What is "iconolatry"

Iconolatry \I`co*nol"a*try\, n. [See Iconolater.] The worship of images as symbols; -- distinguished from idolatry, the worship of images themselves.

n. The worship of images as symbols.

n. the worship of sacred images

Iconolatry: from the two Greek terms eikon, denoting simply a picture or image, and latreia, to adore. See icon.

Icon in Greek simply denotes a picture but has now come to be closely associated with religious art used by the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. Icons are used by Orthodox Churches to assist in prayer and worship of God. Icon (image) is the same word used in the Bible in , .

Iconolatry is the veneration of images (mainly in two-dimensional form) and often referred to in relation to the Iconoclastic period where there was a "cleansing" and destruction by the Byzantine Empire (with varying degrees of cooperation and opposition from the Church) of all religious art. One reason given for this were that the Christians would venerate images of Saints, the Son of God and even pictures of God and scrape parts of the icons into Holy Communion; see iconoclasm for a more complete discussion.

The Orthodox Church (while finally reinstating the Icons) held at least two Church councils to decide on the proper use of icons.

The Council of Hieria in 753 expressly forbade the making of icons, and ordered all pictures of Jesus and the saints to be removed from the churches, saying that they ought instead to be decorated with pictures of birds, flowers, and fruit. This council was held near Constantinople, and all attending bishops were from the Constantinople Patriarchate. The other patriarchs refused to send any delegates.

The Second Council of Nicaea held in 787 reversed the decisions of that council. This Council of Church leaders (bishops) was a key step towards an alternate understanding of the use of religious art in the Church. An early Church council defined veneration of icons based on the sacred mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Person of Jesus was thought to reveal not only the Word of God , but the image of God . Pre-Christian scriptures defined idolatry as worshipping of false gods. Church leaders defended images of Christ on the basis that they were representations of the true god and clarified the relationship between an image and the one depicted by the image. The principle of veneration is that, in honoring an image, the honor is to paid not to the image itself, but the one who is portrayed. The difference between veneration and worship was also clarified: one venerates or honors a saint; worship is due to God alone. After the period of Iconoclasm was over, veneration of icons spread to Serbia, Bulgaria, and to distant Russia.

Depictions of Icons bearing the image of God the Father were forbidden in the Orthodox Church, unless depicted in the context of the Revelation or Apocalypse of Saint John, where God the Father is described as an older version of Jesus. Some prefer the depiction of God in the Icon type of Rublev's Holy Trinity. Others believe that, as no-one has ever seen God the Father, he should never be depicted in Icons, while Jesus, who was seen by human eyes is allowed to be pictured.