Chapter 4 4. The wrath of God
In 726 AD, that is, the fourteenth year of Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan reign, a volcano erupted on the bottom of the Aegean Sea.Hot magma spewed out, huge waves set off on the sea, and volcanic ash covered the entire sky, as if the end had come.
Almost everyone was stunned.
Just as the Chinese in the traditional society would regard this phenomenon as a scourge, the Byzantines also regarded this volcanic eruption as the wrath of God, and His Majesty the Emperor firmly believed in this.Therefore, he felt that he should do something.
The emperor at this time was Leo III.The Syrian-born veteran took the throne in March of AD 717, taking over when the empire was as broken as it had been a century earlier.And shortly after he ascended the throne, the Arab navy and army launched an attack on Constantinople.Two armies crossed Asia Minor from the east, and a fleet in the Aegean Sea also came menacingly.
Leo III responded calmly.He wisely formed a united front with the Bulgarians, and the Slavs who came to the Balkans clearly preferred to ally themselves with the Byzantines rather than neighbors with the Arabs.The emperor also asked heaven for help.He beat the sea with his cross, begging God to bless its faithful servants.
Finally, in the summer of 718, the Arabs who had no intention of fighting withdrew from the battlefield in frustration, but Leo III was not happy.Because when he regained the lost land piece by piece, what he saw was devastated.The prosperous cities of the past are now full of slums, and the beautiful buildings have all become ruins. The Arabs have successfully scarred the Byzantine Empire.
His Majesty the Emperor was filled with grief and indignation.
Now it seems that Leo III should be a devout Christian, but also a person who likes to think about problems.He probably reflected on the centuries-old history of the empire and discussed the reasons for the many disasters of the nation.The answer, too, is simple: the Byzantines must have done something wrong to provoke God's wrath.
The question is what is wrong.
The volcanic eruption gave him inspiration.In fact, in 718 when he defended Constantinople, there was such a disaster in the Aegean Sea. As a result, the armies of both sides suffered heavy losses, and most of the Arab ships were burned.But now that the Arabs have retreated, God still expresses his anger, and only punishes the Byzantines, so he can only find the reason on himself.
This is to find out how the Arabs are different from the Byzantines.
The biggest difference lies in the firmness and purity of belief.
As we all know, the Arabs, like the Byzantines and the Jews, believed in monotheism.Monotheism is characterized by the worship of only one god, and no matter whether this god is called God (God), Allah (Allah) or Yahveh (Yahveh), there is no image.Only when it is intangible can it be infinite, ubiquitous, omnipotent, omniscient, and able to create everything "out of nothing".
Therefore, the three monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all oppose idolatry.Islam even considers polytheism and idolatry to be the worst and most unforgivable sins, and offenders must be punished in Hell.Muslims also strictly abide by this rule.Immediately after they captured the Byzantine provinces, they re-minted the coins to remove the statues.
The Byzantines were much worse.
Unlike the early Christians who followed in the footsteps of the Jews and strictly abided by the Mosaic law that prohibited idolatry, the Byzantines became accustomed to icon worship in the 6th century AD.Many devout believers pray in front of the images of Christ, the Virgin and saints, and the church is also full of idols.Of course, these believers also included the Byzantine emperors, and Heraclius, the defender of the empire, was one of them.
Since saints are all worshiped, angels are certainly no exception. The Roman Church even built a church for the archangel Michael who defeated Satan.Archangel Gabriel is also popular because he once reported to the Virgin Mary the gospel of being conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Worshiping in front of so many images, it is unavoidable to be suspected of idol worship or even polytheistic worship, and it has also been criticized by Muslims and Jews.In the eyes of the latter, this kind of behavior is no different from pagans, and Byzantium's decline and decline can be said to be self-inflicted.
Leo III believes that the problem is clearly here.That is to say, it is the worship of idols that caused God's wrath, and it is necessary to change the past if the empire is to be completely saved.This is the historical mission of patriots and educators, and a movement has been vigorously launched across the country.
This is Iconoclasm.
Movement is vigorous.Images and statues of Christ, the Virgin, saints and angels were removed from churches and public places and replaced with officially sanctioned motifs such as crosses, flowers and birds.The replacement was so rapid and complete that it was said pointedly: Our churches are now fruit shops and bird cages.
His Majesty the Emperor was very satisfied, but he did not expect that this move not only failed to appease God's anger, but ignited the anger of his subjects.They pointed out that the presence of icons is conducive to consolidating the religious emotions of believers, while the bare walls really cannot cheer people up.What's more, the Byzantines generally believed that it was more effective to ask the dead saints to "intercede" than to pray themselves, but the iconoclasm made this no longer possible.
Leo III has committed public outrage.
Anger swept across the Greek peninsula and Italy, especially after Leo III attempted to double property taxes.There were even mutinies in the army in some places, and it was only because of the dissuasion of Pope Gregorius II that they stopped their actions of establishing another emperor and attacking Constantinople.
However, the attitude of the Roman Church is very clear.Gregory II said clearly: Saluting to the icon is not worship but a tribute, and the emperor's statement is completely confusing right and wrong.And, in defense of Rome's leadership in religious matters, the pope unceremoniously declared iconoclasm heresy.
Judgment as heresy is the trump card of Christianity's internal struggle.In this kind of struggle, the most convenient and effective way to deal with those who hold different opinions is to use the power in hand to declare the other party to be a heretic.The Arianism, Monophysiteism, and Monothoism mentioned above have enjoyed this treatment, and now it is the turn of the movement led by Leo III.
Ha ha, the Church of Rome is also doing my part.
Leo III responded by sending a fleet to Italy in AD 733, probably to deal with the pope what Constans had done with Martin.The Pope at this time was already Gregorius III.This monarch was more hard-line than his predecessors, having called a council two years earlier to announce the excommunication of those who supported the iconoclasm and the suspension of the payment of tribute to the Byzantine treasury.
Of course His Majesty the Emperor cannot tolerate it.Although the fleet he sent was sunk in an Adriatic storm, his obstinacy intensified.In retaliation, he announced the separation of Sicily and southern Italy from the Diocese of Rome, handing over the jurisdiction of the Holy See in these areas to the Patriarch of Constantinople.He also confiscated the Pope's estates in Sicily, and it appears the emperor's wrath was not to be taken lightly.
In 741 AD, Leo III died of edema.In the eyes of the opposition, I am afraid that this reflects the wrath of God.What's more, there was an earthquake in Constantinople before, although Byzantium also repelled the Arab attack in the same year.
This account may never be settled.
The iconoclast movement continued.In 754 AD, Constantine V, the successor of Leo III, held a meeting and declared that icon worship was idolatry, and the emperor had the right to interfere with the church.After the meeting, many monasteries were forced to close or turned into barracks, a large number of priests were forced to return to secular life, and a large number of religious properties were also nationalized.The angry Pope announced tit-for-tat that he would give the Byzantine emperor and his followers "excommunication".According to the canon, believers who have been excommunicated will be isolated from the congregation and cannot enter heaven after death.
The emperor was certainly not intimidated, but the case was turned.All of Leo III's efforts were thwarted by two women who supported the icon, Empress Irene and Empress Dowager Theodora.The latter even had the Eastern Church decide in 843 to excommunicate those who opposed iconoclasm.
But this has been too many years since the death of Leo III, and the completely disappointed Pope has long begun to seek the support of others.For this reason, he did not hesitate to put the crown on the heads of the barbarians, thus turning a new page in European history.
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