Three protective words against those who reject holy icons

Translation by V.V. Chetyrkin (1913) Three words of defense against those who condemn holy icons or images Translation by A.A. Bronzova (1893) Three words in defense of icon veneration Translation by A.A. Bronzova with changes (ed. 2008) The first word of defense against those who reject holy icons I. It would be fitting for us, who always feel our unworthiness, to remain silent and confess our sins to God. But since everything is good in its time, I see that the Church, which God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, “being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:20), is tossed, as it were, by a sea storm with waves rising above each other, agitated and confused by the unbearable pressure of evil spirits; and the robe of Christ, woven from above, which the sons of the wicked sought to divide, is divided, and His body, which is the word of God and the long-accepted church tradition, is cut into various parts, then I considered it unwise to remain silent and put shackles on the tongue, looking at the threat that says: “Behold, a proud soul will not rest, but the righteous will live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4), and: “If the guard has seen the sword that came and did not blow the trumpet, and the people were not warned, then when the sword comes and takes away the life of one of them, he will be captured for his sin, but his blood will I require at the hand of the guard” (Ezek. 33:6). So, prompted by unbearable fear, I decided to speak, the height of kings, not putting it above the truth, for I heard the Godfather David saying: “I will speak of Your testimonies before kings and will not be ashamed” (Ps. 119:46). He was even more prompted to speak by the fact that the word of the king is capable of seducing his subjects, because among those who have existed for a long time there are few who would disdain the commands of the kings, knowing that above the earthly king there is a heavenly kingdom and that the kings have laws. II. So, first of all, placing the observance of church law, through which salvation occurs, as some beginning or basis of reasoning, I opened the field for the word and let it loose like a well-bridled horse. For truly I considered it terrible and more than terrible that the church, shining with such advantages and long ago adorned with the traditions of the most pious men, should turn to the evil elements, “they will fear fear, where there is no fear” (Ps. 53:6); that, as if not knowing the true God, she is afraid of slipping into idolatry and, although in the smallest degree, losing perfection; that she seems to bear in the middle of her very beautiful face some permanent mark, so completely unsuitable that it destroys all beauty; for it is no small thing that leads to more, since it is no small sign of error to overthrow the long-observed church tradition, as if condemning our ancestors, “looking at the end of their lives, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7). III. So, turning to you with a word, first of all I pray to Almighty God, before Whom everything is naked and open, who sees the sincerity of my humble mind and the purity of intention, to give me a word by opening my mouth, and to take control of my mind into His hands, and to attract it to Himself, directing it along an open and straight path, so that it does not deviate either to what seems right to it, or to what is known to be false. After this, I pray to all the people of God, the holy language, the royal priesthood with the good shepherd of the verbal flock of Christ, who represents in himself the Hierarchy of Christ, to accept my word with favor, not paying attention to the dignity, which is very small, and not looking for the art of words, since in this I, poor one, am not skilled enough, but weighing the power of thoughts, for the kingdom of heaven is not in words, but in power; for the goal is not to conquer, but to extend a hand to the defeated truth, a hand strong with good will. So, calling on the saving hypostatic Truth, I will begin the word from here. IV. I know Him who truly said: “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4); and: “Fear the Lord your God, and serve Him [alone]” (Deut. 6:13); and: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3); and: “You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth below” (Ex. 20:4); and: “Let all who serve idols be ashamed” (Ps. 96:7); and: “the gods who did not create heaven and earth will disappear” (Jer. 10:11). “God, who at many times and in various ways spoke of old to the fathers by the prophets, has spoken in these last days to us by the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1,2). I know the One who said: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3). I believe in one God, the one beginning of everything, beginningless, uncreated, not subject to destruction and immortal, eternal and constant, incomprehensible, incorporeal, invisible, indescribable, without form; one essential essence, the pre-divine Deity, in three hypostases, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; and to this alone I serve, and to this alone I perform the worship of service. I worship one God, one Divinity. But I also serve the Trinity of hypostases, God the Father and God the Son incarnate and God the Holy Spirit - the one God. I do not worship the creature more than the Creator, but I worship the Creator, created after me and who descended to the creature without humiliating or damaging Himself, in order to glorify my nature and make it a fellow member of the divine nature. Together with the king and God, I worship the scarlet of the body, not as clothing and not as a fourth person, no (!), but as united with God and remaining without change, like the one who anointed her. For the nature of the flesh did not become Divinity, but just as the Word became flesh immutably, remaining what It was, so the flesh became the Word, without losing what it has, but being identified with the Word by hypostasis. Why do I confidently portray the invisible God, not as invisible, but as made visible for our sake by participation in flesh and blood. I do not depict the invisible Deity, but I depict the visible flesh of God. For if it is impossible to depict the soul, then how much more so is God, who also gave the soul the property of immateriality. V. But, they say, God said through Moses the lawgiver: “Worship the Lord thy God and serve him alone,” and: “Thou shalt not make any likeness, tree in heaven and tree on earth.” Brethren, they are fundamentally mistaken because they do not know from the Scriptures that “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6), and do not examine the hidden spirit under the letter. So, it would be fair to say: he who taught you this, let him teach you the next. Learn, as the legislator explains this, in the following way, as if speaking in Deuteronomy: “And the Lord spoke to you [on the mountain] from the midst of the fire; You heard the voice of [His] words, but you did not see the image, but only the voice” (Deut. 4:12); and after a little: “hold firmly in your souls that you did not see any image in the day that the Lord spoke to you at [Mount] Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves graven images, images of any idol representing a man or a woman, images of any livestock that are on the earth, images of any winged bird that flies under the heavens” (Deut. 4:15-17) and etc.; and a little further: “And lest, when you look up to heaven and see the sun, the moon and the stars [and] all the host of heaven, you are deceived and worship them and serve them” (Deut. 4:19). VI. You see, there is one goal: not to serve the creature more than the Creator and not to perform service worship for it, but only to the Creator alone, which is why service is added to worship everywhere. For again he says: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3); “Do not make for yourself any idol, do not worship them or serve them; for I am the Lord” (Deut. 5:8–9); and again: “destroy their altars, break down their pillars, and cut down their groves, and burn their idols [gods] with fire” (Deut. 7:5), for you will not worship another god; and after a little: “Do not make for yourselves cast gods” (Ex. 34:17). VII. You see, he forbids icon painting because of idolatry and because it is impossible to depict God, who has no quantity, indescribable and invisible: for, he says, “they have not seen an image” (Deut. 4:12), just as Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, says: “So, we, being the race of God, should not think that the Divinity is like gold, or silver, or stone, which received an image from art and human imagination" (Acts 17:29). VIII. Among the Jews, for the sake of their inclination to idolatry, this was legalized. But we, to whom, speaking with the Theologian, as having escaped superstitious error and having come to know the truth, have been given the gift of being with God, and serving the one God, and being enriched in the perfection of the knowledge of God, and achieving “a perfect man” (Eph. 4:13), “we are no longer under the guidance of a teacher” (Gal. 3:25), since we have survived childhood, having received from God the ability to discern and knowing what can be depicted and which is indescribable in its image, for it says: “They have not seen the image” (Deut. 4:12). O wisdom of the legislator! How to depict the invisible? How to compare the dissimilar? How to describe what has no quantity and magnitude and is unlimited? How do you define something that has no form? How to paint the incorporeal? So, what is being mysteriously shown here? It is obvious that when you see the incorporeal one who became human for your sake, then you will make an image of His human image. When the Invisible becomes visible in the flesh, then you will depict the likeness of the Seen. When the incorporeal and formless, without quantity and magnitude and incomparable in view of the superiority of His nature, existing in the image of God, having taken the form of a servant, humbles himself in it to quantity and magnitude and is clothed in a bodily image, then inscribe Him on the board; and place Him for contemplation, Who suffered Him to be seen. Draw His ineffable condescension, the birth of the Virgin, baptism in the Jordan, the transfiguration on Tabor, suffering that brings dispassion, death, miracles - symbols of His divine nature, performed by divine action through the action of the flesh, the saving cross, the tomb, the resurrection, the ascension into heaven - write everything, both in word and in colors. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I know the difference of worship. Once upon a time Abraham, when he bought a double cave for burial, bowed down to the son of Hamor, a wicked man suffering from ignorance of God. Jacob bowed to his brother Esau and Pharaoh, the man of Egypt, and even bowed to the top of the staff, but did not serve. Joshua and Daniel bowed to the angel of God, but did not serve: for service worship is another thing, and worship that comes from the worship of those who are distinguished by some kind of dignity is another. IX. But since we are talking about image and worship, we will divide the word about them. So, the image is a similarity that describes the prototype, with which it also has some differences, for the image is not similar to the prototype in everything. So, the living, natural and unchanging image of the invisible God is the Son, bearing in Himself the entire Father, identical with Him in everything, differing only in relation to the cause, for the natural cause is the Father, and the one having the cause is the Son: for the Father is not from the Son, but the Son from the Father, since from Him, although not after Him, has being, which, precisely, is the Father who begat. X. There are also in God images and plans of what will be accomplished by Him, that is, His eternal and always unchanging advice, for the Divinity, “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17), is completely unshakable. These images and plans are predestination, says St. Dionysius, great in divine things and contemplating with the help of God what concerns God; for in His counsel is written all that was predetermined by Him and unchangeably existing before their existence. In the same way, if someone wants to build a house, he first draws it in his mind and draws up its appearance. XI. Further, icons are the visible of something invisible and without a figure, but depicted bodily for the sake of weakness of understanding, for the divine Scripture ascribes images to God and angels, and the same divine man teaches about the reason for this. For in only one thing - in adaptation to us, who cannot directly rise to rational intuitions and need appropriate and understandable means, can we indicate the basis for the fact that, in justice, images are attributed to those who have no image, and forms to those who have no form. So, if, taking care of conformity to us, the divine Word, collecting from everywhere that which exalts us, ascribes certain images to simple and imageless objects, then how can we not depict what has become similar to our own nature, which we strongly desire, but which is not present, which cannot be seen? For through sensation a certain impression is created in the front part of the brain, which is transmitted to the faculty of judgment and stored in the memory. Indeed, Gregory the Theologian says that the mind, despite great efforts to renounce the bodily, is completely incapable of this; but the invisible essence of God from the creation of the world is conceived by creation as a visible essence, for we see in creatures images that dimly show us divine revelations, when, for example, we say that the Holy, beginningless Trinity is depicted through the sun, light and ray; or through a gushing spring, flowing stream and bed; or through the mind, word and spirit that are in us; or through the plant, the color and smell of the rose. XII. Further, the image of the future, they say, mysteriously describes the future, like the ark, the rod and the stamna - St. Virgin and Mother of God; and like the serpent - the One who destroyed through the cross the bite of the chief of evil - the serpent; or sea, water and cloud - the spirit of baptism. XIII. Then, the image of the past, they say, serves to remember or some miracle, or honor, or shame, or virtue, or evil for the benefit of posterity looking at it, so that they avoid evil and are jealous of virtues. It happens in two ways: through the word written in books, as God inscribed the law on tablets and ordered the lives of God-loving men to be written down; and through sensory contemplation, as, for example, he ordered that a stave and a rod be placed in the ark as a memorial. In this way, even now we depict images of the past and virtue. Therefore, either destroy every image and make a law contrary to the One who ordered them to exist, or accept everything with the basis and character appropriate to each. So, having spoken about the types of images, let’s also talk about worship. XIV. Worship is a sign of reverence and reverence, and we know its various types. Firstly, service worship, which we offer to the one God who is worshiped by nature. Then, worship offered for the sake, according to the nature of the worshiped God, to His friends and servants, just as Joshua and Daniel worshiped the angel or places of God, as David says: “let us worship His footstool” (Ps. 132:7); or things dedicated to Him, just as all Israel worshiped the tabernacle and now, standing around the Temple of Jerusalem and looking at it from everywhere, the Jews worship; or to rulers appointed by Him, as Jacob was to Esau, as to the firstborn brother given by God; and to Pharaoh, the ruler appointed by God, and as to Joseph, his brothers. I also know mutual worship out of respect, like Abraham did to the sons of Hamor. So, either destroy all worship or accept everything with proper reason and character. XV. Answer me the question: “God, is there one God?” - “Yes, you say, it seems to me that He is the only legislator.” Then why does He legitimize the opposite? For the cherubim are not outside the creation: why does He order that sculptured cherubim, made by human hands, overshadow the purification? Is it not obvious that it is impossible to make an image of God as indescribable and without likeness, or an image of someone as if he were God, so as not to worship a creature revered as God; commands to make an image of cherubim overshadowing the purgatory, as described and slavishly standing before the divine throne, so that it slavishly overshadows the purgatory. For it is fitting that the image of the divine mysteries should be overshadowed by the image of heavenly servants. Are you really going to say that the ark, the stamna, the purification house were not made by hands? Are they not the work of human hands? Are they not made from ignoble matter, as you say? What about the whole tabernacle? Wasn't she an image? Isn't it a canopy and a model? For the divine Apostle, speaking regarding the priests under the law, says: “See, it is said, do everything according to the image shown to you on the mountain” (Heb. 8:5). But the law was not an image, but the shadow of an image, as the same Apostle says: “the law having a shadow of future good things, and not the very image of things” (Heb. 10:1). So, what can we say if the law rejects images, but is itself the destiny of the image? If the tabernacle is a canopy and an image of an image, then why does the law command not to make images? But it’s not like that, it’s not like that. There is a time for every thing. XVI. In ancient times, God, incorporeal and without form, was never depicted. Now that God has appeared in the flesh and with human beings, I depict the visible God. I do not worship matter, but I worship the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake, and who deigned to dwell in matter and through matter brought about my salvation, and I will not cease to honor matter, through which my salvation was accomplished. I do not honor him as God. No, for how can something that has existence from non-existence be God? But the body of God is also God, a body that, through hypostatic unity, has become invariably that which is anointed, and remains that which is by nature, that is, flesh, spiritualized by the rational and mental soul, having a beginning and uncreated. I honor and respect the rest of the matter through which my salvation was accomplished, as full of divine power and grace. Is not matter the tree of the cross, the happiest and most blessed? Isn’t matter a mountain, worthy of respect and holy, a place of execution? Isn’t matter the beneficent and life-giving rock, the holy tomb, the source of our resurrection? Isn't matter ink and the all-holy book of the Gospels? Is not matter a life-giving meal, giving us the bread of life? Isn’t the material gold and silver, from which crosses, dishes, and bowls are made? Is not matter, first of all, the body and blood of our Lord? Either deny respect and worship to all this, or allow, on the basis of church tradition, the worship of icons dedicated to the name of God and the friends of God and through this overshadowed by the grace of the Divine Spirit. Do not blaspheme matter, for it is not despicable, since there is nothing despicable in what came from God. This is the wisdom of the Manichaeans. The only thing that is despicable is that which has no cause in God, but is our invention through the decision of the will and the autocratic deviation from what is in accordance with nature to what is contrary to nature, that is, sin. If for the sake of the law you do not honor icons and reject them as made from matter, then look at what the scripture says: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: look, I appoint Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah; and I filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and all skill, to work in gold, and silver, and brass, [of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen], to cut stones for setting, and to cut wood for every work; and behold, I have given him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as an assistant, and I will put wisdom in the heart of every wise man, that they may do everything that I have commanded you” (Ex. 31:1-6). And further: “And Moses said to all the congregation of the children of Israel: This is what the Lord commanded: Make an offering of yourselves to the Lord: let everyone bring an offering to the Lord according to his diligence: gold, silver, copper, blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, red rams’ skins, and blue skins, and shittim wood, and oil for the lamp, and spices for anointing oil and incense, an onyx stone and set stones for the ephod and breastplate. And let every one of you who is wise in heart come and do everything that the Lord has commanded: the tabernacle...” (Exodus 35:4-11). This is honest material, although, in your opinion, despicable, for what is more insignificant than goat hair or paints? Is it not the color of crimson, purple and blue? These are the works of human hands, and the likenesses of cherubim. So, how do you deny for the sake of the law what the law commands you to do? If you deny icons for the sake of the law, you need to both keep the Sabbath and be circumcised. But know that if you keep the law, “Christ will profit you nothing”; “those who justify themselves by the law are left without Christ and have fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:2,4). Israel in ancient times did not see God, but we see with open face the glory of the Lord. XVII. And we display His sensually perceived image everywhere and (through this) sanctify the first sense, for the first of the senses is sight, just as with words - hearing. The image is a reminder. And what is a book for those taught to write, is an image for the uneducated; and what a word is to hearing is an image to sight: we mentally connect with it. For this reason, God commanded to make an ark from trees that do not rot and to gild it inside and outside, and to place the tablets and the staff and the golden stamina containing manna in remembrance of the past and in the prototype of the future. And who will not say that these were images and loud heralds? And this was not stated secretly, but in front of all the people; and looking at them, they brought worship and service through them to the acting God, obviously not serving them, but through them coming to the memory of miracles and giving worship to the miracle worker God, for the images were placed as a reminder, not as gods, but as leading to the memory of divine action. XVIII. God also commanded that twelve stones be taken from the Jordan. He also adds a reason, for he says: “When your sons ask their fathers in the time to come, “What do these stones mean?”, tell your sons: “Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground” (Joshua 4:21–22). So, how can we not depict the saving passions and miracles of Christ God, so that when my son asks me what this is, I would say that God the Word became man, and through Him not only did Israel cross the Jordan, but all nature returned to ancient bliss. Through Him, nature rose from the lower earth above all authority and sat in Him on the fatherly throne. XIX. But they say: make an image of Christ and His mother the Mother of God, and that’s enough. Oh, foolishness! You have clearly confessed yourself to be an enemy of the saints, since if you make an image of Christ, but there are no saints, then, obviously, you do not reject the image, but the veneration of the saints, for you make images of Christ as glorified, but you reject the image of the saints as not glorious, and you call a lie the truth. “For I will glorify those who glorify Me” (1 Samuel 2:30). And the divine Apostle: “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Jesus Christ” (Gal.4:7), and: “if only we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom.8:17). You are waging war not against images, but against saints, for, says John the Theologian, “when He is revealed, we will be like Him” (1 John 3:2). Just as what is united with fire becomes fire not by nature, but through unity, combustion and communion, so, I say, is the flesh of the incarnate Son of God. For she, through hypostatic communion with the divine nature, was immutably called God, anointed not by the action of God, like each of the prophets, but by the coming of the whole Anointing One. And that the saints are gods, Scripture says about this: “God became in the assembly of gods” (Ps. 82:1). God stands among the gods, distinguishing those who are worthy, as the divine Gregory says, explaining (this passage). For the saints, even during their lifetime, were filled with the Holy Spirit: when they died, the grace of the Holy Spirit is always present with their souls, and with their bodies in the tombs, and with their figures and with their holy icons, not in essence, but in grace and action. XX. God promised David to build a church for Himself through his son and prepare a place of rest. Solomon, when he built it, made, as the book of Kings says, cherubim, and overlaid the cherubim and all the walls around with gold; and he placed carved cherubs and palm trees inside and outside, and it is not said on the sides, but all around, and bulls, and lions, and pomegranates. Is it not much more honorable to decorate all the walls of the house of the Lord with figures and images of saints than with dumb ones and trees? Where is the law that says: Thou shalt not make any likeness? But Solomon, who received the outpouring of wisdom, depicted the sky, made likenesses of cherubim, and lions, and bulls, but the law forbids this. If, when depicting Christ, we also make images of saints, then isn’t this much more pious, since they are filled with the Holy Spirit? For just as then the people and the church were cleansed with the blood and ashes of the heifer, so now - with the blood of Christ, who suffered under Pontius Pilate and showed Himself to be the beginning of the martyrs: also with the blood of the saints, on whom the church is founded. Just as then the church was decorated with images and figures of dumb people, so now it is decorated with saints who have prepared themselves for animated and intelligent churches, for the dwelling of God. XXI. Therefore, we portray Christ as King and Lord, without depriving Him of the army; The army of the Lord are the saints. Let the earthly king disband his own army and then the army of his King and Lord. Let him take off the purple, and then deprive of honor those who defeated the tyrant and reigned over passions. For if they are heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ (Rom. 8:17) and participants in the divine glory and kingdom, then how can the friends of Christ, who participated in the sufferings of Christ, not be participants in His earthly glory? “I no longer call you servants” (John 15:15), says God: “You are My friends” (John 15:14). So, shall we deprive them of the honor given to them by the Church? O impudent hand! O foolish mind, arguing with God and opposing His works! You, who do not worship an icon, do not worship the Son of God, Who is the living image and unchanging reflection of the invisible God. I venerate the icon of Christ as God incarnate; The Lady of all, the Mother of God, as the Mother of the Son of God; saints, as friends of God, who fought sin to the point of blood and imitated Christ by shedding blood for Him, who shed his own blood for them, and who followed in His footsteps. I place the image of their exploits and sufferings before my eyes in order to be sanctified through them and aroused to zealous imitation. For the honor given to the image goes back to the prototype, says the divine Basil. If you erect churches to the saints of God, erect also monuments to their victory. The church was not erected in ancient times in the name of people; The death of the righteous was not celebrated, but mourned. Anyone who touched a dead person, even Moses himself, was considered unclean; Now the memory of the saints is celebrated. The dead Jacob is mourned, but the death of Stephen is glorified. So, either reject the laudatory memories of the saints, performed contrary to the ancient law, or accept the icons, which, as you say, exist contrary to the law. But it is unthinkable not to celebrate the memory of the saints, for the choir of St. The Apostles and God-bearing fathers command this to be, for we have been essentially sanctified from the time when God the Word became flesh, becoming like us in everything except sin, and unmergingly united with our nature, and invariably deifying the flesh through the unmerging interaction of the same Divinity and the same flesh. And we have been essentially liberated from the time when the Son of God and God, being impassible in the Divinity, suffered through the assumption of human nature, paid our debt, pouring out on us a sure and amazing atonement, for the blood of the Son is propitiatory before the Father and sacred. We have essentially become immortal from the time when He descended into hell and proclaimed to the bound souls from eternity: release to the captives, recovery to the blind, and, having bound the strong, He was resurrected with an abundance of power, making our flesh He had accepted incorruptible. We have essentially been adopted as sons and become heirs of God from the time we were born by water and the Spirit. Therefore Paul calls the faithful saints. Therefore, we do not mourn the death of saints, but celebrate. Therefore we, who are justified through faith and know the one true God, are under grace, but the righteous have no law. We are not under the elements of the law, enslaving like infants, but having attained to a perfect husband, we eat solid food, which does not lead to idolatry. The law, like a lamp shining in a dark place, is good until the day begins to dawn. But the morning star has already risen in our hearts, and the living water of knowledge of God has covered the seas of tongues, and we have all come to know the Lord. The ancient has passed, and now everything has become new. The Divine Apostle Paul says to Peter, the head of the Apostles: “If you, being a Jew, live like a pagan and not like a Jew, then why do you force the pagans to live like a Jew?” (Gal. 2:14), and to the Galatians he writes: “I testify to every man who is circumcised, that he must fulfill the whole law” (Gal. 5:3). XXII. Those who never knew God served those who were not gods by nature. “Now, having come to know God, or, better yet, having received knowledge from God, why are you returning again to the weak and poor material principles?” (Gal.4:9). I saw the human image of God, and my soul was saved. I contemplate the image of God, as Jacob saw, and differently, and more, for with the eyes of his mind he saw an immaterial image foreshadowing the future, but I see what revives the memory of Him Who was seen in the flesh. The shadow of the apostles, scarves and towels drove away illnesses and put demons to flight; how could one not glorify the shadow and image of saints? Either reject the worship of all matter, or do not introduce anything new and do not destroy the eternal boundaries that your fathers laid down. XXIII. Not only did they convey church law in writing, but also through certain unwritten traditions. Therefore, the divine Basil speaks in the 27th chapter of his 30-chapter essay on the Holy Spirit to Amphilochius literally like this: “of the dogmas and sermons preserved in the church, some we have from written instructions; We accepted in secret something handed down to us from the tradition of the apostles. Both have the same meaning for piety, and no one will contradict this, unless he is poorly versed in church decrees. For if we begin to reject unwritten customs as having little significance, then we will imperceptibly damage the Gospel in the most important thing.” These are the words of the great Vasily. For how do we know the holy place of execution? Tomb of life? Didn't the children accept this from their father without writing it down? It is written that the Lord was crucified on the place of execution and buried in the tomb that Joseph carved into the rock. But that this is the place that we now honor, we know from unwritten tradition, and very much like this. Where does the triple immersion come from? Where does the prayer to the east come from? Where does the legend about the sacraments come from? Why does the divine Apostle Paul say: “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold to the traditions which you were taught either by our word or by our epistle” (2 Phil. 2:15). So, when much of this was handed over to the Church without recording and has been preserved to this day, then why are you arguing in vain about icons? XXIV. The places you cite reject the worship not of our icons, but of the images of the Hellenes who made gods. We should not reject our pious one for the sake of an unreasonable Hellenic custom. Spellcasters and sorcerers cast spells, and the church of the catechumens also casts spells, but they call on demons, and this one calls on God against demons. Pagans dedicate images to demons and call them gods, but we dedicate them to the true God incarnate and the servants and friends of God, who drove away crowds of demons. XXV. If you say that the divine and wondrous Epiphanius clearly rejects them, then, firstly, perhaps this word, being the work of one, bearing the name of another, which represents a common phenomenon, is counterfeit and illegally attributed to him. Secondly, we know that Blessed Athanasius forbade placing the remains of saints in boxes, but ordered them to be hidden underground, wanting to destroy the absurd custom of the Egyptians, who did not hide their dead underground, but placed them on debts and seats. Perhaps, wanting to correct something like this, the great Epiphapius, if we attribute a word to him, decided not to make images. The church of the same divine Epiphanius, still adorned with icons, bears witness to the fact that his intention was not to reject them. Thirdly, a single opinion is not a law for the Church, and one swallow does not make spring, as Gregory the Theologian truly thinks. And one opinion cannot overthrow the tradition of the entire Church from (one) limits of the earth to (other) limits of it. XXVI. So, agree with many passages of Scripture and the Fathers, because, although Scripture says: “And their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands” (Ps. 113:12), however, it forbids worshiping not the soulless or the work of hands, but the images of demons. XXVII. It is said that the prophets worshiped angels, and men, and kings, and the wicked, and the rod. David also says: “Worship His footstool” (Ps. 98:5). And Isaiah speaks on behalf of God: “heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool” (Is. 66:1). Everyone knows that heaven and earth are created things. And Moses and Aaron and all the people worshiped what they had made with their hands. Paul, the golden grasshopper of the Church, says in his letter to the Jews: “Christ, the High Priest of good things to come, came with a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this dispensation” (Heb. 9:11); and further: “not into a sanctuary made with hands, built in the image of the true, but into heaven itself” (Heb. 9:24). Thus, the first holy place, or tabernacle, and everything in it was made by hand. And no one will object to the fact that she was worshiped. Testimonies of the ancient and glorious holy fathers about icons St. Dionysius the Areopagite, from the Epistle to Titus “We must, instead of the usual opinion about them, penetrate sacredly into the sacred symbols, and we cannot help but honor them, since they are the work and image of divine traits and visible images of ineffable and sublime contemplations.” Explanation. You see, he said that one cannot help but honor images of what is worthy of honor. Him, from the essay On the Names of God “We have learned this too: now, in relation to our nature, through sacred veils, through the love of mankind of sayings and hierarchical traditions, love of mankind, covering with the sensible the mental and the existing that which is above the being, giving images and figures to the ugly and without a figure, and filling and giving appearance to the supernatural and formless simplicity with a variety of divisible symbols.” Explanation. If giving images and figures, in relation to our properties, that does not have an image and figure, the simple and without form, is a sign of philanthropy, then how not to depict in the likeness of ourselves what is seen in images and figures for memory and the competition that comes from memory? Him, from the essay On the Church Hierarchy “Beings and ranks superior to us, the sacred remembrance of which I have already made, are incorporeal, and their hierarchy is intelligible and transcendental. We see ours in the likeness of ourselves, filled with a variety of sensory symbols, through which we rise hierarchically to a uniform deification, in proportion to our properties, to God and virtue. For they, as minds, think in accordance with what is determined for them, but we rise, as far as possible, to divine contemplation through sensory images.” Explanation. So, if, in accordance with our properties, we are raised to divine and immaterial contemplation through sensory images, and the divine Invention for our guidance gives figures and images to those who do not have them, then what is indecent to depict in the likeness of ourselves, Who has descended to form and image? A story has come down to us from ancient times that Abgar, I mean the king of Edessa, inflamed by the rumor of the Lord with divine love, sent ambassadors to ask Him to visit him, and if He refused to do so, he ordered the painter to take down His portrait. The Omniscient and Almighty took a piece of matter and, bringing it to his face, imprinted His image on it, which remains to this day. Basil, from a word in memory of the blessed martyr Varlaam, the beginning of which: “First, of course, the death of the saints...” “Arise now, glorious painters of courageous deeds. Exalt the imperfect image of the commander with your art. Glorify the winner I vaguely described with the colors of your wisdom. I will leave defeated by your description of the exploits of the martyr. Defeated, I rejoice in this victory of your strength. I see the struggle of a hand with fire, more accurately described by you. I see the palm written more clearly in your image. Let the demons weep now, struck through you by the exploits of the martyr. Let the burning and conquering hand be shown to them again. Let the hero Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, be depicted in the picture. Amen". His is from thirty chapters On the Holy Spirit to Amphilochius, from ch. ХVIII “Because the image of a king is called a king, but these are not two kings, since the power is not diminished, the glory is not divided. For just as the authority and power that dominates us is one, so our praise is one, and not many, which is why the honor given to the image passes to the prototype. So, what is imitative here—the image—is essential there—the Son. And just as with artists the likeness is in form, so with the divine and uncomplicated nature, unity lies in the community of the Divine.” Explanation. The image of a king is a king, and the image of Christ is Christ, and the image of a saint is holy, and neither power is diminished, nor glory is shared, but the glory of the image becomes the glory of the depicted. Demons fear saints and their shadows flee, but the icon is a shadow, and I make it as a persecutor of demons. If you say that you only need to rationally unite with God, then reject everything corporeal: lamps, fragrant incense, the prayer itself out loud, the divine sacraments themselves performed through matter, bread, wine, anointing oil, the mark of the cross, for all this is matter: the cross, the sponge of the crucifix, the cross, the spear that pierces the life-giving rib. Either reject the veneration of all this, which is impossible, or do not deny the veneration of icons. Material objects are given divine grace for the sake of the name of those depicted on them. Just as a shell, which produces purple, is insignificant in itself, as well as silk, and a robe woven from both of them, but if the king puts it on, then the clothing becomes a participant in the honor belonging to the one who dressed it, so material objects in themselves, which are not worshiped, become, according to the measure of faith, participants in grace, if the person depicted was filled with grace. The apostles saw the Lord with their bodily eyes, some saw the apostles, and others saw the martyrs. Created from two natures, I also want to see them in soul and body and have a medicine that protects from misfortune, and seeing, I worship what is visible, not as God, but as an honest image of those worthy of honor. Perhaps you, being exalted, immaterial, above the body and incorporeal, despise everything visible, but I, as a man and clothed with the body, want to both physically turn and see the holy. Descend, exalted one, to my humble wisdom in order to maintain your height. The Lord understands my love for him and for His friends, for the master rejoices when a prudent servant is glorified, said Basil the Great, glorifying the forty martyrs. Look what he says, praising the glorious Gordius. St. Basil - from a word in memory of the martyr Gordius “People rejoice with spiritual joy at the mere memory of the deeds performed by the righteous, drawn to competition and imitation in the good they hear about. For the story of men who lived well gives those who are being saved, as it were, some light on the path of life.” And again: “So, when we tell about the lives of those who shone with piety, then first of all we glorify through the servants of the Lord. Let us also glorify the righteous, testifying to what we know. We also make the people happy because they hear about the beautiful.” Explanation. See how the remembrance of the saints combines the glory of God, the glorification of the saints, the joy and salvation of the people. So why are you rejecting him? Remembrance is accomplished through word and image, says the same divine Basil. The same saint - in memory of the martyr Gordius “Just as fire itself is followed by light and peace by itself is followed by incense, so good deeds are necessarily followed by benefit. And this is not a small matter at all: to achieve the exact truth about what was done previously. Here we are given some faint memory that preserves the exploits of our husband in the struggle, and it seems that what happens to us is similar to what happens to painters. For even those who copy images from images, for the most part, naturally deviate from the prototypes. And we, too, removed from the contemplation of affairs, are subject to no small danger of diminishing the truth.” At the end of the same word “For, just as we are always surprised when we see the sun, so we always have a fresh memory of that man.” Explanation. Obviously, always contemplating with the help of words and images. And in the homily in memory of the most honorable forty martyrs the following is said: “As for the memory of the martyrs, what will be the benefit to him who loves the martyrs? The honor shown to the good of fellow servants serves as proof of love for the common Master.” And again: “sincerely please the one who was tormented, so that you become a martyr of your own free will and without persecution, without fire, without wounds, you would become worthy of the same praise.” Explanation. So, why do you turn me away from the veneration of the saints and envy my salvation? And that an image written in paint is placed next to a word, listen to him talk about this a little later. “So, by bringing them here in the middle with our memories, we will bring through them the general benefit of those present, showing everyone, as in a picture, the exploits of their husbands.” Explanation. You see, the role of the image and the word is the same. For, he says, with the help of words we will show as in the picture. Again, the word contains (and this): “And military exploits are often depicted by both historians and painters, some by decorating with words, others by drawing on boards: both of them aroused many to courage. For what the word of narration offers to the ear, silent painting shows through imitation (of the eyes).” Explanation. What can show more clearly than this that images replace books for the illiterate and are silent messengers of the honor of saints, teaching with a silent voice those who contemplate them and sanctifying vision? I don't have many books. I don't have time to read. I enter the general hospital of souls - the church, suppressed by worries like thorns. Beauty attracts me to contemplate the picture, like a meadow it delights the eye and imperceptibly reveals to the soul the glory of God. I see the patience of the martyr, the distribution of crowns, and, like fire, I am excited by will to compete. While falling, I worship God through the martyr and receive salvation. Haven't you heard the same God-bearing father say in a conversation at the beginning of the psalms that the Holy Spirit, knowing that the human race is intractable and careless towards virtue, added a melody to the hymns? What are you saying? Not to describe in words and colors the torment of the martyrs? Not to embrace with vision what is amazing for angels and for all creation, bitter for the devil and terrible for demons, as the lamp of the church himself said? He says the following at the end of the word, glorifying the forty martyrs. “Oh, holy choir! O sacred assembly! O invincible army! Oh, common guardians of the human race, kind companions of cares, co-workers of prayers, the most powerful elders, stars of the universe, flowers of churches, I will say: mental and sensual flowers! It was not the earth that hid you, but the sky that accepted you. The gates of heaven have opened to you: a worthy spectacle for the army of angels, worthy for patriarchs, prophets, and righteous people.” Explanation. How can you not want to see what the angels want to see? His brother and like-minded person Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, agrees with this. St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, from the addition (to the Six Days of St. Basil), i.e. from the book On the Dispensation of Man, ch. IV. “Just as, according to human custom, those who make images of rulers inscribe the features of the figure and denote the royal dignity with purple, and the image is usually called a king, so human nature, destined for power over everything, is structured like some animate image that has communication with the prototype both in dignity and in name.” His - from the fifth chapter of the same work “Divine beauty shines not with some figure or the beauty of an image, thanks to the charm of colors, but is contemplated in ineffable bliss in accordance with virtue. Painters transfer human images onto boards with the help of certain colors, arranging, thanks to the art of imitation, proper and appropriate colors so that the beauty of the prototype, thanks to accuracy, passes to the likeness.” Explanation. You see, divine beauty does not shine through some figure, thanks to some charm of colors, and therefore it cannot be depicted. The human image is transferred through paint to the boards. So, if the Son of God was in human form, “taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man” (Phil. 2:7), then how can we not portray Him? And if it is customary to say that the royal image is the king, and if the honor given to the image passes to the prototype, as the divine Basil says, then how can one not honor and worship the image. Not as God, but as the image of God incarnate. His, from the words spoken in Constantinople about the deity of the Son and the Spirit and about Abraham “Then, first, the father takes the bound son. I have often seen the image of this misfortune in a painting and have not passed by the spectacle without tears, since art vividly presents history before my eyes. Isaac, kneeling and with his hands tied behind him, is located at the very altar. The father, stepping on the crook of the knee from behind, bending the child’s head towards himself with his left hand, looks into the face looking pitifully at him, and, armed with a knife, directs his right hand towards the slaughter. And the tip of the knife already touches the body when he hears a voice from God prohibiting this matter.” St. John Chrysostom, from the commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews “The previous in relation to the subsequent is an image: Melchizedek is the image of Christ, just as if someone called a shadow, painted with the colors of a picture, the field previously shaded by the painter. For this is why the law is called canopy, and grace is called truth, and things to come are called things. Thus, the law and Melchizedek are a shadow in the colors of a painted picture, but grace and truth are a picture in colors, and things refer to the age to come. So, the Old Testament is the image of the image, and the New is the image of things.” Leontius, Bishop of Naples of Cyprus, from a word against the Jews about the worship of the cross of Christ, and the icons of saints, and each other, and the remains of saints “If you, a Jew, again accuse me, saying that I worship the wood of the cross as God, then why do you not accuse Jacob, who bowed to the top of the staff? But it is obvious that he worshiped, not honoring the tree, but through the tree he worshiped Joseph, just as we glorify Christ through the cross, and not the tree.” Explanation. So, if we worship the image of the cross, making an image of the cross from some material, how can we not worship the image of the Crucified One. And again from the same Leonty “When Abraham bowed to the wicked people who sold him the tomb and bowed his knee to the ground, he did not bow to them as gods. Jacob also blessed Pharaoh, although he was a wicked and idolater, but he did not bless him as God did. And again, having fallen, he worshiped Esau, but he did not worship as God. And then, how does God command us to worship both the earth and the mountains, for He says: lift up the Lord your God and worship His holy mountain, and worship His footstool, as it is holy, that is, the earth. “Thus says the Lord: heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool” (Is. 66:1). How did Moses bow to the idolater Jethro, and Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar? Why do you accuse me because I honor those who worshiped God and worshiped Him? Isn’t it better, tell me, to worship the saints than to throw stones at them, as you do? Isn't it better to worship than to cut them down and throw them into the dirty swamp of benefactors? Having loved God, you must, in any case, honor His servants. And if the bones of the righteous are unclean, then how were the bones of Jacob and Joseph brought from Egypt with all honor? How did the dead man who touched Elisha's bones immediately rise to life? If God works miracles through bones, then it is absolutely clear that He can do this through icons, stones and much more, as was the case with Elisha, who gave his own rod to his youth and told him to go and raise the son of the Shunammite woman with it. And Moses punished Pharaoh with his rod, divided the sea, sweetened the water, crushed the rock and brought out the water. And Solomon says: “Blessed is the tree through which righteousness comes!” (Wis.14:7). Elisha threw the wood into the Jordan and pulled out the iron. Both the tree of life and the plant Savek, i.e. forgiveness... Moses lifted up the serpent onto the tree and saved the people. With the tree that grew in the tabernacle, he established the priesthood. But perhaps you will tell me, Jew, that everything in the Tabernacle of the Testimony was done on the basis of God’s command to Moses. And I tell you that Solomon built many and varied things in the church - carved and cast, which God did not command him to do, which neither the tabernacle of the testimony had, nor the church that God showed to Ezekiel, and Solomon was not condemned for this, for he, like us, built these figures for the glory of God. You also had many different images and signs as a reminder of God, before you lost them for your foolishness, such as: the rod of Moses, the tablets of God, a flaming and at the same time wet thorn bush; a dry but water-filled rock, an ark with manna, an altar with sacred fire, a shield with the name of God, an ephed for the revelation of God, a tabernacle of fire. If you, day and night, overshadowed all this, saying: Glory to You, the only Almighty God, who through all this performed miracles in Israel. If through all this lawful things that you once had, you fell down and worshiped God, then you can see that worship of God is accomplished through images.” And after a little. “For if someone who sincerely loves a friend or a king and, best of all, a benefactor, sees his son, or a rod, or a throne, or a crown, or a house, or a slave, then he takes and embraces them and honors the king - the benefactor, and much more - God. Oh, if only you, I repeat, would make images of Moses and the prophets and worship the Lord their God daily! So, when you see Christians worshiping the cross, know that they are worshiping the crucified Christ, and not the tree, since if they revered the nature of the tree, then, of course, they would honor the sacred groves and trees, just as you, Israel, once worshiped them, saying to the tree and the stone: “You are my god and you gave birth to me.” We do not say this either to the cross or to the images of saints, because they are not our gods, but open books as a reminder of God and for the veneration of Him, openly located in churches and worshiped. For he who honors a martyr honors God, for whom the martyr suffered. He who worships the Apostle of Christ worships Him who sent him. He who falls before the Mother of God obviously gives honor to Her Son. For there is no God but one, known and worshiped in the Trinity.” Explanation. This one was rather a faithful expounder of the words of the divine Epiphanius, who adorned the island of Cyprus with his teaching, than an expresser of the thoughts of his heart. Listen to what Sevirian, Bishop of Gaval, also says. Sevirian, Bishop of Gaval, from the word on the renewal of the cross “How did the image of the damned bring life to our ancestors?” And a little later: “So, how did the image of the damned bring salvation to a people dejected by disaster?” Wouldn’t it be more correct to say: if any of you is bitten, let him look up to God or to the tabernacle of God, and be saved. But leaving this behind, he placed only the image of the cross. Why did Moses do this when he told the people: “You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth” (Ex. 20:4)? But why am I telling this to an ungrateful people? Tell me, most faithful servant of God, why do you do what you forbid? Do you arrange what you destroy? Saying: “Thou shalt not make an idol, having destroyed the molten calf, are you making a serpent out of copper, and this is not secret, but openly and known to everyone?” But that, he says, I legitimized in order to destroy the objects of wickedness and distract the people from all apostasy and idolatry, but now I cast the serpent for good - into a prototype of the truth. And just as I built the tabernacle and everything in it, and spread over the holy cherubim - invisible likenesses, like the