Second Council of Nicaea

The ecumenical council held at Nicaea in 787 that condemned iconoclasm and affirmed the veneration of sacred images, distinguishing veneration from worship due to God alone.

Iconoclasm: The rejection or destruction of religious images, especially during the Byzantine controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries. The council condemned the Byzantine movement that opposed the use of icons.
Byzantine Iconoclasm: The Byzantine state-backed opposition to religious images that began in the eighth century and resumed in the ninth. This was the specific imperial and ecclesiastical crisis the council addressed.
Tarasios of Constantinople: Patriarch of Constantinople from 784 to 806 and a presiding figure at the council of 787. He led the deliberations and helped secure agreement among the bishops.
Triumph of Orthodoxy: The restoration of icon veneration in 843, commemorated in Eastern Orthodox churches on the first Sunday of Lent. This later restoration confirmed the council's position after iconoclasm returned.
Acts of the Second Council of Nicaea: The records of the council's sessions, including speeches, scriptural citations, and formal definitions. The acts preserve the arguments and decisions on which interpretations of the council depend.
Veneration: The reverence shown to a sacred person or object, distinct in Christian theology from worship owed to God. The council permitted honor shown to icons while reserving worship for God.
Constantine V: Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775 and a leading supporter of iconoclasm. His reign strengthened the image-opposing policies later reversed at Nicaea.
Pope Adrian I: Pope from 772 to 795 who supported the restoration of image veneration. His letters to Irene and Tarasios supplied a major Western contribution to the council.
Byzantine Iconoclasm (815–843): The second period of Byzantine imperial opposition to religious images, ending with their restoration in 843. The council's settlement did not prevent a renewed iconoclast period.
Carolingian Books: A set of Latin texts produced under Charlemagne that criticized the council's decisions on images. Their objections exposed translation disputes and differing understandings of the council's decree.

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