Changes

[[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] iconography is the oldest and only Christian art form which has continued unchanged for the past 2000 years. The Eastern Orthodox believe that the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary were painted by [[Luke|St. Luke the Evangelist]]. St. Luke is the Patron Saint of iconographers.

[[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] iconography is the oldest and only Christian art form which has continued unchanged for the past 2000 years. The Eastern Orthodox believe that the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary were painted by [[Luke|St. Luke the Evangelist]]. St. Luke is the Patron Saint of iconographers.

Iconography is considered to have begun the day our Lord Jesus Christ pressed a cloth to His face and imprinted His divine-human image thereon<ref>This is according to tradition the Veil of Veronica ("true image") which she offered in pity to the Lord with which He (or she) wiped the sweat and spit from His face, also simply called the Veronica. [http://www.catholictradition.org/Christ/veronica.htm The Holy Face: Veil of Veronica (catholictraditon.org)]</ref>. According to Tradition, Luke the Evangelist painted the image of the Mother of God; and, also according to tradition, there still exist today many Icons which were painted by him. An artist, he painted not only the first Icons of the Mother of God, but also those of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, as well as possibly, others. Many early Church fathers from the 2nd century through the 3rd and 4th centuries before the time of [[Constantine]] supported the "underground" (literally, in the catacombs) use of relics, statues and images including icons.<ref name=Fathers>[https://practicalapologetics.blogspot.com/2013/07/early-church-fathers-on-relics-statues.html Early Church Fathers on Relics, Statues and Images (practicalapologetics.blogspot.com)] ''Includes [[Apologetics|apologetic]] quotations from [[Ante-Nicene Fathers]] in support of the use of images in early Christian worship and devotion''.</ref>

Iconography is considered to have begun the day our Lord Jesus Christ pressed a cloth to His face and imprinted His divine-human image thereon<ref>This is according to tradition the Veil of Veronica ("true image") which she offered in pity to the Lord with which He (or she) wiped the sweat and spit from His face, also simply called the Veronica. [http://www.catholictradition.org/Christ/veronica.htm The Holy Face: Veil of Veronica (catholictraditon.org)]</ref><ref name=Letters>According to the tradition associated with an ancient document purporting to be "The Letters of Jesus Christ the Lord and Abgarus king of Edessa" this was before the Lord's passion, death, crucifixion and resurrection. See [http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/LostBooks/lettersJesusAbgarus.htm Letters of Christ and Abgarus (pseudepigrapha.com)]</ref>. According to Tradition, Luke the Evangelist painted the image of the Mother of God; and, also according to tradition, there still exist today many Icons which were painted by him. An artist, he painted not only the first Icons of the Mother of God, but also those of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, as well as possibly, others. Many early Church fathers from the 2nd century through the 3rd and 4th centuries before the time of [[Constantine]] supported the "underground" (literally, in the catacombs) use of relics, statues and images including icons.<ref name=Fathers>[https://practicalapologetics.blogspot.com/2013/07/early-church-fathers-on-relics-statues.html Early Church Fathers on Relics, Statues and Images (practicalapologetics.blogspot.com)] ''Includes [[Apologetics|apologetic]] quotations from [[Ante-Nicene Fathers]] in support of the use of images in early Christian worship and devotion''.</ref>

Iconography did not develop further during the time of the Roman persecutions A.D. 64–313, but Christians did attempt to express in symbols what they wished to convey. In the catacombs Christ is portrayed as the Good Shepherd and in the guise of various personalities from pagan mythology.

Iconography did not develop further during the time of the Roman persecutions A.D. 64–313, but Christians did attempt to express in symbols what they wished to convey. In the catacombs Christ is portrayed as the Good Shepherd and in the guise of various personalities from pagan mythology.

===Sixth century===

===Sixth century===

'''[[Gregory I|Gregory the Great]] Letters Book 4 letter 30''' (A.D. 540-604) testifies to the reverent dread of respect given even the silver over the body of the apostle Peter: "The Serenity of your Piety, conspicuous for religious zeal and love of holiness, has charged me with your commands to send to you the head of Saint Paul, or some other part of his body, for the church which is being built in honor of the same Saint Paul in the palace. And, being desirous of receiving commands from you, by exhibiting the most ready obedience to which I might the more provoke your favor towards me, I am all the more distressed that I neither can nor dare do what you enjoin. For the bodies of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul glitter with so great miracles and terrors in their churches that one cannot even go to pray there without great fear. In short, when my predecessor, of blessed memory, was desirous of changing the silver which was over the most sacred body of the blessed apostle Peter, though at a distance of almost fifteen feet from the same body, a sign of no small dreadfulness appeared to him."<ref name=Fathers/>

