IN treating vpon this place, 1 it séemeth good to vse this method, that first we consider as touching the originall and beginning of images; afterward of the vse of them, whether it be lawfull; last of all, if they haue anie vse, whether they ought to be suffered in temples and holie assemblies. 2 As concerning the name, among the Hebrues, an image is called Temuna, Tselem, and (as some will) Teraphim; of the Gréeks, ⟨…⟩; of the Latins Imagines & signa, that is, Images and pictures. Thus much of the words. But as touching the thing, we must vnderstand, that the thing signified by the image, is no absolute thing; but must be placed in those things, which haue relation to another. For euerie image is the image of some thing, euen as the likenes is called the likenesse of another thing. And those things, which be compared either in quantitie or qualitie, haue relation one to another. And the things, which be compared togither in quantitie, be either equall, or greater, or lesser: and in qualitie they are reckoned like, vnlike, and diuerse. Séeing therefore that an image is counted (as I haue said) among those things, which haue relation one to another; it is among the number of those, which apperteine vnto qualitie: for it expresseth the lineaments, figures, and colours, and such other like of a liuing creature. And therefore we may thus define the same; 3 An image is a certeine similitude, whereby some thing is represented vnto vs, which may be discerned with the eies. And this I therefore saie, bicause we may as well read, as heare manie things alike, which properlie be not called images. 4 The matter of images is not all one: for sometimes they be made of stone, of wood, metall, plaister, claie, and such other like. And sundrie artificers doo make them of that matter, which they haue in hand: the potter, of claie; the carpenter, of timber; the mason, of stone; the founders, of metall, brasse, siluer, and gold; the painters also, of their colours.
And we must not passe it ouer, that idols also are images, 5 wherof Tertullian wrote an elegant booke, which he intituled De idololatria; and he examining the word [idoll,] deriued it from ⟨…⟩, and ⟨…⟩ is a likenesse, image, or forme: whervpon commeth ⟨…⟩, which may be called, a little forme. 6 The forme of images, is the view of a similitude, wherein some thing is expressed, so as it may be perceiued of the beholders. The end whereto images are, 7 séemeth to be delight: for Aristotle in his Rhetorikes, among other things which bréed pleasure, reckoneth imitation, where an image séemeth to be a certeine emulation of God. For God created all things; wherfore men being vnable to create the things themselues, doo imitate the production of God, when they make images of those things, which he himselfe hath brought forth in nature. Images also are made for adorning sake: for they beautifie the places where they be put. Furthermore, they haue inuented them, to the intent they might not suffer the remembrance of them which be absent, or dead, or of things doone, to be extinguished. Also they haue béene deuised for honour sake: for if a man had well deserued of the Common-weale, images were erected to him. So did Cicero counsell, that there should be an image set vp vnto Seruius Sulpitius, which died in his embassage. And there haue béene some among them in old time, which would not onlie haue others, but also themselues to be worshipped with images. 8 For Nabuchad-nezar king of the Chaldaeans co~manded, that within his owne kingdome himselfe should be honoured by an image of gold. And among the princes of the Romanes, Caius Caligula would be expressed by imags, with this inscription being added; Caius Caligula Caesar, a god. And such an image he indeuoured to bring into the temple of Ierusalem; wherevpon there arose verie great troubles, seditions, and tumults in Iudaea. The which thing Nero afterward would haue to be doone, and for that cause the Hebrues reuolted from the people of Rome, whereof appéereth, that images were also translated to the seruice of God. Neither did there want some, which erected images to the affects or appetites wherewith they were corrupted. The droonkards caried about, the banners of Bacchus; the lasciuious people, of Venus; the gréedie and couetous, of Pluto; the manquellers, of Mars: & to prosecute euerie one, it would be too long. Let the reader search for this in Tertullian, in his booke De idololatria. But the honester sort of men did frame images of vertue and honour: sometimes also they erected the images of the elders, to the intent that men might be stirred vp to imitate their forefathers: of which matter Salust wrote in the prolog of his historie of Iugurth.