The metaphorical use of the shield. The Scutum Fidei in the medieval imaginary

While the Epistles of St. Paul, and particularly the Epistle to the Ephesians, established the image of faith as a shield in the Middle Ages, the idea is much older and has its roots in the Old Testament, which gives God’s shield a prominent place. This metaphorical use of an object that normally belongs to the sphere of military equipment is at the heart of the medieval imaginary, whether in novels, didactic and allegorical narratives, or simply chronicles. God’s shield, or the shield of faith, can also be found in the iconography of manuscripts containing theological texts, depicting complex allegorical representations of psychomachy.