The Iconoclas,c Controversy or “Why Some Chris.ans Hate [religious] Art” .
‘…its causes were so complex that they can dishearten the sage historian” Alain Besançon, The Forbidden Image, p. 114 Dr. Tim Ralston Church of the Incarna.on Summer 2014 Why Should It MaOer? Why Should It MaOer? Thursday, July 24, 2014 Tomb/Mosque of Jonah, Mosul, Iraq Early Chris.an Ideas About Art Early Christian Ideas About Art
“And let our seals be either a dove, or a fish,
or a ship scudding before the wind, …or a
ship’s anchor, …and if one be fishing, he
will remember the apostle and the children
drawn out of the water.”
Clement of Alexandria,
The Pedagogue, III.11
(c.150–215 AD)
Early Christian Ideas About Art
Popular Symbols
•  From the New Testament
Dove
Lamb
Fisherman
Loaves & fishes
= Holy Spirit
= Jesus the Good Shepherd
= our evangelistic mission
= God’s provision
Early Christian Ideas About Art
Popular Symbols
•  From the New Testament
Dove
Lamb
Fisherman
Loaves & fishes
= Holy Spirit
= Jesus the Good Shepherd
= our evangelistic mission
= God’s provision
•  From the Old Testament
Noah’s ark saving from judgment
Three Hebrews in the fiery furnace
Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac
Abraham’s 3 visitors
Jonah and the whale
Early Christian Ideas About Art
Popular Symbols
•  From the New Testament
Dove
Lamb
Fisherman
Loaves & fishes
= Holy Spirit
= Jesus the Good Shepherd
= our evangelistic mission
= God’s provision
•  From the Old Testament
Noah’s ark saving from judgment
Three Hebrews in the fiery furnace
Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac
Abraham’s 3 visitors
Jonah and the whale
•  From the culture
Ship
Anchor
Peacock
Grapevines
= church
= salvation
= God’s rule [emperor]; eternal life
= Eucharist, joy [Bacchus]
Early Christian Ideas About Art
Late 4th century: St Thecla’s tomb (Rome)
(earliest images of the apostles)
Paul
Peter
John
Andrew
Early Christian Ideas About Art
5th century
Christ Pantocrator
(as a Roman
legionnaire)
Mosaic, archbishop’s
palace, Ravenna
Early Christian Ideas About Art
Mid-6th century:
Sant'Apollinare,
Classe, Ravenna,
Italy
(c. 549 AD)
Early Christian Ideas About Art
6th Century
“Encaustic” icons
The Chris.an World of 700 AD The Chris.an World of 700 AD Rome Constan.nople The Chris.an World of 700 AD The Franks The Slavs, Avars, Bulgars Constan.nople The Arabs (Islam) The Chris.an World of 700 AD Early pressure from Islam (622-­‐750 AD): Expansion under Muhammad (622–632 AD) Expansion during the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661 AD) Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 AD) The Chris.an World of 700 AD The Government The Church The Chris.an World of 700 AD A world of lifelike portraits …
honoring the dead & the famous Chris.ans Behaving Badly: Iconoclast vs. Iconophile Chris.ans Behaving Badly Iconoclast ‘clast’ = from klao [κλαυω], to break = those who abhor holy images/relics/ .mes/places Iconophile ‘phile’ = from phileo [φιλεω], to love = those who value holy images/relics/.mes/places Iconodule ‘dule’ = from duleo [δουλευω], to serve/
worship Those who serve/worship images/relics/.mes/places (a pejora.ve term) Chris.ans Behaving Badly Caliph Yezid II (687-­‐724 AD; ruled 720-­‐724 AD) c. 721 AD… Commands destruc.on of all images in the churches and homes of occupied Muslim provinces …and dies soon aser Chris.ans Behaving Badly – 1st Iconoclas.c period Emperor Leo III (717-­‐741 AD) Ini.ally iconophile – but in 726 AD a Aegean volcanic erup.on, major earth-­‐quakes, .dal waves, & huge cloud of volcanic ash were seen as God’s warning for breaking OT law against images Chris.ans Behaving Badly – 1st Iconoclas.c period Emperor Leo III (717-­‐741 AD) He issues Iconoclast edicts (726-­‐29 AD) & publicly destroys the icon of Christ over the ‘Golden Gate’ of the Imperial Palace He changes the money Riots & civil war erupt! Chris.ans Behaving Badly – 1st Iconoclas.c period 754 AD… Emperor Constan.ne V (741-­‐75 AD) convened Council of Hieria – 338 carefully-­‐chosen iconoclast bishops – who condemn making and venera.ng icons and so began a large-­‐scale persecu.on of iconophiles – thousands exiled, tortured, or martyred Chris.ans Behaving Badly – 1st Iconoclas.c period Emperor Leo IV (775-­‐780 AD) tried to mediate – but died… …his widow, Empress Irene (752-­‐803 AD) ruled as regent for her 9-­‐yr-­‐old son, Constan.ne VI …and convened a council to address the ques.on Chris.ans Behaving Badly – 1st Iconoclas.c period 786-­‐787 AD… 7th Ecumenical Council (2nd Council of Nicea) …at Hagia Sophia (Iznik, Turkey) Chris.ans Behaving Badly – 2nd Iconoclas.c period In 815 AD… Emperor Leo V (813-­‐820 AD) Aser humilia.ng military defeats against the Bulgarians and Arabs, he reins.tutes Iconoclast policies Chris.ans Behaving Badly – 2nd Iconoclas.c period In 843 AD… Empress Theodora (815-­‐867 AD) convened the Synod of Constan.nople (842 AD) restored icons to the church 19 February, 842 (1st Sunday of Lent) as “the Triumph of Orthodoxy” Growing Chris.an Objec.ons to Art Early Chris.an Objec.ons to Art The 10 Commandments prohibit making or worshipping any image or statue. Exodus 20:1–21 (KJV) 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them… (as also Deuteronomy 5:8) Early Chris.an Objec.ons to Art People ‘venera.ng’ icons are worshipping them – just like pagans worshipping their idols! Exodus 20:1–21 (KJV) 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them… (as also Deuteronomy 5:8) Early Chris.an Objec.ons to Art If God cannot be seen, an image of Him can only misrepresent Him – and so teach heresy! John 4:24 (RSV) 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 1 Timothy 6:16 (RSV) 16 [God] alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. Exodus 33:20 (RSV) 20 [God] said, “you cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live.” Early Chris.an Objec.ons to Art Jesus is both human and divine. But an image of Jesus can only show His humanity Therefore, an image of Jesus can only teach heresy – either denying His deity (which can’t be captured in an image) or dividing His humanity from His deity (as taught by some here.cal groups) Early Chris.an Objec.ons to Art The use of icons is not supported by the ancient Church Fathers – or at least the Fathers that we consulted. Origen: “…neither painter nor image-­‐maker existed in their [Jewish] state, the law expelling all such from it …and art that aOracts the aOen.on of foolish people and that drags down the eyes of the soul from God to earth” Against Celsus Eusebius of Caesarea: “…are not such things banished and excluded from churches all over the world?” Augustus Constan?a Le>er to Epiphanius of Salamis: “They lie by represen.ng the appearance of saints in different forms according to their whim …set down through the stupidity of the painter and according to his own inclina.on.” Testament (fragment) Early Chris.an Objec.ons to Art An image possesses one and the same nature with its original. Only the Bread and wine of the Eucharist share the same nature with Christ. Therefore, the only Chris.an icon of Christ is the Eucharist.