Iconoclasm
/eye-KON-oh-klaz-um/
Summary
The destruction of religious images, rooted in the second commandment's prohibition of graven images.
☩Biblical Mandate
God commanded Israel to destroy the idols and images of the Canaanites. The second commandment forbids making graven images for worship. Faithful kings like Hezekiah and Josiah destroyed idols and high places as part of religious reformation, including Hezekiah's destruction of the bronze serpent when it became an object of worship.
Key verses:Exodus 20:4-5Deuteronomy 7:52 Kings 18:42 Kings 23:4-14
☩Prophetic Ridicule
The prophets ridiculed idols as powerless, man-made objects. Isaiah mocked the craftsman who makes a god from the same tree he burns for warmth. The contrast between living God and dead idols was a consistent prophetic theme that supported the elimination of image worship.
Key verses:Isaiah 44:9-20Jeremiah 10:3-5Psalm 115:4-8
Related Verses25 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Iconoclasm," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).