Nicaea II — Seventh Ecumenical Council
Nicaea II distinguishes veneration of icons from worship due to God alone and affirms icons within incarnational faith.
People
- Irene of Athens
- Tarasios of Constantinople
Primary sources
The council rejects this assertion:
Nicaea II rejects treating sacred images as gods, marking a boundary between icon veneration and divine worship.
Anathema to those who say that Christians resort to the sacred images as to gods.
Passage context and translation
The council's definition distinguishes reverence given to an icon from worship reserved for the divine nature. A similar but differently worded sentence earlier on this page belongs to Basil of Ancyra's confession, not the council's definition.
Before the excerpt
Anathema to those who call the sacred images idols.
After the excerpt
Anathema to those who say that any other delivered us from idols except Christ our God.