'''[[Gregory I|Gregory the Great]] Letters Book 4 letter 30''' (A.D. 540-604) testifies to the reverent dread in respect given even the silver over the body of the apostle Peter: "The Serenity of your Piety, conspicuous for religious zeal and love of holiness, has charged me with your commands to send to you the head of Saint Paul, or some other part of his body, for the church which is being built in honor of the same Saint Paul in the palace. And, being desirous of receiving commands from you, by exhibiting the most ready obedience to which I might the more provoke your favor towards me, I am all the more distressed that I neither can nor dare do what you enjoin. For the bodies of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul glitter with so great miracles and terrors in their churches that one cannot even go to pray there without great fear. In short, when my predecessor, of blessed memory, was desirous of changing the silver which was over the most sacred body of the blessed apostle Peter, though at a distance of almost fifteen feet from the same body, a sign of no small dreadfulness appeared to him."<ref name=Fathers/>

'''Gregory the Great Letters Book 9 letter 105''' (A.D. 540-604) attempted to correct a distortion or misrepresentation regarding the proper use of iconic pictorial images in the minds of a certain Fraternal Order, counselling them to preserve the images and also prohibit the people from adoration of them: "Furthermore we notify to you that it has come to our ears that your Fraternity, seeing certain adorers of images, broke and threw down these same images in Churches. And we commend you indeed for your zeal against anything made with hands being an object of adoration; but we signify to you that you ought not to have broken these images. For pictorial representation is made use of in Churches for this reason; that such as are ignorant of letters may at least read by looking at the walls what they cannot read in books. Your Fraternity therefore should have both preserved the images and prohibited the people from adoration of them, to the end that both those who are ignorant of letters might have wherewith to gather a knowledge of the history, and that the people might by no means sin by adoration of a pictorial representation<ref name=Fathers/>

'''Gregory the Great Letters Book 9 letter 105''' (A.D. 540-604) attempted to correct a distortion or misrepresentation regarding the proper use of iconic pictorial images in the minds of a certain Fraternal Order, counselling them to preserve the images and also prohibit the people from adoration of them: "Furthermore we notify to you that it has come to our ears that your Fraternity, seeing certain adorers of images, broke and threw down these same images in Churches. And we commend you indeed for your zeal against anything made with hands being an object of adoration; but we signify to you that you ought not to have broken these images. For pictorial representation is made use of in Churches for this reason; that such as are ignorant of letters may at least read by looking at the walls what they cannot read in books. Your Fraternity therefore should have both preserved the images and prohibited the people from adoration of them, to the end that both those who are ignorant of letters might have wherewith to gather a knowledge of the history, and that the people might by no means sin by adoration of a pictorial representation<ref name=Fathers/>

===Seventh century===

===Seventh century===

John of Damascus '''Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images''' (A.D. 676-749)—From the Life of the Abbot Daniel, on Eulogius the Quarryman: "Then he went away dejected, and threw himself before an image of Our Lady, and crying out, he said: "Lord, enable me to pay what I promised this man."<ref name=Fathers/><br>—"St Basil says, ‘Honouring the image leads to the prototype.’ If you raise churches to the saints of God, raise also their trophies."<ref name=Fathers/><br>—"A tradition has come down to us that Angaros, King of Edessa, was drawn vehemently to divine love by hearing of our Lord,and that he sent envoys to ask for His likeness. If this were refused, they were ordered to have a likeness painted. Then He, who is all-knowing and all-powerful, is said to have taken a strip of cloth, and pressing it to His face, to have left His likeness upon the cloth, which it retains to this day."<ref>According to the tradition associated with an ancient document purporting to be "The Letters of Jesus Christ the Lord and Abgarus king of Edessa" this was before the Lord's passion, death, crucifixion and resurrection. See [http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/LostBooks/lettersJesusAbgarus.htm Letters of Christ and Abgarus (pseudepigrapha.com)]</ref> ([[Shroud of Turin]]?)<ref name=Fathers/><br>—"If you say to this that blessed Epiphanius clearly rejected our use of images, you must know that the work in question is spurious and written by some one else in the name of Epiphanius, as often happens. A father does not fight his own children. All have become participators in the one Spirit. The Church is a witness of this in adorning images, until some men rose up against her and disturbed the peace of Christ's fold, putting poisoned food before the people of God."<ref name=Fathers/><br>—"Listen to what I am going to say as a proof that images are no new invention. It is an ancient practice well known to the best and foremost of the fathers. Elladios, the disciple of blessed Basil and his successor, says in his ''Life of Basil'' that the holy man was standing by the image of Our Lady, on which was painted also the likeness of Mercurius, the renowned martyr. He was standing by it asking for the removal of the impious apostate [[Julian]], and he received this revelation from the statue. He saw the martyr vanish for a time, and then reappear, holding a bloody spear."<ref name=Fathers/>

