The Conflict Thesis

[Tim]

@AllenWitmerMiller

Of course, the orb/globus was a well-recognized ancient symbol of the world and power over it. Christians did not originate the use of a sphere to represent dominion over the world. (I vaguely recall a statue of Jupiter/Zeus holding a globus.)

This surely does not mean that its use and meaning as a symbol of power could not have continued, long after the original reason why it was given that meaning had been forgotten.