Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that idolatry is not a sin. Nothing is a sin that the true faith employs in worshipping God. Now the true faith employs images for the divine worship: since both in the Tabernacle were there images of the cherubim, as related in Ex. 25, and in the Church are images set up which the faithful worship. Therefore idolatry, whereby idols are worshipped, is not a sin.

Objection 2: Further, reverence should be paid to every superior. But the angels and the souls of the blessed are our superiors. Therefore it will be no sin to pay them reverence by worship, of sacrifices or the like.

Objection 3: Further, the most high God should be honored with an inward worship, according to Jn. 4:24, "God . . . they must adore . . . in spirit and in truth": and Augustine says (Enchiridion iii), that "God is worshipped by faith, hope and charity." Now a man may happen to worship idols outwardly, and yet not wander from the true faith inwardly. Therefore it seems that we may worship idols outwardly without prejudice to the divine worship.

On the contrary, It is written (Ex. 20:5): "Thou shalt not adore them," i.e. outwardly, "nor serve them," i.e. inwardly, as a gloss explains it: and it is a question of graven things and images. Therefore it is a sin to worship idols whether outwardly or inwardly.

I answer that, There has been a twofold error in this matter. For some have thought that to offer sacrifices and other things pertaining to latria, not only to God but also to the others aforesaid, is due and good in itself, since they held that divine honor should be paid to every superior nature, as being nearer to God. But this is unreasonable. For though we ought to revere all superiors, yet the same reverence is not due to them all: and something special is due to the most high God Who excels all in a singular manner: and this is the worship of latria.

Nor can it be said, as some have maintained, that "these visible sacrifices are fitting with regard to other gods, and that to the most high God, as being better than those others, better sacrifices, namely, the service of a pure mind, should be offered" . The reason is that, as Augustine says (De Civ. Dei x, 19), "external sacrifices are signs of internal, just as audible words are signs of things. Wherefore, just as by prayer and praise we utter significant words to Him, and offer to Him in our hearts the things they signify, so too in our sacrifices we ought to realize that we should offer a visible sacrifice to no other than to Him Whose invisible sacrifice we ourselves should be in our hearts."

Others held that the outward worship of latria should be given to idols, not as though it were something good or fitting in itself, but as being in harmony with the general custom. Thus Augustine (De Civ. Dei vi, 10) quotes Seneca as saying: "We shall adore," says he, "in such a way as to remember that our worship ss in accordance with custom rather than with the reality": and (De Vera Relig. v) Augustine says that "we must not seek religion from the philosophers, who accepted the same things for sacred, as did the people; and gave utterance in the schools to various and contrary opinions about the nature of their gods, and the sovereign good." This error was embraced also by certain heretics , who affirmed that it is not wrong for one who is seized in time of persecution to worship idols outwardly so long as he keeps the faith in his heart.

But this is evidently false. For since outward worship is a sign of the inward worship, just as it is a wicked lie to affirm the contrary of what one holds inwardly of the true faith so too is it a wicked falsehood to pay outward worship to anything counter to the sentiments of one's heart. Wherefore Augustine condemns Seneca (De Civ. Dei vi, 10) in that "his worship of idols was so much the more infamous forasmuch as the things he did dishonestly were so done by him that the people believed him to act honestly."

Reply to Objection 1: Neither in the Tabernacle or Temple of the Old Law, nor again now in the Church are images set up that the worship of latria may be paid to them, but for the purpose of signification, in order that belief in the excellence of angels and saints may be impressed and confirmed in the mind of man. It is different with the image of Christ, to which latria is due on account of His Divinity, as we shall state in the TP, Question 25, Article 3.

The Replies to the Second and Third Objections are evident from what has been said above.

