Why does the Catholic Church have images if the Old Testament seems to forbid them (Ex 20:4-5; Dt 4:15-16; 7:25-26; 2 Kgs 18:4; Ps 135:15-18)?
The Hebrew root for “to worship” is “hawah”; in Hebrew this root means “to worship,” while in Aramaic it means “to relate,” “to report.” In Greek it is always translated with προσκυνέω (proskyneo).
Worshiping God: Gn 22:5; 24:48; 37:10; Ex 4:31; 33:10; Dt 26:10; 1 Sm 1:3.19; 15:25.30; 2 Sm 15:32; 2 Kgs 17:36; 18:22; 32:12; 2 Chr 7:3.22; 20:18; 29:28.29.30; Is 2:10; 27:13; 36:7; 49:7.23; 66:23; Jer 1:16; 7:2; 26:2; 22:9; Ez 46:2.3.9; Zec 14:16.17; Ps 5:8; 22:27.29; 29:2; 66:4; 86:9; 95:6; 96:9; Neh 8:6; 9:3.6.
Doing homage to Absalom: 1 Sm 2:36.
Worshiping God and doing homage to the king: 1 Chr 29:20.
Worshiping idols, the sun, or other gods: Ex 32:8; Lev 26:1; 1 Kgs 9:6.9; 11:33 (without Greek correspondence); 2 Kgs 5:18; 17:16.35; 19:37; Judg 2:12.13 (in this case the Greek uses λατρεύω = latreuo). 17; Is 2:20; 37:38; 46:6; Ez 8:16; Jer 25:6; 2 Chr 7:19; Is 2:20.
The Aramaic root for worship is “segid”; this root also exists in Hebrew with the same meaning and appears translated in Greek by proskyneo: Is 44:15.17.19; 46:6 (worshiping idols).
Worshiping God; refusing the worship of other gods or idols: Dn 3:12.15; it is translated by latreuo. Worshiping idols: Dn 3:5.6.7.10.11.14.18; it is translated into Greek by proskyneo.
In other passages the two roots, “segid” and “hawah,” appear together: Is 44:15, where hawah corresponds to proskyneo, while segid does not seem to have an equivalent; Is 44:17: segid is translated by proskyneo, while hawah corresponds to the verb proseuchomai.
As can be seen from the various citations given above, on some three occasions the Hebrew and Aramaic verbs segid and hawah are translated by latreuo.
There are other verbs that are striking because of their different contexts. Glory is a divine attribute (doxa), yet we find the verb doxazo with the meaning of honoring a man in Esther 6:6.7.9.11. The verb sebomai appears in the LXX in Is 29:13; Jos 4:24; 24:33 in the context of “venerating God”; the Book of Wisdom uses it for idols in 15:18.
A careful study of the use of the various roots shows that in ancient writings there is no clear distinction between adoring and venerating.
The form of devotion to Christ and to the saints in cemeteries is one of the most ancient devotions; and not only that: in the catacombs of Rome it is common to find representations of Christ as the “Good Shepherd” and as the “fish.” In Galilee too there are ancient mosaics that represent the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish. This devotion became universal around the time of Constantine.
Nevertheless, in the fourth century the regional council of Elvira forbade the decoration of churches with paintings, but this decision did not become universal; the reason lay in the contrast between the mysteries of faith and weak human creations. Eusebius of Caesarea also considered it impossible to represent the glorious humanity of Christ. Likewise, the Monophysites were enemies of such representations.
In 599, Serenus of Marseilles led the first case of destruction of images in his diocese, which brought about the reaction of St. Gregory the Great. This controversy increased in 727, when Emperor Leo III ordered a figure of Christ in the imperial palaces to be torn down. The people reacted and killed several officers.
This was followed by several imperial repressions under Leo III and Constantine Copronymus. Peace arrived when Empress Irene occupied the throne. The Second Council of Nicaea confirmed the legitimacy of the cult in session VII.
The Fourth Council of Constantinople seems to use the same root “proskyneo” for the adoration of the image of Christ the Savior, of the Virgin Mother of God, of the angels, and of the saints.
