Religious Images in Christian Theology - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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8/7/13 Religious images in Christian theology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Jewish origins

Main article: Idolatry in Judaism

Idolatry is prohibited by many verses in the Old Testament, but there is no one section that clearly defines

idolatry. Rather there are a number of commandments on this subject spread through the books of the Hebrew

Bible, some of which were written in different historical eras, in response to different issues. Idolatry in the

Hebrew Bible is defined as the worship of idols (or images); the worship of polytheistic gods by use of idols (orimages) and even the use of idols in the worship of Yahweh (God).[citation needed]

The Israelites used various images in connection with their worship, including carved cherubim on the Ark of the

Covenant (Exodus 25:18-22 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Exodus&verse=25:18-22&src=NKJV))

which God instructed Moses to make, and the embroidered figures of cherubim on the curtain which separated

the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle tent (Exodus 26:31 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/?

book=%20Exodus&verse=26:31&src=NKJV)). Similarly, the Brass Serpent, which God commanded Moses

to make and lift high to cure any Israelites who looked at it of snakebites, is God-ordained use of an image.

However, as part of a later religious reform Hezekiah destroyed the Serpent, which the Hebrew people had

been burning incense to (2 Kings 18:4 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=2%20Kings&verse=18:4&src=HE)).

New Testament

See also: Council of Jerusalem

Judaism's animosity towards what they perceived as idolatry was inherited by Jewish Christianity. Although

Jesus discussed the Mosaic Law in the Sermon on the Mount, he does not speak of issues regarding the

meaning of the commandment against idolatry. His teachings, however, uphold that worship should be directed

to God alone (Matthew 4:10 which is itself a quote of Deuteronomy 6:13, see also Shema in Christianity, GreatCommandment, and Ministry of Jesus).

The Pauline Epistles contain several admonitions to "flee from idolatry" (1 Cor 5:11 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/?

book=1%20Cor&verse=5:11&src=!), 6:910 (http://bibref.hebtools.com?book=1%20Cor&verse=6:9

10&src=!), 10:7 (http://bibref.hebtools.com?book=1%20Cor&verse=10:7&src=!), 10:14

(http://bibref.hebtools.com?book=1%20Cor&verse=10:14&src=!), Gal 5:1921 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/?

book=%20Gal&verse=5:1921&src=!), Eph 5:5 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/?

book=%20Eph&verse=5:5&src=!), Col 3:5 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Col&verse=3:5&src=!))

A major controversy among Early Christians concerned whether it was permissible to eat meat that had been

offered in pagan worship. Paul of Tarsus, who agreed to the Apostolic Decree, also wrote that it was permittedto do so, as long as a blessing was pronounced over it, and provided that scandal was not caused by it.

However, he said that the gods worshiped in idolatry were in his belief demons, and that any act of direct

participation in their worship remained forbidden (1 Corinthians 10:14-22) [2]

(http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&passage=1+Corinthians+10%3A14-

22&version=KJV). See also the Law of Christ.

The New Testament also uses the term "idolatry" to refer to worship like passion for things such as wealth. One

can see evidence of this in Colossians 3:5, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:

sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry." Some Christian theologians see the

absolutization of an idea as idolatrous.[4]Therefore, undue focus on particular features of Christianity to theexclusion of others would constitute idolatry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Christhttp://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&passage=1+Corinthians+10%3A14-22&version=KJVhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Epistle_to_the_Corinthianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandal_(theology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Decreehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_of_Tarsushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Christianshttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Col&verse=3:5&src=!http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Eph&verse=5:5&src=!http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Gal&verse=5:19%E2%80%9321&src=!http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=1%20Cor&verse=10:14&src=!http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=1%20Cor&verse=10:7&src=!http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=1%20Cor&verse=6:9%E2%80%9310&src=!http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=1%20Cor&verse=5:11&src=!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Epistleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Jesushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commandmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shema#Shema_in_Christianityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sermon_on_the_Mounthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_Lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Christianityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Jerusalemhttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=2%20Kings&verse=18:4&src=HEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Hezekiahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehushtanhttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Exodus&verse=26:31&src=NKJVhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabernaclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_of_Holieshttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Exodus&verse=25:18-22&src=NKJVhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_Covenanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherubimhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahwehhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Testamenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolatry_in_Judaism