Articulus 2

Argumentum 1

Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod idololatria non sit peccatum. Nihil enim est peccatum quod vera fides in cultum dei assumit. Sed vera fides imagines quasdam assumit ad divinum cultum, nam et in tabernaculo erant imagines cherubin, ut legitur Exod. XXV; et in ecclesia quaedam imagines ponuntur quas fideles adorant. Ergo idololatria, secundum quam idola adorantur, non est peccatum.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, cuilibet superiori est reverentia exhibenda. Sed Angeli et animae sanctorum sunt nobis superiores. Ergo, si eis exhibeatur reverentia per aliquem cultum vel sacrificiorum vel aliquorum huiusmodi, non erit peccatum.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, summus deus interiori cultu mentis est colendus, secundum illud Ioan. IV, deum oportet adorare in spiritu et veritate.

Et Augustinus dicit, in enchirid., quod deus colitur fide, spe et caritate.

Potest autem contingere quod aliquis exterius idola colat, interius tamen a vera fide non discedat.

Ergo videtur quod sine praeiudicio divini cultus possit aliquis exterius idola colere.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod Exod. XX dicitur, non adorabis ea, scilicet exterius, neque coles, scilicet interius, ut Glossa exponit et loquitur de sculptilibus et imaginibus. Ergo peccatum est idolis exteriorem vel interiorem cultum exhibere.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod circa hoc aliqui dupliciter erraverunt.

Quidam enim putaverunt quod offerre sacrificium et alia ad latriam pertinentia non solum summo deo, sed etiam aliis supra dictis, est debitum et per se bonum, eo quod superiori cuilibet naturae divinam reverentiam exhibendam putant, quasi deo propinquiori.

Sed hoc irrationabiliter dicitur. Nam etsi omnes superiores revereri debeamus, non tamen eadem reverentia omnibus debetur, sed aliquid speciale debetur summo deo, qui singulari ratione omnes excellit, et hic est latriae cultus.

Nec potest dici, sicut quidam putaverunt, haec visibilia sacrificia diis aliis congruere, illi vero summo deo, tanquam meliori, meliora, scilicet purae mentis officia, quia, ut Augustinus dicit, in X de CIV. Dei, exteriora sacrificia ita sunt signa interiorum sicut verba sonantia signa sunt rerum. Quocirca, sicut orantes atque laudantes ad eum dirigimus significantes voces cui res ipsas in corde quas significamus offerimus, ita, sacrificantes, non alteri visibile sacrificium offerendum esse noverimus quam ei cuius in cordibus nostris invisibile sacrificium nos ipsi esse debemus.

Alii vero aestimaverunt latriae cultum exteriorem non esse idolis exhibendum tanquam per se bonum aut opportunum, sed tanquam vulgari consuetudini consonum, ut Augustinus, in VI de CIV. Dei, introducit Senecam dicentem, sic, inquit, adorabimus ut meminerimus huiusmodi cultum magis ad morem quam ad rem pertinere.

Et in libro de vera relig. Augustinus dicit non esse religionem a philosophis quaerendam, qui eadem sacra recipiebant cum populis, et de suorum deorum natura ac summo bono diversas contrariasque sententias in scholis personabant.

Et hunc etiam errorem secuti sunt quidam haeretici asserentes non esse perniciosum si quis, persecutionis tempore deprehensus, exterius idola colat, dum tamen fidem servat in mente.

Sed hoc apparet manifeste falsum. Nam cum exterior cultus sit signum interioris cultus, sicut est perniciosum mendacium si quis verbis asserat contrarium eius quod per veram fidem tenet in corde, ita etiam est perniciosa falsitas si quis exteriorem cultum exhibeat alicui contra id quod sentit in mente.

Unde Augustinus dicit contra Senecam, in VI de CIV. Dei, quod eo damnabilius colebat idola, quo illa quae mendaciter agebat sic ageret ut cum populo veraciter agere existimaretur.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod neque in veteris legis tabernaculo seu templo, neque etiam nunc in ecclesia imagines instituuntur ut eis cultus latriae exhibeatur, sed ad quandam significationem, ut per huiusmodi imagines mentibus hominum imprimatur et confirmetur fides de excellentia Angelorum et sanctorum. Secus autem est de imagine christi, cui, ratione deitatis, latria debetur, ut dicetur in tertio.

Ad 2

Ad secundum et tertium patet responsio per ea quae dicta sunt.