Second Council of Nicaea (787) – the cult of the images of the angels (Mansi vol. 13)

The Second Council of Nicaea (787), which was the Seventh Ecumenical Council, was convoked by the Empress Irene and presided over by Patriarch Tarasius of Constantinople, and it dogmatically defined the cult of sacred images, including the images of the angels. It is the fundamental magisterial text for Catholic and Orthodox angelic iconography. The text is found in Mansi Sacrorum Conciliorum Nova Amplissima Collectio vol. 13, col. 1-820.

Historical context, Byzantine iconoclasm

Iconoclasm (from the Greek “eikonoklastes”, image-breakers) was the Byzantine heresy begun by the Emperor Leo III in 726, who ordered the destruction of all sacred images, including those of the angels and of Christ. The iconoclasts argued:

• Images violate the Decalogue (Ex 20:4)
• Only Christ can be the “image of the Father”
• Images are a pagan survival
• Angels are pure spirits; they cannot be “painted”

The controversy lasted more than a hundred years (726-843). The Second Council of Nicaea (787) was the first official condemnation of iconoclasm. The final victory was celebrated as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy” on March 11, 843.

Latin text, dogmatic definition (Mansi vol. 13, col. 377-380)

“Definimus in omni certitudine ac diligentia, sicut figuram pretiosae ac vivificae crucis, ita venerabiles ac sanctas imagines proponendas, tam quae de coloribus et tessellis, quam quae ex alia materia congruenter se habent, in sanctis Dei ecclesiis, et sacris vasis, et vestibus, et in parietibus ac tabulis, domibus et viis: tam videlicet imaginem Domini Dei et Salvatoris nostri Iesu Christi, quam intemeratae Dominae nostrae sanctae Dei genitricis, honorabiliumque Angelorum, et omnium Sanctorum simul et almorum virorum.”

English translation

“We define with all certitude and diligence that, just as the figure of the precious and life-giving Cross, so also the venerable and holy images are to be set forth, whether of colors and tesserae or of other suitable material, in the holy churches of God, on the sacred vessels, on the vestments, on the walls and panels, in houses and along the roads: namely, the image of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, as also that of our undefiled Lady, the holy Mother of God, of the honorable Angels, and of all the Saints and venerable men.”

The four iconographic subjects defined

The Council defines four categories of images that can and must be venerated:

1. Images of Christ, “Domini Dei et Salvatoris nostri Iesu Christi”
2. Images of the Theotokos, “intemeratae Dominae nostrae sanctae Dei genitricis”
3. Images of the Angels, “honorabilium Angelorum”
4. Images of the Saints, “omnium Sanctorum simul et almorum virorum”

The angels are the third iconographic subject explicitly defined, a dogmatic confirmation that angelic iconography is legitimate and due in the Church.

The distinction between latria, hyperdulia, and dulia

The Council establishes the famous distinction between three types of veneration:

The Greek text defines: “aspasmon kai timetiken proskunesin aponemein, ou men ten kata pistin hemon alethinen latreian” (“to grant a greeting and an honorific adoration, but not the true latria which, according to our faith, is due to the divine nature alone”). This distinction became fundamental for Catholic Marian and angelological theology.

Implication for the cult of the angels

The Second Council of Nicaea establishes that:

1. Angels can be represented in images even though they are pure spirits
2. The images of the angels deserve veneration (dulia), not adoration (latria)
3. The veneration of the images of the angels honors the angels themselves (the honor passes from the image to the prototype)
4. The angels represented in images are only the canonical ones (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael), confirming the Roman Council of 745 that condemned Aldebert

Magisterial continuity

The definition of Nicaea II was confirmed and developed by:

• Fourth Council of Constantinople (869-870): reaffirms the cult of images
• Saint Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae III, q. 25, a. 3, treatise on the three types of veneration
• Council of Trent (1545-1563): session XXV, veneration of images and relics
• Roman Catechism (1566): takes up the latria/dulia distinction
• Pius VI (1794), Auctorem Fidei: condemns the Jansenism of Pistoia, which sought to suppress the veneration of images
• CCC (1992) nn. 1159-1162: takes up the theology of Nicaea II on images

Angelic iconography after Nicaea II

After Nicaea II, angelic iconography developed according to patterns:

Further reading

Council of Laodicea can. 35 | Roman Council of 745 (Aldebert) | Saint Michael | Guardian Angels | DACL – Angelic iconography

See also: What is Angelology? The angels in the Bible and in the Magisterium

See our complete guide to Catholic Angelology.