A  synod  of  300  bishops  in  the  year  794,  at  Frank
fort,  condemned  the  second  council  of  Nice,  and  the
worship  of  images.  Before  the  close  of  the  century
Adrian  died  and  was  succeeded  by  Leo  III.  Political
intrigue,  and  secular  artifice,  not  theological  study,
was  then  the  practice  of  Roman  bishops.  The  Irish,
at  this  time,  particularly  excelled  in  divinity,  some  of
that  nation  travelled  through  various  countries,  and
became  renowned  for  knowledge.  The  superior  light
of  England  and  France,  in  the  controversy  of  images,
proves  both  those  countries,  in  knowledge  and  in  re-
gard for  the  doctrines  of  scripture,  to  have  been  far
superior  to  Rome.  Yet  so  strongly  were  men  prejudi-
ced in  favor  of  the  dignity  of  the  Roman  see,  that  it
still  remained  in  the  height  of  its  power,  and  was  able,
in  process  of  time,  to  communicate  its  idolatrous
abominations  through  Europe.  In  the  East,  the  wor-
ship of  images  was  triumphant,  but  as  yet  not  univer-
sal. The  East  and  West,  were  now  overgrown  with
false  worship ;  even  those  parts,  which  as  yet,  were
not  disposed  to  receive  idolatry,  were  prepared  for
its  gradual  admission,  partly  by  the  prevalence  of
superstition,  and  partly  by  the  submission  of  the  Eu-
ropean churches  to  the  domination  of  the  Roman  see.
