Early christianity on veneration of holy images

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Hi guys, does anyone of you know or have an idea about early christian on veneration of holy images? Will wait for your answer. Thank you and God bless.
 
I’m not sure what qualifies as “early Christian”, but sacred art has been around since Judaism. Naturally, it picked up more in the centuries succeeding the first two and a half centuries of the more severe persecution of the pagan emperors, and dioceses became more mainstream and Christians weren’t either socially marginalized or gathering underground. Christians were the first ninja turtles.

St John Damascene (676 AD -749) is the primary Doctor of the Church you would want to look into if you want apologetics and encouragements on the use of sacred art, as this is the time period when iconoclasm had become a heated issue, both from Islam on Christian borders and within the establishment of Christendom from certain secular rulers.
 
milkcake said:
Hi guys, does anyone of you know or have an idea about early christian on veneration of holy images? Will wait for your answer. Thank you and God bless.
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131 A.D. - The Letter of Barnabas - “Moreover, though Moses commanded them: – ‘You shall have neither graven nor molten image for your God,’ yet he makes one himself to show a type of Jesus. Moses therefore makes a graven serpent, and places it in honour and calls the people by a proclamation.” (Letter of Barnabas Chapter 12)

180 A.D. - St. Irenaeus - “[The] virtue, [which] are laborious, glorious, and skilful, which also are approved universally as being good…[include] the arts…the art of painting and sculpture, brass and marble work, and the kindred arts.” (Against Heresies Book II Chapter 32 Paragraph 2)

198 A.D. - St. Clement of Alexandria - “And let our seals be either a dove, or a fish, or a ship scudding before the wind, or a musical lyre, which Polycrates used, or a ship’s anchor, which Seleucus got engraved as a device; and if there be one fishing, he will remember the apostle, and the children drawn out of the water.” (The Instructor Book III Chapter 11)

208 A.D. - Tertullian - “No man will love the picture of his wife without taking care of it, and honoring it and crowning it. The likeness partakes with the reality in the privileged honor.” "[And] no honor is to be attributed to the image of anything which is itself unworthy of honor. As the natural state is, so will the likeness be.” (Against Marcion Book V Chapter 18, Book III Chapter 10)

222 A.D. - Tertullian mentions that the Catholics in his day had images on their chalices - “Even the images themselves on your chalices may be adduced” “wherein the lost sheep is…searched for by its pastor and brought back on his shoulders.” “That pastor [the Shepherd of Hermas]…you have carved on your chalice.” (On Modesty Chapter 7, Chapter 10)

~238 A.D. - St. Gregory the Wonderworker - “[W]e should allow those…good artists [who are] skilled to the utmost in their art and liberally furnished in the matter of colors, to possess the liberty of painting…not simply [things] of a uniform complexion, but also of various descriptions and of richest beauty in the abundant mixture of flowers, without let or hindrance.” (Panegyric Addressed to Origen Argument 1)

~318 A.D. - Eusebius of Caesarea - “Hence, even now the inhabitants [of Canaan] cherish the place where visions appeared to Abraham as divinely consecrated. The turpentine tree is still to be seen, and those who received Abraham’s hospitality are painted in picture, one on each side, and the stranger of greatest dignity in the middle. He would be an image of our Lord and Saviour, whom even rude men reverence, Whose divine words they believe.” (Proof of the Gospel Book 5)

You may also find this thread helpful:

New Testament Support for Christian Sacred Imagery
 
PJM said:
THANKS, was not aware that one could do that:o
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Do you mean you were unaware that Catholic Answers hosts a copy of the Catholic Encyclopedia, or do you mean you were unaware that we can link to it?
 
=dmar198;11888730]Do you mean you were unaware that Catholic Answers hosts a copy of the Catholic Encyclopedia, or do you mean you were unaware that we can link to it?
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Both actually.

I do have the CE site [newadvent.org]

Thanks again,
Patrick
 
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