Final answer:
Iconoclasm in Byzantine art, characterized by debates over the use and veneration of religious images, is comparable to the iconoclasm of the Protestant Reformation, where religious imagery was also scrutinized and often removed due to concerns of idolatry.
Step-by-step explanation:
Iconoclasm in Byzantine religious art is most comparable to the Protestant Reformation, which sought to reform the Catholic Church and remove perceived idolatry and corruption. Like the Byzantine Iconoclasm, the Protestant Reformation featured a wave of iconoclasm, or the destruction of religious imagery, with Protestant leaders such as Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin advocating for the removal of such imagery which they considered idolatrous.
However, Martin Luther permitted a restricted range of religious imagery in churches. This movement eventually led to a reduction in the production of religious figurative art and an increase in secular works, paralleling the initial Byzantine resistance to the use of religious images under the worry of idol worship.
During the Iconoclastic Controversy, the debate raged over whether depictions of Christ and the saints should be venerated. Iconoclasts argued against such practices, concerned that Christians were actually worshipping the images rather than the divine figures they represented.
However, iconophiles defended the veneration of icons, claiming they honored the person depicted rather than the image itself. This controversy was part of the broader struggle within Christianity regarding the role and use of religious images, with the eventual "Triumph of Orthodoxy" ending the Byzantine Iconoclasm by affirming the use of religious icons.