Thus, rather than being a failed attempt of theology, it is to theology’s credit that it gradually understood the data better so as to clarify the terms; and, more than to theology, the credit belongs to the ecclesiastical magisterium.
It should not be forgotten that the council of Elvira did not have universal value regarding images. In that council the Greek verb used for “to adore” is the same as for “to venerate”: “proskyneo” (προσκυνέω).
Montanari’s Greek dictionary, one of the most complete published in recent times, lists the following meanings for this verb: (1) to greet affectionately, to embrace; (2) to adore, to venerate; (3) to prostrate oneself, to regard with respect or veneration; (4) to conjure, to try to appease by entreaty; etc.
This makes clear that one and the same Greek verb — the one used by Constantinople IV — is employed both for adoring and for venerating.
As for the New Testament, there are four meanings:
· This verb indicates the worship due to God (Mt 4:10; Lk 4:8; Jn 4:21; 1 Cor 14:25; Rev 4:10; Heb 11:21…).
· Adoring Christ, prophet, Messiah, and God (Mt 2:2; 8:1; Lk 24:52; Heb 1:6…).
· Venerating someone by an act of humble prostration (Acts 10:25; Rev 19:10; 22:8).
· Worshiping the devil, the beast, the dragon, and their representations (Mt 4:9; Lk 4:7; Rev 9:20; 13:4.8).
The Fourth Council of Constantinople, despite making use of proskyneo for the adoration of the image of Christ and of the Virgin and of the angels and saints, establishes a clear and subtle distinction among the four.
In the case of Christ, it says that this adoration is similar to the adoration of the Gospels, and this is not said of the Virgin, of the angels, or of the saints; on the other hand, in the case of Christ the verb proskyneo is used in a strong, absolute sense of “venerating.”
In the other three cases, two verbs are used and not only “to adore”; it says: “we honor and adore.” This is what is called a hendiadys: this honoring and adoring is what today is called “venerating.”
The gradation of these four groups is not accidental either: the cult reserved to Mary is privileged in relation to the other two; therefore she appears before them, and the council gives the reason: she is Mother of God, which neither the angels nor the saints are.
In the year 869-870 there was no clear or precise terminology to designate the cult reserved to the Virgin and to the saints (some distinction had been established by the Second Council of Nicaea, but it had not been well understood, because of a bad translation, to which were added rivalries between the two Roman empires of East and West); that is why the verb “to venerate” does not appear. In Greek, to venerate was also expressed with “proskyneo,” as Montanari’s dictionary has pointed out.
Over the centuries the Church has been refining this terminology, so that today the Catechism establishes a clear distinction between adoring and venerating. Something similar happened with the term “person.” Before Chalcedon, there was no clear distinction between “person” and “nature.” It was Chalcedon’s merit to define the concept of person more precisely.
We now turn to the Old Testament quotations that our separated brethren bring forward to tell us that Catholics commit acts of idolatry when we venerate sacred images.
Often it seems that, with this method of quoting the Old Testament, one overlooks that the New Testament helps us understand the Old (cf. 2 Cor 2:14) and that the Old provides a foundation for the New, as if there were no distinction between the two. In reality, in the Old Testament we find a kind of sketch of the plan of salvation.
Revelation had a progressive character until its definitive fulfillment in Christ (Heb 1:1-2). In this light, it does not seem to be a good method to make the Bible say what I want as support for my personal preferences, sheltered behind the name of “private judgment.” Rather, it must be read in the light of the Spirit in which it was written.
The reason why images were not given a place in the Old Testament was the danger that the people might fall into idolatry. The fact is that the prophets never ceased to denounce this custom, which consisted above all in representations of God taken from the animal kingdom. This inclination was due to the fact that Israel lived surrounded by idolatrous nations.
The first commandment of the Decalogue forbade making a carved image of any figure (Ex 20:3), which must be understood not in an absolute sense, but in its context of not rendering worship to the false divinities that the Jews could have seen in Egypt.
