Samson und the Lion

The main viewing side of the capital shows Samson, whose name is inscribed on the console block in the middle axis above him, riding with flowing hair to the lion in the vineyards of Thimnath (Jgs. 14:5-6). In the biblical account, we read that the prophet tore the lion asunder “as one tears a kid”. In spite of the heavy damage that the capital has suffered, it is recognizable here how Samson wrenches open the animal’s maw. This particular gesture presumably refers to the part of the narrative in which Samson finds honey in the mouth of the dead lion, enabling him later to find the solution to the riddle: “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet” (Jgs. 14:14,18). The riddle is interpreted in the sense that the victory over evil – represented by the lion, whose huge paws with their disproportionately large claws are reminiscent of the numerous representations of the devil in the cloister – prepares the way for the “sweetness”, i.e. the salvation won by the victorious Christ. Samson is the prefiguration of Christ, who sacrifices himself in order to “sweeten” the life of his people and of the future Church. The angel pointing to the scene on the east side shows that the combat is taking place in God’s name. On the west side of the capital Samson is swinging an object that resembles more a club or cudgel than the jawbone of an ass mentioned in the Bible. Samson’s dress and posture resemble antique figures. According to St. Augustine, indeed, the pagan figure of Hercules had its original source in the biblical Samson. In fact Hercules first tried to kill the Nemean lion with arrows and a club, but finally vanquished the beast with the brute strength of his bare hands. Christian exegetes interpret the ancient myth in a similar way as the story of David and Goliath (W20MS76): In the fight against the devil it is alone immaterial, spiritual weapons that count.

Samsom lion Christ Hercules angel