Idolatry

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(Greekeidololatria.)

Idolatry etymologically denotes Divine worship given to an image, but its signification has been extended to all Divine worship given to anyone or anything but thetrue God.St. Thomas (Summa Theol., II-II, q. xciv) treats of it as a species of the genussuperstition, which is a vice opposed to the virtue of religion and consists in giving Divinehonour (cultus) to things that are notGod, or toGod Himself in a wrong way. The specific note of idolatry is its direct opposition to the primary object of Divine worship; it bestows on a creature the reverence due toGod alone. It does so in several ways. The creature is often represented by an image, an idol. "Some, by nefarious arts, made certain images which, through the power of thedevil, produced certain effects whence they thought that these images contained something divine and, consequently, that divine worship was due to them." Such was the opinion of Hermes Trismegistus. Others gave Divine honours not to the images but to the creatures which they represented. Both are hinted at by theApostle (Romans 1:23-25), who says of the first: "They changed the glory of the incorruptibleGod into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of four-footed beasts and of creeping things"; and of the second: "They worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator". These worshippers of creatures were of three kinds. Some held that certain men were gods, and these theyhonoured through theirstatues, e.g., Jupiter and Mercury. Others opined that the whole world was oneGod,God being conceived of as the rationalsoul of the corporeal world. Hence they worshipped the world and all its parts, the air, the water, and all the rest; their idols, according to Varro, as reported bySt. Augustine (City of God VIII.21-22), were the expression of thatbelief. Others again, followers ofPlato, admitted one supremeGod, the cause of all things; under Him they placed certain spiritual substances of His creation and participating in His Divinity; these substances they called gods; and below these they put thesouls of the heavenly bodies and, below these again thedemons who, they thought, were a sort of aerial living beings (animalia). Lowest of all they placed the humansouls, which, according to merit or demerit, were to share thesociety either of the gods or of thedemons. To all they attributed Divine worship, asSt. Augustine says (City of God VIII.14).

An essential difference exists between idolatry and the veneration of images practised in theCatholicChurch, viz., that while the idolater credits the image he reverences with Divinity or Divine powers, theCatholic knows "that in images there is no divinity or virtue on account of which they are to be worshipped, that no petitions can be addressed to them, and that no trust is to be placed in them. . . that thehonour which is given to them is referred to the objects (prototypa) which they represent, so that through the images which wekiss, and before which we uncover our heads and kneel, we adore Christ and venerate the Saints whose likenesses they are" (Conc. Trid., Sess. XXV, "de invocatione Sanctorum").

Moral aspect

Considered in itself, idolatry is the greatest of mortalsins. For it is, by definition, an inroad onGod's sovereignty over the world, an attempt on His Divine majesty, a rebellious setting up of a creature on the throne that belongs to Him alone. Even the simulation of idolatry, in order to escape death duringpersecution, is a mortalsin, because of the pernicious falsehood it involves and thescandal it causes. Of Seneca who, against his betterknowledge, took part in idolatrous worship,St. Augustine says: "He was the more to be condemned for doing mendaciously what people believed him to do sincerely". The guilt of idolatry, however, is not to be estimated by its abstract nature alone; the concrete form it assumes in theconscience of the sinner is the all-important element. Nosin is mortal — i.e. debars man from attaining the end for which he was created — that is not committed with clearknowledge and free determination. But how many, or how few, of the countless millions of idolaters are, or have been, able to distinguish between the one Creator of all things and His creatures? and, having made the distinction, how many have been perverse enough to worship the creature in preference to the Creator? — It is reasonable,Christian, and charitable to suppose that the "false gods" of theheathen were, in theirconscience, the onlytrue God theyknew, and that their worship being right in its intention, went up to theone true God with that ofJews andChristians to whom He had revealed Himself. "In the day whenGod shall judge the secrets of men byJesus Christ . . . . . thegentiles who have not thelaw, shall be judged by theirconscience" (Romans 2:14-16).God, who wishes all men to be saved, and Christ, who died for all whosinned in Adam, would be frustrated in their merciful designs if theprince of this world were to carry off all idolaters.

Causes

Idolatry in its grosser forms is so far removed from theChristianized mind that it is no easy matter to account for its origin. Its persistence after gaining a first footing, and its branching out in countless varieties, are sufficiently explained by the moral necessity imposed on the younger generation to walk in the path of their elders with only insignificant deviations to the right or to the left. ThusChristian generations follow uponChristian generations; ifsects arise they areChristiansects. The question as to the first origin of idolatry is thus answered bySt. Thomas:

"The cause of idolatry is twofold: dispositive on the part ofman; consummative on the part of thedemons.

"Men were led to idolatry first by disordered affections, inasmuch as they bestowed divine honours upon someone whom theyloved orvenerated beyond measure. This cause is indicated inWisdom 14:15: 'For a father being afflicted by bitter grief, made to himself the image of his son who was quickly taken away; and him who then had died as a man, he began now to worship as a god . . . ', and14:21: 'Men serving either their affection or their king, gave the incommunicable name to stones and wood'.

