Respinte al mittente. Frecce e pietre nella fortuna di un topos

Abstract

According to the reading of ancient Christian authors, the arrows
turned against the one who threw them, as well as the stones
that fall on the head of the man who cast them, are symbols of
ethically negative behaviours that overturned against detractors
and blasphemes. But in its literal sense, this imagery seems to
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of Theodosius against Eugenius at the Frigidus river. Such a victory
was favoured by violent gusts of bora turning against pagans the
darts hurled by themselves. It also appears destined to a better luck:
immediately interpreted as a sign of divine intervention in favour of
the just and pious emperor, in the hagiographic tales these episodes
are presented as an emblematic sign for the presence of God.