Discovery, British Museum 1906, L.W.
King and H.R. Hall, p. 50
113. The Birth of Civilization in the Near East, 1951, by Henri Frankfort, p. 103
114. Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome, 2003, By
Charles Gates, p. 82
115. The Mind of Egypt, History and meaning in the time of Pharaohs, 2003, Jan Assmann, translated by Jenkins, P. 34
116. Imagining Egypt: a living portrait of the time of the pharaohs, Volume 3, 2007, By Mark Millmore, p.15

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