opponents. From this time forward we hear but little of any opposition to image worship,1 and the practice was generally accepted without question in both East 2 and West, until S. Thomas Aquinas lays down definitely that "the same reverence should be displayed towards an image of Christ and towards Christ Himself; and seeing that Christ is adored with the adoration of latria, it follows that His image is to be adored with the adoration of latria"; and again," the Cross is adored with the same adoration as Christ, that is, with the adoration of latria, and for that reason we address and supplicate the Cross just as we do the Crucified Himself." In accordance with this we find in the Roman Missal an office for the adoration of the Cross on Good Friday, in which full directions are given for the adoration of the Cross, and an antiphon is sung, beginning, "Crucem tuam adoramus

1 The Council of Frankfort (794), however, rejected the second Council of Nicæa, and the Caroline books absolutely condemned any adoration or worship of images. See Palmer, Treatise on the Church, vol. ii. p. 153 seq.

2 The Eastern Church, it should be mentioned, while it encourages the veneration of pictures, does not admit sculptured or hewn images. The "icons" of the East are really pictures. For the Greek teaching on the subject see Winer, Confessions of Christendom, p. 76. One quotation may suffice here. Ἡμεῖς ὅταν τιμῶμεν τὰς εἰκόνας καὶ τὰς προσκυνοῦμεν, δὲν προσκυνοῦμεν τὰ χρώματα ἢ τὰ ξύλα. μὰ τοὺς ἁγίους ἐκείνους, τῶν ὁποίων εἶναι αἱ εἰκόνες, δοξάζομεν μὲ προσκύνησιν δουλείας, βάλλωντας μὲ τὸν νοῦν μας τὴν ἐκείνων παρουσίαν εἰς τὰ ὀμμάτιά μας.—Conf. Orthod. p. 328.

3 "Sequitur quod eadem reverentia exhibeatur imagini Christi et ipsi Christo. Cum ergo Christus adoretur adoratione latriæ consequens est quod ejus imago sit adoratione latriæ adoranda." "[Crux] utroque modo adoratur eadem adoratione cum Christo, scil. adoratione latriæ. Et propter hoc etiam crucem alloquimur et deprecamur quasi ipsum crucifixum."-Summa III. Q. xxv. arts. iii. iv. In view of the distinction drawn by Romanists between latria, the worship due to God alone, hyperdulia, that due to the Blessed Virgin, and dulia, that which is due to the saints, these words have caused no little difficulty, and are frequently explained away. But the statement of S. Thomas is clear enough and gives to the Cross latria.

1

Domine"; and in our own country the Constitutions of Archbishop Arundel, in 1408, emphatically urge the practice. "From henceforth let it be taught commonly, and preached by all, that the Cross and the image of the Crucified, and the rest of the images of the saints, in memory and honour of them whom they figure, as also their places and relics, ought to be worshipped (venerari) with processions, bendings of the knees, bowings of the body, incensings, kissings, offerings, lightings of candles, and pilgrimages, together with all other manners and forms whatsoever as hath been accustomed to be done in our predecessors' times." 2 It is needless to add illustrations of the gross abuses and superstitions, such as that of the "Rood of Boxley," which had been exposed in the early years of the sixteenth century,-abuses which afford a painfully strong justification of the vigorous language in condemnation of this worshipping and adoration of images and relics contained in the Article before us.⭑

(b) The Scriptural arguments concerning the practice.It might have been supposed that it would be sufficient to quote the language of the second commandment as entirely prohibiting worship in any form being offered to

1 Missale Romanum. Feria vi. in Parasceve.

2 "Ab omnibus deinceps doceatur communiter atque prædicetur, crucem et imaginem crucifixi cæterasque imagines sanctorum, in ipsorum memoriam et honorem quos figurant, ac ipsorum loca et reliquias, proressionibus, genuflexionibus, inclinationibus, thurificationibus, deosculationibus, oblationibus, luminarium accensionibus, et peregrinationibus, nec non aliis quibuscunque modis et formis quibus nostris et predecessorum nostrorum temporibus fieri consuevit, venerari debere."-See Johnson's English Canons, vol. ii. p. 469, and Lyndwood's Provinciale, V. De hæret. cap. Nullus quoque.

* See Dixon, History of the Church of England, vol. ii. p. 52 seq.

It should also be mentioned that in the Second Book of the Homilies there is a lengthy Homily on this subject, entitled "Against Peril of Idolatry."

images; but since it has appeared to Roman Catholics that the Scriptures contain instances of image worship and exhortation to it, it may be well to examine the passages alleged by them. The action of David in dancing before the ark (2 Sam. vi.) has been referred to, but it is difficult to see what justification there is for the assertion that any worship, be it latria or dulia, was paid by him to it. But it is said that the 99th Psalm contains a direct charge to "adore His footstool, for it is holy," and that the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that Jacob "adored the top of his rod." These two instances shall be considered, and if nothing stronger is forthcoming it may safely be concluded that there is not a shred of evidence in favour of the practice to be adduced from Holy Scripture, or to be set against the emphatic condemnation of it in the Decalogue.3

