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Icondulism: Reaching out and Touching God Greg Uttinger

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Icondulism: Reaching out and Touching God Greg Uttinger Guest Column Icondulism: Reaching Out and Touching God Greg Uttinger defended their place in theorthodox ately with the iconodulism, for he sawit faith. as idolatry.'' Theological and philosophical Leo at first legislated onlyagainst considerations were also at work: com the worship of images (A.D. 726): he promises with Hellenistic philosophy, insisted that the images be put up out of even grievous ones. But particularly Neoplatonism, allowed the reach oftouch and kiss. But later he in time thechurch will repent of those for a new spin on icons. Icons brought struck out against their use altogether. mistakes. And in time the branches of the transcendent down to man; form When the patriarch of Constantinople thechurch that won't repent will be became incarnate in the blessed particu opposed his policies, Leo deposed him pruned and finally cut off.' lars, and man haddivinity at his finger from office (730). In A.D. 787, the Empress Irene tips ... a convenientthing for those in Whythe Emperor Leo decided to open convened a council of bishops at Nicea.- church and state who saw themselves as a campaignagainst them [iconsl is It has generally been recognized asthe the vicars ofChrist. More ofthis later. not entirelyclearand hasbeen much "Seventh Ecumenical Council" ofthe debated. It is noted that he was not ancient church. That council committed The Iconoclastic a Greek but was from the East and it a grievous error, one that the churches Controversy Begins has been suggested that, having been of theReformation rejected: it insisted IconocLism isthe nametheology feced with the taunts ofMoslems and on theveneration of images. gives to the willful destructionof icons Jews that Christians were idolaters, he on religious or political grounds. What wished to remove theground forthat Iconodulism wecall the Iconoclastic Controversy charge and thusto facilitate winning By the700s, popular religion, thesupport of Moslems andJews for began in the East early in the eighth especially in the Ease, had embraced the Empire ... Leo isreported to have century. It lasted more than a hundred the making and venerating of images. been moved aswell bya desire to make years, and the results of that conflict In theological terms, thiswas iconodu the throne master ofthe Church, to reducethe powerof the monks, and to lism, giving dula (veneration) to icons, eventually touched the entirechurch. They are stillwith us today. eliminate thecontrol ofeducation by pictures ofChrist, theVirgin Mary, the the Church ... Some have seen in the apostles, and the othersaints.^ Practi Leo (III) the Isaurian was the first of the iconoclastic emperors. Leo came iconoclastic movement primarily an cally speaking, the roots of this practice effort at religious reform.' were in the olderpaganism. Once to the throne of Byzantium in 717 and Christianity became a legal and politi had to deal almost immediately with R.J. Rushdoonyemphasizes the cally popular religion, many nominal Muslim lorces at his gates. Leo stub political angle, and certainly it was not converts, sometimes menof great bornlyand effectively resisted the siege, lacking.'' Kenneth Scott Latourette ad prominence, broughttheirattachment employing his Bulgarian allies against dresses it as well: to religious images with them into the Muslim armies and chemical warfare The contest was in part from the the church. The images were justified ("Greek fire") against theirsupport convictionof many churchmen and as teaching tools, for mostmen and ingfleet. Epidemics and violent storms especially of monks that the Church women were illiterate. Soon the im battered the Muslim forces, and after shouldbe independent of the state, at least in matters of (aich and religious ages were seenas devotional aids, crude twelve months theywithdrew. Leo was practice, and the equally determined symbols for a crude, unlearned piety. In able to turn his attention to civil and re purposeof the Emperors to assert their time the Eastern monasteries became ligious reform. The frightening eruption authority overthe Church. Monks, insistenton their use and profited from of the island volcano Thera in 726 may who had separated themselves from the their creation. Eastern theologians, too. have spurred him on to deal immedi world, were particularly active in their vvww.chalcedon.edu January/February 2009 | Faithfor AllofLife opposition to the icon-forbidding Em Gregory called together a Roman synod woerests upon both, because theyerr perors. The Emperors may have wished that pronouncedexcommunication with Arius, Dioscorus, and Eutyches, to curb monasteries because the latter against any who destroyed or removed and with the heresy oftheAcephali. drewso many men from the service of icons (731). Leo retaliated by transfer When, however, theyareblamed thestate and, tax-exempt, reduced the forundertaking to depict thedivine imperial revenues. The army often sided ringthe Greek bishoprics in Italy and Sicily to the jurisdiction of the patriarch nature ofChrist, which should not be with theiconoclasts, apparently because depicted, they take refuge in theexcuse: it wished itshead, theEmperor, to be ofConstantinople. Butthe province of We represent only the flesh of Christ supremeand to be reverenced without Ravenna would not cooperate, and Leo which we have seen and handled. But the rivalry of veneration for the icons.^ lost a fleet in his efforts to subdue it. that is a Nestorian error. For it should Rushdoony argues that thepolitical Leo spentthe last years of his life ending be considered that that flesh was also conflict was funciamentally a manifesta the Muslim threat to hisempire. theflesh ofGod the Word, without any tion of Neoplatonic theology. separation, perfectly assumed bythe The Iconoclast Council divine nature andmade wholly divine. Neo-Platonism infected both church UponLeo's deathin 741, his young Howcould it now beseparated and and state. For ecclesiastical Neo- son Constannne came to the throne. represented apart? ...Whoever,then, Platonism, the church as the realm of He continued his father's waragainst makes an image ofChrist, either depicts spirit, represented the higher order... icons, writingon Christological grounds theGodhead which cannot bedepicted, For political Neo-Platonism, the state against their use. In 754 Constantine and mingles it with the manhood(like represents the logos or structure of theMonophysites), orhe represents the summoned a council to denounce being.® bodyof Christasnot made divine and iconodulism. It did so with these words: Both church and state saw them separate and asa person apart, like the Wherefore we thought it right, to shew Nestorians. selves as manifestations ofChrist, as forth withall accuracy, in our present extensions ofHis Incarnation. And so definition the error ofsuch as make and The only admissible figure ofthehu each tried to sever the other from its venerate these, for it is the unanimous manityof Christ, however, is breadand claims to represent divine immanence: doctrineof allthe holyFathers and of winein the holySupper. This and no eachtried to destroy the others icons. thesix Ecumenical Synods, that no one other form, this andnoothertype, has mayimagine any kind ofseparation or he chosen to represent hisincarnation. There were thus two institutional incar nations in the world, church and state, mingling in opposition to the unsearch Bread heordered to bebrought, but not able, unspeakable, andincomprehen a representation of the human form, so and in both East and West there was a struggle on the partof both to limit sible union ofthe two natures in the thatidolatry might not arise. And as the one hypostasis or person. What avails, body of Christ is madedivine, so also the extent ofthe incarnation ofthe other. The iconoclastic controversy was then, the folly of the painter, who from thisfigure of the bodyof Christ,the the form thestruggle took in theEast. sinfial love ofgain depicts thatwhich bread, ismadedivine bythe descent of Both sides were iconodules, venera should not bedepicted—that is, with the Holy Spirit; it becomes thedivine tors oficons; theimperial party simply his polluted hands he tries to fashion bodyof Christby the mediation of the became iconoclastic with reference to that whichshould onlybebelieved priest who, separating theoblation from the church.' in the heart and confessed with the that which is common, sanctifies it... mouth? He makes an image and calls it PopeGregoryII denounced Leo's Christ. The name Christ signifies God Christianity has rejected the whole of iconoclasm: heaccused him ofignor and man. Consequently it isan image heathenism, andsonot merely heathen ing the councils and the Fathers and ofGodandman, andconsequently he sacrifices, butalso the heathen worship of casting a stumbling block before the has in his foolish mind, in his represen ofimages. TheSaints live oneternally weak, who needed the icons as props tationof thecreated flesh, depicted the withGod,although they have died. If to their faith. Leo responded withan Godhead which cannot be represented, anyone thinks to call them back again appeal to the silence of the first six and thusmingled whatshould not be to life bya dead art,discovered bythe mingled. Thus he is guilty ofa double heathen, he makes himselfguilty of ecumenical councils on the matter and blasphemy—the onein making an blasphemy. Whodares attempt with withan assertion of his own authority image of theGodhead, and theotherby heathenish art to paint theMother of in both church and state. "He threat mingling theGodhead and
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