The Sacred Purge: Christianity and the Destruction of Ancient Art
Followers of Christianity destroyed ancient art, including sculptures and paintings, because they saw it as a source of idolatry and moral decay. They were guided by a longstanding Old Testament tradition in which creating images was considered a manifestation of disbelief, and depictions of pagan gods amounted to idol worship, directly contradicting the commandment ("Do not make for yourself an idol"). Thus, authors such as Tertullian argued that artists who created statues, images, and similar representations were essentially acting at the devil’s behest, as their work promoted idolatry (source: link txt). Moreover, Tatian noted that in ancient cities, especially in Rome, there were statues representing not only gods but also "harlots" and "undesirable people," which, in his opinion, contributed to the corruption of morals. His fanatical call to "destroy monuments of indecency" became a symbol of the Christian Church’s long campaign to eradicate cultural elements deemed morally dangerous (source: link txt).Thus, the destruction of ancient art was seen as a necessary act to cleanse society of pagan elements and to safeguard the spiritual values that Christians sought to exalt.Supporting citation(s):"Having a longstanding Old Testament tradition of fighting idolatry and images in general, early Christians were highly motivated to oppose the still lively and effective ancient art. Particularly active were Tertullian and Tatian. By dedicating a special treatise to the criticism of idolatry, Tertullian sought to show that 'the creators of statues, images, and all kinds of representations' were acting at the behest of the devil, and that 'the basis of idolatry is any art (ars omnis) that in some way creates idols.' The art of the sculptor, painter, seamstress, engraver—aimed at producing images—served, in Tertullian’s view, idolatry and was condemned in every way (De idol. 3)..." (source: link txt)"Tatian observed that in Rome and other cities of the Empire there were statues of famous 'harlots,' named after goddesses, statues of 'undesirable people' such as Aesop and Sappho, and depictions of indecent mythological figures. All of these, according to the strict adherent of the new culture, contributed to the corruption of morals and had to be eradicated. His fanatical call to 'Destroy monuments of indecency' became for many centuries the banner of the militant Christian Church in its consistent campaign to destroy monuments of ancient art." (source: link txt)