"Second: By their naturallove for artistic representations: uncultured men, seeingstatues cunningly reproducing the figure of man, worshipped them as gods. Hence we read inWisdom 13:11 sq., 'An artist, a carpenter has cut down a tree proper for his use in the wood . . . . . . and by the skill of his art fashioneth it and maketh it like the image of a man . . . . . and then makethprayers to it, inquiring concerning his substance and his children or his marriage'.

"Third: By theirignorance of thetrue God: man, not considering the excellence ofGod, attributed divine worship to certain creatures excelling in beauty or virtue:Wisdom 13:1-2:' . . . . . neither by attending to the works have [men] acknowledged who was the workman, but have imagined either the fire, or the wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the great water, or the sun and moon, to be the gods that rule the world'.

"The consummative cause of idolatry was the influence of thedemons who offered themselves to the worship oferring men, giving answers from idols or doing things which to men seemed marvelous, whence the Psalmist says (Psalm 95:5): 'All the gods of thegentiles aredevils'" (II-II, Q. xciv, a. 4).

The causes which the writer ofWisdom, probably an AlexandrianJew living in the second century , assigns to the idolatry prevalent in his time and environment, are sufficient to account for the origin of all idolatry. Man'slove for sense images is not a vagary but a necessity of his mind. Nothing is in theintellect that has not previously passed through the senses. All thought that transcends the sphere of direct senseknowledge is clothed in material garments, be they only a word or a mathematical symbol. Likewise, theknowledge of things impervious to our senses, that comes to us by revelation, is communicated and received through the senses external or internal, and is further elaborated by comparison with notions evolved from sense perceptions; all ourknowledge of thesupernatural proceeds by analogy with the natural. Thus, throughout theOld TestamentGod reveals Himself in the likeness of man, and in the New, theSon of God, assuminghumannature, speaks to us in parables and similitudes. Now, thehumanmind, when sufficiently ripe to receive the notion ofGod, is already stocked with natural imagery in which it clothes the newidea. That the limited mind of man cannot adequately represent, picture, or conceive theinfinite perfection ofGod, is self-evident. If left to his own resources, man will slowly and imperfectly develop the obscure notion of a superior or supreme power on which his well-being depends and whom he can conciliate or offend. In this process intervenes the second cause of idolatry:ignorance. The Supreme Power is apprehended in the works and workings of nature; in sun and stars, in fertile fields, in animals, in fancied invisible influences, in powerful men. And there, among the secondary causes, the "groping afterGod" may end in the worship of sticks and stones.St. Paul told the Athenians thatGod had "winked at the times of thisignorance" during which they erected altars "To the unknown God", which implies that He had compassion on theirignorance and sent them the light oftruth to reward their good intention (Acts 17:22-31). As soon as the benightedheathen has located his unknown god,love and fear, which are but the manifestations of theinstinct of self-preservation, shape the cultus of the idol intosacrifices or other congenial religious practices. Ignorance of the First Cause, the need of images for fixing higher conceptions, theinstinct of self-preservation — these are thepsychological causes of idolatry.

Idolatry in Israel

The worship of oneGod is inculcated from the first to the last page of theBible. How long man, on the strength of the revelation transmitted by Adam and subsequently byNoah, adoredGod in spirit andtruth is an insoluble problem.Monotheism, however, appears to have been the starting-point of all religious systems known to us through trustworthy documents. TheAnimism,Totemism,Fetishism of the lower races; the nature-worship, ancestor-worship, and hero-worship of civilized nations are hybrid forms of religion, evolved on thepsychological lines indicated above; all are incarnations in the uncultured or cultured mind, and manifestations of one fundamental notion, namely, that there is above man a power on whom man is dependent forgood andevil.Polytheism is born of the confusion of second causes with the First Cause; it grows in inverse ratio of highermental faculties; it dies out under the clear light of reason or revelation. The first undoubted mention of idolatry in theBible is inGenesis 31:19: "Rachel stole away her father's idols [teraphim]", and whenLaban overtook Jacob in his flight and made search for "his gods", Rachel "in haste hid the idols under the camel's furniture, and sat upon them" (31:34). YetLaban also worshipped the sameGod as Jacob, whose blessing he acknowledges (30:27), and on whom he calls to judge between him and Jacob (30:53). A similar practice of blending reverence to thetrue God with the idolatrous worship of surrounding nations runs though the whole history ofIsrael. When Moses delayed to come down from the holy mount, the people, "gathering together against Aaron, said: Arise, make us gods, that may go before us". And Aaron made a molten calf, "and they said: These are thy gods, OIsrael, that have brought thee out of the land ofEgypt. And . . . they offeredholocausts, and peace victims, and the people sat down to eat, and drink, and they rose up to play" (Exodus 32:1 sqq.). In Settim "the people committed fornication with the daughters ofMoab, . . . and adored their gods. AndIsrael was initiated toBeelphegor" (Numbers 25:1-3). Again, after the death ofJosue, "thechildren of Israel . . . servedBaalim . . . and they followed strange gods, and the gods of the people that dwelt round about them" (Judges 2:11 sq.) . Whenever thechildren of Israel didevil in the eyes ofJehovah, swift retribution overtook them; they were given into the hands of their enemies. Yet idolatry remained the nationalsin down to the times of the Machabees. This striking fact has for its causes, first, the natural endeavour of man to come in contact with the object of his worship; he wants gods that go before him, visible, tangible, easily accessible; in the case of theIsraelites the strict prohibition of worshipping images added to idolatry the allurement of the forbidden fruit; secondly, the allurement of the pleasures of the flesh offered to the worshippers of the strange divinities; thirdly,mixed marriages, occasionally on a large scale; fourthly, the intercourse in peace andwar and exile with powerful neighbours who attributed their prosperity to other gods thanJehovah. The less enlightenedIsraelites probably conceived of theGod ofAbraham,Isaac, andJacob as "theirGod", Who laid no claim to universal rule. If so, they may frequently have become idolaters for the sake of temporal advantage.

