Venite adoremus

This essay is about a theological fight to painting, holy painting that during centuries 8^th and 9^th determined contrast between roman Church and Byzantine Church, this controversy has name of iconoclast, this is the prayers to imagines, that to Catholic Church is alone a means to reached God, but the Byzantine Church wanted interpreter a adoration similar to pagan religion, this is mere false interpretation but necessary to distinguished the Byzantine Church from Catholic; anyway we can reached a session of Lateran Council of 769 with pope Stephen 3th; in this session is confirmed that image can and must be worship: “Actio quarta. De veneratione Sacrarum Imaginem. Si ad sanctorum consortium venire optamus; profecto hic  omnia in honore Sanctorum, sive reliquias non solum corporum, sed et vestimentorum, sive Basilicas nominibus eorum memoratas, seu etiam imagines, et vultus illorum in quolibet loco depictos celeberrimo honore venerari debemus…”, this is: “Session fourth. About worship holy painting. If we decide to come to meeting with saints, certainly to honor of saints , or relic, both body and cloth and name of Basilica, or also imagine, and face of those to everywhere worship we must”; it is clear declaration of war to iconoclast of Byzantine, and the willing of Leon 3th, imperator of Byzantine to limit influence of religion on State, like it is in Europe; predominance of State and laic power of religion have to be predominant, because Byzantine has had the danger of Islam, a nascent danger that in 1453 conquered Constantinople, but at the time again beginner, thereupon was not dangerous; the question was between Catholic Church and Byzantine Church, and the causes were merely earthly, this is the power. Anyway we can consider that during this time and controversy the Catholic Church has anticipated decisions in finish sessions of Council of Trent, when was decided that the painters have to painting imagines with clear show of saints and holy imagines, so that the people be educated to holy doctrine od Church; I think that other the affirmation of Cicero: “Religio instrumentum regni”, also the imagines are “instrumentum” to reign; concept that from ancient Egypt is present and it didn’t lost during ancient Greek and Rome; therefore the Church has followed same method and same criterion.

Alessandro Lusana