2

1 It need hardly be said that the second commandment cannot be strained into a condemnation of images and pictures as works of art, or for purposes of instruction. Had this been so, the figures of the cherubim, oxen, and lions would never have found place in the Tabernacle or Temple. 2 Both of these passages are referred to as authorising "relative honour to the images of Christ and the saints" in a table of references at the end of a copy of the Douay Bible lying before me; and to the passage in Heb. xi. 21 is appended the following note: "The apostle here follows the ancient Greek Bible of the Seventy interpreters (which translates in this manner Gen. xlvii. 31), and alleges this fact of Jacob, in paying a relative veneration to the top of the rod or sceptre of Joseph as to a figure of Christ's sceptre and kingdom, as an instance and argument of his faith. But some translators, who are no friends to this relative honour, have corrupted the text by translating it, he worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff: as if this circumstance of leaning upon his staff were any argument of Jacob's faith, or worthy the being thus particularly taken notice of by the Holy Ghost." The remarks above will show who are the real "corrupters of the text."

3 It is, to say the least, unfortunate that in the great majority of Roman Catholic Catechisms the Commandments are given in an abbreviated form, and, since according to the reckoning which obtains among them our first and second commandments form but one, the condemnation of image worship is practically unknown by the vast mass of the laity among them.

Ps. xcix. 5 in the English versions (both A.V. and R.V.) stands as follows: "Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool, for He is holy" (R.V.marg., It is holy). In the "Douay version," however, which is commonly used by Roman Catholics, it stands thus: "Adore His footstool, for it is holy." The origin of the difference is this. The English version is taken from the Hebrew, and adequately The Douay version is

הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְ represents the original

translated from the Vulgate (Ps. xcviii. 5), where the preposition is ignored and the words rendered, "Adorate scabellum pedum ejus quoniam sanctum est."1 Thus the argument rests entirely on a mistranslation. The same is true of the passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews (xi. 21). Here again the Vulgate, "adoravit fastigium virgæ ejus," entirely misrepresents the meaning of the original. The Greek is προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ, words which can only mean that Jacob worshipped upon (i.e. as the A.V. and R.V. "leaning upon ") the top of his staff. With regard to the Scriptural argument for the adoration of relics, from the miracle wrought by the bones of Elisha (2 Kings xiii. 21) and the "handkerchiefs and aprons" brought from the body of S. Paul (Acts xix. 12), it cannot be said that they are worth anything. Neither the bones nor the handkerchiefs were preserved to be adored; 2 and until

1 The construction in the original is precisely the same as in ver. 9, where both the Douay version and the Vulgate render correctly enough "Adore at His holy mountain," "Adorate in monte sancto ejus." Whereas, if only they were consistent, the mountain would have to be adored as well as the footstool.

2 Cf. the Martyrdom of Polycarp, c. xvii., where the Christians pour scorn on the notion that they would want to worship the body of the saint, or worship any other than Christ. Τοῦτον μὲν γὰρ υἱὸν ὄντα τοῦ Θεοῦ προσκυνοῦμεν, τοὺς δὲ μάρτυρας ὡς μαθητὰς καὶ μιμητὰς τοῦ Κυρίου ἀγαπῶμεν ἀξίως ἕνεκεν εὐνοίας ἀνυπερβλήτου της εἰς τὸν ἴδιον βασιλέα καὶ didáσκaλov. — Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, part II. vol. ii. § ii. p.

something stronger is adduced by our opponents, we may safely rest satisfied that nothing stronger can be found.

IV. The Invocation of Saints.

Once more we must consider separately (a) the history of the practice, and (b) the Scriptural argument concerning it.

The

(a) The history of the practice. In tracing out the growth of the custom of invoking the saints at rest, it will be well to start from the fact that the early Church undoubtedly believed that they were still engaged in interceding for those whose warfare was not yet accomplished,1 and very generally prayed to God to be benefited by a share in the prayers of the saints. But there can also be no doubt that the early Christians did not think it right directly to ask the saints to use those intercessions, in whose efficacy she yet believed. only writer during the first three centuries who has been quoted in favour of direct invocation is Origen (220), and it seems almost certain that in the passage in question he is really referring, not to the saints at rest, but to those still on earth. His words are these: "It is not improper to offer supplication, intercession, and thanksgiving to saints: and two of these-I mean intercession and thanksgiving-not only to saints, but to mere men; but supplication to saints only, if any Peter or Paul can be found, that they may help us making us worthy to enjoy the licence which was granted them of forgiving sins." 3 This passage, says Dean Luckock,

1 See Origen, In Jesu Nave, Hom. xvi. c. 5; In Cant., Lib. iii.; Ep. ad Rom., Comment. ii. 4; Cyprian, Ep. lx.; De Mortalitate, ad fin. etc.; and cf. Luckock, After Death, part II. c. i.

2 Such prayers are found in all the ancient Liturgies, in which there is no direct invocation of the saints themselves.

8 Δέησιν μὲν οὖν καὶ ἔντευξιν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν οὐκ ἄτοπον καὶ ἁγίοις προσο