The halo, an influence of this pagan worship of the sun?

[The Librarian]

In Hellenic and Roman art, the sun-god Helios and Roman emperors are often depicted with a radiant crown. The latter was not used in primitive Christian art because of its pagan origins, but from the mid 4th Century, Christ is thus represented. It was only from the 6th Century onwards that the halo began to be seen in most representations of the Virgin Mary and other saints.

“The halos that artists during 
the Middle Ages put around
the heads of saints are
a remnant of sun worship.”

 - Will Durant 

 

“From the 4^th Century, Christian artists began 
to paint Jesus with a halo of light, 
and later Mary and the Apostles. 

It is also characteristic of the representations 
of Buddha and Mohammed.”

 - Sven Achen  

 

 The halos, a remnant of sun worship

Panel of Christ and Abbot Mena

E 11565

Location in the Louvre:

Denon Entresol room C showcase 6

 

The church of the monastery 
of Bawit is reconstructed
in part in this room.

Suspended from the wall
of the altar is one of the oldest images of Christ, showing him
in the company of an abbot.

It is also one of the first appearances of a halo of light around the head of the saints.

Icons form an integral part of the Orthodox world. The worship of these two-dimensional images of Christ or of the saints took effect in the religions of Babylon and Ancient Greece. Believers considered the image used for worship as a divinity in itself. Christian artists adapted this syncretism and used pagan symbols which they introduced in a new context without however totally purifying them.

Source

[The Librarian]

 

[The Librarian]

Earlier usage of the Sun in pagan religious worship: