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attending to the least of its worth or seeking turns of phrases, since of these things, I, the poor one, am not entirely skilled, but to take care for the power of the thoughts (“for the kingdom of heaven is not in word, but in power”); for the goal is not to conquer, but to stretch out a hand to the truth which is being warred against, the will stretching out a hand of power. Having therefore invoked the hypostatic Truth as a helper, I will make from this point the beginning of my discourse. 2 The second discourse of John, the humble monk of Damascus, to those who speak against icons. Grant forgiveness to me who asks, my lords, and receive a word of assurance from me, the useless and least slave of the church of God. For I have not rushed to speak for the sake of glory or fanaticism—God is my witness—but out of zeal for the truth; for I possess Him alone as the hope of salvation, and with Him I hope to meet the Lord Christ, and I pray that by offering this to Him, it might become an atonement for the things I have inordinately transgressed. For the one who received the five talents from the master, having gained another five, brought them forward, and the one who had two, an equal number of two; but the one who had received the one, having buried it and brought it forward fruitless, was condemned to the outer darkness after being called a wicked servant. Fearing that I might suffer this, I yield to the master's command and I set before you, the wise money-changers, the talent of discourse given to me by Him, so that when my lord comes, He may find it multiplied many times over and bearing the interest of souls, and finding a faithful servant, He may lead me into His most sweet joy, which I have longed for. But give me an ear for listening, and opening wide the tables of your hearts, receive my word and sincerely discern the power of what is said. -And I have composed this second discourse concerning icons; for some of the children of the church suggested to me to do this because the first was not very easy for the many to understand. But in this also, forgive me for having fulfilled my obedience. 3 A discourse by the same Saint John of Damascus to those who reject the venerable and holy icons. 2,2 ~3,1 It is the custom of the wicked and primevally evil serpent, I mean the devil, to war in many ways against the man fashioned according to the image of God and to work his death through opposites. For right from the beginning he sowed in him the hope and desire for deification and through it he led him down to the death of the irrational, and indeed he often lured him with shameful and irrational pleasures. And how great is the diameter between deification and irrational desire. Sometimes he led him to atheism, as the forefather of God David says: “The fool has said in his heart: There is no God,” and sometimes to polytheism; and sometimes he persuaded him not to worship the God who is God by nature, and at other times he prepared him to worship demons, and even heaven and earth, sun and moon and stars and the rest of creation, down to beasts and reptiles. For it is equally grievous both not to offer due honor to the honorable and to attach unfitting glory to the dishonorable. Again, some he taught to say that evil is co-eternal with God, while others he deceived into confessing that the God who is good by nature is the cause of evil. And some he led astray to foolishly say one nature and one hypostasis of the Godhead, and others three natures and three

