The Council of Nicea (787): The meeting
This article examines the Second Council of Nicea (787) and its landmark decision regarding the use of religious images and icons in Christian worship. Kuiper explains how the council navigated the theological controversy over whether depicting Christ and saints in art violated the second commandment, ultimately establishing a distinction between reverence for images and worship due to God alone. The resource provides historical context for understanding how this ecumenical council shaped both Western and Eastern Orthodox theology and practice.
Previous article in this series: August 2023, p. 445. The broad issue faced by the Seventh Ecumenical Council, we saw in our last article, was whether God could be worshiped through artistic representations of Jesus, such as paintings, mosaics, and statues. Some, including the emperors, said that such worship violated the second commandment. Others, including the pope and the patriarch, said that the second commandment did not apply here. It forbids worshiping God by means of creatures, but...
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