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Significant periods of iconoclasm (deliberate destruction of icons) have occurred in the history of the Church, the

first major outbreak being the Byzantine iconoclasm (730-787), motivated by a strictly literal interpretation of

the second commandment and interaction with Muslims who have a very strict teachings against the creation of

images. Iconoclasm was officially condemned by the Western and Eastern Churches at the Second Council of

Nicaea in 787 AD (the Western Church was not represented, but approved the decrees later).

This decision was based on the arguments including that the biblical commandment forbidding images of God

was because no-one had seen God. But, by the Incarnation of Jesus, who is God incarnate in visible matter,

humankind has now seen God. It was therefore argued that they were not depicting the invisible God, but God

as He appeared in the flesh.

The Libri Carolini are a response prepared in the court of Charlemagne, when under the mistaken impression

that the Nicea Council had approved the worship as opposed to the veneration of images.

Different understandings of the use of images

Catholics use images, such as the crucifix, the cross, in religious life and pray using depictions of saints. They

also venerate images and liturgical objects by kissing, bowing, and making the sign of the cross. They point tothe Old Testament patterns of worship followed by the Hebrew people as examples of how certain places and

things used in worship may be treated with reverence or venerated, without worshiping them. The Ark of the

Covenant was treated with great reverence and included images of cherubim on top of it (Exodus 25:18-22

(http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Exodus&verse=25:18-22&src=NKJV)), and certain miracles were

associated with it, yet this was not condemned.

Christianity interprets the commandment not to make "any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in

heaven above" to mean to not "bow down and worship" the image in and of itself nor a false god through the

image. Christian theology offers the following explanations of liturgical practice that features images, icons,

statues, and the like:

Catholic theology expressly affirms that the imageof Christ receives the same latriaor worship that is

due to God; see St. Thomas, Summa, III, 25, 3, but "no reverence is shown to Christ's image, as a thing-

--for instance, carved or painted wood: because reverence is not due save to a rational creature".[6]In

the case of an image of a saint, the worshipwould not be latriabut rather dulia, while the Blessed Virgin

Mary receives hyperdulia. The worship of whatever type, latria, hyperdulia, or dulia, can be

considered to go through the icon, image, or statue: "The honor given to an image reaches to the

prototype" (St. John Damascene in Summa ).

Orthodoxy teaches that the incarnation of Jesus makes it permissible to venerate icons, and even

necessary to do so in order to preserve the truth of the Incarnation. Indeed, following from the Summa

reference above, the veneration of icons is mandatory; to not venerate icons would imply that Jesus was

not also fully God, or to deny that Jesus had a real physical body. Both of these alternatives are

incompatible with the Christology defined at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and summarized in the

Chalcedonian Creed.

Both the literal worship of an inanimate object and latria, or sacrificial worship to something or someone

that is not God, are forbidden; yet such are not the basis for Christian worship. The Catholic knows "that

in images there is no divinity or virtue on account of which they are to be worshipped, that no petitions

can be addressed to them, and that no trust is to be placed in them. . . that the honour which is given to

them is referred to the objects (prototypa) which they represent, so that through the images which wekiss, and before which we uncover our heads and kneel, we adore Christ and venerate the Saints whose

likenesses they are" (Council of Trent, Sess. XXV, de invocatione Sanctorum).

