Lost in Translation
Many non-Catholic Christians believe that statues of Jesus, angels, the saints, and other religious figures have been outlawed by God in the Ten Commandments both in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5. The King James Version of the Bible used by a majority of Protestants uses the words:
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth…”
The problem with this translation is that “graven image” is understood in a more broad sense. The New American Bible offers a more accurate translation using the word “idols” to better describe the prohibition. Upon studying a little of ancient religions and exploring the Old Testament we quickly find that most of the non-Jewish people practiced idol worship. Even the Jews after being freed from slavery in Egypt fall victim to idolatry in Exodus 32 where we read of the famed Golden Calf.
This Golden Calf was an idol. A god that was created by the Israelites as they grew impatient waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain. They made sacrifices, prayed, and worshiped this “idol.” Here we see what an idol is and it is not just an image, but an object worshiped as a god. Catholics and Protestants alike believe that in scripture itself, the Word of God, that the Lord commands Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10-22). Keep in mind this is only a few chapters after the first establishment of the commandments. What does God tell Moses to put on top of the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus 25: 18-21?
“Make two cherubim of beaten gold for the two ends of the propitiatory, fastening them so that one cherub springs direct from each end. The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, covering the propitiatory with them; they shall be turned toward each other, but with their faces looking toward the propitiatory. This propitiatory you shall then place on top of the ark. In the ark itself you are to put the commandments which I will give you.”
Cherubim are angels. Where do angels come from? Heaven. So God is commanding Moses to build two statues of angels made out of gold to go on top of the Ark of the Covenant! Interesting. Does this mean that God is contradicting himself? Of course not. Later on in Sacred History we read about the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem by King Solomon, and guess what? More statues!
“In the sanctuary were two cherubim, each ten cubits high, made of olive wood. Each wing of a cherub measured five cubits so that the space from wing tip to wing tip of each was ten cubits. The cherubim were identical in size and shape, and each was exactly ten cubits high. The cherubim were placed in the inmost part of the temple, with their wings spread wide, so that one wing of each cherub touched a side wall while the other wing, pointing toward the middle of the room, touched the corresponding wing of the second cherub. The cherubim, too, were overlaid with gold. The walls on all sides of both the inner and the outer rooms had carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.” ~ 1 Kings 6:23-29
Those are some really big statues of cherubs, which are angels from heaven. And where were these “images” placed? In the inmost part of the temple! But wait, there’s more…
“For the room of the holy of holies he made two cherubim of carved workmanship, which were then overlaid with gold. The wings of the cherubim spanned twenty cubits: one wing of each cherub, five cubits in length, extended to a wall of the building, while the other wing, also five cubits in length, touched the corresponding wing of the second cherub. The combined wingspread of the two cherubim was thus twenty cubits. They stood upon their own feet, facing toward the nave. He made the veil of violet, purple, crimson and fine linen, and had cherubim embroidered upon it.” ~ 2 Chronicles 3:10-14
These images are in the Holy of Holies! This was the most sacred part of the temple where God himself was present. The Shekinah or glory cloud would come down into the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could enter. So in the most sacred room of the temple, where God himself was present, there were statues or images!
Reading in Context
In addition to understanding the translation it is also important to read the commandments in context. You should never take just one passage from the Bible at face value without reading around it. For example, read the passage before this commandment to put in context the Lord’s command against idolatry.
“I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me.” ~ Exodus 20:2-3
Now that we’re reading it context we understand that God is letting us know that He is our one and only God. We shouldn’t put any thing before Him or replace Him with another god. Then comes the commandment about “idols” which makes more sense now. It’s clear that God is not explicitly condemning images, photos, paintings, or art in general, but rather the adoration of foreign gods. The Catholic Church is definitely to thank for some of the most beautiful art throughout the past 2000 years, and it’s doubtful that God would be against art. You’ve seen that even the ancient Jews worshiped in the Temple along side statues of angels and other images, and since Christianity was born of Judaism it’s obvious that our worship would reflect ancient traditions.
As a Catholic I see statues, paintings, mosaics, tapestries, and stained glass images throughout our churches and cathedrals. These images depict scenes from the scriptures, from tradition, and even from the lives of the saints. But what is an image? Why do we have pictures of our family and friends on the walls of our homes? We see images of people, animals, nature, everything you could possibly imagine is plastered on t-shirts, billboards, banners, signs, the products we buy in the stores, etc. But why? To visually represent something. For example, if I have a picture of my mother I look at that picture and it reminds me of her. It brings to my mind the fond memories I have of her in my life. I don’t believe the image of my mother is actually her and the picture of her could never take her place, but it helps me to keep her close to my heart even if she is hundreds of miles away.
The Old vs. the New
Another very important point that we have to factor in is the fact that there is no way to encompass God in an image or in a photo. The condemnation prevents us from trying to create God in our image and likeness. Because we cannot see the face of God, doesn’t mean we should try to make one up. We know He exists and that He has existed outside of time for eternity with the Holy Spirit and the Son, but we don’t know what He looks like.
On the other hand, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has come to Earth as a man. Jesus is God and since he came down from Heaven to live among us, he has shown us his face. So the prohibition that God gave Moses in the Ten Commandments preventing them from dreaming up what He should look like doesn’t apply when God has now revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ.
So a painting, a statue, or any visual representation of Jesus Christ can now help us to get to know him, to remember him, to worship him. Obviously we don’t worship the image, but we use it as a visual aid to help us bring to mind someone who although might be far away, we can keep them in our hearts and on our minds.