Question

Byzantine religious art included highly stylized paintings and statues of Jesus, Mary, and other holy figures, like Saint John Chrysostum, an early church father, who appears in image 3. These images are called ____________. During the iconoclastic controversy, many images such as these were ____________. Iconoclasts did not like such images because they thought they were too much like ____________.

Answer 1

Byzantine religious art included stylized images called icons, which were destroyed during the iconoclastic controversy because they were thought to resemble idol worship. Ultimately, the use of icons was affirmed in the 'Triumph of Orthodoxy'.

Step-by-step explanation:

Byzantine religious art included highly stylized paintings and statues of Jesus, Mary, and other holy figures, like Saint John Chrysostom, which are called icons. During the iconoclastic controversy, many images such as these were destroyed. Iconoclasts opposed these icons because they believed they were too much like idol worship, which was akin to the polytheistic practices of ancient Rome, and they feared that Christians praying before icons were essentially worshipping inanimate objects, much like idols. The term 'icon' in the Byzantine context does not only mean the portraits on wood panels but also a broader range of religious imagery. Eventually, after much debate and destruction, the use of these religious images was reinstated with the definitive affirmation by Church and imperial authorities in 843, an event celebrated as the 'Triumph of Orthodoxy'.