The concepts of and can be traced back to the first century AD. and much employed by
Pope Gregory VII, also appeared in the in reference to the young
Prince Tancred,
Bohemond,
Godfrey and
Count Raymond of Toulouse, each of whom were Christian leaders in the
First Crusade. The metaphor has its origins in early Christianity of the Roman Empire, and gave rise to the contrasting term (hitherto used in the sense of ) for its opposite, i.e. one who was not a soldier of Christ.
Chivalry as the idealized image of
knighthood was a common
moral allegory in early Christian literature. In the
early modern period, the understanding of the term again became more metaphorical, but it survives in various Christian orders or confessions; it is especially pronounced among the
Jesuits and in the
Salvation Army, and it is the central theme of the 18th-century hymn "
Soldiers of Christ, Arise" and the 19th-century hymn "
Onward, Christian Soldiers." ==See also==