Iconolatry
Encyclopedia
Iconolatry: from the two Greek
terms eikon, denoting simply a picture or image, and latreia, to venerate. See icon
.
Icon in Greek simply denotes a picture but has now come to be closely associated with religious art used by the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches. Icons are used by Orthodox Churches to assist in prayer
and worship
of God. Icon (image) is the same word used in the Bible
in Genesis 1:27, Colossians 1:15.
Iconolatry is the veneration of images (mainly in two-dimensional form) and often referred to in relation to the Iconoclastic
period where there was a "cleansing" and destruction by the Byzantine Empire (with varying degrees of cooperation and opposition from the Church) of all religious art. One reason given for this were that the Christians would venerate images of Saint
s, the Son of God
and even pictures of God and scrape parts of the icons into Holy Communion; see iconoclasm
for a more complete discussion.
The Orthodox Church (while finally reinstating the Icons) held at least two Church councils to decide on the proper use of icons.
The Council of Hieria in 753 expressly forbade the making of icons, and ordered all pictures of Jesus and the saints to be removed from the churches, saying that they ought instead to be decorated with pictures of birds, flowers, and fruit. This council was held near Constantinople, and all attending bishops were from the Constantinople Patriarchate. The other patriarchs refused to send any delegates.
The Second Council of Nicaea
held in 787 reversed the decisions of that council. This Council of Church leaders (bishops) was a key step towards an alternate understanding of the use of religious art in the Church. An early Church council defined veneration
of icons based on the sacred mystery of the Incarnation
of Jesus Christ. The Person of Jesus was thought to reveal not only the Word of God (Jn. 1: 1 - 1 4), but the image of God (Jn. 1 4:9). Pre-Christian scriptures defined idolatry
as worshipping of false gods. Church leaders defended images of Christ on the basis that they were representations of the true god and clarified the relationship between an image and the one depicted by the image. The principle of veneration is that, in honoring an image, the honor is to paid not to the image itself, but the one who is portrayed. The difference between veneration and worship was also clarified: one venerates or honors a saint; worship is due to God alone. After the period of Iconoclasm was over, veneration of icons spread to Serbia
, Bulgaria
, and to distant Russia
.
Depictions of Icons bearing the image of God the Father were forbidden in the Orthodox Church, unless depicted in the context of the Revelation
or Apocalypse
of Saint John
, where God the Father is described as an older version of Jesus. Some prefer the depiction of God in the Icon type of Rublev's Holy Trinity. Others believe that, as no-one has ever seen God the Father, he should never be depicted in Icons, while Jesus, who was seen by human eyes is allowed to be pictured.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
terms eikon, denoting simply a picture or image, and latreia, to venerate. See icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
.
Icon in Greek simply denotes a picture but has now come to be closely associated with religious art used by the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches. Icons are used by Orthodox Churches to assist in prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and worship
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
of God. Icon (image) is the same word used in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in Genesis 1:27, Colossians 1:15.
Iconolatry is the veneration of images (mainly in two-dimensional form) and often referred to in relation to the Iconoclastic
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
period where there was a "cleansing" and destruction by the Byzantine Empire (with varying degrees of cooperation and opposition from the Church) of all religious art. One reason given for this were that the Christians would venerate images of Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s, the Son of God
Son of God
"Son of God" is a phrase which according to most Christian denominations, Trinitarian in belief, refers to the relationship between Jesus and God, specifically as "God the Son"...
and even pictures of God and scrape parts of the icons into Holy Communion; see iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
for a more complete discussion.
The Orthodox Church (while finally reinstating the Icons) held at least two Church councils to decide on the proper use of icons.
The Council of Hieria in 753 expressly forbade the making of icons, and ordered all pictures of Jesus and the saints to be removed from the churches, saying that they ought instead to be decorated with pictures of birds, flowers, and fruit. This council was held near Constantinople, and all attending bishops were from the Constantinople Patriarchate. The other patriarchs refused to send any delegates.
The Second Council of Nicaea
Second Council of Nicaea
The Second Council of Nicaea is regarded as the Seventh Ecumenical Council by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic Churches and various other Western Christian groups...
held in 787 reversed the decisions of that council. This Council of Church leaders (bishops) was a key step towards an alternate understanding of the use of religious art in the Church. An early Church council defined veneration
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
of icons based on the sacred mystery of the Incarnation
Incarnation (Christianity)
The Incarnation in traditional Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son or the Logos , "became flesh" by being conceived in the womb of a woman, the Virgin Mary, also known as the Theotokos .The Incarnation is a fundamental theological...
of Jesus Christ. The Person of Jesus was thought to reveal not only the Word of God (Jn. 1: 1 - 1 4), but the image of God (Jn. 1 4:9). Pre-Christian scriptures defined idolatry
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
as worshipping of false gods. Church leaders defended images of Christ on the basis that they were representations of the true god and clarified the relationship between an image and the one depicted by the image. The principle of veneration is that, in honoring an image, the honor is to paid not to the image itself, but the one who is portrayed. The difference between veneration and worship was also clarified: one venerates or honors a saint; worship is due to God alone. After the period of Iconoclasm was over, veneration of icons spread to Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and to distant Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Depictions of Icons bearing the image of God the Father were forbidden in the Orthodox Church, unless depicted in the context of the Revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
or Apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
of Saint John
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
, where God the Father is described as an older version of Jesus. Some prefer the depiction of God in the Icon type of Rublev's Holy Trinity. Others believe that, as no-one has ever seen God the Father, he should never be depicted in Icons, while Jesus, who was seen by human eyes is allowed to be pictured.
External links
- The Biblical Idea of Idolatry by Jose Faur, outlining the concept of idolatry/iconolatry as it exists in the Bible, in contrast to the Biblically-prescribed monolatry