image and shadow of the future, so I placed the serpent for the salvation of the people, so that through this I could prepare them for the image of the sign of the cross and on it the Redeemer and Savior. And that this word is not false, beloved, listen to the Lord, who confirms it and says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Explanation. Do you understand that in order to distract people from idolatry, who were easily carried away and prone to it, he legitimized not to make any likeness, and that the ascended serpent was an image of the Lord’s suffering? And that the veneration of icons is not a new thing, but an ancient one, known and customary to saints and famous fathers, listen to the following regarding this. In the life of the blessed Basil, compiled by his disciple and successor in the hierarchical ministry Helladius, it is written that the saint stood before the icon of the Lady, on which was written the image of the glorious martyr Mercury. He stood there, asking for deliverance from the most godless tyrant and apostate Julian. And from this icon he received the following revelation: he saw that the martyr had disappeared for a short time, but a little later he saw him holding a bloody spear. From the life of John Chrysostom, where the following is literally written: “I loved the blessed one very much. John of the Epistles of the Wise Paul." And a little later. “It was with him where, due to bodily illness, he rested a little, for he was much awake beyond his strength - and the image of this Apostle on the icon. And when he read his messages, he looked at her and addressed him as if he were alive, directing all his thoughts to him and entering into communication with him through contemplation.” And having missed a few: “When Proclus finished his speech and, looking at the icon of the apostle, saw an image similar to the one he saw, then, bowing to John, he said, pointing his finger at the icon: “Forgive me, father: the one I saw speaking to you is like this. I think that’s who he is.” In the life of St. It is written to Eupraxia, that the image of the Lord appeared to her while she was tending the flock. In the life of St. It is written to Mary of Egypt, that she prayed before the icon of the Lady and asked Her as a guarantor and after that received access to the church. From the Meadow of St. our father Sophronius, Archbishop of Jerusalem Abba Theodore Eliot said that there was a certain hermit on the Mount of Olives, a perfect ascetic. The demon of fornication fought with him. And then one day, when he was attacking him very much, the elder began to grieve and say to the demon: “How long will you not leave me? Leave me alone. Until old age you are with me!” When the demon apparently appears to him and says: “swear to me that you will not tell anyone what I tell you, and I will no longer fight with you.” And the elder swore to him: “I swear to the Almighty that I will not tell anyone what you tell me.” Then the demon says to him: “Do not worship this icon, and I will not fight with you.” On the icon was the image of our Lady, St. Theotokos Mary carrying our Lord Jesus Christ. The hermit says to the demon: “Leave it, I’ll take a look.” The next day it happened that Abba Theodore Eliot, who was then living in the Faron Lavra, came to him, to whom he told everything. The elder said to the hermit: “Indeed, Abba, you were ridiculed for swearing to the demon, but you did well to tell me about this. It is better for you not to leave a single indecent house in this city that you have not been in, than to refuse to worship our Lord and God Jesus Christ with His own Mother.” Having confirmed and strengthened him with many, in other words, he went home. Then the demon again appears to the hermit and says to him: “What, bad old man? Didn't you swear to me that you wouldn't tell anyone? Why did you tell everything to the one who came to you? I declare to you, bad old man, that on the day of judgment you will be condemned as an oathbreaker.” The hermit answered him, saying: “I know that I swore, and I also know that I broke the oath: I’m not listening to you.” Explanation. You see, he calls the worship of an icon the worship of what is depicted, and how bad it is not to worship it, and how the demon chose the latter (not worship) over fornication? So, why did no one begin to do this despite the fact that there were many priests and kings given to Christians from above and distinguished themselves in word and life, and very many councils of saints and divinely inspired fathers? We will not allow us to teach a new faith: “for out of Zion will go out the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Is. 2:3). We will not allow ourselves to think one way or another, and change thoughts according to the demands of time, making faith a laughing stock and a joke to outsiders. We will not allow ourselves to bow to the royal command, which is trying to destroy the custom of our fathers. For it is not typical for pious kings to overthrow church laws. This is not fatherly, for to act with violence and not with persuasion means to act like a robber. This is witnessed by the second council that was in Ephesus, which still bears the name of the robber, dispersed by the hand of the emperor when blessed Flavian was killed. This is the work of councils, not kings: as the Lord said: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Christ gave the power to bind and decide not to kings, but to the apostles and their successors - shepherds and teachers. “But even if we or an angel from heaven preached to you a gospel other than what we preached to you” (Gal. 1:8), we will remain silent about the following, sparing those whose conversion we hope for. If we learn about persistent corruption, which God forbid, then we will present the rest. But let it not be! If someone enters a house in which a painter has painted on the walls the story of Moses and Pharaoh, he will perhaps ask about those who crossed the sea as if on dry land: “Who are they?” How will you answer the question? Are they not the children of Israel? Who struck the sea with a rod? Isn't it Moses? Thus, if someone depicts the crucified Christ, and he is asked: “Who is this?” Will he not say: “Christ God, who became incarnate for our sake?” - Yes. Lord, we bow to everything that is Yours, and with ardent love we embrace Your Divinity, power, goodness, mercy towards us, condescension, incarnation. And just as we are afraid to touch red-hot iron not for the sake of the nature of the iron, but because of the fire united with it, so I bow to Your flesh not for the sake of the nature of the flesh, but for the sake of the Divinity hypostatically united with it. We worship Your passion. Has anyone seen death, which is worshiped? Sacred suffering? But we do worship the bodily death and saving suffering of my God. We worship Your icon. We worship all of You: servants, friends and, above all, the Mother of God. We also beg the people of God, the holy people, to hold fast to church traditions. For the rejection of insignificant traditions, like stones from a building, soon overthrows the entire structure. May we remain unshakable, unyielding, unperturbed, established on the solid rock, which is Christ, to whom is due glory, honor and worship, now and ever, to the endless ages of ages. Amen. I. Forgive me, my lords, and accept the word of truth from me, the weakest and least servant of the Church of God. For it was not for the sake of glory or fame that I began to speak, God is my witness, but out of zeal for the truth. For I have this alone as a hope of salvation, and with it I hope and desire to meet the Lord Christ, offering it to Him as an atonement for my great sins. For he who received five talents from the Lord brought them, having acquired another five, and he who received two also acquired two. The one who received one talent, and buried it, and presented it without profit, called an evil slave, was condemned to utter darkness. And I, fearing that I might not tolerate something like this, obey the command of the Lord and offer the talent of speech given to me by Him to you, intelligent merchants, so that my Lord, when he comes, would find an increased and fruitful profit for souls and, having found me a faithful servant, would lead me into His sweetest joy that I desire. But give me attentive ears and, spreading the tables of your hearts, accept my word and independently experience the power of words. I composed this second word about icons, because some of the children of the Church admonished me to do this due to the fact that the first is not entirely accessible to many. II. The envious and author of evil, the serpent, that is, the devil, has a custom, beloved, to fight in various ways against man created in the image of God and through intrigues to cause his death. For immediately at the beginning he instilled in him the hope and passion for deification and through this reduced him to a state of death like the dumb. Not only this, but he often seduced him with shameful and unreasonable pleasures. What a distance between deification and irrational passion! Sometimes he drew him into atheism, as the Godfather David says: “The fool said in his heart: “There is no God” (Ps. 13:1), sometimes into polytheism, sometimes he convinced him not to worship God by nature, sometimes he forced him to worship demons, and then: the sky and the earth, the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the rest of creation, not excluding animals and reptiles. For it is equally bad not to give due honor to those worthy of respect, and to give excessive glory to the despised that does not belong to them. Then, he taught some to say that evil is as beginningless as God, and he deceived some to confess that the cause of evil is God, who is good by nature. And he deceived some to foolishly talk about one nature and one hypostasis of the Divine, while others he deceived to unlawfully worship three natures and three hypostases. And he inspired some to glorify the one hypostasis and one nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, one of the Holy Trinity, and to others His two natures and two hypostases. III. The truth, which follows the middle path, denies all this as unreasonable, and teaches to confess one God, one nature in three hypostases: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; evil is not called essence, but accidental, whether it be some thought, or word, or deed that does not agree with the law of God, which is carried out through thinking, speech and action, and disappears with their cessation. Then he declares one of the Holy Trinity, Christ, to have two natures and one hypostasis. IV. But the enemy of truth and the demon hostile to human salvation, who often tempted to make images of mortal people, and birds, and animals, and reptiles and to worship them as gods, not only pagans, but also the sons of Israel, is now trying to disturb the Church of Christ, enjoying the world, seasoning evil with divine words through unrighteous lips and the deceit of the tongue, trying to cover up with them its ugly and gloomy image and distract hearts unconfirmed by the true custom betrayed by the fathers. For some have risen up, saying that the saving miracles of Christ and the exploits of the saints in the fight against the devil should not be depicted and exhibited for contemplation, glorification, amazement, and competition. And who, having divine vision and spiritual meaning, does not recognize that this is the wiles of the devil? For he does not want to reveal his defeat and shame, nor does he want to depict the glory of God and His saints. V. For if we were to make an image of the invisible God, we would seriously err, because the incorporeal, and invisible, and indescribable, and without image cannot be depicted. And again, if we made images of people and considered them to be gods, and served them as gods, we would indeed act wickedly, but we do nothing of the kind. “After this He appeared on earth and walked among people” (Bar.3:38), and out of ineffable goodness He took on the nature, volume, appearance, and color of flesh. We do not sin in making His image, since we wish to contemplate His features. For, as the divine Apostle says: “Now we see through a glass darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12). The icon is also a mirror and a hint, adapted to the coarseness of our body, for the mind, no matter how hard it tries, cannot detach itself from the conditions of the body. VI. Be gone, envious devil! You envy the fact that we see the image of our Master and are sanctified through him, we see His saving suffering, we are amazed at His condescension, we contemplate His miracles, we glorify the power of His Divinity. You envy the saints for the honor given to them by God. You do not want to see how we depict their glory and become zealots of their courage and faith. We do not obey you, envious and misanthropic demon. Listen, nations, tribes, languages, men, wives and children, elders, youths and babies, holy Christian people! If anyone preaches to you other than what the Catholic Church received from the holy Apostles, Fathers and Councils, and has preserved to this day, do not listen to him and do not accept the advice of the serpent, as Eve did and tasted death for it. And if an angel or a king preaches to you anything other than what you have received, close your ears. For I hesitate for now to say, as the divine Apostle said: “Let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8), awaiting correction. VII. But those who do not study the meaning of Scripture say that God said through Moses the lawgiver: “You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth below” (Ex. 20:4), and through the prophet David: “Let all those who serve graven images be ashamed, those who boast in idols” (Ps. 96:7) and much like that. For what they brought from divine Scripture and St. fathers, it has the same meaning. What do we say to this? What other than what the Lord said to the Jews: “Search the Scriptures” (John 5:39)? For it is a wonderful thing to study the Scriptures, but be careful here. It is impossible, beloved, to lie to God; there is one God, one legislator of the Old and New Testaments, “God, who spoke of old to the fathers in the prophets at times and in various ways” (Heb. 1:1) and in recent times - in His only begotten Son. Pay attention to this, this is not my word, the Holy Spirit through St. The Apostle Paul said: “God spoke of old in many ways and in various ways to the fathers by the prophets” (Heb. 1:1). You see, God spoke in many parts and in many ways. For, as an experienced doctor, He does not always give the same thing to everyone, but He gives each medicine according to his situation, taking into account the country, the disease, the time, and the age, one thing for an infant, and another for an adult according to his age; one for the sick, and the other for the recovering; and not the same thing for each of the patients, but in accordance with the situation and illness; and one in summer, and the other in winter, late autumn and spring; and in each place - according to the property of the place; so the all-good physician of souls, still infants and suffering from the disease of idolatry, who consider idols to be gods and worship them as gods, rejecting the worship of God and giving glory to His creatures, forbade them to do this. For it is impossible to depict God - incorporeal, invisible, immaterial, without a figure, indescribable and immense. How to depict something you haven't seen? “No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed” (John 1:18) and “he cannot see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20), God said. VIII. And that they worshiped idols as gods, as proof of this, listen to what the Scripture says in the Exodus of the Children of Israel about how Moses ascended Mount Sinai and slowed down there, receiving the law from God: “When the people saw that Moses did not come down from the mountain for a long time, they gathered to Aaron and said to him: Arise and make us a god who would go before us, for with this man, with Moses, who brought us out of the land Egyptian, we do not know what has happened” (Ex. 32:1). Then, taking off the ornaments from their women, they made a cast image, and ate and drank, and became drunk with wine and delusion and began to play, saying foolishly: “Behold your God, O Israel” (Ex. 32:4). You see, they considered idols to be gods, who are the dwelling of demons and served creatures more than the Creator, as the divine Apostle says: “they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and reptiles” (Rom. 1:23) and “they served creatures instead of the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). For this reason, God forbade making any likeness, as Moses says in Deuteronomy: “And the Lord spoke to you [on the mountain] from the midst of the fire; You heard the voice of [His] words, but you did not see the image, but only the voice” (Deut. 4:12). And a little later: “Keep firmly in your souls that you did not see any image in the day that the Lord spoke to you at [Mount] Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves graven images, images of any idol representing a man or a woman, images of any livestock that are on the earth, images of any winged bird” (Deut. 4:15-17), and so on. And skipping a little: “And lest when you look up to heaven and see the sun, the moon and the stars [and] all the host of heaven, you are deceived and worship them and serve them” (Deut. 4:19). You see, there is only one goal, not to serve the creature more than the Creator and not to render service worship to it, but only to the Creator, which is why everywhere service is associated with worship. And after a little he says: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any image” (Ex.20:3–4; Deut.5:7–8). And then: “Do not make for yourselves cast gods” (Ex. 34:17). You see, because of idolatry, God forbids icon painting and because it is impossible to depict the incorporeal, invisible and indescribable God, for His image, he says, you have not seen. Likewise, Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, says: “Therefore, we, being the race of God, ought not to think that the Godhead is like gold, or silver, or stone, which received an image from the art and imagination of men” (Acts 17:29). IX. And that this is so, listen: do not make for yourself, says (Scripture), an idol, or any likeness. Meanwhile, God commanded this, they, it says, “and all the wise in heart who were engaged in the work of the tabernacle made: ten curtains of fine woven linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet wool; and they made cherubim on them with cunning work” (Ex. 36:8). What are you doing Moses? You say: “Thou shalt not make for yourself an idol or any likeness,” but you yourself prepare woven cherubs and two cherubs of pure gold? But listen to what the servant of God Moses will object to you. O blind and foolish ones! understand the power of what has been said and equip your souls with strength. I said that you did not see the likeness in the day after the Lord spoke to you on Mount Horeb from the midst of the fire, never commit lawlessness, and do not create for yourself the likeness of a sculpture, any image, and do not create for yourself merged gods. He did not say: do not make images of cherubim as slaves who stand before the purification, but do not create for yourself merged gods, and: do not create any likeness instead of God and do not serve the creature more than the Creator. So, I did not make the likeness of God, nor the likeness of anyone else as God, and I did not serve the creature more than the Creator. X. You see how the purpose of Scripture was revealed to those who examine with understanding. For we must know, beloved, that in every matter we must look for truth and falsehood, and for the chain of action, whether it is good or bad. And the Gospel describes God, and angel, and man, and heaven, and earth, and water, and fire, and air, and the sun, and the moon, and stars, and light, and darkness, and Satan, and demons, and snakes, and scorpions, and hell, and virtues, and vices, and everything beautiful and bad. But at the same time, since everything said about them is true, and the goal is the glory of God and the saints glorified by Him, and our salvation, and the overthrow and shame of the devil and his demons, then we bow, embrace, kiss and greet with our eyes, lips, and hearts. In the same way (we honor) the entire Old and New Testaments, and the words of the saints and famous fathers. The vile, shameful, and unclean writings of the damned Manichaeans, and Hellenes, and other heretics, as containing a false and vain teaching, and invented for the glory of the devil and his demons and to their joy, we abhor and reject, even if the name of God was on it. Thus, in the matter of icons, it is necessary to examine the truth and purpose of what is being done. And if their goal is true and correct, and they serve for the glory of God and His saints, for zeal in virtue, for the avoidance of evil and for the salvation of souls, then one must accept and honor them as images, and imitations, and aids, and books for the illiterate, and bow to them, and kiss, and greet with eyes, and lips, and heart, as the likeness of God incarnate, or His Mother, or the saints sharers of the suffering and glory of Christ, victors and overthrowers of the devil and demons, and their deception. XI. If anyone dares to make an image of the immaterial, incorporeal, invisible and without form and color of the Deity, then we reject it as a lie. And if anyone dares to do it for the glory, worship and honor of the devil or demons, then we abhor it and burn it with fire. And if anyone idolizes the image of people, or birds, or reptiles, or any other creature, then we anathematize such a person. For how the shrines and churches of demons were destroyed by St. fathers, and in their place they erected churches in the name of the saints, whom we also venerate, so they destroyed the images of demons and instead erected icons of Christ and the Mother of God, and saints. In the Old Testament, Israel neither erected churches in the name of people, nor celebrated the memory of man, for human nature was still under a curse, and death was a punishment, which is why it was mourned; and the body of the deceased was considered unclean, as well as the one who touched it. Now, from the time the Divine united with our nature, as a kind of life-giving and saving medicine, our nature was glorified and added to incorruption, which is why the death of the saints is celebrated, and churches are erected for them, and icons are painted. So, let every person know that whoever begins to destroy an icon that exists for the glory and remembrance of Christ or His mother, St. Mother of God, or one of the saints, and to the shame of the devil and the defeat of him and his demons, and out of divine love and jealousy, there is an enemy of Christ and the saint. The Mother of God and the saints, the defender of the devil and his demons, in fact showing the sadness that God and his saints are revered and glorified, while the devil is put to shame. For the icon is a triumph and an announcement, and an inscription in memory of the victory of those who distinguished themselves and gained the upper hand, and the shame of the defeated and overthrown demons. XII. It is not the place of kings to make laws for the church. What does the divine Apostle say? “And God appointed others in the Church, firstly, apostles, secondly, prophets, thirdly, teachers” (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11), did not say: “kings.” And again: “Obey your leaders and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give an account” (Heb. 13:17). And then: “Remember your teachers, who preached the word of God to you, and, considering the end of their lives, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7). It was not kings who spoke the word to us, but apostles and prophets, shepherds and teachers. God, having commanded David to build a house for Him, said to him: “But God said to me: Do not build a house for My name, because you are a warlike man and have shed blood” (1 Chronicles 28:3). “Give to everyone their due,” cried the Apostle Paul, “to whom you give, give; to whom quitrent, quitrent; to whom fear, fear; to whom is honor, honor” (Rom. 13:7). The business of kings is political improvement, while church government is the business of shepherds and teachers. This invasion here, brothers, is robber. When Saul tore Samuel's robe, what did he suffer for it? God tore his kingdom apart and gave it to the meekest David. Jezebel pursued Elijah, but pigs and dogs licked her blood, and harlots washed themselves in it. Herod killed John and died when he was eaten by worms. And now blessed Herman, shining with life and word, was beaten with sticks and expelled, and then many other bishops and fathers, whose names we do not know. Isn't this like a robber? The Lord, when the scribes and Pharisees, tempting, approached Him in order to entice Him with a word, and asked Him: is it worthy to give Caesar’s coffer, answered them: show Me the golden coffer. When they brought it, he said: Whose image is this? When they answered: Caesar's, He says: Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and the things that are God's, the things that are God's (Matthew 12:17–22). We obey you, king, in matters relating to that life, taxes, duties, acceptance of gifts - in which you have been entrusted with the management of us. In the church institution we have shepherds and teachers who spoke the word to us and created church legislation. We do not transgress the eternal limit that our fathers laid down, but we hold on to the traditions as we accepted them, for if we begin to destroy the church building, even in a small way, then it will gradually collapse in its entirety. XIII. Do you condemn matter and call it ignoble? The Manichaeans also do this, but Divine Scripture calls it beautiful, for it says: “And God saw everything that He had created, and behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). So, I admit that matter is both the work of God and beautiful. But if you call it evil, then you either admit that it is not from God, or you make God the author of evil. See what the divine Scripture says about the matter that you call base: “And Moses said to all the congregation of the children of Israel: This is what the Lord commanded: Make an offering from yourselves to the Lord: everyone according to his diligence shall bring an offering to the Lord, gold, silver, copper, blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, red rams’ skins, and blue, and shittim wood, and oil for the lamp, and spices for the anointing oil and for the incense, the onyx stone, and the set stones for the ephod and the breastplate. And let every one of you who is wise in heart come and do everything that the Lord has commanded: the tabernacle...” (Exodus 35:4-11) and so on. XIV. So matter is revered - ignoble, in your opinion. For what is more insignificant than a goat's wave or colors? Or aren’t scarlet, crimson and blue colors? These are the works of human hands and the likeness of cherubim. And the whole tabernacle itself was an image. “See,” God says to Moses, “make them according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain” (Ex. 25:40). And be that as it may, all Israel bowed to her from everywhere. Moreover, were not the cherubim in sight of the people? And the ark, and the lamp, and the table, and the golden frame, and the rod, what did the people look at when they worshiped? I do not worship matter, but I worship the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake, who created His dwelling in matter and accomplished my salvation through matter. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). It is clear to everyone that flesh is matter and creation. So, I honor, pay respect and worship the matter through which my salvation was accomplished. I consider it not as God, but as full of divine action and grace. Is not matter the most blessed and blessed tree of the cross? Isn't this matter worthy of reverence and the holy mountain - a place of execution? Isn’t this matter the life-giving rock, St. the tomb, the source of our resurrection? Isn't this the stuff of the ink and skins of the Gospels? Isn't matter the life-giving table that gives us the bread of life? Isn’t the material gold and silver from which crosses, sacred dishes and cups are made? Is not the matter first of all the body and blood of my Lord? Either reject the veneration and worship of all this, or allow, on the basis of church tradition, the worship of icons dedicated to God and the friends of God, and therefore overshadowed by the grace of the Divine Spirit. If you reject icons for the sake of the law, then you must both keep the Sabbath and be circumcised, for this is decisively commanded by the law; you must also observe the whole law and not celebrate the Lord’s Passover outside of Jerusalem. But know that if you keep the law, “Christ will profit you nothing” (Gal. 5:2). You must marry your brother’s wife, and restore your brother’s seed, and not sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land. But enough: “those who justify themselves by the law are left without Christ and have fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4). XV. We portray Christ, the king and the Lord, without depriving Him of the army, but the army of the Lord are saints. Let the earthly king disband his own army and then the army of his King and Lord! Let him take off the purple and diadem, and then deprive the honor of those who defeated the tyrant and reigned over passions! For if they are heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ (Rom. 8:17) and partakers of the divine glory and kingdom, then how can the friends of Christ not be partakers of His glory on earth? “I no longer call you servants” (John 15:15), says God, “You are My friends” (John 15:14). So, shall we deprive them of the honor given to them by the Church? O impudent hand! O foolish mind, arguing with God and opposing His works! You, who do not worship an icon, do not worship the Son of God, who is the living image and unchanging imprint of the invisible God. The temple that Solomon built was consecrated with the blood of the dumb and decorated with images of the dumb: lions, and bulls, and palm trees, and pomegranates. Now the church is sanctified by the blood of Christ and His saints and decorated with icons of Christ and His saints. Either reject the worship of every image or do not introduce a new one, “do not remove the old landmarks that your fathers set” (Proverbs 22:28). I am not talking about what was betrayed before the coming of Christ our God in the flesh, but about what was handed down after His coming. For regarding the traditions of the Old Testament, God says reproachfully: “He allowed them evil institutions and decrees” (Ezek. 20:25) because of their hardness of heart, so that after a change in the priesthood there must be a change in the law. XVI. Not only did the witnesses and ministers convey the words of church law in writing, but also in some unwritten traditions. For how do we know the holy place of execution? Where does the tomb of life come from? Didn't the children accept this from their father without recording? It is written that the Lord was crucified on the place of execution and buried in the tomb that Joseph carved into the rock. But that this is the place that we now honor, we know from unwritten tradition, and very much like this. Where does baptism come from three times, that is, through three immersions? Where does the worship of the cross come from? Is it not from an unwritten legend? Why does the divine Apostle Paul say: “brothers, stand fast and hold to the traditions which you were taught either by our word or by our epistle” (2 Thess. 2:15). So, when much was handed over to the Church without recording and has been preserved to this day, then why argue in vain about icons? The Manichaeans wrote the gospel according to Thomas; write the gospel according to Leo. I do not accept a king who, like a tyrant, steals the priesthood for himself. It was not the kings who received the power to bind and decide. I know the Emperor Valens, who seemed to be a Christian and persecuted the Orthodox faith, Zenon and Anastasius, Heraclius and Constantine of Sicily, and Bardaiscus, who was called Philippicus. I will not be convinced that the Church is governed by royal instructions - it is governed by paternal traditions, written and unwritten. For just as the Gospel was preached throughout the whole world without scriptures, so throughout the whole world without scriptures it was customary to depict Christ, God incarnate, and the saints, as well as to venerate the cross and pray, standing towards the east. XVII. The places you cite do not reject the worship of our icons, but of the images of the Hellenes who made gods. We should not reject our pious one for the sake of an unreasonable pagan custom. Spellcasters and sorcerers cast spells, and the church of the catechumens also casts spells, but they call on demons, and this one calls on God against demons. The Greeks made sacrifices to demons, but Israel also offered blood and fat as a sacrifice to God, and the Church also offers a bloodless sacrifice to God. The Greeks dedicated images to demons, but Israel also idolized images, for they said: “Behold your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Ex. 32:4). We dedicate the icons to the true God incarnate and to the servants and friends of God who drove away the crowds of demons. XVIII. If you say that blessed Epiphanius clearly rejects our icons, then know that this word is false and belongs to someone else who has used the name of the divine Epiphanius, which often happens. For the father does not oppose the fathers, since they were all fellow members of the one Holy Spirit. And the Church, decorated with icons to this day, is a witness to this, in which some rebelled against her and confused the flock of Christ, beginning to feed the people of God with the uncleanness of destruction. XIX. If I worship and honor the cross, spear, cane and sponge, through which the deicides of Judea mocked and killed my Lord, as having served my salvation, then why not worship the icons built by the faithful for a good purpose - for the glory and remembrance of the passion of Christ? If I worship the image of a cross made of some matter, then why should I not worship the image of the Crucified One who indicated salvation in the cross? Oh, inhumanity! That I do not worship my mother is clear: if the form of a cross, made, for example, from wood, is destroyed, then I commit the tree to fire, and similarly the tree on which there were icons before. XX. And that icons and their worship are not a new invention, but an ancient church tradition, as proof of this, accept a number of passages from Scripture and the Fathers. The Lord in the Holy Gospel of Matthew says the following, pleasing His disciples and all of them, living according to their rule and following in their footsteps: “Blessed are your eyes that they see, and your ears that they hear, for truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous people wanted to see what you see, but did not see, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear” (Matthew 13:16-17). So, we also want to see what can be seen, for we see as with a mirror both in fortune telling and in the image, and we are pleased. God Himself was the first to make an image, for He created the first man in the image of God. And Abraham, and Moses, and Isaiah, and all the prophets saw the image of God, and not the very essence of God. The thorn bush was an image of the Mother of God, and when Moses was about to approach it, God said: “Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Ex. 3:5). So, if the land on which Moses saw the image of the Mother of God is holy land, then how much more holy is the image itself? He is not only holy, but, dare I say, the holiest of saints. The Lord answered the Pharisees’ question: “How did Moses command to give a letter of divorce and divorce her?” (Matthew 19:7) answered: “Moses, because of your hardness of heart, allowed you to divorce your wives, but at first it was not so” (Matthew 19:8). And I tell you that Moses, out of the hardness of the hearts of the children of Israel, knowing their inclination towards idolatry, commanded them not to make icons. Now it is not so, for we have stood firmly on the rock of faith, enriched by the light of the knowledge of God. XXI. Listen to what the Lord says: “You fools and blind! He who swears by the church swears by it and by Him who dwells in it; and he who swears by heaven swears by the Throne of God and Him who sits on it” (Matthew 23:19,21–22). And the one who swears by the image also swears by the image depicted on it. XXII. So, it has been sufficiently proven that the tabernacle, and the veil, and the ark, and the table, and everything that is in the tabernacle, are images and signs, the work of human hands, which all Israel worshiped, as well as the sculpted cherubim, made at the command of God. For God says to Moses: “See that you make them according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain” (Ex. 25:40). Listen to the Apostle Paul, who testifies that Israel worshiped things made with hands and images at the command of God. “If He had remained on earth, He would not have been a priest, because here there are priests who, according to the law, bring gifts that serve the image and shadow of the heavenly, as it was said to Moses when he began to make the tabernacle: look, it is said, do everything according to the image shown to you on the mountain. But this High Priest received a more excellent service, inasmuch as He was the best intercessor of the covenant, which was established on the best promises. For if the first covenant had been without deficiency, there would have been no need to look for a place for another. But the prophet, reproaching them, says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not such a covenant as I made with their fathers at the time when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in that covenant of mine, and I despised them, says the Lord” (Heb. 8: 4-9). And after a little: “By saying “new,” he showed the dilapidation of the first; and the decaying and aging is close to destruction. “For the first tabernacle was built, in which was the lamp, and the table, and the offering of bread, and which is called the Holy Place. Behind the second veil was a tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, which had a golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, where there was a golden vessel with manna, Aaron’s rod that blossomed and the tablets of the covenant, and above it the cherubim of glory overshadowing the atonement” (Heb. 8:13,9:2-5). And then: “For Christ entered not into the sanctuary made with hands, which is built in the image of the true, but into heaven itself” (Heb. 9:24). A little later: “The Law is a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of things” (Heb. 10:1). XXIII. You see, the law and all its institutions, as well as our ministry, are man-made saints, through matter leading us to a God alien to matter. Both the law and everything that was according to the law was some kind of shadow of the coming image, that is, of our service, and our service is the image of the good things to come. The very things - the heavenly Jerusalem - are immaterial and not made by hands, as the same divine Apostle says: “We have no permanent city here, but we are looking for the future” (Heb. 13:14), which is the heavenly Jerusalem, to whom “the artist and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10), for for his sake everything was made: both arranged according to the law, and corresponding to our service. Glory to God forever. Amen. Testimony of the ancient and glorious holy fathers about icons “We owe it too” and so on 1 . Explanation. You see, he said and so on. Him, from the book: About the names of God Explanation. If you give images... there is a sign of philanthropy and so on. Him, from the book: On the Church Hierarchy “Superior to us” and so on. Explanation. So, if and so on. St. Basil, from a word in memory of the blessed martyr Barlaam, the beginning of which: “First, of course, the death of the saints...” “Arise now” and so on. His from thirty chapters about the Holy Spirit to Amphilochius, from ch. XVIII “Because the king” and so on. Explanation. If the image and so on. St. Basil, from a word in memory of the martyr Gordius Explanation. You see and so on. St. Basil, from the same word in memory of the martyr Gordius “Like being on fire by itself” and so on. “For as always seeing the sun” and so on. Explanation. Obviously, etc. II in the homily in memory of the most honorable forty martyrs says the following “Concerning the memory of martyrs” and so on. Explanation. So why... the speaker a little later. “And military exploits” and so on. Explanation. What is clearer than this and so on. Explanation. How could you not wish... St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, from the addition [to St. Six Days. Vasily], i.e. about the structure of man, ch. IV “As per human custom” and so on. The same, from the fifth chapter of the same work “Divine beauty” and so on. His, from the word spoken in Constantinople about the deity of the Son and the Spirit and about Abraham. Word 41 of which begins: “in the same way, as for those...” “Then, first, the father of the bound man takes it,” and so on. St. John Chrysostom, from the commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. “The previous in relation to the subsequent is an image” and so on. Leontius [Bishop] of Neopolis of Cyprus, from a word against the Jews about the worship of the cross of Christ, and the icons of saints, and each other, and the remains of saints “If you, a Jew, accuse me again,” etc. Explanation. So, if we bow and so on. Sevirian, Bishop of Gaval, from the word on the renewal of the cross “How is the image” and so on. Explanation. Do you understand that for and so on. And that the depiction of icons is not a new thing, and so on. “Blessed John loved greatly” and so on. In the life of St. Eupraxia is written, etc. In the life of St. Mary of Egypt, etc. From the words of Chrysostom, that there is one legislator of the Old and New Testaments and about the attire of a priest “I also loved the image made of wax, full of piety. For I saw the image of an angel driving away crowds of demons, I saw the barbarian regiments being driven away and David saying: “As a dream upon awakening, so You, Lord, having awakened them, will destroy their dreams” (Ps. 72:20). Him, from the interpretation of the parable of the seed “If you insult the royal robe, will you not also insult the one wearing it? Don’t you know that if you insult the image of the king, you will offend his prototype? Don’t you know that if someone were to overthrow a wooden image or a copper statue, he would be judged not as having violated soulless matter, but as having brought dishonor to the king? Doesn't she wear the image of a king? Doesn’t her insult go back to the king?” The same John Chrysostom, from a word in memory of Meletius, Bishop of Antioch and martyr, and about the zeal of those gathered, the beginning of which: “looking around this sacred flock with your eyes ...” and a little later: “And what happened was an instruction in piety. For constantly urged to remember that name and to have that saint in their souls, they had a means to drive away all unreasonable passion and reasoning. And thus it happened that everywhere: on the street, in the square, and in the fields, this name sounded from all sides. And not only for this name alone you were inflamed with love, but also for the very figure of his body. Because what you did with the name, you did with its image. For on the handles of seals, and on cups, and on goblets, and on the walls of bedrooms, and everywhere, many inscribed his image, so that not only could they hear that holy name, but also see his bodily figure everywhere and have some kind of double consolation in his absence.” His, about the betrayal of Judas, about Easter, about the betrayal of the sacraments and about forgetfulness of malice “Just as painters draw lines on the same board, and make shadows, and represent a thing with the help of paints, so did Christ.” St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, from a letter to all Italy “On the third night, when my body was already tired from fasting, and I did not sleep, but was in ecstasy, a face similar to the blessed Apostle Paul appeared to me, as his image on the icon clearly represented his figure.” Maximus the Philosopher and Confessor, from an essay about what happened between him and Bishop Theodosius “And at the same time everyone stood up with joy and tears, repented and prayed, and each of them kissed the Holy Gospel, the venerable cross, the icon of our God and Savior Jesus Christ and our Lady who gave birth to Him, the All-Holy Mother of God, laying on their hands in confirmation of what was said. His Holiness and Beatitude Archbishop of Theopolis and Patriarch Anastasius, on Saturday, to Simson, Bishop of Vostria “For in the absence of the king, his image is venerated instead. When he is not present, then it is unnecessary, leaving the prototype, to worship the image, but in any case it should not be despised, although it is not worshiped in view of the presence of the one for whose sake the worship is performed.” And a little later: “for just as he who insults the image of the king is subject to punishment, as if he had insulted the king himself, although the image is nothing more than wood and paints mixed with wax and dissolved, in the same way, he who insults someone’s image inflicts offense on the one whose image it is. “Abba Theodore told and so on. I know that contrary to my Creator I broke my oath; I’m not listening to you.” Explanation. You see, that and so on. So, why hasn't anyone started doing this despite there being a lot and so on. 2 If anyone comes in, etc. I. The evil one and the author of evil is the serpent, i.e. the devil, there is a custom - to fight in various ways against man created in the image of God and through intrigues to cause him death. For immediately at the beginning he instilled in him the hope and passion for deification and through this reduced him to a state of death like the dumb. Not only this, but he often seduced him with shameful and unreasonable pleasures. What a distance between deification and irrational passion! Sometimes he drew him into atheism, as the Godfather David says: “The fool said in his heart: “There is no God” (Ps. 13:1), sometimes into polytheism, sometimes he convinced him not to worship God by nature, sometimes he forced him to worship demons, and then the sky and the earth, the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the rest of creation. For it is equally bad not to give due honor to those worthy of respect, and to give glory that does not belong to them to the despised. The truth, which follows the middle path, denies all this as unreasonable, and teaches to confess one God, one nature in three hypostases - Father, Son, and Holy. Spirit; evil is not called essence, but accidental, whether it be some thought, or word, or deed that does not agree with the law of God, which is carried out through thinking, speech and deed and disappears with their cessation. Then he declares that one of the Holy Trinity, Christ, has two natures and one hypostasis. But the enemy of truth and the demon hostile to human salvation, who often tempted to make images of wicked people, and birds, and animals, and reptiles, and to worship them as gods, not only the pagans, but also the sons of Israel, is now trying to disturb the church of Christ, enjoying the world, seasoning evil with divine words through unrighteous lips and the deceit of the tongue, trying to cover up with them its ugly and gloomy appearance and distract the hearts of the unconfirmed from the true custom betrayed by the fathers. II. For some have risen up, saying that the saving miracles and sufferings of Christ and the exploits of the saints in the fight against the devil should not be depicted and exhibited for contemplation, glorification, amazement, and competition. And who, having divine knowledge and spiritual meaning, does not recognize that this is the wiles of the devil? For he does not want to reveal his defeat and shame, he does not want an image of the glory of God and His saints. For if we made an image of the invisible God, we would make a significant mistake, because the incorporeal and the imageless, the invisible and the indescribable cannot be depicted. And again, if we considered what we did to be gods and worshiped them as gods, we would indeed act wickedly, but we do nothing of the kind. For in view of the fact that God became incarnate, and appeared on earth in the flesh and with human beings, having, by ineffable goodness, assumed the nature, volume, appearance, and color of flesh, we do not sin in making His image, since we wish to contemplate His features. For, as the divine Apostle says: “we see through a glass darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12). The icon is glass and fortune-telling, adapted to the coarseness of our body, for the mind, no matter how hard it tries, cannot detach itself from the conditions of the body, says the divine Gregory. III. Be gone, envious devil! You envy the fact that we see the image of our Master and are sanctified through him, we see His saving suffering, we are amazed at His condescension, we contemplate His miracles, we know and glorify the power of His deity. You envy the saints for the honor given to them by God. You do not want to see how we portray their glory and become zealots of their courage and faith, you cannot stand the physical and spiritual benefits that come to us from faith in them. We do not obey you, envious and misanthropic demon. Listen, nations, tribes, languages, men, wives, children, elders, youths and babies, holy Christian people! If anyone preaches to you other than what St. The Catholic Church from the apostles, fathers and councils and has preserved it to this day, do not listen to him and do not accept the advice of the serpent, as Eve did and tasted death for it. And if an angel or a king preaches to you anything other than what you have received, close your ears. For I hesitate for now to say, as the divine Apostle said: “let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8), awaiting correction. IV. But those who do not study the meaning of Scripture say that God said through Moses the lawgiver: “You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on earth below” (Ex. 20:4), and through the prophet David: “Let all who serve idols, who boast in idols, be ashamed” (Ps. 97:7) and much like that. For no matter what they bring from divine Scripture and St. fathers - it has the same meaning. What do we say to this? What else but what the Lord said: “Search the Scriptures” (John 5:39)? For it is a wonderful thing to study the Scriptures; be careful here. It is impossible, beloved, to lie to God: there is one God, one legislator of the Old and New Testaments, “who spoke in many ways and in various ways of old to the fathers in the prophets” (Heb. 1:1) and in recent times in His only begotten Son. Pay attention to this, this is not my word, the Holy Spirit through St. The Apostle Paul said: God, who spoke many times and in various ways of old to the fathers in the prophets. You see, God spoke many times and in many ways. For, just as an experienced doctor does not always give the same thing to everyone, but gives each an appropriate and useful medicine, taking into account the country, the disease, the time, or period, and position, and age: one thing for an infant, and another for an adult, according to his age; one for the sick and the other for the recovering; and not the same thing for each of the patients, but in accordance with the situation and illness; and one in summer, and the other in winter, late autumn and spring; and in each place, according to the nature of the place, so the all-good Physician of souls, still infants and suffering from the disease of idolatry, who consider idols to be gods and worship them as gods and reject the worship of God and give glory to His creatures, forbade making images. For it is impossible to depict God - incorporeal, invisible, immaterial, without a figure, indescribable and immense. How to depict something you haven't seen? “No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed” (John 1:18), and “man cannot see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20), God said. V. And that they worshiped idols as gods, in proof of this listen to what the Scripture says in the Exodus of the Children of Israel about how Moses went up to Mount Sinai and slowed down there, receiving the law from God, how the ignorant people approached Aaron, the servant of God, saying: “Arise and make us a god who will go before us, for with this man, with Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, We don’t know what has happened” (Exodus 32:1). Then, taking off the jewelry from their women, they made a cast image, sang and drank, and became drunk with wine and delusion, and began to play, saying foolishly: “Behold your God, O Israel” (Ex. 32:8). You see, they considered idols to be gods, for they did not make an image of Zeus or one or the other, but gave the gold they had to build some idol, and an image of a bull’s head was made. Thus they considered the cast images to be gods and worshiped as gods those who were the dwellings of demons. And that they served the creature more than the creator, the divine Apostle speaks about this: “they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-legged animals, and reptiles”; “and served the creature instead of the Creator” (Rom. 1:23,25). For this reason, God forbade making any likeness. VI. I know Him who truly said: “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4); and “Fear the Lord your God, and serve Him [alone]” (Deut. 6:13); and “thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3); and “do not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above or what is on earth below” (Ex. XX, 4); and “let all those who serve idols, who boast in idols, be ashamed” (Ps. 96:7); and “the gods who did not create heaven and earth will disappear” (Jer. 10:11). And much like this: “God, who at times and in various ways spoke of old to the fathers through the prophets, has spoken to us in these last days through the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1-2). I know Him who said: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3), and I believe in one God, the one beginning of everything, beginningless, uncreated, not subject to destruction and immortal, eternal and permanent, incomprehensible, incorporeal, invisible, indescribable, without form; one essential essence, pre-divine deity, in three hypostases: Father and Son, and Holy. Spirit; and I serve Him alone, and I worship Him alone. I worship one God, one Divinity. But I also serve the Trinity of hypostases: God the Father and God the Son incarnate, and God the Holy Spirit - not three gods, but one, not divided hypostases, but united; I do not perform three worships, but one: I do not worship each of the hypostases separately, but together I worship the three hypostases, as one God. I do not worship the creature more than the Creator, but I worship the Creator, created after me and who came down to the creature without humiliating or damaging Himself, in order to glorify my nature and make him a community member of the divine nature. Together with the King and God, I worship the purple of the body - not as clothing and as a fourth person; no, but as united with God and abiding without change, like Him who anointed her. For the nature of the flesh did not become Divinity, but just as the Word became flesh immutably, remaining what it was, so the flesh became the Word, without losing what it has, being identified with the Word by hypostasis. Why do I confidently portray the invisible God, who for our sake has become a companion of flesh and blood. I do not depict the invisible Deity, but I depict the seen flesh of God. For if it is impossible to depict the soul, then how much more so is God, who also gave the soul the property of immateriality. VII. But, they say, God said through Moses the lawgiver: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone; and: Thou shalt not make any likeness, tree in heaven and tree on earth. Brethren, they are fundamentally mistaken because they do not know that “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6), and do not examine the hidden spirit under the letter. It would be fair for them to say: he who taught you this, let him teach you the next. Learn, as the legislator explains this, in the following way, as if speaking in Deuteronomy: “And the Lord spoke to you [on the mountain] from the midst of the fire; You heard the voice of [His] words, but you did not see the image, but only the voice” (Deut. 4:12); and a little later: “Keep firmly in your souls that you did not see any image on the day that the Lord spoke to you at [Mount] Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourself graven images, images of any idol representing a man or a woman, images of any livestock that are on the earth, images of any winged bird” (Deut. 4:15-17), etc.; and a little further: “And lest, when you look up to heaven and see the sun, the moon and the stars [and] all the host of heaven, you are deceived and worship them and serve them” (Deut. 4:19). You see, there is one goal: not to serve the creature more than the Creator and not to perform service worship for it, but only to the Creator alone, which is why service is added to worship everywhere. For again he says: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3); “Do not make for yourself an idol or any image; do not worship them or serve them; for I am the Lord your God” (Deut. 5:8,9); and again: “Destroy their altars, and break in pieces their pillars, and burn their groves with fire” (Deut. 12:3), for you will not worship another God; “Do not make for yourselves cast gods” (Ex. 34:17). You see that because of idolatry, icon painting is prohibited and because it is impossible to depict God, who has no quantity, indescribable and invisible, for, he says, “they have not seen His image” (Deut. 4:12), just as Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, says: “we, being the race of God, should not think that the Divinity is like gold, or silver, or stone, which received the image from art and human invention" (Acts 17:29). VIII. Among the Jews, for the sake of their inclination to idolatry, this was legalized. We, however, to whom, speaking with the Theologian, as having escaped superstitious error and having known the truth, it was given to be with God and serve the one God, and to be enriched in the perfection of knowledge of God and to achieve “a perfect man” (Eph. 4:13), “we are no longer under the guidance of a teacher” (Gal. 3:25), since we have survived childhood, having received from God the ability to discern and knowing what can be depicted and what in an indescribable way. “Therefore the law was our guide to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). “So we also, while we were children, were enslaved to the material principles of the world” (Gal.4:3), “but after the coming of faith, we are no longer under the guidance of a teacher” (Gal.3:25). “His image,” he says, “was not seen” (Deut. 4:12). 