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Sunday Sermon Outline LET’S STUDY CHURCH HISTORY- PART
17
During
the years from about 725 through the mid 800’s, there was a controversy related
to images, which is often called the
“Iconoclastic Controversy” from the Greek word “ikon”
for
image. 1) From the 4th century,
there was a growing interest in worship of saints. This “worship” was divided into 3
grades: 1) Adoration- belonging
only to God 2)
Veneration- due to saints as those God has honored 3) Special
veneration- as to
Mary, the mother of the Lord and queen of
heaven 2) The FEAST OF ALL SAINTS
(Nov.1) was established by Pope Boniface
4th in 615 and made applicable to the
Holy Rom.Empire in 835 by Pope Gregory
4th. Such honoring of saints naturally
led to making images of saints. 3) The right to image-worship was
claimed as rendering honor to those God has honored and necessary as a
pictorial Bible for the illiterate.
Honors to be given to the saints could be expressed
thru kneeling, kissing and burning candles. In support of such imagery, the OT was
quoted relating the cherubim, brazen serpent and the incarnation of
Jesus Himself as well as support from church
fathers. The Eastern Church (Gk.Orthodox) confines this to colored
representations on a flat surface or mosaics, but
excludes sculptures or graven images.
Roman Catholicism makes no
distinction. 4) Opponents (called Iconoclasts)
referred to scripture that rejected idolatry. They are sometimes called
‘image-breakers’. The Synod of
in 754 denounced images as heathen
idolatry. But in 787, a council at
Nicea under the influence of the Emperor’s
wife, Irene, set aside such banishment of images and allowed it for a
limited number of images. It was
well-entrenched in the professing church and remains
to this day. Development of the doctrine of the
Mass as sacramental, not commemorative. 1) Radbertus, a devout monk of Corvey, Fr. Wrote a book in 831 declaring the substance of
bread/wine is effectually changed to the Body & Blood of
Christ when so pronounced by the priest. This came to be called
“Transubstantiation”. 2) Another monk, Ratramnus, opposed such teaching, saying it was a
commemorative celebration, but not a repetition
of Jesus’ actual sacrifice.
Both men quoted John 6:51-63 as
proof. 3) Berenger (1000-1088) was a teacher in
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about 950, dispute arose whether such
“consecrated and transubstantiated elements” were passed out of the body
after digestion. The supporters
of transub. claimed
it was not, but remained preserved in the flesh
until resurrection. They called opponents of
transubstantiation, “stercorianists” from the Latin
word for ‘dung’. 4) The doctrine of transubstantiation was
regarded as dogma after being sanctioned in 1215 by Pope Innocent
3rd and would eventually lead to the removal of the cup from the
laity out of fear of spillage. |