iconoclasts

Iconoclasts are people who challenge or overturn cherished beliefs, institutions, or symbols. The term derives from the Greek eikon "image" and klastos "broken," and originally referred to those who attacked or destroyed religious images. In religious history, iconoclasm denotes campaigns against the veneration of icons, while more broadly it can describe anyone who seeks to subvert established norms.

The earliest and most sustained use of the term concerns Byzantine Iconoclasm, a series of political and theological controversies from about 726 to 787 and again from 814 to 842. Emperors such as Leo III and Constantine V opposed the veneration of icons on doctrinal grounds, promoting the removal or destruction of images. The movement was opposed by monks and many theologians, and it ended with the restoration of icon veneration under Empress Theodora in 843.

In Western Christendom, iconoclasm surfaces during the Protestant Reformation, especially in the 16th century. Reformers argued that religious images encouraged idolatry and corruption; in some regions, churches, monasteries, altars, and artworks were razed or confiscated in popular uprisings such as the Beeldenstorm in the Netherlands (1566). Iconoclastic actions varied in intensity and were influenced by local politics, theology, and social conflict; over time many Protestant movements restricted or reinterpreted the use of religious imagery rather than abolishing it outright.

In modern usage, iconoclasm extends beyond religion. The term can describe individuals who challenge or overturn long-standing beliefs, cultural icons, or artistic conventions. Iconoclasts may provoke reform, controversy, or debate, depending on the context and the stakes involved.