E. Veneration of relics/icons

Note: This list is a work in progress, and may change at any time both in the selection of quotations and the content of the annotations. In the meantime, feel free to offer any suggestions.

THE MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARP

“For this end he suggested it to Nicetes, the father of Herod and brother of Alce, to go and entreat the governor not to give up his body to be buried, “lest,” said he, “forsaking Him that was crucified, they begin to worship this one.” This he said at the suggestion and urgent persuasion of the Jews, who also watched us, as we sought to take him out of the fire, being ignorant of this, that it is neither possible for us ever to forsake Christ, who suffered for the salvation of such as shall be saved throughout the whole world (the blameless one for sinners), nor to worship any other. For Him indeed, as being the Son of God, we adore; but the martyrs, as disciples and followers of the Lord, we worthily love on account of their extraordinary affection towards their own King and Master, of whom may we also be made companions and fellow-disciples!”1

THE MARTYRDOM OF IGNATIUS

“…he was thus cast to the wild beasts close beside the temple, that so by them the desire of the holy martyr Ignatius should be fulfilled, according to that which is written, “The desire of the righteous is acceptable [to God],” to the effect that he might not be troublesome to any of the brethren by the gathering of his remains, even as he had in his Epistle expressed a wish beforehand that so his end might be. For only the harder portions of his holy remains were left, which were conveyed to Antioch and wrapped in linen, as an inestimable treasure left to the holy Church by the grace which was in the martyr.” (chap. 6)2

LACTANTIUS

“For the plan of making likenesses was invented by men for this reason, that it might be possible to retain the memory of those who had either been removed by death or separated by absence. In which of these classes, then, shall we reckon the gods? If among the dead, who is so foolish as to worship them? If among the absent, then they are not to be worshipped, if they neither see our actions nor hear our prayers. But if the gods cannot be absent,—for, since they are divine, they see and hear all things, in whatever part of the universe they are,—it follows that images are superfluous, since the gods are present everywhere, and it is sufficient to invoke with prayer the names of those who hear us. But if they are present, they cannot fail to be at hand at their own images. It is entirely so, as the people imagine, that the spirits of the dead wander about the tombs and relics of their bodies. But after that the deity has begun to be near, there is no longer need of his statue.” (Divine Institutes, Book Two, chap. 2)3

“Wherefore it is undoubted that there is no religion wherever there is an image. For if religion consists of divine things, and there is nothing divine except in heavenly things; it follows that images are without religion, because there can be nothing heavenly in that which is made from the earth…. But if all imitation is not particularly a serious matter, but as it were a sport and jest, then there is no religion in images, but a mimicry of religion. That which is true is therefore to be preferred to all things which are false; earthly things are to be trampled upon, that we may obtain heavenly things” (Divine Institutes, Book Two, chap. 19)

  1. The idea of venerating the relics of Polycarp, as though they could convey grace or had any atoning efficacy, is met with disdain by his fellow-Christians.
  2. Although the Christians who composed this account implicitly agree with Ignatius’ concern that it would be troublesome to have to deal with his remains (thus denying any intrinsic worth or merit in them by regarding them merely as demanding necessary, troublesome labor), they nevertheless treated of the remaining bones with much respect and accorded them a very great value because of the holiness of the beloved martyr. This doubtless gives an indication of the slow process by which, eventually, the relics of the martyrs came to be held in superstitious awe by Christians of a later generation.
  3. Although Lactantius is specifically arguing against pagan idol worship his reasoning is equally valid against the use of statues or icons in Christian worship. If the saints are absent, it is foolish to seek communion with them through statues or icons; if they are present, then the statues or icons are worthless.

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