The Relics of Rome, Part 17
Of Images to be had in Churches.
PAulinus Bishop of Nola, The fyrste procter and promoter of Imagesas some write, was one of the firste promoters & chiefe proctors to hauehave Images in Churches. In the yeare, &c. CCCCL. Pantal in Chronogra.
Pope Gregory the first ordained,Images not to be worshypp…d. that Images should be had in Churches for to be laye mennes bookes, but by no meanes to be worshipped, nor kneled vntounto. In the yeare of our Lorde. 590. Greg. Lib. 9. Epist. 9. Chron.
Pope Gregory the second confirmed the hauing of Images in churches and did not only excommunicate the Emperoure for abolishing of images,A wicked acte of the Pope. but he also most trayterously stirred vp his subiectes to rebell against him. In the yeare. &c. 729. Blondus. Chron.
Pope Constantine gathered a councel at Rome against Phillip ye Emperour,Images confirmed. wherin he condemned the Emperour for destroying Images, and made a decree for the establyshement of them in churches. In the yere. &c. 769. Plat. Pol.
Images worshypped.Pope Gregory the thyrd made a law yt Images shoulde not onelye be had, in churches, as lay mēs bokes, but yt they also shoulde be worshipped and had in greater reuerence, than euer they were before, & that whosoeuer were of a contrary opinion, he should be condemned for an heretike. In the yeare. &c. 740. Sigis. Blond. Plat. Sabel.
Note.Here maye all men learne to iudge with what spirite these Romishe Byshops are led, whiche notwithstanding call them selues moste holye fathers, Christes vicares in earth, Peters successors, holye Churche, the spouse of Christe, that pillare of truthe, whiche cannot erre. Pope Gregory the fyrst (as you hearde) admitted Images into Churches as laye mens Calenders or bookes, but by no meanes to be worshypped. Whiche also is more than can be proued lawfull by the worde of God.Popes together by ye partes amōg them selues. Notwithstandynge nowe commeth this most holy father Pope Gregory the third, and he appointeth Images not only to be in Churches, as lay mens bookes, but also to be worshipped, that is to saye, to kneele vntounto thē, to sense them, to garnish thē with costly vestures, to set vp candles before thē to go pilgrimage vntounto thē to pray before them and to geue thē suche honor as by no meanes is due either to stock or stone. The wordes of Pope Gregory the first are these, cōcerning yt not worshipping of images, writtē in a certein epistle vntounto Serenus Bishop of Massilia, Serenus the godlye Byshop of Massilia.which did not only take away Images out of the churches, whē he see the people worshyp thē, but he also brake thē all on peces, & brēt thē. It was sayth he, declared vntounto vsus, that thou beholdīg certain worshippers of images, diddest break & also cast away the same images out of the church. Verely we cōmēd thy zele that thou woldest hauehave no man to worship that is made with hāds,☜ but yet we think (Note good reader, yt this Pope doth not playnely affirme by the autority of Gods worde, yt images ought not to be destroied, but only bringeth forth his owne thinking.) we thinke sayth he, that thou oughtest not to hauehave broken those images. For the pycture vntounto this ende is set vp in the churches that suche as be vnlearned, should at the least by seyng and beholdyng those Images, reade on the walles, that they are not able to rede on bookes, &c. Lib. 7. Epist. 109.
Both Epiphanius and S. Austen, numbreth among heretikes a certayne woman called Marcella whiche worshipped the images of Iesus, of Paule, &c. and offered incense vntounto them. Here doth Pope Gregory the first with the cō sent of Epiphanius and S. Austen, condemne the iudgement of Pope Gregory the thirde concerning the worshipping of Images. Where is nowe the spirit of vnitie become, wherof these holy Fathers bragge so greatly?
Sensing of Images.Pope Stephen the thirde decreed, that Images shoulde not onelyonly be had in Churches, but that they also should be senced. In the yeare of our Lord. 772. Sigeb. Plat. Vo…at.
Pope Leo, the thirde, Pope Iohn the seuenth, Pope Adrian, the first with other, made also decrees for ye establishment of Images in Churches, as witnesse Sabel, Paulus Aemilius. Sigeb. Plat. Volat. Fasci. Temp.
Pope Paule the first bearing rule, Pipine king of Fraūce caused a Councell to be assēbled and called together,A Councel assembled about Images. concerning the hauyng and worshipping of Images, where many learned men were present: among whom there was greate contencion: some accordyng to the Popes former decrees defendynge both the hauyng and worshippyng of Images: some after ye doctrine of gods word vtterly condemning both the hauing and worshipping of Images, affirming that it is directly agaynste the worde of God in the Temples of the Christians to set vp Images whiche should be nothing els, than stumblyng blockes vntounto the rude and simple people, and great prouocations vntounto Idolatry, Notwithstandyng the Papistes and supersticious Hipocrites did beare suche a route and rule in that Sinode that the matter was cōcluded on their syde, so that from henceforth it shoulde be lawfull both to hauehave & to worship Images not only of Christ, but also of all saintes in Churches or els where, although the expresse worde of God & the exāples of the primatiue Churche, & the iudgement of diuers godly & learned men teach the cōtrary, Ioā. Laziard.
A certaine wicked woman Empress… of Greece called Iraene, at the request of Pope Theodorus gathered together at the Citie Nice a swarme of Bishops to the number, as they write, of CCCL. In the whyche Councell was also decreed, that Images shoulde be had in Churches. In tho yeare of oure Lorde. 695. Blondus. Plat. Eutropius. Polid. Pantaleon. &c.
But thys decre… lasted not longe. For the Emperour Constantine the sixt her sonne, seynge the greate abhomination that came by Images, so sone as he came to rule, brake that decree, and made a strayght lawe agaynst the …auynge of Images in places where Christen men come together to praye. But the wycked woman hys Mother afterwarde thorowe the crafty councell of the bloo…dy: Papistes founde the meanes to apprehende her sonne, to depryue hym of hys Empyre, to put out hys eyes,A wicked acte. and to cast hym into prisoon, where he most miserably dyed. Oh vnnaturall Mother: yea, O vnnatural monsture, Afterwarde thys dounghel of Idolatry and superstition set vp agayne her Idoles and mahomets. But when Nicephorus came to the Empire he did not onelyonly put her down, caste her into prison, where she by the ryghtuous iudgement of God most vilesy dyed accordynge to thys saying of our Sauioure Christ,Math. 7. With what measure ye mette vntounto other, with the same shall it be mette to you agayne: but he also destroied al her poppets, suffryng no images to remayne in the temples: whiche order all the Emperoures of Greece obserued euer after, as hystoryes make mention except one, Theodorus Lascaris, whiche at a certayne councell holden at Lugdune, agreed to the Byshop of Rome in admittyng Images. But hys subiectes therefore depryued hym both of hys Empire and dignity. Barthol. Westmerus.