Many who visit Rome leave asking: "Whatever does S.P.Q.R. stand for?" Or, they might ask: "What does I.H.S. mean or even D.O.M.?"
S.P.Q.R. stands for Senatus Popolusque Romanus (The Senate and the People of Rome). This is seen all over Rome stamped on or carved on public works from the local government.
I.H.S. stands for Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus the Saviour of Man).
D.O.M. stands for Deo Optimo Maximo (God, the best, the greatest). This adage is used to start many dedications/inscriptions you seen in churches over here.
1 comment:
Actually, IHS (actually IHC) are the first three letters of Jesus in Greek (iota, eta, sigma). But because their upper-case forms look like the Latin letters IHS, it has come to be interpreted as Iesus Hominum Salvator - and I ahve even seen it construed in English: 'I Have Suffered'.
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