Why do Methods Change?

This article proposes a revised chronology and analyses the conditions of emergence of a new argumentative strategy developed by Theodore the Studite and Nicephorus to defend the cult of images in reaction to the reintroduction of iconoclasm as the official religious position of the Byzantine Empire by Emperor Leo V in 815. It outlines the three main characteristics of this method, based on Aristotelian logic: the use of logical concepts, the production of numerous deductive arguments, and the denigration of the opponent on the basis of his (alleged) poor knowledge of logic.