Icon and Logos: Sources in Eighth-Century Iconoclasm (Toronto Medieval Texts & Translations, Vol 4)

Iconoclasm is a major topic in the history of the Byzantine Empire; its imposition was a traumatic event, with results lasting over a hundred years. The documents included in this volume, arising from the controversy surrounding the lifting of the ban on icons (sacred images), are of major significance, but until the publication of this book no English translation of the conciliar texts, in their entirety, had been available to scholars working in a field who do not easily read eighth-century Byzantine Greek. Along with an introduction to the history of the controversy and the theology of the icons, Daniel J. Sahas presents a translation of conciliar texts on the icon debate: the Sixth Session of the iconophile Council of Nicea (787), in which the Definition of the iconoclastic Council of Constantinople (754) was read and refuted, point by point, and the Definition of the Council of Nicea (which became the Seventh Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church). The translation is carefully annotated to make the texts as useful as possible to their many modern audiences: scholars and students of medieval history, church history, Christian doctrine and thought, Byzantine studies, Eastern Christianity, and the history of art. Cover 1 Contents 8 PREFACE 10 INTRODUCTION 28 THE TEXTS 70 204A–364E The Sixth Session of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), containing the Definition of the Council of Constantinople (754) and its refutation 72 204A–204E Introduction 72 205A–221A First Volume (The Church and the dogma) 74 221B–245C Second Volume (The heresies and icons) 87 245D–268A Third Volume (The theology of the icon) 105 268B–292B Fourth Volume (The icon in the Bible and in the practice of the Church) 122 292C–328A Fifth Volume (The Fathers on icons) 141 328B–364E Sixth Volume (Decrees on the icons) 172 373D–380E Definition of the Holy Great and Ecumenical Council, the Second in Nicea (787) 201 APPENDIX 214 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 220 BIBLICAL REFERENCES 230 PATRISTIC REFERENCES 233 INDEX 235 [translated By] Daniel J. Sahas. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [195]-204. xiv, 215 p., [10] p. of plates : 24 cm