Debate 2: Iconoclasm
Proposition: Images
of holy persons are incompatible with Christianity
Remember:
you will be called upon to answer at
least one of the items listed below as part of the debate; you may
(should)
also take part in the counterargument section if you have things to say
that
differ from what your teammates have said.
In this debate, you
will be
arguing the sides that were actually argued in the course of the
iconoclastic
controversy of the eighth and ninth centuries. Thus,
your arguments should be taken mainly from the primary
source documents; you should know what each side's theological
arguments were.
Debate:
Team 1:
argue for the Proposition
Team 2:
argue against the Proposition
Assigned
questions - Team 1:
1. Background
- What exactly is an
icon? Show some examples (Dr.
Deliyannis will bring some images of pre-iconoclastic icons).
2. Background
- Describe the reign of
Emperor Leo III, and in particular the early events leading to the
beginning of
Iconoclasm.
3. Background
- Who was John of Damascus;
describe his career and his writings.
4. Presentation
of the proposition: what is the topic? what is the basis of your argument?
5. Arguments
- select one significant
argument, and explain what it means
6. Arguments
- select one significant
argument, and explain what it means
7. Arguments
- select one significant
argument, and explain what it means
8. Do
the summary, summarizing your team's
arguments and state why they are preferable (you can't do this ahead of
time).
Assigned
questions - Team 2:
1. Background
- What reaction was there
against iconoclasm? Who protested,
and what happened to them?
2. Background
- Describe the Empress
Irene's career, and her role in the iconoclastic controversy.
3. Background
- Explain the second phase
of Iconoclasm (815-843), and how and why it ended.
4. Presentation
of the proposition: what is the topic? what is the basis of your argument?
5. Arguments
- select one significant
argument, and explain what it means
6. Arguments
- select one significant
argument, and explain what it means
7. Arguments
- select one significant
argument, and explain what it means
8. Do
the summary, summarizing your team's
arguments and state why they are preferable (you can't do this ahead of
time).
Primary source
evidence
Summaries of the
decrees of the iconoclast
Council of Constantinople of 754, and the Council of Nicaea of 787 (the
seventh
ecumenical council), can be found at: http://www.indiana.edu/~dmdhist/iconoclasmcouncils.html
John of Damascus was
one of the
leading theologians who defended icons; selections from his writings
can be
found at:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/johndam-icons.html.
His complete apologia
against
iconoclasts can be found at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/johndamascus-images.html
Links to information on Iconoclasm
One of the best
introductions to
Iconoclasm in a scholarly article, albeit with a particular
interpretative
bent, is by Peter
Brown, "A Dark-Age Crisis:
Aspects of the Iconoclastic Controversy," English Historical
Review 88 (1973):
1-34, which can be found archived online at
www.jstor.org.
Although tangentially
relevant to
the debate topic, you might also like to see Deborah
M. Deliyannis, "Agnellus of Ravenna and Iconoclasm: Theology and
Politics
in a Ninth-Century Historical Text," Speculum 71 (1996): 559-576, which
contains quite
a nice summary (I think!) of the main aspects of iconodule arguments;
this can
also be found on JSTOR.
Here is a brief introduction to the topics (with
some
images) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/icon/hd_icon.htm
A series of images related to Iconoclasm (pictures
of
iconoclasts, icons, etc.) can be found at: http://www.ou.edu/class/ahi4263/byzhtml/ch04.html