For the mentality of that time, representing God in an image was equivalent to attributing to God an arbitrary form according to man’s taste — a thing or living being — while neglecting his transcendent dimension (Dt 4:15-16.28). In the time of the Maccabees the Decalogue was again applied literally.
Flavius Josephus tells how the people reacted to the placement of a golden eagle at the main entrance of the temple, and of the indignation felt by the Jews when they saw that the standards of the Roman army in Jerusalem bore images of Caesar.
Moreover, the name of God could not be pronounced; man could not look upon God, not even Moses could do so (he managed to see only his back, as Exodus 33:18-20 teaches, a text that corrects Exodus 24:9-11 and Deuteronomy 34:10, and that confirms John 1:18).
If it is true that Christ reveals to us the face of God (Jn 6:46), with Him a new era is inaugurated, because He has taught us to call God “Father” with full right.
With every reason St. John says in his first letter: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life — for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1 Jn 1:1-4).
John speaks of touching, seeing, contemplating, handling… in relation to the Word of life, Christ Jesus. For this reason the representation of his face, of his cross, and of his sufferings is licit: God, who was invisible by nature, has become visible, to the point of allowing himself to be contemplated, touched, and handled. The incarnation has inaugurated a new “economy of images” (NC 1159).
The Book of Revelation shows a visceral abhorrence of every form of paganism: magic (Rev 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15), Nicolaitanism (Rev 2:6.15), blasphemies against God (Rev 2:9; 13:6); worship of angels (Rev 19:10; 22:9); of idols (21:8; 22:15); of the devil (Rev 13:4-6).
Does it seem to contradict itself when it uses comparisons with precious stones to describe the one seated on the throne (Rev 4:3), when it offers various representations — theriomorphic or not — of Christ (Lion of the tribe of Judah, root of David, Lamb standing as though slain, Rev 5:6); when it presents Mary to us in transcendence in Rev 12:1-2; when it presents the four “living creatures” and the 24 elders, who hold bowls that are the prayers of the saints before the throne of God? The Church’s cult of images follows this line.
If ancient representations of pagan gods abound in many cities, it is not because acts of idolatry are performed today, but because they are works of art. And works of art have a universal reach both for the men who preceded us and for those of today and those who will come tomorrow. Once again, if the terms are not clear in Scripture, it is to the Church’s credit that she established the distinction between adoring and venerating.
In the first and second centuries of Christianity the following religious representations are found:
a. Mysteries of the Christian faith, virtues, representations of Christ: the lamb, the dove, the fish, the anchor.
b. Parables or allegories: the vine, the Good Shepherd, the wise and foolish virgins.
c. Figures of the Old Testament: Noah, Daniel, Jonah, Moses.
d. Images of Christ, of the Virgin, and of the saints.
In the third and fourth centuries:
a. Stucco paintings appear on walls or as the background of cups and medals.
b. Scenes from the life of Christ and from the history of the Church.
c. Scenes from the life of Christ in cemeteries, Moses striking the rock, the fisherman drawing the fish from the water, the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, the Eucharistic sacrifice, the calling of the Twelve.
Some Fathers and ecclesiastical writers testify to some of these representations: Irenaeus (Adv. Haer., I, 25), Lampridius (Alex. Sev., 29), Tertullian (De pudicitia, VII, 10).
With the peace of Constantine, the veneration of the cross as the Christian standard or “labarum” gained new prominence. From this period come the mosaics in Rome and Ravenna that represent Christ, the Virgin, and the saints, as can be seen in the mausoleum of Santa Costanza in Rome (the oldest building of the fourth century), the apse of Santa Pudenziana, which represents Christ, Peter, and Paul, as well as the great arch of Santa Maria Maggiore from the middle of the fifth century, which represents Jesus being brought by his Mother alongside Anna and Simeon.
From the same period there is a prefiguration in Santa Sabina of the “Ecclesia ex circumcisione” and the “Ecclesia ex gentibus.” In Ravenna, Sant’Agata contains a mosaic of Christ with two angels, and in the mausoleum of Galla Placidia (year 424) appear the Good Shepherd, St. Lawrence, and the apostles.
