But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 2 Co 2:14-16
western christianity tends to struggle with the concept of victory as it pertains to faith, life, and common biblical interpretation. it is primarily concerned with perceviving itself as victorious, though it usually allows for the christ as victor and the christian as a sort of co-victor over the forces of sin and death. even in this image, generated by biblia’s “verse of the day” functionality, we see a christianity that grapples with what the comprehension of “triumph” would have been to the original reader. “christ leads us in triumphal procession” in the stylized word cloud betrays the western, modern perspective of what paul may be communicating to his readers. at its core, this passage is most likely referencing the concept of the roman triumph. i’ve found a few places where the concept of the roman triumph is mentioned, though the context of the text does not generally allow for the standard explanation of the metaphor.
so what was a roman triumph?
a triumph was a celebration of a roman “general’s” victory that awarded