A Storm of Images

Philip Jenkins

Reviewed by: Ben Franks

A Storm of Images: Iconoclasm and Religious Reformation in the Byzantine World, by Philip Jenkins. Baylor University Press, 2023. Hardcover, 287 pages, $42.99. Reviewed by OP pastor Ben Franks.

A Storm of Images examines a fascinating period of controversy that sheds light on why some Christians have embraced images and others (such as churches in the OPC) have rejected them. Philip Jenkins’s book focuses on the ikonomachia—the war of the images—which gripped the Eastern Roman Empire (what we commonly call the Byzantine Empire) during the eighth and ninth centuries. Since church and state were inextricably intertwined in this period, the conflict was equal parts politics and theology. The story is a fascinating one, filled with imperial plots, military coups, executions, tortures, climate catastrophes, and vehement theological conflict. On the one side stood the iconodules (those who argued for the legitimacy and necessity of images of Christ and the saints—and specifically their veneration and use in worship) and on the other stood the iconoclasts (those who rejected the use and veneration of such images).

Jenkins aims to walk the reader through the history of this sweeping, century-long conflict in chapters 2–3 and 7–9. Chapters 4–6 discuss the biblical and theological roots of the conflict (and explore the impact which Judaism and Islam may have had upon it), while chapters 10 and 11 explore the far-reaching impact of this chapter of church history on the later shape of Christian worship, piety, and ecclesiastical relationships down to the present day.

The story is a complex one. The records of this period require careful historical sifting because virtually all of the remaining accounts are heavily partisan retellings from the side of the iconodules. Jenkins introduces us to these texts and does his best to separate fact from fiction while also interacting with various questions and debates which have shaped contemporary scholarship on this period.

One insight of interest for Reformed readers is the recognition that (as Jenkins notes in his first chapter) recent scholarship has concluded that the creation and veneration of images (particularly of Christ) was a relatively late innovation in the history of the early church, with the widespread use of images not emerging until the fifth century and the practice of veneration not becoming common until the late sixth or early seventh century (though Jenkins argues for a date on the earlier side of this range, he still has to concede that the veneration of icons was not a major feature of Christianity for the first five to six hundred years). This means that those who are concerned about the use (and misuse) of images have roots which run much deeper than just the time of the Reformation—indeed, they represent the mainstream view of the church fathers for the first few hundred years of the church’s history. Additionally, many of the arguments and concerns raised by the iconoclasts (which Jenkins surveys in chapter 5) closely mirror those found in the Reformed tradition centuries later.

While Jenkins quite clearly leans toward the use of images (and his sympathies shine through when he commends the theological arguments of the iconodules over and against those of the iconoclasts), his historical discussion helps advocates of either view to better understand the historical roots of debates for and against images in late antiquity. Less helpful is his final chapter in which he tries to connect the narrower question of the propriety of making or venerating sacred images with other broader iconoclastic impulses through history (such as the removal of secular monuments). Not all his conclusions seem to follow from the facts that he has recounted, and Reformed readers will wish that Jenkins displayed a greater sympathy and understanding of the nuances of the iconoclast position. Nevertheless, Storm of Images is worthwhile for the serious student of church history.