The catacombs are an evolution of Roman hypogea to which corridors were added. At first they were private, but they spread with the practice of burial among pagans, Jews, and Christians. This explains why Christian themes are found alongside pagan prefigurations.
The complexes are called “columbaria” and later became burial places. These places served as cemeteries until the sixth century, and later became places of devotion. From the third century onward the various commemorations of the faithful departed began to be celebrated there.
From the fourth century onward stairs and altars were added, and more relics of saints were brought there. Around the eighth century the catacombs fell into oblivion.
Of the 67 catacombs known today, De Rossi discovered some 26 in 1849, although Antonio Bosio had begun the archaeological discoveries in the sixteenth century. The most famous are those of Commodilla, Priscilla, Callistus, and Sebastian. They are very vast funerary complexes.
The oldest sector of St. Callistus is that of the crypts of Lucina on the Appian Way, dating back to the second century. At least 4 of the 14 popes were buried there: Pontian, Anterus, Fabian, and Eutychian. De Rossi recognized the figures of Christ, of St. Cecilia, and of Pope Urban in the Byzantine frescoes of the crypt of St. Cecilia. There is a niche there with a copy of the statue of St. Cecilia, the work of Maderno (the original is in Trastevere).
Not far away there are five sepulchral chambers with representations of the resurrection, of the sacraments of baptism, and of the Eucharist. They are decorations from the third century.
The most common Christian prefigurations there are: the Good Shepherd, the first two letters of the word Christ, a man in prayer, the fish, the stag fighting with the serpent as a symbol of the catechumen, and the initial words of “martyr.”
In the city of Rome there are three famous columns: Trajan’s Column, whose statue Sixtus V replaced with one of St. Peter, the work of Giacomo della Porta; this took place on December 4, 1587. Two years later the same Pope ordered a statue of St. Paul to be placed on the Column of Marcus Aurelius in Piazza Colonna: in the Middle Ages the statue of that emperor had disappeared, sculpted between 180 and 193 to commemorate his victories over the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatians.
No one performs idolatrous acts before these columns. In the Spanish Steps area of Rome there is also an ancient column with a bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception; at its feet there are effigies of Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and David. This work was erected by Luigi Poletti two years after the proclamation of the dogma (1854) by Pius IX. Every year on December 8 the Pope goes to this place, leaves a bouquet of flowers at the feet of the image of the Mother of God, and addresses those present.
St. Gregory Nazianzen speaks of an image of St. Polemon that converts a sinful woman (Carm. I,1; sec. II, v. 800); it is still debated whether the discourse exhorting painters to be good teachers in their Christian art belongs to St. Basil or to St. Ephrem (PG xxxi, col. 489).
St. Gregory of Nyssa, following the traces of St. Ephrem’s descriptions, describes the religious paintings he saw in the oratory of St. Euphemia in Chalcedon (PG xl, col. 333-337); he himself speaks of having seen representations of the sacrifice of Isaac and mosaics with various religious themes (PG xlvi, col. 737).
St. Nilus reproaches Olympiodorus for wanting to paint hunting and fishing scenes in a basilica, and exhorts him to choose biblical themes for its decoration that would instruct the faithful (PG lxxix, col. 577).
St. Jerome speaks of images of the apostles painted on sacred vessels (In Ion. IV,6).
St. Augustine indicates the custom in many places of representing St. Peter and St. Paul beside Our Lord (PL xxxiv, col. 1049); he also speaks of a painting he saw of St. Stephen dying by stoning, while St. Paul watches over the garments of those who stone him (PL xxxviii, col. 1434).
In “Contra Faustum” he speaks of a painting representing the sacrifice of Abraham (PL xlii, col. 446). As for the warning from St. Augustine that you cite: first, perhaps it is not appropriate to say that he corrects Thomas Aquinas, since Thomas is much later than he. On the other hand, his words must be weighed within their own context: he warns against the worship of false divinities. Hence his insistence on the representative value of images. In that sense he stands within what the Church has always taught.
