Depicting the Word: Byzantine Iconophile Thought of the Eighth and Ninth Centuries

This comparative study examines the major iconophile writings of John of Damascus, Theodore the Studite and the Patriarch Nikephoros. It argues that, far from being reactionary in their thought, the iconophiles were in fact more radical in their theology than the iconoclasts. After an historical introduction, the text covers philosophical themes, including: Aristotelianism; icon and idol; patristic authority; written and unwritten tradition, modes of veneration, and biblical exegesis.