0. wisdom of the legislator! How to depict the invisible? How to compare the dissimilar? How to describe something that has no quantity and magnitude, is unlimited and has no form? How to paint the incorporeal? And how to designate something that has no form? So, what is being mysteriously shown here? It is obvious that you cannot now depict the invisible God: when you see the Incorporeal One, who became human for your sake, then you will make an image of His human image. When the Invisible becomes visible in the flesh, then you will depict the likeness of the Seen. When He who has no quantity and magnitude and is incomparable in view of the superiority of his nature, existing in the image of God, having taken the form of a servant, is humbled in him to quantity and magnitude and is clothed in a bodily image, then draw Him on a board and lay him up for contemplation of Him who allowed Him to be seen. Draw His ineffable condescension, the birth of the Virgin, baptism in the Jordan, the transfiguration on Tabor, sufferings that bring dispassion, miracles, symbols of His divine nature performed through the action of the flesh, the saving tomb of the Deliverer, the ascension into heaven - write everything in words and colors, in books and on boards. IX. Do not make for yourself, he says, an idol or any likeness. Meanwhile, God commanded this, they say, make the curtain [door] of the tabernacle “of fine woven linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet wool; and he made cherubim on them with cunning work...” “and he made the mercy seat of pure gold...” “... cherubim at both ends of it” (Exodus 37:5,6,7). What are you doing Moses? You say, “Thou shalt not make for yourself an idol, nor any likeness,” but you yourself prepare a curtain with woven cherubs and two cherubs of pure gold? But listen to how thoroughly the servant of God Moses will object to you. O blind and foolish ones, understand the power of what has been said and carefully guard your souls. I said, “hold firmly in your souls that you did not see any image in the day that the Lord spoke to you at [Mount] Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves graven images” (Deut. 4:15-16). I did not say: do not make images of cherubim as slaves who stand before the purification, but: do not create for yourself merged gods, and: do not create any likeness as gods, and do not serve the creature more than the Creator. So, I made neither the likeness of God, nor the likeness of anyone else as God, nor the likeness of man, for human nature was enslaved to sin, and did not serve the creature more than the Creator. He created an image for all creation - a tabernacle according to the image shown to me on the mountain, and cherubim overshadowing the purification, as standing before God. You see how the purpose of Scripture was revealed to those who examine wisely. For we must know, beloved, that in every action we must look for truth and falsehood, and for the purpose of the actor, whether it is good or bad. And the Gospel describes God, and angel, and man, and earth, and water, and fire, and air, and the sun, and the moon, and light, and darkness, and Satan, and demons, and snakes, and scorpions, and life, and death, and hell, and virtues, and vices, and everything beautiful and bad. But at the same time, since everything said about them is true, and the goal is the glory of God, and our salvation, and the glory of the saints glorified by him, and the shame of the devil and his demons, then we bow, embrace, kiss and greet him with our eyes, lips, and hearts. Likewise, the entire Old and New Testament, and the words of the saints and famous fathers. We abhor and reject the vile, shameful, and unclean writings of the damned Manichaeans, invented for the glory of the devil and his demons and for the destruction of souls, even if it contains the same names. Thus, in the matter of icons, it is necessary to examine the truth and purpose of what is being done. And if their goal is true and correct, and they serve for the glory of God and His saints, for zeal in virtue, for the avoidance of evil and the salvation of souls, then one must accept and honor them, as images and imitations, and likenesses, and books for the illiterate, and a reminder, and bow to them, and kiss and greet them with eyes and lips, and heart, as the likeness of God incarnate, or His mother, or holy companions of the suffering and glory of Christ, victors and overthrowers of the devil and demons, and their deception. If anyone dares to make an image of an immaterial and incorporeal Deity, then we reject it as a lie. And if anyone dares to do it for the glory, honor and worship of the devil or demons, then we abhor it and burn it out with fire. And if anyone idolizes the image of people, or cattle, or birds, or reptiles, or any other creature, then we anathematize it. For how the shrines and churches of demons were destroyed by St. the fathers, in their place, erected churches in the name of God and the saints, which we also honor, so they destroyed the images of demons and instead erected icons of Christ and His mother, and the saints - and we honor them. In the Old Testament, Israel neither erected churches in the name of people, nor celebrated their memory, for human nature was still under a curse, and death was a punishment, which is why it was mourned; and whoever touched the body of the deceased was considered unclean. Now, from the time the Divinity united inextricably with our nature, as a kind of life-giving and saving medicine, our nature has become significantly glorified and transformed into incorruptibility, which is why churches for saints are erected and icons are painted. X. So, let every person know that whoever sets about destroying an icon that exists for the glory and remembrance of Christ, or His Mother, the Holy Mother of God, or one of the saints, and to the shame of the devil, and the defeat of him and his demons, and out of divine love and jealousy, and who does not worship, and does not venerate, and does not kiss with love what is depicted, as an honest icon, and not as God, is an enemy of Christ, and St. The Mother of God and the saints, the defender of the devil and his demons, in fact showing the sadness that God and His saints are revered, but the devil is put to shame. For the icon is a triumph, and an announcement, and an inscription in memory of the victory of those who distinguished themselves and those who gained the upper hand, and the shame of the defeated and overthrown. I have often seen lovers who, seeing the dress of their beloved, greeted the dress as the most beloved, both with their eyes and lips. For it is necessary, according to St. to the Apostle Paul, to give due to everyone: “to whom is honor, honor” (Rom. 13:7); “whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to the rulers, as sent by him” (1 Pet. 2:13-14), each according to his dignity. XI. Where will you find in the Old Testament or in the Gospel the clear name of the Trinity, or consubstantial, or one nature of the Divinity, or literally: three Hypostases, or one - the Hypostasis of Christ, or literally: two natures. But since the holy fathers determined this on the basis of equivalent expressions found in Scripture, we accept and anathematize those who do not accept. I prove to you that in the Old Testament God commanded to make images: first of all, the tabernacle and everything in it. And in the Gospels the Lord Himself asked Him with a tempting purpose: “So, tell us: what do you think? Is it permissible to give tribute to Caesar or not? But Jesus, seeing their wickedness, said: Why are you tempting Me, you hypocrites? show Me the coin with which the tax is paid. They brought Him a denarius. And he says to them: whose image and inscription is this? They say to Him: Caesar's. Then he says to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:17–21). Whatever has the image of Caesar belongs to Caesar, give it to Caesar, and whatever has the image of Christ, give it to Christ, for it is Christ’s. XII. The Lord, pleasing the disciples, said: “I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and did not see, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear.” “Blessed are your eyes for seeing, and your ears for hearing” (Luke 10:24; Matthew 13:16). So, the Apostles saw Christ and His sufferings and His miracles with their bodily eyes, and heard His words. We wish to see and hear and be pleased. They saw face to face when He was physically present: we, when He is not physically present, listen, thanks to books, to His words, and sanctify our ears and through it our soul, and are pleased and worship, reading the books, thanks to which we listen to His word, and through the image on icons we contemplate the features of His bodily image, His miracles and sufferings, and we are sanctified, and satisfied, and rejoice, and we are pleased, and we reverence, honor, and worship His bodily image: contemplating His bodily image, we think, as far as possible, about the glory of His Divinity. For since we are double, composed of soul and body, and our soul is not naked, but as if covered with a veil, it is impossible for us, apart from the physical medium, to achieve the mental. So, just as, thanks to sensual words, we hear with our bodily ears and think about spiritual things, so through bodily contemplation we ascend to spiritual contemplation. Since man has a body and a soul, therefore Christ also accepted body and soul. Therefore, double baptism: with water and spirit, and general, and prayer, and psalmody - everything is double, bodily and spiritual: like a lamp and incense. XIII. But leaving everything, the devil rushed against only the icons. And his hatred of icons is so great that St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, is written as follows. “Abba Theodore Elliot said that there was a certain hermit on the Mount of Olives - an ascetic. The demon of fornication fought with him very much. And then one day, when he was attacking him very much, the elder began to grieve and said to the demon: “How long will you not give up on me? Leave me alone. Until old age you are with me." Then the demon apparently appears to him and says: “Swear to me that you will not tell anyone what I tell you, and I will no longer fight with you. And the elder swore to him: “I swear to the Almighty that I will not tell anyone what you tell me.” Then the demon says to him: “Do not worship this icon, and I will not fight with you.” On the icon there was an image of our Lady St. Theotokos Mary, bearing our Lord Jesus Christ. Look who those who prevent the veneration of icons imitate and whose tools they are, for the demon of fornication preferred that the elder would rather not venerate the icon than fall into the uncleanness of fornication, since he knew that this sin was worse than fornication. XIV. But since we are talking about icons and worship, then let’s divide the conversation about this into parts and say, firstly, what is an image? Secondly, what is the image made for? Thirdly, what is the difference between the images? Fourth, what can and cannot be depicted? Fifthly, who was the first to make the images? XV. Also about worship: first, what is worship? Secondly, what are the types of worship? Third, what does Scripture say can be worshiped? Fourthly, that all worship is performed through the naturally worshiped God. Fifthly, that the honor given to the image goes to the prototype. Firstly, what is an image? XVI. So, an image is a likeness, and an example, and an image of something, showing what is depicted on it. The image is not completely similar to the prototype, that is, depicted, but one is an image, and the other is depicted, and their difference is completely clear, although both represent the same thing. I will give an example: the image of a person, although it represents the figure of the body, however, has no spiritual powers, for it does not live, does not reason, does not speak, does not feel, does not move its members. And the son, being a natural image of the father, has something different from him, for he is a son, and not a father. Secondly, why does the image exist? ХVII. Every image is a revelation and a demonstration of what is hidden. I will give an example: since a person has neither clear knowledge of the invisible in view of the fact that his soul is under the cover of the body, nor of what will happen after it, nor of what happens at a distance and local distance, since he is limited by the conditions of place and time, then for a guide to knowledge, for the revelation and promulgation of the hidden, an image was invented. Precisely, for benefit, for good deeds and salvation, so that we recognize what is hidden in known and glorified deeds, and desire and be jealous of what is good, and turn away and hate the opposite, that is, what is bad. Thirdly, what is the difference between the images? XVIII. The difference between the images is as follows: the first image is natural. In every thing there must be, firstly, what is by nature, and then what is by position and imitation. Thus, man necessarily exists, firstly, by his nature, and then by position through imitation. The first natural and unchanging image of the invisible God is the Son of the Father, showing the Father in Himself. “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18). And again: “It is not that anyone has seen the Father” (John 6:46). And that the Son is the image of the Father, the Apostle says about this: “Who is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15); and to the Hebrews: “He is the brightness of His glory and the image of His person” (Heb. 1:3). And that He shows the Father in Himself is about this in the Gospel of John in response to the words of Philip: “Show us the Father, and it is enough for us” (John 14:8), the Lord says: “I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The Son is the natural, unchangeable image of the Father, similar to the Father in everything, except for unbornness and patronymic. For the Father is the unbegotten parent. The Son is begotten and not the Father. And the Holy Spirit is the image of the Son, for “no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). So, we know Christ the Son of God and God through the Holy Spirit and in the Son we contemplate the Father, for by nature the word is a messenger of the mind and a revelation of the spirit. In the same way, the image of the Son is unchanged - the Holy Spirit, which has a difference only in its procession, for the Son is begotten, but does not proceed. And the son of every father is a natural image. And this will be the first type of image - natural. XIX. The second type of image is the thought in God of what He will create, that is, His eternal council, which always remains equal to itself, for the Divinity is unchangeable, and His council is beginningless, in which, as it was decided before the ages, so at the time appointed by Him, it will be fulfilled. For images and examples of what will be done by Him are thoughts about each of these objects, and they are called by St. Dionysius by predestination, since in His advice it is inscribed and depicted that which is predetermined by Him and will undoubtedly be fulfilled before its existence. XX. The third type of image is one created by God in imitation, that is, man. For how can the created be of the same nature as the uncreated? Not otherwise than by imitation. For just as the Mind the Father, the Word the Son and the Holy Spirit are one God, so the mind, the word and the spirit are one man. He is also like God in freedom and power to command, for God says: “Let us make man in Our image [and] after Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26), and immediately added: “And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air” (Gen. 1:26), and again: “And fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion.” over the fish of the sea [and over the beasts], and over the birds of the air, [and over every livestock, and over all the earth], and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). XXI. The fourth type of image occurs when the picture presents views and forms and outlines of the invisible and incorporeal, depicted bodily for the sake of the weakness of our understanding of both God and the angels, since we cannot contemplate the incorporeal without images corresponding to us, as Dionysius the Areopagite, great in divine things, says. For in one thing only: in adaptation to us, who cannot directly rise to rational intuitions and need appropriate and understandable means, it is possible to indicate the basis for the fact that, in justice, images are attributed to those who have no image and form - those who have no form. So, if, taking care of the correspondence to us, the divine Word, delivering from everywhere that which elevates us, ascribes certain images to simple and imageless objects, then how can we not depict that which has become similar in appearance to our own nature, which we strongly desire, but which cannot be seen, since it is not there? Gregory the Theologian says that the mind, despite great effort, is completely unable to renounce the physical, but “for His invisible, His eternal power and Divinity, have been visible from the creation of the world through the consideration of creation” (Rom. 1:20). We see in creatures images that dimly show us divine revelations, when, for example, we say that the Holy, beginningless Trinity is depicted through the sun, light and ray; or through a gushing spring, flowing stream and bed; or through the mind, word and spirit that are in us; or through the plant, the color and smell of the rose. XXII. The fifth type of image is considered to be one that pre-depicts and delineates the future, like a bush, and dew on a rune, and a rod and a stamna - the Virgin and Mother of God; and like the serpent - the One who destroyed through the cross the bite of evil - the serpent; or sea, water and cloud - the spirit of baptism. XXIII. The sixth type of image is the one that serves to remember the past: either a miracle, or virtue, to glorify, honor and designate those who won and distinguished themselves in virtue; or - evil, to the shame and shame of the most vicious men and, finally, to the benefit of those looking on, so that we avoid evil and are jealous of virtues. This image is twofold: through the word written in books, for writing depicts the word - how God inscribed the law on tablets and ordered the lives of God-loving men to be written down; and through sensory contemplation, as, for example, He ordered that a stave and a staff be placed in the ark for an eternal reminder and ordered the names of the tribes to be carved on the stones that were on the shoulders (of the high priest). Not only this, but he also ordered twelve stones to be raised from the Jordan in the image of the priests, oh, the sacrament, truly the greatest for the faithful, in the image of the priests carrying the ark and the impoverishment of water. Thus, even now we lovingly paint images of men who lived virtuous lives for competition and remembrance of them on our part. Therefore, either destroy every image and make a law contrary to the One who ordered them to exist, or accept everything with the basis and character appropriate to each. Chapter four: what can be depicted and what cannot be depicted? XXIV. Naturally, bodies and figures are depicted that have a bodily outline and color. The angel, soul and demon are depicted and described, although they do not have a body or volume, in accordance with their nature. For, according to faith, they, being mental beings, are mentally present and act in mental places. So, they are depicted bodily, as Moses depicted the cherubim, and as worthy people saw them, but in such a way that the bodily image shows some incorporeal and mental contemplation. The divine nature alone is indescribable and completely without form or form, and is immense. And if the Divine Scripture, as it seems to us, ascribes bodily forms to God, then, although these images were contemplated, they are incorporeal, for the prophets and those to whom they were revealed contemplated them not with bodily eyes, but with mental ones, but not everyone saw them. Simply put, we can make images of all the images we have seen. Let us think about them as they were visible. For if sometimes we move from words to the knowledge of images, then only those that we have seen, and in every sensation: from what we smelled, tasted, touched, we move through words to their knowledge. XXV. So, we know that it is impossible to see the nature of either God, or the soul, or the demon, but with some change in appearance they are also contemplated, since divine providence ascribes figures and forms to incorporeal, and those without a figure and corporeal appearance, to guide us and for a superficial and partial knowledge of them, so that we are not completely ignorant of God and incorporeal creatures. For God is by nature completely incorporeal; the angel and the soul and the demon, compared with God, the only incomparable one, are bodies; those compared with material bodies are incorporeal. So, God, not wanting us to be completely ignorant of the incorporeal, clothed them with figures, species and images corresponding to our nature, through which they are contemplated by the immaterial eye of the mind. And we imagine and depict them. For how could the cherubim be represented and depicted? Scripture also mentions figures and images of God Himself. XXVI. God Himself was the first to give birth to the Only Begotten Son and His Word, His living and natural image, the unchanging reflection of His eternity. He created man in His image and likeness. And Adam saw God, and heard the sound of His feet as He walked in the evening, and disappeared into Paradise. And Jacob saw and wrestled with God. It is clear that God appeared to him in the form of a man. And Moses saw, as it were, the hindmost part of a man; and Isaiah saw Him as a man, sitting on a throne. And Daniel saw the likeness of a man, and as it were the son of man, who came to the Ancient of Days. And it was not the nature of God that each of them saw, but the figure and image of Him who had the intention of appearing. For the Son and invisible Word of God intended to become true man in order to be united with our nature and visible on earth. So, everyone bowed down, seeing the figure and image of the Coming One, as the Apostle Paul says in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “All these died in faith, not receiving the promises, but only saw them from afar and rejoiced” (Heb. 11:13). So, should I not make an image of what I saw in my carnal nature? Is it really not possible to worship and honor Him with the worship and veneration given to His icon? Abraham did not see the nature of God, for “no one has ever seen God” (John 1:18), but the image of God and fell and worshiped. Joshua saw not the nature of an angel, but an image, for the nature of an angel cannot be seen with bodily eyes, and he fell and bowed down, like Daniel. An angel is not God, but a creature, and a servant of God, and a representative. He worshiped not as God, but as a representative and servant of God. Shouldn’t I also make images of Christ’s friends and worship them, not as gods, but as images of God’s friends? For neither Jesus nor Daniel worshiped the angels they saw as gods. And I do not worship the icon as God, but through the icon and St. The Mother of God and the saints I give worship and honor to God, for whose sake I respect and give signs of respect to His friends. God united not with the angelic nature, but with human nature. God did not become an angel, but God became a natural and true man. “For He will not receive angels, but He will receive the seed of Abraham” (Heb. 2:16). It was not the angelic nature that became the Son of God, but the hypostases, but the human nature