Prudentius speaks of the paintings representing the martyrdom of St. Cassian (PL lx, col. 433-435).
St. Paulinus of Nola and Sulpicius Severus decorate the basilicas they built with religious images; these are Old Testament scenes (PL lxi, col. 660).
The cult reserved to images is not adoration, but veneration: the Church has never thought that images or representations of the saints are gods.
At the same time, various representations appear in the Bible: Moses himself, by God’s command, has two golden cherubim placed over the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 25:18), and raised up a bronze serpent as a sign of salvation for those who suffered the bites of the serpents as punishment for the people’s murmuring (Nm 21:3): later, Hezekiah had the bronze serpent destroyed because the Jews were burning incense before it (2 Kgs 18:4). Nor should we forget the image of wood covered with metal that represented God: Micah’s mother had it made (Judg 17:4-5).
The Danites took possession of it, made a sanctuary, and rendered worship to it (Judg 18:30-31); likewise, Solomon’s temple contained various decorations of cherubim, bulls, oxen, lions, palm trees, and flower buds (1 Kgs 6:23-35; 7:25-51); nor should it be forgotten that the Jews had lampstands (Zec 4:2). Zechariah, in his vision in chapter 4, encounters two olive trees that God says are the two anointed ones who range through the whole earth (Zec 4:14).
I repeat: it is to the Church’s credit that she clarified the terminology in this regard. It is not veneration of the materiality of things, but of what they represent. This makes clear that in the Catholic Church there is no idolatry — it is another matter if some people fail to distinguish this and fall into deviations, often through ignorance. Nor are angels or saints adored.
We consider various objects worthy of respect, but we do not attribute special gifts or powers to them. Another aspect of devotion to the Virgin and the saints is names: a great number of people, believers or not, have names of saints, of the Virgin, or of Jesus, and we do not therefore think that this is idolatry. This is one aspect of that veneration.
Images are reminders of persons, not the persons themselves. If I contemplate the photograph of my grandmother who has died, that does not mean that I love a piece of colored paper, but that this piece of paper reminds me of her. I know it is not my grandmother, and yet it makes me remember her face, her way of being and speaking. If I can do this with a loved one, all the more should I be able to do it with what reminds us of God!
We do something similar with the flag and with other national symbols, such as monuments to heroes, etc. In the case of the Gospels: why do we kiss them? Why do we take care of them? Because they too are an image of God, his written word.
It is not that we idolize a bundle of papers, but that they contain what God has wished to transmit to us; on the other hand, image and word clarify each other (New Catechism 1160). In the representation of the saints, Christ is glorified in them (New Catechism 1161).
A comment of interest about the Protestant Reformation may be added here. It is surprising that several separated brethren do not recognize themselves as Lutherans, yet have made many of Luther’s ideas their own, consciously or unconsciously.
A clear example is the principles of “faith alone” and “Scripture alone.” But not only that. What lies at the root of Luther’s thought against Mary and the saints is his rejection of the concept of “sacrament,” since in his view this led to confusing the divine with the human (contrary to what Scripture itself says in Jn 10:34). In the end, for Luther no human being, neither the Virgin nor the saints, can be considered elevated to the life of grace.
In 1521 Luther still recognized Mary and the saints under the title of intercessors, but he gradually changed his opinion until denying it (in 1521, when he writes his commentary on the Magnificat, he does not give Mary the title “advocate”; in 1522, on the occasion of the sermon on Christmas, he explicitly denies it). The last step he took was the omission of the second part of the Hail Mary, at Zwingli’s urging, since it consists of an intercession or supplication.
In conclusion, it is not only good to wear a cross on one’s breast, kiss the Gospels, and have images of Christ, of the Virgin, and of the saints, but this is also an ancient tradition of the Church. They are also a stimulus for our prayer.
From antiquity the Virgin and the saints have been invoked as intercessors before God: the cult that the Church gives them is directed to God himself. Therefore they are proposed to us as sure models of Christian life. Among them Mary holds a privileged place as Mother of God, cooperator in the work of redemption, and figure of the Church.
Author: Catholic.net
