Armerys (@Armerys)

The Bible does not use or distinguish "dulia" or "hyperdulia" at all—these are Latin/Greek terms formalized in medieval scholasticism by Thomas Aquinas in Summa Theologica II-II, q. 103, a. 3, 13th century, to justify saint/image veneration, but they lack scriptural precedent. From a strict biblical perspective, Scripture does not make distinctions between *proskyneo* (acts of *bowing, kneeling, or reverential gestures*) *to images* as mere "honor" versus latria (supreme worship due to God), dulia (honor to saints/angels), or hyperdulia (elevated honor to Mary). These terms and categories are extra-biblical developments from patristic and medieval theology, *not found in the Old or New Testaments*. In the Bible, *proskyneo* is used broadly for reverence (e.g., to God in Matthew 4:10; to humans in Genesis 23:7 LXX; to angels in Revelation 19:10, where it's forbidden), but *when applied to images, icons, or statues in a religious context, it is strictly proscribed without qualifiers—treated as idolatry* equivalent to divine worship (Exodus 20:4-5; Deuteronomy 5:8-9). The Septuagint (LXX) uses *proskyneo* in Exodus 20:5 to translate the Hebrew hishtachawah (bow down), pairing it with latreuo (serve/worship), but without subdividing into dulia/hyperdulia levels. Scripture condemns such acts holistically, focusing on the external gesture and its religious intent, without allowing for "relative" honor (e.g., Leviticus 26:1; Isaiah 44:9-20 mocks image veneration as futile) The phrase "the honor paid to the image passes on to the prototype" originates from St. Basil the Great (On the Holy Spirit, ch. 18, para. 45, c. 375 AD), a patristic interpretation, not a biblical verse. Basil drew from philosophical ideas (e.g., imperial images receiving honor passing to the emperor), but this is absent from the Bible. No verse teaches that veneration of a material representation transfers to the spiritual reality without constituting idolatry. #SolaScriptura #Scripture #Icons #CatholicChurch #OrthodoxChurch #Idolatry #Tradition #CouncilofNicea #Exodus20 #Proskyneo #Dulia #Hyperdulia #Latreia #Veneration #Icons #Images #Statues