became the Son of God by hypostasis. The angels did not participate and did not become partakers of the divine nature, but only of action and grace. Among people, those who accept the holy body of Christ and drink His blood participate and become partakers of the divine nature. For both are united with the Divinity by hypostasis, and in the body of Christ they receive, the two natures are inseparably united by hypostasis; and we partake of two natures: the body - bodily, and the Divinity - spiritually: rather, both - in both ways: we are not identified hypostatically, for at first we exist hypostatically and then we are united, but through the mixing of flesh and blood. And aren’t those who, through keeping the commandments, keep this unity pure more than the angels? Our nature, diminished a little from the angels through death and the coarseness of the body, through favor and union with God has become more than angelic, for the angels stand before him, sitting in Christ on the throne of glory, with fear and trembling and will stand with fear at judgment, but Scripture does not speak of them as sitting together [with Christ] and sharing the divine glory, for “are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for those who are to inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14); does not say: neither that they will co-reign, nor that they will be co-glorified, nor that they will sit at the Father’s table. The saints are the sons of God, the sons of the kingdom, heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ. So, I honor the saints and glorify the slaves and friends and joint heirs of Christ: slaves by nature, friends by election, and sons and heirs by divine grace, as the Lord speaks to the Father. So, having spoken about the icon, let’s also say about worship, firstly, what is worship? About Worship: What is Worship? XXVII. Worship is a sign of reverence, that is, humiliation and humility: there are many types of worship. XXVIII. The first type of worship is service worship, which we perform to the one God who is worshiped by nature. And it has different types: firstly, slave worship, for all creatures worship Him as slaves to the master, “for all things serve You” (Ps. 119:91), and some voluntarily, others involuntarily: some, knowing, voluntarily worship what the saints are; those who know and those who do not want to worship involuntarily, what are the demons; others, not knowing God by nature, involuntarily worship Him whom they do not know. XXIX. The second type is worship, out of wonder and love, with which we worship God for the sake of His natural glory. For He is the only glorious one, having glory not from anyone, but Himself the author of all glory and all good: incomprehensible light, incomparable sweetness, inexplicable beauty, abyss of goodness, incomprehensible wisdom, limitless power, the only one worthy in Himself of wonder, worship, glorification and love. XXX. The third type is the worship of thanksgiving for the benefits shown to us, for everything that exists must thank God and perform unceasing worship, because everything has its being from Him and will take place in Him, and His gifts are given to everyone abundantly and without asking. And He desires that all should be saved and have a share in His goodness: He is long-suffering when we sin, and makes the sun rise on the righteous and the unjust, and rains on the evil and on the good. We must, finally, thank God for the fact that the Son of God for our sake became like us and made us sharers of the divine nature: for the fact that we “will be like Him” (1 John 3:2), as John the Theologian says in his conciliar letter. XXXI. The fourth type is worship in need (of benefits) and in the hope of benefits. In this case, recognizing that without Him we cannot do anything or have any good, we worship by asking from Him what everyone feels the need for and what they love, or liberation from evil, or to receive good. XXXII. The fifth type is the worship of repentance and confession, for when we sin, we worship and fall before God, begging, like prudent servants, to forgive us for our transgressions. And this type is threefold, for everyone grieves either out of love, or out of fear of being deprived of God’s benefits, or out of fear of punishment. And the first kind comes from nobility and love for God Himself and from filial disposition; the second is mercenary; the third is a slave. What do we find worthy of worship based on Scripture, and in what ways do we worship creatures? XXXIII. Firstly, we worship those in whom God rests, the only saint and who rests in the saints, as, for example, in St. Theotokos and all saints. These, as far as possible, became like God, thanks to their will and infusion, and the assistance of God. They, rightly, are called gods, not by nature, but by position, just as red-hot iron is called fire, not by nature, but by position and participation in the fire, for he says: “Be holy, for holy am I the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:2). First of all, this is arbitrary. Then God helps everyone who chooses good to achieve good: “I will dwell in them and walk in them” (2 Cor. 6:16; Lev. 26:12); and: “you are the church of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Cor. 3:16). Then: “He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease” (Matthew 10:1); and: “The works that I do will he do also, and greater works than these will he do” (John 14:12). Then: “Now says the Lord: I will glorify those who glorify Me” (1 Samuel 2:30); and: “if only we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17). Also: “God became in the company of gods; He pronounced judgment among the gods” (Ps. 82:1). Therefore, just as they are truly gods not by nature, but as partakers of Him who is God by nature, so they deserve worship not by nature, but because they have within themselves the Worshiped One by nature, just as red-hot iron is not by nature inaccessible to touch and is hot, but by participation in that which is hot by nature. So, they are worshiped as glorified by God, as those who, with the help of God, have become terrible enemies and benefactors of those who approach with faith, but not as gods and benefactors by nature, but as servants and servants of God, who have received boldness for their love for Him. We worship them because it pleases the king to see his beloved servant being worshiped, not as a king, but as a faithful servant and a favored friend. Those who approach them with faith receive what they ask, since either the servant asks it from the King, or the King acquires the respect and faith of the seeker from His servant, for for his sake He asked. This is how those who approached through the Apostles were healed, and this is how the shadow, scarves and towels of the Apostles exuded healing. Those who, as rebels and apostates, want to be worshiped as gods, are not worthy of worship, but are worthy of eternal fire. And those who disdainfully and out of arrogance of mind do not worship the servants of God are condemned as proud and arrogant, as insulting God. And evidence of this is the children who boldly reviled Elisha and became food for the bears. XXXIV. The second type is when we worship created things through which and in which God accomplished our salvation either before the coming of the Lord, or after His economy in the flesh, such as Mount Sinai, Nazareth, the Bethlehem manger, the cave, St. Golgotha, wood of the cross, nails, sponge, cane, sacred and saving spear, clothing, tunic, shroud, shrouds, St. the tomb is the source of our resurrection, the tombstone, St. Mount Zion, then the Mount of Olives, the Sheep Gate, the blessed Garden of Gethsemane - this and the like I honor and worship; I honor every St. the church of God and every place in which the name of God is pronounced, not for the sake of their nature, of course, but because they are the container of the divine action, and through them and in them God was pleased to accomplish our salvation, for I honor and worship both angels and people, and all matter that participates in the divine action and served my salvation, for the sake of the divine action. I do not worship the Jews, because they were not participants in the divine action and did not crucify the Lord of glory, my God, for the purpose of my salvation, but rather, motivated by envy and hatred of God and the Benefactor. Lord, says David, “I have loved the habitation of Your house and the place of the dwelling of Your glory” (Ps. 25:8); and: “let us bow down at His footstool” (Ps. 132:7); also: “worship on His holy mountain” (Ps. 98:9). The holy animated mountain of God is holy. Mother of God. The intelligent mountains of God are the Apostles. “The mountains leaped like rams, and the hills like lambs” (Ps. 98:4). XXXV. The third type occurs when we worship what is dedicated to God, I mean the holy Gospels and other books: “it is described for our instruction, having reached the last ages” (1 Cor. 10:11); also dishes, bowls, censers, lamps and meals, because it is known that all these are objects worthy of honor, for look how God destroyed the kingdom of Belshazzar when he ordered the people to use sacred utensils. XXXVI. The fourth type is when they worship images seen by the prophets, for they saw God in images; and images of the future, like Aaron’s rod, depicting the mystery of the Virgin, and stamnas, and meals. And Jacob bowed to the top of the staff, which was the image of the Savior. Images of the past exist as reminders. The tabernacle itself is the image of the whole world, for look, [God] says to Moses, the image shown to you on the mountain, and the golden cherubim are carved, and the cherubim on the veil are woven. We also worship the honest image of the cross, the likeness of the bodily figure of my God and who gave birth to Him in the flesh and all His servants. XXXVII. The fifth type is when we worship each other, as having a portion in God and created in the image of God, we worship each other, humbling ourselves and fulfilling the law of love. XXXVIII. The sixth type, worship of principles and powers. For (Scripture) says: “give to everyone their due: to whom honor, honor” (Rom. 13:7). Just as Jacob bowed to Esau as his firstborn brother, and to Pharaoh as his God-appointed leader. XXXIX. The seventh type is when slaves worship masters and benefactors, and those in need of those they needed, as Abraham worshiped the sons of Hamor when he bought the double cave. XL. And simply put, worship is a sign of fear, love, reverence, reverence and humility. But no one should be worshiped as God, except the one God by nature; Everyone must give their due for the Lord's sake. XLI. See what strength and what divine power is given to those who approach the icons of saints with faith and a clear conscience. Therefore, brethren, let us stand on the rock of faith and on church tradition, without changing the limits that the saints set. our fathers, not giving room to those who want to introduce new things and destroy the structure of St. the catholic and apostolic church of God, for if freedom is given to everyone who wants it, then little by little the entire body of the church will be destroyed. Brothers, Christ-loving children of the Church, do not disgrace your mother, do not destroy her decorations, accept her as she speaks to me. Learn what God says about her: “You are all beautiful, my beloved, and there is no spot on you!” ( Song 4:7 ). Let us worship and serve only the Creator and Creator of the world, God, as worshiped by nature. Let us also bow to St. Theotokos, not as God, but as the Mother of God according to the flesh. Then let us worship the saints, as God’s chosen friends and those who have received boldness towards Him. For if people worship kings, often corrupt, wicked and sinful, and the rulers they have appointed and their images, according to the divine saying of the Apostle: “Remind them to obey and submit to the rulers and authorities” (Titus 3:1); and: “give everyone their due: to whom fear, fear; to whom is honor, honor" (Rom. 13:7); then: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21), then how much more is it necessary to worship the King of kings, as the only one by nature who rules, and His servants and friends, as those who reign over the passions and are made rulers over the whole earth: “You will make them princes over all the earth” (Ps. 44:17), says David, who has received power over demons and diseases, co-reigned with Christ in the incorruptible and indestructible kingdom, one shadow of which drove away diseases and demons? Let us not consider the icon weaker and lower than the shadow, for it truly paints the prototype. Brethren, the dignity of a Christian lies in faith. Therefore, he who comes with faith receives great benefit: “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, tossed and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6), such a one will receive nothing. For all the saints pleased God through faith. So, let us accept the church tradition in simplicity of heart, and not with many reasonings, for “God created man upright, but they began to be carried away by many thoughts” (Eccl. 7:30). We will not allow you to learn a new faith, since it condemns the tradition of the holy fathers, for the divine Apostle says: “If anyone preaches to you anything other than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:9). So, we worship icons, worshiping not matter, but through them those who are depicted on them, for the honor given to the image passes to the prototype, as the divine Basil says. ХLII. May Christ fill you, the most sacred flock of Christ, the Christ-named people, the holy people, the church body, with the joy of His resurrection and deign to follow in the footsteps of the saints, shepherds and teachers of the Church, and may He lead you to His glory in the lordship of the saints, which may we achieve by His grace, forever glorifying Him together with the beginningless Father, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Having spoken about the difference between idols and icons and revealed the definition of icons, it is time to bring evidence, as we promised from the scriptures. St. Dionysius, Bishop of Athens, from the letter to the Apostle John the Theologian “Truly visible icons are the visible of the invisible.” “Beings and ranks superior to us, the sacred remembrance of which I have already made, are incorporeal, and their hierarchy is mental and transcendental. We see ours, in the likeness of ourselves, filled with a variety of sensory symbols, through which we, as befits a hierarchy, rise to a uniform deification in accordance with our properties - to God and virtue. For they, as minds, think in accordance with what is determined for them, but we rise, as far as possible, to divine contemplation through sensory images.” Explanation. So, if, in accordance with our properties, we are raised to divine and immaterial contemplation through sensory images, then what is indecent to depict in our own likeness the One who, for our sake, was seen in figure and image and nature as a man? St. Basil, from a word in memory of the blessed martyr Barlaam, the beginning of which: “First, of course, the death of the saints...” and to the end of the same word: “Arise now, glorious painters of courageous deeds! Exalt the imperfect image of the commander with your art. Glorify the winner I have described unclearly with the colors of your wisdom. I will leave defeated by your description of the exploits of the martyr. Defeated, I rejoice in this victory of your strength. I see the struggle of a hand with fire, more accurately described by you. I see the palm written more clearly in your image. Let the demons weep now, struck through you by the exploits of the martyr. Let the burning and conquering hand be shown to them again. Let the hero Christ be depicted in the picture!” Him, from the word in memory of St. forty martyrs «И военные подвиги представляют часто и историки, и живописцы: одни – украшая словом, другие – начертывая на досках. И те и другие многих возбудили к мужеству, ибо что слово представляет через слух, то молчаливая живопись показывает через подражание». His, from thirty chapters on the Holy Spirit to Amphilochius, answer 18 “Because the image of a king is called a king, but these are not two kings, since the power is not diminished, the glory is not divided. For just as the power and power that dominates us is one, so our praise is one, and not many, which is why the honor given to the image passes to the prototype. So, what is imitative here—the image—is essential there—the Son.” Explanation. So, just as he who does not honor the Son, according to the Lord, does not honor the Father who sent Him, so he who does not honor the image does not honor the image. But maybe someone will say: we need to honor the icon of Christ, but not the saints. Oh, foolishness! Listen to the Lord, who says to the disciples: “Whoever accepts you will accept Me,” so that he who does not honor the saints does not honor the Lord Himself. St. Gregory of Nyssa, from the 44th word spoken in Constantinople, about the deity of the Son and the Spirit and about Abraham, whose beginning: “what, for example, lovers of such views experience at the sight of beautifully flowering meadows,” and a little later: “Then, first, the father takes the bound son. I have often seen a picture of this misfortune and have never passed by the spectacle without tears, since art vividly presents history before my eyes. Isaac, kneeling and with his hands tied behind his back, is located at the very altar. The father, stepping on the bend of the knee from behind, bending the child’s head towards himself with his left hand, looks into the face looking pitifully at him, and, armed with a knife, directs his right hand towards the slaughter. And the edge of the knife already touches the body when he hears a voice from God prohibiting the deed.” St. John Chrysostom, from the commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews «Предыдущее в отношении к последнему есть образ: Мелхиседек есть образ Христа, подобно тому, как если бы кто-нибудь назвал тенью, написанной красками картины предварительно затененное живописцем поле ее. Ибо поэтому закон называется сенью, и благодать – истиною, грядущее же – вещами. Thus, the law and Melchizedek are a shadow in the colors of a painted picture, but grace and truth are a picture in colors, and things refer to the age to come. So, the Old Testament is the image of the image, and the New is the image of things.” Севириана Гавальского, из слова на обновление честного и животворящего креста “So, how did the image of the damned bring salvation to a people dejected by disaster? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say: if any of you is bitten, let him look to heaven, upward, to God or to the tabernacle of God, and be saved. But leaving this, he only placed the image of the cross. Why did Moses do this when he told the people: “You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth” (Ex. 20:4)? But why am I telling this to an ungrateful people? Tell me, most faithful servant of God, why do you do what you forbid? Do you arrange what you destroy? Saying: “Do not make for yourself an idol,” having destroyed the molten calf, you are making a serpent out of copper - and this is not secret, but openly and known to everyone? But that, he says, I legitimized in order to destroy the objects of wickedness and distract the people from all apostasy and idolatry, but now I cast the serpent for good - into a prototype of the truth. And just as I built the tabernacle and everything in it, and spread over the holy cherubim - invisible likenesses, like the image and shadow of the future, so I placed the serpent for the salvation of the people, so that through this I could prepare them for the image of the sign of the cross and on it the Redeemer and Savior. And that this word is not false, beloved, listen to the Lord, who confirms it and says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Explanation. And that the veneration of icons is not a new thing, but an ancient one, known and customary to the saints and famous fathers, it is written about this in the life of Blessed Basil, compiled by his disciple and successor in the Hierarchical ministry Helladius, it is written that St. Vasily stood in front of the icon of our Lady, on which was written the image of the glorious martyr Mercury. He stood there, asking for deliverance from the most godless tyrant and apostate Julian. And from this icon he received the following revelation: he saw that the martyr had disappeared for a short time, but after a little, he saw him holding a bloody spear. From the life of John Chrysostom “Blessed John greatly loved the epistles of the wise Paul.” And a little later: “There was a place where he, due to bodily illness, rested a little, for he was much awake beyond his strength,” and the image of this Apostle on the icon. And when he read his messages, he looked at her and addressed him as if he were alive, directing all his thoughts to him and entering into communication with him through contemplation. And having missed a few: “When Proclus finished his speech and, looking at the icon of the apostle, saw an image similar to the one he saw, then, bowing before John, he said, pointing his finger at the icon: “Forgive me, father, the one I saw speaking to you is like this. I think that’s who he is.” From the History of the God-loving Theodoret, Bishop of Pyrrhus, about the life of St. Simeon Stylite “It is unnecessary to talk about Italy, for they say that in great Rome there was such a glorious man that small icons of him were erected in all the entrances to work premises, thereby providing themselves with some protection and security.” St. Basil, from the commentary on Isaiah “When he saw man created in the image and likeness of God, then, not being able to turn against God, he exhausted his malice on the image of God; just as if some angry person, since the king himself cannot, stones an image, striking a tree that has a likeness.” Explanation. Thus, everyone who venerates an image obviously honors the prototype. His same, from the same interpretation “Just as he who insults the royal image is judged as having sinned against the king himself, so, obviously, he who reviles the one created in his image is guilty of sin.” St. Athanasius, from a hundred chapters written to the prefect Antiochus in questions and answers, ch. XVIII Answer. “We, the faithful, do not worship icons as gods, like the pagans, let it not be! But we only discover the disposition and desire of our love for the sight of the face depicted on the icon. Therefore, often with the destruction of the figure, we burn the rest, like an unnecessary tree, although there was once an icon on it. So, just as Jacob, before his death, bowed to the top of Joseph’s rod, honoring not the rod, but the one holding it, so we, the faithful, kiss icons for no other reason than because we kiss both our children and our fathers, i.e. to express the love of our soul. Likewise, the Jew worshiped the tablets of the law and two gold carved cherubim, honoring not stone and gold by nature, but the Lord who commanded this.” St. Chrysostom, on the third psalm about David and Absalom “Kings erect victory statues to victorious generals, and leaders erect some victorious monuments to horsemen and fighters, and with an inscription, like a wreath, they make matter a sign of victory. Others again write praises to the winners in books and letters, wanting to show that their power in praise is greater than the power of those whom they praise. And historians, and painters, and sculptors, and people, and leaders, and cities, and countries are surprised at the winners. No one painted an image of someone running away and not fighting.” St. Cyril of Alexandria, from an address to Emperor Theodosius “Images are similar to prototypes: and they should be treated this way and not otherwise.” “Images always have similarities with prototypes.” His, from the book that through every writing of Moses the mystery of Christ is shown; about Abraham and Melchizedek, ch. VI “Images should be painted that are similar to the prototypes.” St. Gregory the Theologian, from 2 words about the Son “The nature of an image is to be an imitation of the prototype of which it is considered to be the image.” Chrysostom, from the third discourse on the Epistle to the Colossians “The Image of the Invisible is Himself invisible, for otherwise He would not be an image. For our image, since it is an image, must be similar in everything so that its figure expresses likeness.” Him, from the interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews ch. XVII “Just as in images the image represents the figure of a person, and not a force, so truth and figure are in mutual relation to each other, for the figure is equal.” Eusebius Pamphilus, from book 5 of the Gospel Proof on the words: “God appeared to Abraham at the oak tree of Mamre” (Gen. 18:1) “Therefore, this place is now, in honor of those who appeared here to Abraham, revered by its neighbors as divine, and one can see the oak tree, which is still preserved. Those hospitably received by Abraham are represented in the picture reclining: two on the sides, and in the middle there is a larger one, superior in honor. It was the Lord who appeared to us, our Savior Himself, Whom even the ignorant reverence, confirming the divine words. So, He Himself, from that time on, throwing the seeds of piety to people, taking on human appearance and form, revealed to the God-loving forefather Abraham what He was like, and gave him knowledge of the Father.” From the chronography of John Malala of Antioch, about the bleeding wife and the monument that she erected to Christ the Savior “From that time on, John the Baptist became known to people, and King Herod, who ruled the Trachonitis region, cut off his head in the city of Sebastia eight days before the Kalends of June, during the consulate of Flaccus and Rufinus. Saddened by this, King Herod, the son of Philip, left Judea. And a certain rich woman came to him, living in the same city of Paneas, but named Vernika, wanting, in view of the fact that she had been healed by Jesus, to erect a monument to Him. Not daring to do this without royal permission, she submitted a petition to Herod, asking him to erect a golden statue of Christ the Savior in her city. This was her request. “To the Divine Herod, ruler, legislator of the Jews and Greeks, king of Trachonitida, the petition and prayer of the venerable Vernika from the city of Paneas. True, philanthropy and other virtues surround your head like a crown. That’s why I, knowing this, with good hopes, ready for anything, am writing to you. What is the reason for this introduction, further speech will show you. Having suffered from bleeding since childhood, I spent my livelihood and wealth on doctors, but did not find a cure. Having heard about the healings of the amazing Christ, that He resurrects, again calls the dead to light, drives out demons from people and heals all those exhausted by illness with a word, and I ran to Him as to God. And paying attention to the crowd surrounding Him, fearing that, out of disgust at the defilement of the disease, He would be angry with me and a greater defeat of the disease would happen to me, I reasoned to myself that if I could touch the hem of His garment, I would be saved. And having touched Him, I was immediately healthy, since my blood source had stopped. He, as if he knew in advance the advice of my heart, exclaimed: “Who touched me? The strength has left me." And so, turning pale and groaning, thinking that He would return me to a more serious illness, I, falling to Him, filled the earth with tears, telling about my boldness. He, being a good one, having mercy on me, sealed my healing, saying: “Be of good cheer, daughter! your faith has