Veneration(尊敬)of pictures and statues symbolizing sacred figures and biblical events was an early feature of Christian worship. Iconoclasts(偶像破壊主義者)were opposed to the use of such religious images and destroyed them, claiming that they violated the second commandment not to make or worship “graven images(偶像).” An iconoclastic movement developed during the Byzantine Empire, and it was characterized by fierce persecution of those who made and venerated icons.