Friday, August 14, 2009

Biblical Precedents of Image Veneration - Part One

Today, I have some time on my hands, so I'll just go ahead and clear the popular misunderstanding of what Catholics actually do when they venerate sacred images and objects (sacramental).

Catholics are often accused of “worshiping” certain people and objects, when in fact, all they do is venerate these people and sacred objects. To put the record straight, Catholics do NOT worship anybody or anything but worship ONLY God. However, they venerate holy pictures of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy angels, the crowned saints in heaven and other sacred objects or sacramental.

Sure, the Bible warns us strictly with severe consequences:

You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
you shall not bow down to them or serve them …” (Deut 5:8-9)

However, veneration of objects has its precedents in the Bible. The Bible treated some objects as sacred and any sort of profanation of such objects was punished. The Ark of the Covenant was built of Earth materials, yet it was sacred. God asked Moses to make two winged creatures (cherubs or angels) to be kept in the Ark where He dwelt:

And you shall make two cherubs of gold; of hammered
work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy
seat. Make one cherub on the one end; of one piece with
the mercy seat shall you make the cherub on its two ends.
The cherubs shall spread out their wings above, oversha-
dowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to
another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherub
be. There I will meet with you, and from the mercy seat from
between the two cherubs that are upon the Ark of the testimony,
I will speak with you of all that I will give you in commandment
for the people of Israel.” (Exo 25:18-19,22)

Solomon had engraved images of cherubim, trees and flowers in the sanctuary of the house he built for God:

In the inner sanctuary, he made two cherubim of olivewood …
He carved all the walls of the house round about with carved
figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the
inner and outer rooms …” (1 Kings 6:23-33)

On the panels that were set in the frames were (engraved
images of) lions, oxen, and cherubim.” (1 Kings 7:29)

The Ark (the dwelling place of God) was built of Earth materials, yet it was sacred and demanded reverence for:

1. The household of Obededom was blessed because of the presence of the Ark (2 Sam 6:10-12).
2. Uzzah stumbled on the Ark and died (2 Sam 6:6-8).
3. David rejoiced greatly with all his strength in honour of the presence of the Ark (2 Sam 6:12-19).
4. Seventy inhabitants of the city of Bethshemesh died because they dared to look inside the Ark (1 Sam 6:19).
5. The gods of the Philistines adored God in the Ark (1 Sam 5:1-5).

Here are some pertinent questions for those who accuse Catholics of “worshipping” images:

1. When the people of Israel showed reverence for the Ark, were they worshipping the two carved images of the cherubs (angels) inside the wooden ark itself or God Who dwelt inside?
2. Who killed the seventy inhabitants of Bethshemesh who dared to look inside the Ark – the two cherubs or God?
3. Who or what were the gods of the Philistines adoring in the Ark – the two cherubs or God?

OK, I'll stop this Part One here. In the next edition, I'll show more biblical evidence of image veneration, both in the New and Old Testaments.

Have a blessed day!