st. john of damascus (676-749 - Cristo Raul
st. john of damascus (676-749 - Cristo Raul
st. john of damascus (676-749 - Cristo Raul
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"<br />
"<br />
And<br />
208 ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS.<br />
"<br />
The<br />
when that <strong>of</strong> the other was <strong>st</strong>ill condemned.<br />
ancients," says a writer quoted by Bingham, 1 "<br />
did<br />
not approve <strong>of</strong> massy images, or <strong>st</strong>atues <strong>of</strong> wood, or<br />
metal, or <strong>st</strong>one, but only pictures or paintings, to be<br />
used in churches."<br />
this shews," adds Bingham,<br />
that massy images or <strong>st</strong>atues were thought to look<br />
too much like idols,"<br />
even so late as the second<br />
Council <strong>of</strong> Nicaea, in 7 8 7, which reversed the decrees<br />
<strong>of</strong> the iconocla<strong>st</strong>ic emperors. But whence have thus<br />
defined our terms, and so reduced the danger <strong>of</strong> im<br />
porting modern ideas and prejudices into ancient con<br />
troversies, the que<strong>st</strong>ion<br />
<strong>st</strong>ill remains whether Damascenus,<br />
by throwing the weight <strong>of</strong> his eloquence and<br />
energetic pleading into the scale again<strong>st</strong> the imperial<br />
cause, did more good or harm to the Chri<strong>st</strong>ian faith.<br />
There are those, as we know, even in our own branch<br />
<strong>of</strong> the<br />
Church, who are deeply and hone<strong>st</strong>ly grateful<br />
to him, and to others who fought on the same side, for<br />
preserving, as they think, truths in imminent danger<br />
<strong>of</strong> being let go.<br />
To them it seems that John <strong>of</strong><br />
Damascus and his party, even if<br />
they did not see<br />
clearly the ultimate issues <strong>of</strong> the fight, had yet a con<br />
sciousness that in <strong>st</strong>ruggling again<strong>st</strong> the abolition <strong>of</strong><br />
pictures <strong>of</strong> Chri<strong>st</strong> and his saints in their churches,<br />
they were contending for the truth <strong>of</strong> His incarnation,<br />
and for the whole my<strong>st</strong>ery <strong>of</strong> the Godhead manife<strong>st</strong><br />
in the flesh. To give up these "laymen<br />
s books,"<br />
these pictured illu<strong>st</strong>rations <strong>of</strong> Biblical and Chri<strong>st</strong>ian<br />
hi<strong>st</strong>ory, by which the walls <strong>of</strong> the Church became so<br />
many <strong>st</strong>one pages, preaching sermons to the simple<br />
!<br />
"Antiquities," bk. viii., c. via., 11.