Rev. José Mario O. Mandía
We shall take up today a Byzantine patriarch of Constantinople who fought against the Iconoclastic Controversy and defended the use of sacred images. Saint Germanus of Constantinople was born around 634 in Constantinople (now Istanbul) and died around 732 near Athens. Aside from his defense of sacred icons, he also fostered devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary – Theotokos (God-bearer).
The Iconoclastic Controversy raged in the Byzantine Empire in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Iconoclasts rejected the veneration of icons, citing several reasons including the prohibition in the Ten Commandments of making “graven images” (Exodus 20:4) and the danger of idolatry.
Those who defended the use of icons, on the other hand, explained that the icons were symbols and that visible things could be used to represent invisible realities. Indeed, the Compendium of the Catholic Church teaches: “In the Old Testament this commandment forbade any representation of God who is absolutely transcendent. The Christian veneration of sacred images, however, is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God (as taught by the Second Council of Nicea in 787 AD) because such veneration is founded on the mystery of the Son of God made man, in whom the transcendent God is made visible. This does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who is represented in it: for example, Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints” (no. 446).
Pope Benedict XVI narrates the story behind the controversy.
“During the patriarchate of Germanus (715-730) the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, was subjected to a dangerous siege by the Saracens. On that occasion (717-718), a solemn procession was organized in the city displaying the image of the Mother of God, the Theotokos, and the relic of the True Cross, to invoke protection for the city from on high. In fact, Constantinople was liberated from the siege. The enemy decided to desist for ever from the idea of establishing their capital in the city that was the symbol of the Christian Empire and the people were extremely grateful for the divine help” (General Audience, 29 April 2009).
The event convinced the Patriarch Germanus that the miracle showed divine approval of the devotion. The Emperor Leo III, however, did not agree. He even argued that veneration of icons could lead to idolatry and that could be divisive for the empire. Because of Germanus’ firmness, he was forced to resign as Patriarch and went to live in a monastery where he died. His teaching, however, was cited in the Second Council of Nicaea (787), which decided in favor of icons.
Another outstanding characteristic of Germanus was his care for liturgical celebrations and in particular, his devotion to the Blessed Virgin. When Pius XII declared the dogma of the Assumption of Our Lady in paragraph 22 of the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus (1950), he cited Germanus’ work on the Dormition of our Lady. “You are she who, as it is written, appears in beauty, and your virginal body is all holy, all chaste, entirely the dwelling place of God, so that it is henceforth completely exempt from dissolution into dust. Though still human, it is changed into the heavenly life of incorruptibility, truly living and glorious, undamaged and sharing in perfect life” (In Sanctae Dei Genetricis Dormitionem, Sermo I).
Pope Benedict XVI points out three lessons we can learn from Saint Germanus.
The first is that the invisible God is somehow present in a visible way in the world, but we must learn to perceive that presence. This becomes possible with the Incarnation. “After the Incarnation of the Son of God, it therefore became possible to see God in images of Christ and also in the faces of the Saints, in the faces of all people in whom God’s holiness shines out.
“The second thing is the beauty and dignity of the liturgy. To celebrate the liturgy in the awareness of God’s presence, with that dignity and beauty which make a little of his splendor visible, is the commitment of every Christian trained in his faith.
“The third thing is to love the Church. Precisely with regard to the Church, we men and women are prompted to see above all the sins and the negative side, but with the help of faith, which enables us to see in an authentic way, today and always we can rediscover the divine beauty in her. It is in the Church that God is present, offers himself to us in the Holy Eucharist and remains present for adoration. In the Church God speaks to us, in the Church God ‘walks beside us’ as St Germanus said. In the Church we receive God’s forgiveness and learn to forgive” (General Audience, 29 April 2009).
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