February 8 - Iconoclasts

February 8 – Iconoclasts

Sometimes I get weary of Christian stores selling “Jesus Junk.” But, goodness, they do have a long history to draw from. Part of Muhammad’s idol-worship attacks were aimed at Christians because they used icons. Pictures of Jesus were common as were pictures of saints. Part of the problem with this was that people were transferring their idol worship from the time when they were pagan to their new religion – Christianity.

Well, in 725 AD, a volcano messed with Constantinople. The new emperor believed that God was punishing them for ‘idol worship’ and ordered grand destruction. He set up a battle between “Icon-Kissers” (or iconodules) and Icon-destroyers (or iconoclasts). Now, this battle lasted for 61 years! There was one point when a golden image of Christ over the palace doors was set to be destroyed. A mob of women carrying pots and pans, kicked the scaffold out from under the soldiers that had been sent to destroy it. Many times this battle got bloody.

Now, one of the images we recognize is that of people kissing icons of saints. These people are doing nothing more than acting on their belief that past saints still surround them in worship. (Hebrews 12:1 promotes this.) As they kiss the icon, they welcome the saints to worship.

By 787, the battle needed to end. A church council was called in Nicea. Icon worship was banned. No longer could they create three-dimensional images of Jesus and the saints. However, they continued to allow icon-reverence.

Icon reverence is still something we fully accept. We revere our Bible, while not worshiping the individual item. It is simply an earthly tool for us to come into contact with God.

Because this was such a terrible temptation and then sin for Muslims, they do not allow any artistic depictions of Mohammad or Allah. They have beautiful calligraphed imagery of words from the Koran, but this sin is one they take very seriously.

Iconoclast (btw) means someone who destroys religious images – and has expanded to be someone who destroys beliefs, ideals, customs and institutions.