The Communion of Saints
The Apostles' Creed confesses belief in 'the communion of saints' — the koinonia, the fellowship, of all those who are united with Christ, whether they are still on earth, in the intermediate state of purification, or in the fullness of heavenly glory. This communion is not broken by death; it is deepened and perfected by it. Those who have died in Christ are more fully united with Him than we are, and their prayers for us are more powerful than our prayers for one another. The practice of asking the saints to pray for us is as old as Christianity itself. The catacombs of Rome are filled with inscriptions asking the martyrs to intercede for the living. St. Cyprian of Carthage, writing in the third century, speaks of the martyrs interceding for the Church on earth. St. Basil of Caesarea, in the fourth century, invokes the intercession of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. This practice is not a late medieval corruption; it is part of the Apostolic Tradition, rooted in the New Testament understanding of the Body of Christ as a community that transcends death.
Holy Images in Christian Worship
The use of holy images — icons, paintings, statues, and other representations of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints — in Christian worship is also ancient. The earliest Christian art, found in the catacombs of Rome, dates from the second and third centuries. It depicts Christ as the Good Shepherd, the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, and scenes from Scripture. This art was not merely decorative; it was an expression of the faith of the community and an aid to prayer. The theological justification for the use of holy images is rooted in the Incarnation. Because the eternal Son of God took a human body and a human face, He can be depicted in paint and stone. The icon of Christ is not an idol — a representation of a false god — but a representation of the true God who has made Himself visible in human flesh. To venerate the icon of Christ is to honour the Person it represents; the honour given to the image passes to its prototype. This is the distinction that the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea II, 787) drew between latria — the worship due to God alone — and proskynesis or veneration — the honour due to holy persons and things. Icons are not worshipped; they are venerated as representations of the persons they depict. This distinction is not a theological subtlety invented to justify a questionable practice; it is a fundamental principle of Christian anthropology, rooted in the understanding of the human person as a being made in the image and likeness of God.
The Iconoclast Controversy and the Seventh Council
The Iconoclast controversy of the eighth and ninth centuries was one of the most bitter disputes in the history of the Church. The Iconoclasts — 'image-breakers' — had the support of several Byzantine emperors and argued that the veneration of images was idolatry, forbidden by the Old Testament commandment against graven images. They destroyed thousands of icons, persecuted those who venerated them, and attempted to impose their theology on the whole Church. The great champion of the icons was St. John of Damascus, who wrote three treatises in their defence. St. John argued that the Incarnation had changed the situation entirely: 'In former times God, who is without form or body, could never be depicted. But now when God is seen in the flesh conversing with men, I make an image of the God whom I see. I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake.' The Seventh Ecumenical Council, meeting at Nicaea in 787, vindicated St. John's theology and restored the veneration of icons. The Council's definition is precise: 'We define that the holy icons, whether in colour, mosaic, or some other material, should be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on the sacred vessels and liturgical vestments, on the walls, furnishings, and in houses and along the roads, namely the icons of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, that of our Lady the Theotokos, those of the venerable angels and those of all saintly holy men.'
The Anglican Tradition and Holy Images
The Anglican tradition has had a complex relationship with holy images. The Reformation in England saw the destruction of many images, under the influence of Continental Protestantism. The Elizabethan Settlement permitted the retention of images in some contexts while prohibiting their veneration. The Oxford Movement of the nineteenth century led to a recovery of the Catholic tradition of holy images in Anglican worship, and many Anglican churches today are richly adorned with icons, paintings, and statues. The Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite holds the theology of the Seventh Ecumenical Council on holy images. We venerate icons and other holy images as representations of the persons they depict, and we use them as aids to prayer and as expressions of our faith in the Incarnation and the Communion of Saints. We do not worship images; we worship the God who has made Himself visible in human flesh, and we honour those who have been transformed by His grace. The use of candles in Christian worship is similarly ancient and theologically significant. Candles are a symbol of Christ, the Light of the World (John 8:12), and their use in worship is an expression of our faith in His presence among us. The Paschal Candle, lit at the Easter Vigil, is the most powerful symbol of the Resurrection in the Christian liturgy. The use of candles before icons and at the altar is a participation in this ancient tradition of light as a symbol of the divine presence.