John of Damascus '''Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images''' (A.D. 676-749)—From the Life of the Abbot Daniel, on Eulogius the Quarryman: "Then he went away dejected, and threw himself before an image of Our Lady, and crying out, he said: "Lord, enable me to pay what I promised this man."<ref name=Fathers/><br>—"St Basil says, ‘Honouring the image leads to the prototype.’ If you raise churches to the saints of God, raise also their trophies."<ref name=Fathers/><br>—"A tradition has come down to us that Angaros, King of Edessa, was drawn vehemently to divine love by hearing of our Lord,and that he sent envoys to ask for His likeness. If this were refused, they were ordered to have a likeness painted. Then He, who is all-knowing and all-powerful, is said to have taken a strip of cloth, and pressing it to His face, to have left His likeness upon the cloth, which it retains to this day."<ref name=Letters/> ([[Shroud of Turin]]?)<ref name=Fathers/><br>—"If you say to this that blessed Epiphanius clearly rejected our use of images, you must know that the work in question is spurious and written by some one else in the name of Epiphanius, as often happens. A father does not fight his own children. All have become participators in the one Spirit. The Church is a witness of this in adorning images, until some men rose up against her and disturbed the peace of Christ's fold, putting poisoned food before the people of God."<ref name=Fathers/><br>—"Listen to what I am going to say as a proof that images are no new invention. It is an ancient practice well known to the best and foremost of the fathers. Elladios, the disciple of blessed Basil and his successor, says in his ''Life of Basil'' that the holy man was standing by the image of Our Lady, on which was painted also the likeness of Mercurius, the renowned martyr. He was standing by it asking for the removal of the impious apostate [[Julian]], and he received this revelation from the statue. He saw the martyr vanish for a time, and then reappear, holding a bloody spear."<ref name=Fathers/>

'''Constantinople/Trullo/Quinisext canon 82''' (A.D. 692): "In some pictures of the venerable icons, a lamb is painted to which the [[John the Baptist|Precursor]] points his finger, which is received as a type of grace, indicating beforehand through the Law, our true Lamb, Christ our God."<ref name=Fathers/>

'''Constantinople/Trullo/Quinisext canon 82''' (A.D. 692): "In some pictures of the venerable icons, a lamb is painted to which the [[John the Baptist|Precursor]] points his finger, which is received as a type of grace, indicating beforehand through the Law, our true Lamb, Christ our God."<ref name=Fathers/>

'''''Avenging of the Savior''''' (A.D. 700) gives testimony to the martyrdom of Veronica, the woman who, according to tradition, was healed of the hemorrhage she had suffered for 12 years, and to the iconic image she kept: "It is the woman called Veronica who has the portrait of the Lord in her house. And immediately he ordered her to be brought before his power. And he said to her: Hast thou the portrait of the Lord in thy house? But she said, No. Then Velosianus ordered her to be put to the torture, until she should give up the portrait of the Lord. And she was forced to say: I have it in clean linen, my lord, and I daily adore it. Velosianus said: Show it to me. Then she showed the portrait of the Lord." (Veronica was the woman who suffered for 12 years with the issue of blood)<ref name=Fathers/>

'''''Avenging of the Savior''''' (A.D. 700) gives testimony to the martyrdom of Veronica, the woman who, according to tradition, was healed of the hemorrhage she had suffered for 12 years, and to the iconic image she kept: "It is the woman called Veronica who has the portrait of the Lord in her house. And immediately he ordered her to be brought before his power. And he said to her: Hast thou the portrait of the Lord in thy house? But she said, No. Then Velosianus ordered her to be put to the torture, until she should give up the portrait of the Lord. And she was forced to say: I have it in clean linen, my lord, and I daily adore it. Velosianus said: Show it to me. Then she showed the portrait of the Lord." (Veronica was the woman who suffered for 12 years with the issue of blood)<ref name=Fathers/><ref name=Letters/>

===Eighth century===

===Eighth century===