The Uygh In the year 730, John of Damascus, a Syrian monk, celebrated musician, and respected theologian, was hard at work writing a text called

in defense of icons. In this work, he strove to argue that religious images were acceptable

within the Christian faith, and that using them for prayer

was in no way sacrilegious. In his own words he said,

An image is a likeness of the original with a certain difference for it is not an exact reproduction of the original.

Things which have taken place are expressed by images for the remembrance either of a wonder or an honor or

dishonor or good or evil to help those who look upon it in after times that we

may avoid evils and imitate goodness. It is of two kinds, the

written image in books as when God had the law inscribed on tablets and enjoined that the lives of holy men should be recorded

and sensible memorials be preserved in remembrance.

So now we preserve in writing the images and the good deeds of the past.

Either, therefore, take away images altogether and be out of harmony with God who made these regulations or receive them

with the language and in the manner which befits them.

Why would such a defense be necessary in the first place?

How could a religious image be taken as anything but that?

What was so powerful that whole books needed to be written about it?

I'm Dr. Eleanor Yannica and today on gone

medieval from history hit I'm joined by the brilliant Matthew Milliner,

Associate Professor of Art History of Wheaton College and the author of

Mother of the Lamb the Story of a Global Icon to discuss well icons which is to say

religious images we'll find out how art served as an important connection

between the living and the divine, how such images spread from the Eastern Roman

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