A Theology of the Icon at the Advent of Iconoclasm

In this lecture, I explore the theology of the icon as articulated by Gregory II, Pope of Rome in his letters to Emperor Leo in response to the advent of Iconoclasm (AD 785). The letters of St. Gregory give us a glimpse of how icons and their place in the tradition were understood even before the more systematic theology of St. John of Damascus and point to the true universality of sacred art in First Millennium Christendom.

TheologyAdventIconoclasm