The History of Byzantium Episode 75 - The Headless Council
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Jun 24, 2015 A deep dive into Constantine V's push against image veneration and the controversial council he convened to enforce it. Military drama unfolds with campaigns against the Bulgars, troop shifts to the Balkans, and a Bulgar coup that reshapes diplomacy. Final segments cover political maneuvering, rumors about the ruler's character, and the Lombard capture of Ravenna that alters papal alignments.
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Plague Prompted Constantine's Theological Attack On Icons
- Constantine V linked the 747 plague to popular idolatry and used that moral case to challenge icon veneration across the empire.
- Robin explains the emperor circulated a sermon to churches arguing icons caused divine anger and promoted the Eucharist as the true image of Christ.
Hieria Council Enforced Iconoclasm Without Widespread Church Looting
- The 754 council at Hieria enforced a theological ban on images while avoiding violent seizures or mass purges of church property.
- Robin notes over 330 bishops attended, the council outlawed property seizures, and it mainly removed apse icons rather than homes' images.
Bishop Attendance Undermines Iconophile Propaganda
- High attendance of Anatolian bishops at Hieria challenges later iconophile claims of imperial coercion.
- Robin uses the presence of most Anatolian bishops and a six-month council length to suggest limited clergy resistance.