The vast majority of Christian denominations hold that God particularized himself when he took on flesh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcedonian_Creedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Chalcedonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarnationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#References_and_footnoteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessed_Virgin_Maryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#cite_note-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicismhttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Exodus&verse=25:18-22&src=NKJVhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_Covenanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_crosshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venerationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_crosshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagnehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libri_Carolinihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Council_of_Nicaeahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconoclasm_(Byzantine)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconoclasm


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and was born as Jesus; through this act God is said to have blessed material things and made them good

again.[citation needed]By rising physically from the dead, ascending bodily into Heaven and promising

Christians a physical resurrection, God thus indicates that it is not wrong to be "attached" to physical

things, and that matter is not inherently evil, unlike the ancient teachings of Gnosticism.[citation needed]

A recent joint Lutheran-Orthodox statement made in the 7th Plenary of the Lutheran-Orthodox Joint

Commission,[7]on July 1993 in Helsinki, reaffirmed the Ecumenical Council decisions on the nature of Christ

and the veneration of images:

7. As Lutherans and Orthodox we affirm that the teachings of the ecumenical councils are

authoritative for our churches. The ecumenical councils maintain the integrity of the teaching of the

undivided Church concerning the saving, illuminating/justifying and glorifying acts of God and reject

heresies which subvert the saving work of God in Christ. Orthodox and Lutherans, however, have

different histories. Lutherans have received the Nicaeno?Constantinopolitan Creed with the

addition of the filioque. The Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Second Council of Nicaea in 787,

which rejected iconoclasm and restored the veneration of icons in the churches, was not part of the

tradition received by the Reformation. Lutherans, however, rejected the iconoclasm of the 16th

century, and affirmed the distinction between adoration due to the Triune God alone and all otherforms of veneration (CA 21). Through historical research this council has become better known.

Nevertheless it does not have the same significance for Lutherans as it does for the Orthodox. Yet,

Lutherans and Orthodox are in agreement that the Second Council of Nicaea confirms the

christological teaching of the earlier councils and in setting forth the role of images (icons) in the

lives of the faithful reaffirms the reality of the incarnation of the eternal Word of God, when it states:

"The more frequently, Christ, Mary, the mother of God, and the saints are seen, the more are those

who see them drawn to remember and long for those who serve as models, and to pay these icons

the tribute of salutation and respectful veneration. Certainly this is not the full adoration in

accordance with our faith, which is properly paid only to the divine nature, but it resembles that

given to the figure of the honored and life?giving cross, and also to the holy books of the gospels

and to other sacred objects" (Definition of the Second Council of Nicaea).

Protestant criticism

Martin Luther did not object to the use of religious images per se, but he did object to various beliefs that were

associated with them. In particular, he objected to the practice of invoking the saints that was often associated

with images of the saints. He was also concerned that those who erect beautiful and costly images would

presume to think they had done a good work that would earn them merit with God. Yet these concerns did not

prevent him from allowing new Lutheran altarpieces, often of the Last Supper, in many of which leadingreformers were portrayed as the apostles. John Calvin was always extremely hostile to all publicly displayed

religious images, which were systematically destroyed by Calvinists, as in the Beeldenstorm in the Netherlands.

Towards the end of the 16th century there were disputes between Lutherans and Calvinists, with the former put

under pressure to destroy images. Though both groupings did not object to book illustrations or prints of biblical

events, or portraits of reformers, production of large-scale religious art virtually ceased in Protestant regions

after about 1540, and artists shifted to secular subjects, ironically often including revived classical mythology.

The earliest catechisms of the Protestant movement, written in the 16th through 18th centuries, including the

Heidelberg (1563), Westminster (1647) and Fisher's (1765), included discussions in a question and answer

format detailing how the creation of images of God (including Jesus) was counter to their understanding of theSecond Commandment's prohibition against creating images of worship in any manner.

