Byzantine iconoclasm has numerously impenetrable membranes of conflicting attitudes and assumptions. Iconoclasm destructs a culture’s religion icon and monuments. The protesters of iconoclasm challenge the institutions since they have errors. Different religions can carry out iconoclasm that occurs due to disputes between factions in the religion. Christians work with the motivation of the Ten Commandments that forbid the worship of idols and images provided in iconoclasm. The intense use of Christian iconography originated from the gentiles after the religion of Christianity gained legitimacy from Constantine a Roman Empire in 312 AD (Morgan 45). A strong opposition rose with the misuse of Byzantine images between different religious sects. The religious conflict translated to economic and political splits in the Byzantine society. The Eastern non-Greek people steal some of the artifacts in the Muslim Empire. Some of the wealthy Greeks from Constantinople oppose the iconoclasm and embrace Christian images. Leo III orders the removal of Jesus images at the entrance of the palace of Constantinople with the replacement of the cross. Such campaigns led to war that saw the death of those charged with the replacement of such images. The iconodules held that the images represented icons of yesteryears as the Purists regarded the images as idols.
The iconoclastic controversy emanates from the political and the economic crisis that afflicts the eastern Roman Empire that follows the Arab invasion in the 630s that lead to the end of the Roma power (Morgan 45). The iconoclast controversy needs codification to delimit the possible parameters as the church attempts to provide alternative channels. Some of the religious images and portraits exist, prior to the emergence, of Christianity and continue in the Christianity and Muslim era. The dispute involves the church and the state due to the paintings and the mosaics of icons (Louth 482). An early council of Elvira prohibits the use of the images in the churches citing of conflict of interest with the Christian belief. The Church receives strong opposition from the veneration of pictures from people such as Epiphanies. Some of the iconodules circumscribe the divinity of Christ and lead to tension among the Christian community. The controversy causes the development of thought in the application of icons and sacramental theology. Leo III inaugurated the controversy when he ordered the removal of the image of Christ at the palace with the replacement of the cross.
The Secret History of Procopius (c. 490- c.560) depicts the reign of Justinian and Theodora (Louth 482). The story claims to depict the explanation of war due to fear of retribution from the current empire. Procopius from Caesarea is the principal historian of other writings such as Buildings of Justinian and Wars of Justinian. The author was a native from Palestine and attended Greek schools to receive conventional education. Niccolo publishes Procopius Secret History to disillusion the emperor and the wife (Louth 482). The writings claim to expose the private life of the emperor and the entourage. The writings illustrate the emperor as incompetent and cruel. Conversely, the writings claim that the empire destructs all the people to inspire fear among the populaces. Fate aids their evil schemes of bringing calamity in the entire universe coupled with natural catastrophes. The Emperor changed his face to a shapeless figure during the strange occurrences.
The Byzantine Empire is a conventional term to describe the Greek Roman Empire. The people in the Middle Ages use Constantinople as the center of the capital. The Diocletian Empire establishes administrative reforms to divide the empire to different Occidents and Orientis. The reign of Empire Theodosius sees the collapse of Paganism as Christendom comes to power. Constantine inaugurates the new capital as Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire. The populace celebrated the dedication of the city in 330 to mark the end of the Roman Empire.
Works Cited
Louth, Andrew. "Social and Economic Life in Byzantium; Society, Culture and Politics in Byzantium, by Nicolas Oikonomides, edited by Elizabeth Zachariadou." The Heythrop Journal 52.3 (2011): 482-482. Print.
Morgan, Giles. Byzantium. Harpenden: Pocket Essentials, 2007. Print.