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ἐλαχίστῳ τῆς ἀξίας προσέχοντας ἢ λόγων ἐπιζητοῦντας στροφάς, ἐπεὶ τούτων οὐ παντελῶς, ἴδρις ὁ πένης ἐγώ, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν νοημάτων φροντίσαι δυνάμεως («οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει»)· οὐ γὰρ νικῆσαι σκοπός, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πολεμουμένῃ χεῖρα ὀρέξαι, τῆς προαιρέσεως ὀρεγούσης χεῖρα δυνάμεως. Ἀρωγὸν τοίνυν τὴν ἐνυπόστατον ἐπικεκλημένος ἀλήθειαν ἐντεῦθεν τοῦ λόγου τὰς ἀρχὰς ποιήσομαι. 2 Ἰωάννου ταπεινοῦ μοναχοῦ ∆αμασκηνοῦ πρὸς τοὺς καταλέγοντας τὰς εἰκόνας λόγος δεύτερος. ∆ότε συγγνώμην αἰτοῦντι, δεσπόται μου, καὶ δέξασθε πληροφορίας λόγον παρ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἀχρείου καὶ ἐλαχίστου δούλου τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας. Οὐ γὰρ δόξης ἕνεκεν ἢ φανητιασμοῦ πρὸς τὸ λέγειν ὥρμησα-θεὸς μάρτυς-, ἀλλὰ ζήλῳ ἀληθείας· αὐτὸν γὰρ μόνον ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας κέκτημαι καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ ὑπαντῆσαι τῷ δεσπότῃ Χριστῷ ἐλπίζω καὶ εὔχομαι τοῦτον αὐτῷ προσφέρων, τῶν ἀτόπως μοι πεπλημμελημένων γενέσθαι ἐξίλασμα. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου λαβὼν ἕτερα πέντε κερδήσας προσήγαγε, καὶ ὁ τὰ δύο ἰσάριθμα δύο· ὁ δὲ τὸ ἓν εἰληφὼς κατορύξας καὶ ἄκαρπον τοῦτο προσαγαγὼν πονηρὸς δοῦλος ἀκούσας εἰς τὸ ἐξώτερον κατακέκριται σκότος. Ὅπερ ἐγὼ μὴ παθεῖν ὑφορώμενος τῷ δεσποτικῷ ὑπείκω προστάγματι καὶ τὸ δεδομένον μοι παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ λόγου τάλαντον ὑμῖν παρατίθημι τοῖς φρονίμοις τραπεζίταις, ὅπως ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριός μου εὕροι πολυπλασιαζόμενον καὶ τόκον καρποφοροῦν ψυχῶν καὶ δοῦλον πιστὸν εὑρὼν εἰσαγάγῃ με εἰς τὴν πεποθημένην μοι γλυκυτάτην χαρὰν αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ δότε μοι οὖς ἀκροάσεως καὶ τὰς τραπέζας τῶν καρδιῶν ἀναπετάσαντες δέξασθέ μου τὸν λόγον καὶ εἰλικρινῶς διακρίνατε τῶν λεγομένων τὴν δύναμιν. -∆εύτερον δὲ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον περὶ εἰκόνων συνέταξα· τινὲς γὰρ τῶν τέκνων τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὑπέθεντό μοι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι διὰ τὸ μὴ πάνυ εὐδιάγνωστον τοῖς πολλοῖς τὸν πρῶτον εἶναι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ σύγγνωτέ μοι ὑπακοὴν ἐκπληρώσαντι. 3 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἁγίου Ἰωάννου τοῦ ∆αμασκηνοῦ λόγος πρὸς τοὺς ἀποβαλλομένους τὰς σεπτὰς καὶ ἁγίας εἰκόνας. 2,2 ͂3,1 Ἔθος ἐστὶν τῷ πονηρῷ καὶ ἀρχεκάκῳ ὄφει, τῷ διαβόλῳ φημί, πολυτρόπως πολεμεῖν τῷ κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ πλαστουργηθέντι ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τὸν αὐτοῦ κατεργάζεσθαι θάνατον. Εὐθὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν θεώσεως αὐτῷ ἔσπειρε καὶ δι' αὐτῆς εἰς τὸν τῶν ἀλόγων κατήγαγε θάνατον, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ αἰσχραῖς καὶ ἀλόγοις ἡδοναῖς πολλάκις αὐτὸν ἐδελέασε. Πόσον δὲ τὸ διάμετρον θεώσεως καὶ ἀλόγου ἐπιθυμίας. Ποτὲ μὲν εἰς ἀθεότητα ἤγαγε, καθώς φησιν ὁ θεοπάτωρ ∆αυίδ· «Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἔστι θεός», ποτὲ δὲ εἰς πολυθεΐαν· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν μηδὲ τῷ φύσει προσκυνεῖν θεῷ ἔπεισε, ποτὲ δὲ δαίμοσιν, ἔτι δὲ οὐρανῷ τε καὶ γῇ, ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ καὶ ἀστράσι καὶ τῇ λοιπῇ κτίσει μέχρι κνωδάλων καὶ ἑρπετῶν προσκυνεῖν παρεσκεύασεν. Ὁμοίως γάρ ἐστι χαλεπὸν καὶ τὸ τοῖς τιμίοις τὴν ὀφειλομένην μὴ προσάγειν τιμὴν καὶ τοῖς ἀτίμοις τὴν μὴ προσήκουσαν προσάπτειν δόξαν. Πάλιν τινὰς μὲν συνάναρχον τῷ θεῷ τὴν κακίαν λέγειν ἐδίδαξε, τινὰς δὲ αἴτιον τῆς κακίας τὸν φύσει ἀγαθὸν θεὸν ὁμολογεῖν ἐξηπάτησε. Καὶ οὓς μὲν μίαν φύσιν καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν τῆς θεότητος ἀφρόνως λέγειν ἐπλάνησεν, οὓς δὲ τρεῖς φύσεις καὶ τρεῖς