But why didGod permit such deviations from thetruth? If in His judgment idolatry, as practised by theJews, is the unmitigatedevil which it appears to our judgment, no satisfactory answer can be given to this question, it is the eternal problem ofsin andevil. The best that can be said is that the constantly recurring cycle ofsin, punishment, repentance, forgiveness, were forGod the occasion of a magnificent display ofjustice, mercy, and longanimity; to the Chosen People a constant reminder of their need of a Redeemer; to the members of the Kingdom of Christ a type ofGod's dealings with sinners. It may also be pleaded that idolatry inIsrael had more the character ofignorantsuperstition than of contempt ofJehovah. Like thesuperstitious or quasi-superstitious practices and devotions to which evenChristian populations are prone, much of the idolatrous cult inIsrael was an excess ofpiety, rather than an act of impiety, towards the Supreme Power distinctly felt but dimly understood. The well-meant but ill-directed worship never became the religion ofIsrael; it was never more than a temporary invasion of extraneous religious practices, often deeply overlaying the national religion, but never completely supplanting it. As a last consideration, the punishment of idolatry inIsrael was always national and temporal. Theprophets held out noeternal bliss or eternal torments as incentives to faithful service ofGod. And the Prophet ofprophets, Christ the Judge, may well repeat from the seat of judgment the words He spoke on the Cross: "Father, forgive them, for theyknow not what they do".

Idolatry among the heathen

The causes at work in the genesis of idolatry have produced effects as varied and manifold as the humanfamily itself. The originalidea ofGod has taken in the mind of man all the distorted and fanciful forms which a liquid is liable to assume in a collapsible vessel, or clay in the potter's hands. As, in the course of ages, the power of healing has been attributed to almost every substance and combination of substances, so has the Divine power been traced in all things, and all things have been worshipped accordingly. As an illustration, the worship of animals may be briefly considered. From the beginning and throughout his history, man is associated with the lower animals. Adam is surrounded by them inEden, and Eve speaks familiarly to the serpent. Sacrificed animals link man toGod, from the sacrifice of Abel to thetaurobolium of the latestsuperstition ofpaganRome. The scapegoat carries with it thesins of the people, thepaschal lamb redeems them. The Lamb that taketh away thesins of the world, the dove which represents the Holy Ghost, the animal emblems of theEvangelists, the dragon of St. Michael and ofSt. George ofEngland, not to mention others, are familiar toChristians.

Theheathen mind has moved in similar grooves. In oldestEgypt we find the bull associated with the godhead and receiving divine homage — whether as a special representative, a manifestation, a symbol, or a receptacle of the divinity, it is impossible to decide. From the seventh century onwards every god is figured with the head of some animal sacred to him; Thot has the head of an ibis, Amon a ram's, Horus a hawk's, Anubis a jackal's, etc. Were the Egyptians and other zoolaters guided by the same symbolism that leads us to call on "the Lamb of God" for forgiveness of oursins? If so animal-worship runs through the following stages: Man's close association with animal life fills hismental storehouse with composite notions — e.g., the faithful dog, the sly fox, the cunning serpent, the patient ass — in which the animal embodies a human attribute. Next, the adjective is dropped, and the animal name is used as a predicate ofpersons, as a personal,family, tribal, or divine name. At this point the process branches off according to the religious temper of the people. WhereMonotheism rules, the animal, alive or figured, is but an emblem or a symbol; among untutored savages, like the Red Indians, it is the bearer of the tribe's tutelary spirit and the object of various degrees of worship; in decayingreligions — e.g.,Egyptian laterpolytheism — it is identified with the god whose characteristic it represents, and shares with him in divine honours. The light of Revelation has cleared away the aberrations of this natural process wherever it has penetrated, but traces of it remain embedded in many, perhaps in all, languages. Thus Wodan's sacred wolf still enters into 357 personal names borne by Germans. (See alsoIMAGES;RELIGION;WORSHIP.)

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