Many Protestants hold that veneration and worship are for all practical purposes identical.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fisher_Catechism&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Larger_Catechismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg_Catechismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catechismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_mythologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeldenstormhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Supperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Lutherhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed


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Most typically, modern Protestants are no longer offended by religious art, or pictorial representations of Jesus,

as was certainly the case in the 16th century. However, some consider it necessary to avoid religious use of

these objects, especially as the focus of communal worship. In order to avoid praying before them, lighting

candles to them, and other acts that make it appear as if the image itself is holy or an object of devotion, many

Protestants avoid locating any representational art in front of the congregation,[citation needed]although

exceptions may be made for the Christian cross and, sometimes, an image of the Face of Christ or the Good

Shepherd. In most cases, it is the devotional use, especially, that is avoided.

In some cases, it is not only the veneration of images, but also the making of an image, that is avoided. Any

visual representations of Jesus, including drawings, paintings, stained glass windows, sculpture, and other forms

of representational art are considered a violation of the commandment of God prohibiting the depiction of God

by images.[citation needed]Calvinist theologian J. I. Packer, in Chapter 4 of his bookKnowing God, writes

that, "Imagining God in our heads can be just as real a breach of the second commandment as imagining Him by

the work of our hands."[8]His overall concern is that "The mind that takes up with images is a mind that has not

et learned to love and attend to God's Word."[9]In other words, image making relies on human sources rather

than on divine revelation. Another typical Christian argument for this position might be that God was incarnate as

a human being, not as an object of wood, stone or canvas, and therefore the only God-directed service of

images permitted is the service of other people.

Others go even farther to eliminate, if it were possible, any kind of religiously symbolic art of any kind, in

addition to any representational art. The use of a cross, censer, candles, or vestments in a place of worship is

considered idolatrous by some. By using tools and items of furniture or clothing only in the context of religious

ritual, these implements seem set apart as holy, they would be profaned by ordinary use. This too is believed to

pose a danger that these objects are being worshiped, or are becoming talismans. During the period of

Archbishop William Laud's conflicts with Puritans within the Church of England, the use of ritual implements

prescribed by theBook of Common Prayerwas a frequent cause of conflict. (See vestments controversy)

Some Protestant groups have criticized the use of stained-glass windows by other denominations, whileJehovah's Witnesses criticize the use of windows, statuary, as well as the wearing of a cross. The Amish are the

only Christian group that forbids the use of images in secular life. In their critiques these groups argue that such

practices are in effect little different from idolatry, and that they localize and particularize God, who, they argue,

is beyond human depiction.

For most Protestants all religious images and all conceptions of God that can be apprehended by human senses

are problematic.[citation needed]

See alsoBibliolatry

Idolatry in Islam

Christianity and Paganism

Heterodoxy

Jean-Luc Marion

References and notes

1. ^Geoffrey W. BromileyInternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia(Grand Rapids: William B Eerdmans

Publishing Company, 1982), vol. 2 p 794.

2. ^Catechism of The Catholic Church, passage 2113, pp.460, Geoffrey Chapman, 1999

3. ^General Audience. June 15, 2011
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110615_en.htmlhttp://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110615_en.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#cite_ref-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#cite_ref-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#cite_ref-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Marionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodoxyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_Paganismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolatry_in_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliolatryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestments_controversyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Englandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Laudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amulethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestmentshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_images_in_Christian_theology#cite_note-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._I._Packerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_crosshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed


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(http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-

xvi_aud_20110615_en.html)

4. ^John MacQuarrie,Principles of Christian Theology(New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1977), 145.

5. ^ [1] (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/icon_faq.aspx)

6. ^Summa Theologicatext (http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/aquinas/summa/sum476.htm)

7. ^ http://www.helsinki.fi/~risaarin/lutortjointtext.html

8. ^Knowing God, IVP, 1973, Page 42

9. ^Knowing God, IVP, 1973, Page 43

External links

The Icon FAQ (Orthodox Christian) (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/icon_faq.aspx)

Idolatry and Christianity (http://desicritics.org/2007/02/20/094717.php)

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