Acanthus

3 sources

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature by John McClintock & James Strong (1880)

(Lat. from ἄκανθος, a thorn), a plant the leaves of which are imitated in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders.

The Catholic Encyclopedia by Charles G. Herbermann (ed.) (1913) ↑

A plant, indigenous to middle Europe, the leaf of which has served in all ages as an ornament, or for ornamentation. There are two varieties, one wild and thorny, and one with soft branches without spines. The acanthus appears for the first time in the arts in ancient Greece. It was chosen for decorative purposes because of the beauty of its leaves, as well as for its abundance on Greek soil. At first it was taken directly from nature. Greek sculpture rendered it with truthful expression, whether of the soft or the spiky variety, showing the character, texture, and model of the leaf. During the fifth century B.C. the acanthus ornament took an important place especially in architecture, and was the principal ornament of the Corinthian capital. From the conquest of Alexander in the East can be traced the transformation of the acanthus that is found in later Eastern art.-----------------------------------THOMAS H. POOLE The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume ICopyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary by Mission Mutual, adapted from the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary (2023)

Acanthus (Acanthus syriacus)

The acanthus is a perennial herb or small shrub that looks similar to a thistle. It grows about 0.9 meter (3 feet) tall. This plant is possibly mentioned in Job 30:7 and Zephaniah 2:9. The acanthus is a common weed found throughout countries in the East. For thousands of years, artists have used the distinctive shape of acanthus leaves as a model for decorative scrolls and leaf designs in art.