| During the Iconoclast Controversy, Joseph the Hymnographer was sent to Rome by his friend and spiritual mentor Grigorios Dekapolites, to inform the pope of the monks’ views on the iconoclast policies of Constantinople. However, according to Joseph’s biographers, the ship carrying him was ambushed by an Arab fleet and he was taken prisoner, led to Crete and imprisoned for a lengthy period. While held captive he bolstered the faith of his fellow prisoners and encouraged the veneration of icons. He thus did valuable work at a time when iconoclast tendencies were dominant, possibly under the influence of aniconic Arab culture. |