Icon of St. Christopher Cynocephalos, The Byzantine Museum, Athens, Greece
“An obvious and important question to ask when examining the validity of the presence and veneration of the Holy Icons in the churches today is whether or not the earliest Christians, roughly those of the first five hundred years of the Church, used iconography....”
Actually, the MOST important question would be whether the holy Apostles themselves used iconography, or recommended its use. If it is so very vital for faith—you would think the the closest friends and representatives of Jesus—the eyewitnesses to the resurrection—would of instructed us on them.
Hmmmm, no instruction at all, whatsoever in the holy Scriptures....rather incredibly strict warnings about the idolatry the Jews fell into so often, and, that idolatry that our gentile ancestors were total slaves to.
Icon of St. Christopher Cynocephalos, The Byzantine Museum, Athens, Greece
Scripture itself tell us that it does not contain everything Jesus did and you think it must be all inclusive regarding what the Apostles said and did?