There were 2 Iconoclasms in the Byzantine Empire (banning/destruction of religious Icons).
Both were stopped by women ruling as regent for their sons.
Empress Irene 787 AD, and Theodora 842 AD
You are viewing a single comment's thread. View all
-1
devotech2 on scored.co
14 days ago-1 points(+0/-0/-1Score on mirror)
The decision to do this is anti biblical and heretical, and it was made up on a whim by both respective emperors both times it happened. If a woman having an opinion on the church is anti-biblical, then the desecration of churches and destruction of culture with 0 church approval or councils called, for entirely secular and paranoid reasons is extremely anti biblical. Caesaropapism itself is anti biblical.
There were other iconoclasts like Oliver cromwell who did roughly the same thing, but actually did it because of their interpretation of the Bible. In the case of the 2 byzantine emperors, it was just wanton destruction that blindsided the church and was caused by paranoia that God favored the Muslims and that He would grant victory to the byzantines for acting like the Muslims did. So instead of just sharpening their swords and training or doing anything else that a normal person would do, they just went absolutely apeshit over religious icons to try to call in a favor from God, and they proved that they were weak enough in their own faith that they had to emulate Muslims and what Muslims believed. Not what the church believed, but what the enemies of the church believed.
Irene and theodora both called councils to come up with an agreement on the issue of iconoclasm and received support from the leadership of the byzantine church as well as the pope.
Both empresses responded to the issue with much more nuance and with much more consideration to the thoughts of the actual church than either emperor did.
Both emperors were condemned by their respective popes (and at this point, the orthodox church was still under the papacy). The death date of iconoclasm is still a feast day in the orthodox church 1200 years later. It was not something that anyone in the church wanted.
Furthermore, I consider that Israel must be destroyed
There were other iconoclasts like Oliver cromwell who did roughly the same thing, but actually did it because of their interpretation of the Bible. In the case of the 2 byzantine emperors, it was just wanton destruction that blindsided the church and was caused by paranoia that God favored the Muslims and that He would grant victory to the byzantines for acting like the Muslims did. So instead of just sharpening their swords and training or doing anything else that a normal person would do, they just went absolutely apeshit over religious icons to try to call in a favor from God, and they proved that they were weak enough in their own faith that they had to emulate Muslims and what Muslims believed. Not what the church believed, but what the enemies of the church believed.
Irene and theodora both called councils to come up with an agreement on the issue of iconoclasm and received support from the leadership of the byzantine church as well as the pope.
Both empresses responded to the issue with much more nuance and with much more consideration to the thoughts of the actual church than either emperor did.
Both emperors were condemned by their respective popes (and at this point, the orthodox church was still under the papacy). The death date of iconoclasm is still a feast day in the orthodox church 1200 years later. It was not something that anyone in the church wanted.
Furthermore, I consider that Israel must be destroyed