saved you; Go in peace." So you, divine ones, will satisfy the worthy request of the petitioner.” King Herod, having heard about this from the petition, expressed surprise and, frightened by the mystery of the healing, said: “Your healing, wife, is worthy of a very large monument. So, go and, glorifying the Healer, erect a monument to Him, whatever you want.” And immediately Vernika herself, who had previously bled, erected a copper monument made of molten copper mixed with gold and silver to God and the Lord in the middle of her city of Paneas. This monument remains to this day in the city of Paneas, having recently been moved from the place in the city where it was erected to St. place, a house of prayer. This memory was found in the city of Paneada by a certain Bassus, a Jewish Christian, in a book about the lives of all those who reigned in the land of Judea.” From the seventh book of the Church History of Eusebius Pamphilus, about the bleeding paneadic woman “After we remembered this city, I do not consider it possible to miss a story worthy of being remembered by our descendants. For the bleeding woman, who, as we learned from the sacred Gospels, received healing of her illness from our Savior, they say, left here; Her house is shown in the city, and amazing trophies of the Savior’s good deeds to her remain. For standing on a high stone at the gate of her house was a copper image of a wife, fallen on her knees, with her hands outstretched forward as if begging. In front of her is another of the same material - the erect figure of a husband, modestly dressed in a cloak and extending his hand to her. At the feet of this statue grows a strange kind of herb, which, when it reaches the edge of the copper cloak, becomes a cure for all diseases. This statue is said to represent an image of Jesus. It has survived to this day, so those who went to that city can see it. And it is not surprising that persons from the pagans, who were once blessed by our Savior, did this when we talked about the painted images of the Apostles themselves - Peter and Paul, as well as the Savior Himself, which is natural, since the ancients, in view of their pagan custom, were accustomed to recklessly venerate in this way. The same, from the ninth book of the same story, about Emperor Constantine “Having felt God’s help very well, he orders that a sign of saving suffering be immediately placed in the hand of his own statue. And so, when she was placed with the saving sign of the cross in her right hand in the most crowded place in Rome, he ordered the following inscription to be made in Latin: “With this saving sign, a true sign of courage, I freed your city, saving it from the yoke of the tyrant. Then, having freed both the Senate and the Roman people, I restored them to their ancient meaning and splendor.” From the first book of Socrates' Ecclesiastical History; Ch. XVIII, about the same emperor “After this, Emperor Constantine, very concerned about Christianity, despised pagan piety and stopped martial arts; He left his own images in the temples.” Stephen of Vostria, against the Jews; Ch. IV “We made icons of saints in memory of saints, for example, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Zechariah and the rest of the prophets and saints. martyrs, killed for God’s sake, so that everyone who sees their icons would remember them and glorify Him who glorified them.” “Concerning icons, we hope that every work done in the name of God is beautiful and holy. О идолах же и кумирах – нет, ибо худы и страшны и они, и делающие их. For one icon of St. пророка, и другое – изображение или статуя Кроноса и Афродиты, солнца и луны. Так как человек создан по образу Божию, то ему поклоняются; змей же нечист и отвержен, так как он – образ дьявола. If you reject things made with hands, then tell me, Jew, is there anything on earth that is not made with hands that is worshiped? Was not the ark of God, the altar, the atonement, the cherubim, the golden reservoir containing the manna, the table, the inner tabernacle and everything that God called the holy of holies made with hands? Не были ли рукотворными херувимы, изображения ангелов? What are you saying? If you call them idols, what can you say about Moses and Israel who worshiped them? И поклонение есть знак почтения. Why do we, sinners, worship God in accordance with divine service, and glorify Him with worthy worship, and fear Him as our Creator and Leader; to the angels and servants of God - for the glory of God, as God’s creations and His servants. For the image is the name and likeness of what is written on it, which is why the suffering of the Lord and St. We always remember the prophets described in the law and the Gospels, thanks to both writings and images.” St. Gregory of Nazianzus, from the word against Julian the Apostate “The icons displayed in public places bear signs of his wound from the blow inflicted due to this atrocity.” Chrysostom, from the interpretation of the righteous Job “In all this Job did not sin and did not say anything foolish about God” (Job 1:22). Just as in images, when we paint someone’s history, we inscribe: “so-and-so dedicated,” so here, describing the image of his soul that wrote the book, as if signing on the rim below, he says: “In all this Job did not sin” (Job 1:22). From the life of St. Constantine, from book 4 “Everyone can learn how much his soul was strengthened by the power of faith from the fact that he himself decided to have his image written on gold coins in such a way that it would seem that, having turned to God, he was looking upward in the position of a praying man. Thus, his images were distributed throughout the Roman Empire. In some cities, in the very palaces, on the images displayed in the upper part of the porticoes, he was painted in an upright position, looking up at the sky with outstretched hands, with the appearance of one praying. In this way he imagines himself praying in the paintings.” “So, this is how the king’s mother died, worthy of the greatest honor, both for the sake of her God-loving deeds, and for the sake of the extraordinary and wondrous descendant born from her, who should be pleased, both for everything in general, and for his holy attitude towards his mother. She became so pious, without being so before, that it seemed as if from her first age she had known a common Savior. She was so honored by royal dignity that among all nations and in the most military legions she was called: “Augusta Empress,” and her image was printed on gold coins.” From there, from book 4, ch. 69 “The inhabitants of the capital city, together with the Senate and the Roman people, when they learned about the death of the emperor, then, in view of the terrible news that surpassed any misfortune, they indulged in unbearable sadness. Baths and markets, national spectacles and everything that was usually done during life's leisure time while having fun were closed. The former sensualists walked with their eyes downcast. Yet together they glorified the blessed, God-loving one, as truly worthy of the kingdom. And this was expressed not only in words, but, moving on to deeds, they revered him dead as if alive, by dedicating images to him. They depicted the view of the sky in a picture painted with paints; above the top of heaven, with the help of painting, they represented him resting in the ethereal land.” “So, in a similar way, the blessed one, instead of one, thanks to the succession of children, became multiple, so that through the arrangement of images he is revered among all nations along with his children.” Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, and Polychrome, from a commentary on the book of Ezekiel “Just as the Romans, painting royal images, surround them with spearmen and force the people to prostrate themselves before them, so it is here. In view of the fact that the king in the vision represents God, as if carried on a throne, by pointing to images of everything on earth, paying tribute to the image, he teaches about the dominion of God over everything.” “And you, son of man, take yourself a brick and lay it before you, and inscribe on it the city of Jerusalem; and lay a siege against it, and make a fortification against it, and build a rampart around it, and pitch a camp against it, and place battering machines all around against it” (Ezek. 4:1-2). Explanation. If you are afraid to speak against the crowd, to predict the devastation of the city, the destruction of the church and the resulting disasters, then announce it differently in order to bring them to their senses and show your justice. And taking, he says, a plinth, write the city. Let the name of the city be inscribed so that you know that it is Jerusalem. Having made a city, surround its image with a rampart so that they say that it is a camp. Let the troops march in military formation, for this is what the word means: regiments, that is, ready-made military legions, not only equipped with weapons, but also moving siege weapons with which they destroy these walls, for the name of the walls indicates the walls. Most amazing of all, he shows the crowd standing near the city; shows in order to, striking with fear of horrors, distract the people from lawlessness. From the torment of St. Eustathius, who is also (called) Placidos “When one day, as usual, he went out with his army and his entire retinue into the mountains to hunt, a herd of deer appeared in front of him. And dividing his army into parties, as usual, he pursued them. When the whole army was busy catching deer, the largest and most beautiful of the entire herd, separated from the herd, rushed through densely overgrown and impassable places to the oak forest. Placidas, seeing him and wanting to catch him, pursued him, leaving everyone with a few soldiers. When his companions grew weak, he alone did not tire of the pursuit. Since, according to God's providence, neither his horse got tired, nor he himself was afraid of the inconvenience of the place, then, after pursuing for a long time, he found himself far from his army. The deer ran, and he, having been chased to the top of the cliff, unaccompanied by anyone, stopped, looking around and thinking about how to take the deer. But the all-wise and merciful God, who invents all sorts of ways to save people, on the hunt Himself catches him, not like Cornelius through Peter, but like the persecutor Paul - through his own appearance. While Placidas stood for a long time and looked at the deer, marveling at its size and wondering how to grab it, the Lord shows something marvelous of this kind that was quite natural and not beyond his strength. But just as with Balaam, who gave his word to the donkey, exposed his intention, so here he shows him the image of St. on the antlers of a deer. of the cross, whose brilliance surpasses the sun, and in the middle of the horns is the image of the God-bearing body, which He deigned to accept for the sake of our salvation. And the human voice given to the deer calls upon Placis, saying: “Placidas, why are you persecuting Me? I came for you, and you see Me on this animal. I am Jesus Christ, whom you worship without knowing. For your good deeds, which you do to those in need, have reached Me, and I came to appear to you through this deer and to catch you Myself and surround you with the nets of My love for mankind. For it is unfair for someone dear to me to enslave unclean demons and dead and dumb idols for the sake of good deeds, because, wanting to save the human race, I came to earth for this in the form in which you now see Me.” Xie. Leontius, (bishop) of Naples on the island of Cyprus, from the book against the Jews “Let us proceed, let us proceed zealously and make protection and images of honest icons in order to stop the mouths of the lawless who speak lies, since this is the tradition of the law, and not ours. For listen to God Himself, telling Moses to build two sculpted cast cherubim to overshadow the purification. And then God showed Ezekiel the church, which, he says, had sculptured images of lions, palms, men and cherubim from its foundation to the top of the roof. A truly terrible speech: God, who ordered Israel not to make anything - neither the image nor the likeness of what is in heaven and what is on earth. He himself commands Moses to make sculpted living creatures - cherubim; and God shows Ezekiel a church full of images and carved likenesses of lions, palm trees and people. And Solomon, taking an example from the law, built a church full of copper carvings of bulls, palm trees and people, and was not condemned by God for this. So, if you want to condemn me for the icons, condemn in advance God, who commanded them to be made, so that we might have them as a reminder of Him.” “Again, the perfect atheists ridicule us for depicting and worshiping the honorable cross and godlike icons, calling us idolaters and tree-worshippers. If I am a tree-theist, as you, an atheist, say, then I, of course, am a polytheist. If he is a polytheist, then when swearing I must say: “I swear by the gods,” just as you, seeing one calf, said: “Behold your gods, O Israel.” But you will never hear this from the lips of Christians. But the adulterous and unfaithful synagogue is accustomed to always speak of the most chaste Church of Christ as of a harlot.” “We do not worship images and icons and figures of saints as gods. For if we worshiped the tree of the icon as God, then, of course, we would worship the rest of the trees and would not burn icons, as often happens when the image is erased. And again: while the trees that make up the cross are connected, I worship this image for the sake of Christ crucified on it: when they are separated from each other, I throw them and burn them. And just as he who receives the sealed command of the king and kisses the seal did not honor dirt or leaf or lead, but gave honor and worship to the king, so we Christians, when we worship the image of the cross, we worship not the nature of the tree, but seeing the seal, the ring and the sign of Christ Himself [i.e. e. cross|, through it we kiss and worship Him crucified on it.” “And therefore I draw and write Christ and the sufferings of Christ in churches and houses, and squares, and on icons, and on canvas, and in storerooms, and on clothes, and in every place, so that, seeing them clearly, you will remember, and not forget, as you have always forgotten the Lord your God. And just as you, when you worship the book of the law, worship not the nature of skins and ink, but the words of God found in it, so I worship the icon of Christ, but not the nature of wood and paints, let it not be! But, worshiping the inanimate image of Christ, through it I think to embrace and worship Christ Himself. And just as Jacob, having received from Joseph’s brothers, after they sold him, a multi-colored tunic stained with blood, kissed the tunic with tears and put it before his eyes, not the clothes, of course, mourning, but thinking that through it he was kissing Joseph and holding him in his hands, so we Christians, kissing physically the icon of Christ, or the Apostle, or the martyr, in our souls we think that we are kissing Christ Himself or His martyr. For, as I have often said, in every kiss and in every worship, the purpose is examined. Если же ты обвиняешь меня, говоря, что я поклоняюсь древу креста, то почему ты не обвиняешь Иакова, поклонившегося Иосифу на верх жезла. Но ясно, что, не древо почитая, он поклонился, но через древо поклонился Иосифу, как и мы через крест Христу. И Авраам, когда поклонился продавшим ему гробницу нечестивым мужам и склонил колено на землю, то поклонился им не как богам. And then Jacob blessed Pharaoh, although he was wicked and an idolater; and he blessed Esau seven times, but not as God. Вот сколько лобызаний и сколько поклонений показал я тебе, как естественных, так и на основании писания, которые нельзя осуждать. Когда же видишь меня, поклоняющегося иконе Христа или Его всесвятой Матери, или святого, то ты тотчас негодуешь, и порицаешь, и называешь меня идолослужителем, и не стыдишься. И ужасаешься, и краснеешь от стыда, видя меня ежедневно разрушающим во всей вселенной храмы идолов и воздвигающим храмы мучеников. Если бы я поклонялся идолам, то зачем я почитал бы мучеников, уничтожавших идолов? If, as you say, I glorify trees, then how do I honor the saints who burned the wooden statues of demons? If I glorify stones, then how do I glorify the Apostles who crushed stone idols? If I honor the images of false stone gods, then how do I glorify and praise, and hold festivals in honor of the youths who labored in Babylon and did not worship the golden idol image? But truly great is the bitterness of the lawless, great is their blindness! Jew, great is your shamelessness and wickedness. Indeed, the truth is insulted by you. Arise, O God, pronounce Your judgment! Divide and judge between us and the unholy, unrighteous and alien people who always irritate You.” “So if, as I have often said, I worshiped wood and stone, then I would say to wood and stone: “You gave birth to me.” If I worship the icons of saints, or rather the saints themselves, and worship and honor the exploits of the holy martyrs, then how can you, foolish one, say that these are idols? For idols are the likenesses of false gods, adulterers, murderers, child killers, sensual ones, and not prophets and not apostles. And in order to at least partially present a brief and true example of Christian and pagan similarities, listen. The Chaldeans in Babylon had various musical instruments to serve the images of demons. The children of Israel also had instruments from Jerusalem, which they hung on the willows, both of which included harps, harps, and flutes. But these were for the glory of God; the same ones like these to serve the demons. Also distinguish between icons and idols, Christian and pagan, because pagan images are built for the glory and remembrance of the devil, but these are for the glory of Christ and the Apostles, and the martyrs, and His saints.” “So, when you see a Christian worshiping the cross, know that he worships it for the sake of Christ crucified, and not the nature of the tree. Otherwise we would worship all the trees of the field, just as Israel worshiped the groves and trees, saying: “You are my God; You gave birth to me” (Jer. 2:27). We are not like that, but we have in churches and houses a monument and an image of the suffering of the Lord and those who suffered for Him, doing all this for the sake of our Lord Himself. And then, tell me, Jew, what scripture commanded Moses to worship Jethro, his father-in-law, although he was an idolater? And Jacob to bow down to Pharaoh? And Abraham, the son of Hamor? Were they righteous and prophets? And Daniel - the wicked Nebuchadnezzar? And they did this for the sake of the conditions of worldly and transitory life, how can you accuse me that I worship the holy monuments of saints, picturesque and narrative, as well as suffering and deeds, thanks to which I receive blessings daily and expect eternal and unceasing life.” From Theodoret's Ecclesiastical History, vol. IV “During this consulate, in the month of December, on the 25th day, a terrible and extraordinary miracle happened, the rumor of which amazed all people. For someone named Olympius, who usually skipped next to a pacer that belonged to Euthymius, the leader of the Aryan heresy, when he was in the bathhouse of the Helenian palace, in a warm bathroom, and saw some of the bathers glorifying the Consubstantial One, he said to them: “What is the Trinity? What wall isn’t it written on?” And holding his genitalia, he said: “Here is my Trinity.” Those who were there rushed with the intention of killing him, but were restrained by a certain Magnus, presbyter of the church of St. The Apostles in the castle, an amazing man who revered God, who told them that it was impossible to hide from the eye of the omnipresent Truth, which carefully records everything. When, out of respect for this husband, the disorder ceased, Olympius rose and, as usual, taking advantage of the warm baths, went out to a pool of cold water, which received water from a spring flowing from the middle of the holy altar of St. the house of the first martyr Stephen, a house that Avrilian, who shone with the virtues of a ruler, built long ago. Therefore, I think the water received divine attention. Having descended into the pool, he quickly comes out screaming: “save me, save me,” and, scratching his entire body, separated it from the bones. Still, those around him took him, wrapped him in a sheet and laid him down, at his last breath. They asked what happened? And Olympius says: “I saw a man dressed in white clothes, who, entering my pond, doused me with three buckets of hot water, saying: “Do not blaspheme.” Those who differed from him (in doctrine), taking him on a stretcher, carried him to another bathhouse, located at the Arian church. When they wanted to remove the sheet from him, they lifted all his flesh with it and, thus killed, he betrayed his spirit. This became known throughout almost the entire empire. Some said about the victim that he had once, from piety glorifying the Consubstantial Trinity, passed through second baptism into the heresy of Arius. When the case reached the ears of the emperor, Anastasius was there, he ordered, depicting a miracle on the icon, to establish it at the top of the pool. A certain John, deacon and ecdick of the above-mentioned saint. the house of the first martyr Stephen, a man who more than anyone else always shows zeal for the dogma of consubstantiality, himself painted the image, but not easily, for he signed the names of those who washed and saw (the miracle), as well as where each of them lived, and, moreover, those who served at the waters. This image, which still stands firmly at the entrance to the fourth portico of the repeatedly mentioned house, testifies to what happened. And since that miracle was followed by another miracle, it is not good to omit it, since it has the same basis, and I will not hesitate to tell it, although it is closer to the present time. The supporters of Arius, seeing the victorious triumph, prayed to the one who was entrusted with the care of the Helenian palace, as the head and administration of the bath, to remove and hide the image. He, having found a plausible excuse - the moisture coming from water, took away the seemingly damaged image and, they say, hid it under the pretext of correction. It happened that the king, making a circuitous journey to each separate royal area and arriving there, looked for the image, and thus it was again installed on the wall. Eutychian - that was the name of the head of the buildings - was immediately struck by some divine judgmental wrath: his right eye blurred; The worst thing was that the rest of his limbs were trembling. Then he came to St. the house where it was believed that part of the sacred remains of the wondrous Pantoleon and Marinus rested, and this place was called “Concord,” since, having gathered there, under the great emperor Theodosius, 150 bishops created a certain common and [all] recognized doctrine of the consubstantial divine Trinity and explained the Lord’s acceptance of humanity from the Virgin and [thus] created this name. When he stayed [there] for about seven days and did not receive any relief, but his “twin of the heart” also turned out to be eaten away, then in the middle of one night, the subdeacon, who was supposed to spend the night here, sees in a dream that some kind of king is standing and, pointing his hand at the sick man, says: “How can I receive him? Who brought him here? He agreed with those who blasphemed Me. He hid the image of the miracle." Standing up, the cleric spoke about what he had seen, saying that it was impossible for him to be healed of his illness. That same night, Eutychian, as if falling asleep from suffering, sees some young eunuch, dressed in shiny clothes, saying to him: “What is the matter with you?” When he answered: “I am dying, being exhausted and not receiving healing,” I heard him say: “No one can help you, because the King is terribly angry with you.” This one begged: “Who, he says, should I bother with requests, what will I do?” He says: “If you want to get relief, go immediately to the Helenian baths and rest near the image of the burnt Arian.” Immediately waking up, he called one of the servants. They were afraid, because for the past three days he had been without a voice. And he tells them to carry it as ordered. Having reached that place and being laid at the icon, he died. For he who appeared, speaking of the freedom of relief, meant the separation of the soul from the body.” St. Anastasia, with St. mountains of Sinai “Four miles from Damascus there is a place called Karsatas. In this area there is a church of St. Theodora. The Saracens entered and settled in this church, desecrating it with all uncleanness, thanking women, children, and foolish animals. And then one day, when most of them were sitting and talking, one of them threw an arrow at the icon of St. Theodore and struck him in the right shoulder. And immediately blood began to flow and flowed down the icon, so that everyone saw the miracle that had taken place: the arrow pierced into the saint’s shoulder, and the blood flowing out. And yet those who saw such a wondrous sign did not come to their senses. The one who threw the arrow did not repent. Neither of them was embarrassed. They did not leave the church. They did not stop desecrating it. They suffered extreme punishment for this. Of the twenty-four families that settled in the church, within a few days all died an unfortunate death, while in the same area during these days, except for those living in the church, no one died. This icon, which was shot with a bow, still exists to this day with an arrow wound and a trace of blood. Many of those who saw and were there when this wondrous sign took place are still alive. And I saw this (Theodore) icon and when I saw it I wrote what I saw. From the life of St. Simeon the Wonderworker, story of Arkady, Archbishop of Cyprus; miracle one hundred and thirty second It happened in those days that a certain man, a merchant from the city of Antioch, was overcome by terrible despondency from an evil demon and at times was so oppressed by him that he choked him, blocking his breath. So he, having come to the saint and received healing through his prayers and becoming as if he had not suffered anything bad, came to his house and, in gratitude to the saint, erected an icon in his honor in a crowded and open place in the city, above the doors of his shop. Some of the infidels, seeing her, so honorably decorated with lamps and veils, were overcome with rage and outraged restless people like themselves, so that a crowd gathered and excitedly shouted: “death to the one who did this,” and “let the icon be overthrown.” It happened according to God’s economy that that husband was not in his house, for they were ready to kill him. Meanwhile, others shouted differently. And their sin was very many and great before God, and their envy was immeasurable, prompted by which they gathered, believing that they had found the time to rebel and insult the saint, who often condemned the evil faith and error of the pagans among them. So, since they could not restrain their rage so great, they instructed one of the soldiers to climb the steps and throw down the icon. When he got up and stretched out his hands to do what was ordered, he immediately fell to the ground and broke. And there was great commotion in the crowd, but having sent out another, they ordered him to go up. And this one, when he stretched out his hands to throw off the icon, also crashed to the ground. And when this happened, everyone, frightened, began to overshadow themselves with the sign of the cross. Finally, these infidels became so distraught that they instructed a third to take up this task, and when this one extended his hand to throw off the icon, he too noisily crashed to the ground. Then great fear fell on all the surrounding faithful and, amazed by the bitterness and courage of those unfaithful and lawless men, they left, bowing with prayer to the icon. St. John Chrysostom, from a speech on the words: “know that you walk among nets” “So, beloved, let us not grieve and lose heart in this present disaster, but let us marvel at the ingenuity of the wisdom of God. For through what the devil hoped to destroy our city, through this God raised it up and strengthened it. For the devil, in order for the very foundation of the city to disappear, inspired lawless people, and they insulted the statues of the emperors.” “When after that the plan happened, and some criminals and lawless people, disregarding the laws, overthrew the statues and exposed everyone to a danger exceeding the strength of each of us, now, having angered the emperor, we fear for life itself; the deprivation of property no longer frightens, but something else instead. I hear everyone saying: let the emperor take the property, we will willingly leave our markets and houses. Let someone promise to preserve for us only our naked body. So, before the fear of death attacked you, you were hurt by monetary punishment, but when lawlessness was boldly committed, the fear of death came and drove away grief with monetary punishment.” “Don’t you know that if someone has not committed a robbery, but finds himself in a den of robbers, then he is judged as a robber? And what am I talking about robbers? You, of course, know everything and remember how some lawless people and deceivers overthrew the statues among us: but all those who simply happened to be present at the incident, attracted and brought along with them to trial, suffered extreme punishment.” Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus, from the History of the God-Lovers, about the Macedonian Asianite “And when at another time the city went on a rampage, thanks to some very crafty demon, as if a disease had actually attacked it, they foolishly turned against the royal statues.” From the Church History of Theodore, Reader of Constantinople about a certain heretic Palladius “Bishop Palladius of Antioch, who had gained favor with the emperor, disdained the subsequent holy Chalcedonian dogmas and destroyed images of St. fathers." From the Life of St. Constantine, from the third book, ch. IV “So it ended nicely for him. The results of the slander arising from hatred, disturbing the churches of Alexandria, caused a schism between the Thebans and Egyptians and other considerable disasters, since they themselves rebelled in every city: since bishops rebelled against bishops and people against people, and in clashes they just did not kill each other. So one could see how people, in a frenzy of mind, committed lawlessness and recklessly insulted the images of kings.” From the Church History [Theodore the Reader] about those who think in accordance with Dioscorus “For he was filled with such insolence that he erased from the sacred diptychs the names of the blessed shepherds who were there and destroyed their images, tyrannically burning them.” From the same story, about the heretic who inherited the throne of Constantinople after Macedonius “This lawless one, coming to the meetings, ordered to inspect the honest churches and, if he found Macedonius depicted somewhere on the icon, then, before he destroyed him, he did not perform the liturgy.” From the same story, about Julian and Timothy [Elure] “Some of those who rejoice in the unrest know this Julian in alliance with Bishop Timothy, thanks to the work of the above-mentioned Macedonius. The reason for the unity was that he, soon seizing this [Macedonius] through his servants, when civil leaders were also present in the bishop's house, forced him to anathematize the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon. The elder, praying before the icons of the deceased saints painted in Constantinople, archbishops Flavian and Anatolius, thanks to whom the Council of Chalcedon received power, cried out: “if you do not want to give freedom in the matter of anathematizing the decrees of St. cathedral, then destroy the icons of the bishops, and blot out the sacred diptychs.” Chrysostom, from a word in memory of St. Flavian of Antioch “And the crowd showed itself to be exactly what it is. For, following an unreasonable impulse, like a leader, she rushed against the royal images and statues, and, overthrowing them, dragged them across the square, for rage infuriated souls, and anger blinded prudent reasoning.” From the same word, from the address of Patriarch Flavian to to the great Emperor Theodosius “We have sinned, O king! We do not hide the sin of which the matter itself accuses us. We do not deny the rage with which we raged against your images, or better [to say]: against ourselves. But as convicts, we expect philanthropy.” And again from the same word, from the address of St. Flavian “Do not destroy so many images for the sake of one copper image. Do not destroy so many divine images for the sake of one copper image that can easily be cast.” Him, Chrysostom, about the fact that there is One Lawgiver of the Old and New Testaments and about the priest’s attire “I also loved the image made of wax, full of piety. For I saw the image of an angel pursuing crowds of demons, and driven away armies of barbarians and David saying: “As a dream when it awakens, so You, Lord, having awakened them, will destroy their dreams” (Ps. 73:20). St. Basil, in the glorification of St. forty martyrs “So, here! By bringing them to the center with our memories, we will bring common benefit to those present through them, showing everyone the exploits of their husbands, as in a picture. Both historians and painters depict military exploits, some adorning them with words, others depicting them on boards: both of them aroused many to courage. For what the word of narration offers to the ear, silent painting shows through imitation.” St. Gregory of Nazianzus, from poetry “Either don’t teach, or teach with your lifestyle. Don’t attract with words and push away with deeds. Have less need for words, do what you need to do. The painter mainly teaches with images.” Translation of the same If, he says, you do not teach by way of life, then do not teach by word, lest by lack of proper right you drive away those whom you have enticed by word. For if you do what is necessary, then this good deed will also be a word of teaching, just as a painter mostly teaches with images. “And I will not remain silent about Polemon, for this is one of the miracles that people talk about a lot. He had not been among the chaste before, but was a zealous servant of shameful pleasures. When he was overwhelmed by the love of goodness, having found an adviser, I don’t know who, whether some sage, or himself, suddenly turned out to be so far above passions that I believe in this one of the miracles that happened to him. Some incontinent young man invites a harlot. And when she, he says, approached the gate where Polemon was looking from the icon, then, seeing the icon, for it was revered, she immediately left, amazed at the spectacle, she was ashamed of what was depicted as if it were alive.” Chrysostom, from the interpretation of the letter to Timothy; Ch. VII “But be an example to the faithful” (1 Tim. 4:12), being in everything an example of good deeds, that is, be yourself an example for life in the likeness of the icon set before you.” From the welcoming speech of St. sixth council “Again Nestorius and again Kelestin and Cyril. One distinguished and divided Christ, while others, helping the Lord, overthrew the divider. Here is Ephesus, and the pictures of what was done there through an unwritten voice, silently, speak about deeds.” The most ancient Clement of Alexandria, from the seventh book of Stromatus “So, he not only praises the beautiful, but he himself strengthens himself to be beautiful, becoming through love from a good and faithful slave a friend because of the perfection of the state, which is freely acquired by true learning and much exercise, so that he would reach the pinnacle of knowledge, strengthened and adorned by habit, meek in appearance, having everything that truly constitutes the advantage of a Gnostic, looking at the beautiful examples, at the many who succeeded before him, the patriarchs, very many prophets, countless angels and above all the Lord, who taught and showed that it was possible to achieve the lifestyle of those leaders.” St. Theodore, Bishop of Pentapolis “Again there was a certain man named Fion, one of the noblest in that country, who decorated the church of St. martyr with many gifts and overlaid his altar with silver. And one of his servants, having stolen a lot of money from him, ran away. Fion did not pursue him, but, approaching the icon of the martyr, he sculpted a wax figure of the image and with faith in St. strengthened the martyr at the gate of his house. And immediately the servant returned, as if persecuted by someone, and came to his master, without losing anything of what he had stolen. Since everyone found out about this, to this day the inhabitants of that country commit this against the fugitives.” St. Athanasius of Alexandria, from the third book Against the Arians “The Son, being in the proper sense the birth of the Father, naturally says that the properties of the Father belong to Him. Why to the saying: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), rightfully and consistently added: “So that you may know that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.” Also, before He said: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:10,9). And the meaning of these three sayings is the same. For he who knows that the Son and the Father are one, knows that the Son is in the Father, and the Father in the Son, because the Divinity of the Son is the Divinity of the Father, and It is in the Son. And he who understands this knows that he who has seen the Son has seen the Father, for in the Son the Divinity of the Father is contemplated. Anyone can understand this most clearly by the example of an image of a king, which represents his appearance and form, and the king has the same appearance as is in the image. The likeness of the king on the icon is similar [to him] in everything, so that whoever sees the image sees the king on it; and again: the one who sees the king admits that it is he who is in the image. In view of the fact that the likeness does not differ (from the prototype), then to the one who wants to see the king after the image, the image would say: “I and the king are one, for I am in him and he is in me, and what you see in me, you see it in him; and seeing it in him, you see it in me. For he who worships an image worships the king in it, since the image is its form and appearance.” Him, to the prefect Antiochus “What do those who reject and command not to worship the images of saints that we draw for remembrance say to this?” Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, to the Emperor Gratian about the incarnate economy of God the Word “God is before the flesh and God is in the flesh... But one must be afraid, they say, lest, by ascribing to Christ two minds or two wisdoms, one does not divide Christ. But do we separate Christ when we worship His Divinity and flesh? Or do we share Him when we worship the image of God and the cross in Him? It won't happen." Cyril, Patriarch of Jerusalem, from the twelfth catechetical word “So, if you are looking for the reason for the coming of Christ, then turn to the first book of the Scriptures. In six days God created the world, but the world was created for the sake of man. For the sun, shining with rays, is very bright, but, we say, it was created for the sake of man. And all living things are appointed to serve us: grass and trees - for our benefit. All creations are created beautiful, but not one of them is the image of God, except for man. The sun was formed by one command, man - by divine hands. For he says: “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). A wooden image of an earthly king is revered, but how much more intelligent is the image of God.” St. Basil to St. Flavian, about the Samaritan woman “Our Lord, teaching one who erroneously thinks on the basis of local custom that worship should be performed in a certain place, says that he must worship in spirit and truth, obviously calling Himself the truth. Just as, we say, in the Son, as the image of God the Father, we worship the Father, so also in the Spirit, showing in Himself the Divinity of the Lord.” St. Gregory of Nazianzus, on baptism “If after baptism the enemy of the light attacks you, he will attack, for he attacked the Lord and My God, the hidden light, through what was visible, then you have something to overcome. Don't be afraid of the fight. Oppose the spirit. Contrast with water. And after a little. Relying on the seal, say: I am the image of God. I am not cast down from heavenly glory, as you are for pride. I have put on Christ, I have adopted Christ into myself through baptism. Bow to me." St. John Chrysostom, about the Maccabees “The images of royal figures shine not only with gold and silver and precious materials, but one can see the same image inscribed on copper. And the difference in materials does not harm the dignity of the image. And the use of less valuable material does not reduce the honor of the image in comparison with one made from better materials. But the royal image makes all materials equally worthy of respect and, not in the least humiliated by matter, it makes the one that is used for it more respectable.” Him, from the first word against the godless Julian “What is the new Nebuchadnezzar? For in his attitude towards us he turned out to be in no way more philanthropic than the ancient one, whose coals still bother us, although we have escaped the flame. And don’t the very monuments of the saints, lying in churches for the veneration of the faithful, show desecration of the body?” “For when royal figures and images are sent and brought into the city, the rulers and the people greet them with greeting and fear, honoring not the board, not the wax image, but the image of the king—and so does the creature.” Severian Gavalsky, from the fourth word on the cross “Moses struck the rock once and twice. Why once and twice? If she obeys the power of God, then what is the need for a second blow? If he strikes independently of the power of God, then neither the second, nor the tenth, nor the hundredth blow can turn a barren nature into a nature full of vitality. So, if it was the work of God and did not contain the mystery of the cross, then one blow was enough, a wave was enough, a word was enough. But in order to pre-depict the image of the cross, the following happens. Moses struck, says [Scripture], both once and twice, unequally, but depicting a cross, so that soulless nature was revered as a symbol of the cross. For if, with the departure of the king, the image takes the place of the king, and the rulers worship him, and festivities are held, and the rulers greet him, and the people worship him, looking not at the board, but at the figure of the king, not visible in reality, but shown in the picture, then much more the image of the immortal king can not only break the rock, but also the sky and the entire universe. From the chronography of Deacon Isidore “Neophilus sinned when he reproached John Chrysostom before the Empress Eudoxia for thinking in accordance with the Origen heresy. Augusta was hostile towards the named John because of the widow's vineyard. And because of this sin, Theophilus could not betray his soul until the icon of Chrysostom came. And by bowing to her, he betrayed his spirit.” Jerome, Presbyter of Jerusalem “If your scripture nowhere commands you to worship the cross, then why do you worship it? Tell us, Jews and Greeks, and all the peoples who ask you!” Answer . Foolish and shameless at heart! Perhaps, therefore, God allowed every people who honor God to certainly worship something on earth that is the work of man, so that they could no longer blame Christians for worshiping the cross and icons. So, just as the Jew worshiped the ark of the covenant, and the two cherubim, cast from marble and gold, and the two tablets that Moses carved from stone, while God never commanded them to be worshiped and kissed, so we Christians kiss the cross not as God, but showing the sincere disposition of our souls towards the Crucified One. The Great Simeon from Divnaya Mountain, about icons “Perhaps one of the infidels, being grumpy, will begin to argue, saying that we, too, who worship icons in churches, should be counted among those who pray as if they were soulless idols. So, let it not be that we do this, for everything among Christians is accomplished by faith and our unfaithful God, who contributes to our powers. For by stopping not at the colors, but at the memory of the prototype of the writings, contemplating through the visible picture of the Invisible, we glorify Him as present, believing in God, not as not existing, but as truly existing; and in the saints, not as not existing, but as existing and living with God, and their souls, as saints and helped by the power of God, help the worthy when they need it.” Anastasius, Archbishop of Antioch, to Simeon, Bishop of Vostria, about the Sabbath “For in the absence of the king, his image is venerated. When he is present, it is unnecessary, leaving the prototype, to worship the image: but in any case, he should not be despised only because he is not worshiped in view of the presence of the one for whose sake the worship is performed. Something similar, I think, happened with the canopy or letter of the law: for the Apostle calls it the canopy. For during the time during which the grace of truth was hidden, the saints preached about images, contemplating the truth as if in a mirror. When the truth itself came, they decided that it was not good to live according to the images and continue to follow them. For when things exist, the image of the thing is already superfluous. And yet, even in this state, they did not despise or reject, but revered the image, and considered those who began to despise them to be wicked and worthy of the bitter punishment of death.” Him, from the third word “As if someone, for the sake of the honor that belongs to the king, worships the image of the king, although it represents nothing but wax and paints.” Twelfth Anathematism of St. and the fifth ecumenical council “If anyone defends the wicked Theodore of Mopsuestia, who said that one is God the Word and the other is Christ, burdened with spiritual passions and carnal lusts, gradually freed from evil and thus improved, thanks to the cessation of affairs; that, not being reproached by his way of life, He was baptized as a simple man in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and through baptism received the grace of the Holy Spirit and was worthy of sonhood; and that one should worship Him in the likeness of a royal image, as bearing the face of God the Word - let him be anathema! From the Church History of Theodore, historiographer of Constantinople, about Gennady, Archbishop of Constantinople “I will report another amazing event about this. Some painter painting an icon of the Lord Christ had his hands dry. They say that the work on the icon was entrusted to him by some pagan, and under the guise of the Savior, he had to paint the hair on the head on both sides so that it did not cover the face - for in this form the pagans depict Zeus, so that those looking at him would think that they were worshiping the Savior. Abba Maximus, and Bishop Theodosius and the leaders sent from the emperor "St. Maxim said: “And after this has been decided, let the decision be fulfilled, and I will follow you wherever you order. And at the same time everyone stood up, repented with tears and prayed. And each of them kissed St. The Gospel, the honorable cross, the icon of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Mother of God who gave birth to Him, laying on their hands in confirmation of what was said.” St. Sophronius, from the miracles of St. martyrs Cyrus and John: about the subdeacon Theodore, suffering from gout “Let’s talk about strengthening the body in a few words. A few days later, he fell asleep and again saw the upcoming martyrs, ordering him to follow them. He willingly followed them, for he knew that following the saints was not useless. So, having arrived at the pagan temple, terrible and magnificent in appearance, touching the very heavens in height, and entering inside it, we saw a large and amazing icon, in the middle of which the Lord Jesus was painted in colors, on the left the Lady Theotokos and on the right John the Baptist, who from his mother’s womb opened it leaping, since it was impossible to hear if he spoke, and some of the glorious choir of the Apostles and Prophets, and from the face of the martyr, among whom were the martyrs Cyrus and John. They, standing in front of the icon, fell to the Lord, bowing their knees and hitting their heads on the ground and begging for the healing of the young man. The words of the prayer were as follows: “Master, more loving of mankind, will you command that we grant healing to this one too?” When, after repeatedly bowing to the ground and saying the words of prayer, Christ did not agree, they, stopping the prayer, with downcast eyes, sad, approached, says (the young man), to me, standing not far from the icon and, approaching, they said: “You see, the Lord does not want to grant you healing. But do not lose heart at all, for He, of course, will deal mercifully with you, as with everyone else. And when about half an hour had passed, they got up and left again, praying. And again, he says, they return without success with a downcast gaze, sad, since the Lord God did not command, as before. And they came and told me about it again. Setting off for the third time, they say: “Be of good cheer, because now we will certainly receive grace: but when you see us praying, when you come, beg the Master with us.” And approaching the icon for the third time, they also prayed with the same words. And after praying for a long time and prostrating themselves, they only exclaimed: “Command, Master.” Then Christ, having mercy, as compassionate, said from the icon: “Give it to him.” And the martyrs, rising from the ground, first of all thanked Christ your God, who heard their fervent prayer.” St. Anastasia with St. Mount Sinai, for the new resurrection and about the Apostle Thomas “Those who saw Christ in the flesh considered Him a prophet. But we, who have not seen, immediately, from soft nails, children and youth, confess Him as God, who has power, and the Almighty, and the Creator of the ages, by the radiance of the Father. For we listen to His Gospel with such faith as if we see Christ Himself speaking. And by accepting the most pure pearl of His body, we think that we are carrying Christ Himself. And if we only see His divine image depicted, then we think as if He Himself is looking at us from heaven, we worship him, we fall down. For great is now the faith of Christ.” From the life of Abba Daniel, about Eulogia the Stonebreaker “Then, saddened, he left and, throwing himself in front of the icon of the Mother of God, wept and said: “Lord, free me from my promise to this man.” From the life of Mary of Egypt “So, crying, I see an image of St. placed above the place where I stood. Mother of God and I say to her: “Virgin, Lady Theotokos, who gave birth to God the Word according to the flesh, I know, I know that it is indecent, unreasonable for me, so unclean, so dissolute, to look at your icon, Ever-Virgin, but it is right that your purity should hate and abhor me. But since God, born from you, became a man in order to call sinners to repentance, then help me, who is alone and has no help. Command that I too may enter, do not deprive me of the contemplation of the tree on which God the Word, Whom You gave birth to, was nailed to the flesh, Who gave His own blood as an atonement for me. Commanded, Lady, that the door for the divine worship of the cross should be opened for me. And I give you as a reliable guarantee to the God born from you, that I will no longer desecrate this flesh through some shameful relationship, but when I see the wood of the cross of your Son, I will immediately say goodbye to the world and everything in the world, and will immediately go where you yourself, as a guarantor, will order and lead me.” Having said this, and receiving, as if some kind of complete approval, fiery faith, relying on the mercy of the Mother of God, I move from the place where I stood, I prayed, I go again, I joined those entering, and there was no longer anyone pushing me away that I would resist, and no one prevented me from approaching the door through which they entered the church. And fear and frenzy seized me, and I was all worried and trembling in confusion, and falling to the ground and bowing to that holy soil, I rushed to the exit, hurrying to the one who vouched for me. Here I am at the place where the handwriting of the promise was signed, and, bending my knee before the Ever-Virgin and the Mother of God, I uttered the following words: “You, good Lady, showed me your love for mankind, You did not disdain an unworthy prayer. I saw glory, which, in fairness, we who are dissolute do not see. Glory to God, who through You accepts the repentance of sinners,” and so on. “The deaconess says to the girl: “Go, my lady, to your home, since you cannot stay here, for you cannot stay here without uniting with Christ.” The girl says to her: “Where is Christ?” The deaconess showed her the image of the Lord, and the girl, turning, said to the deaconess: “Truly, I too am united with Christ and will no longer leave with my mistress.” And then Eupraxia, rising and taking her daughter, led her to the image of the Lord and, raising her hands to heaven, exclaimed with tears: “Lord Jesus Christ, You will take care of my child, because she loved You and devoted herself to You.” Holy sixth council under Justinian “On some images of honest icons, a lamb is drawn, pointed by the finger of the Forerunner, which is accepted as the image of grace, representing the true Lamb, Christ our God, foreshadowed by the law. So, lovingly accepting the ancient images and canopies, as symbols and outlines of the truth, devoted to the church, we distinguish grace and truth, accepting it as the fulfillment of the law. So, in order, although through pictures, to present the accomplishment to the eyes of all, we determine from now on to depict on icons in human image instead of the ancient lamb - the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, Christ our God, so that through humiliation we can see the height of God the Word and be guided to the remembrance of His life in the flesh, suffering and saving death and the redemption that came from here for the world. St. Methodius, Bishop of Patara, On the Resurrection: Homily 2 “Here are the images of kings, even if they were prepared and not from the most valuable materials, like gold and silver, however, they are revered by everyone. For, while people honor those made of more valuable materials, they do not disdain those of lesser value, but they honor equally whether they are made of plaster or copper. And whoever offends any of them is not released as one who has despised the dust, and not as one who despises gold is judged, but as one who has offended the king and lord himself. We make images of God’s angels, principalities and powers prepared from gold in His honor and glory.” For this and subsequent excerpts, see above in the chapter after the “First Word”: “Testimony of the ancient and glorious holy fathers about icons.” This conclusion to the second word is a simple reproduction of the conclusion to the first word.