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he falsified to worship hypostases unlawfully. And to some he proposed to believe in one hypostasis and one nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one of the Holy Trinity, but to others, two natures and two hypostases of the same one. But the truth, walking a middle path, rejects all these absurdities and teaches to confess one God, one nature in three hypostases, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. But evil, it says, is not a substance but an accident, a certain thought and word and deed contrary to the law of God, having its existence in being thought and spoken and done, and vanishing as soon as it ceases. Furthermore, it proclaims the one of the Holy Trinity, Christ, to have two natures and one hypostasis. 3,1 But the truth, walking a middle path, rejects all the absurdities. 2,4 ͂3,1 But the enemy of truth and the foe of men's salvation, who once led astray not only the gentiles, but also many times the sons of Israel themselves, to make images of demons and of impious men and of birds and of beasts and of creeping things and to worship these as gods, now hastens to throw into confusion the Church of Christ, which has peace, through unrighteous lips and a deceitful tongue, seasoning wickedness with divine words and trying to cover up its ugly and dark form, and to shake the hearts of the unstable from the true and ancestral tradition; for some have risen up, saying that one must not depict and set forth for contemplation and glory and wonder and zeal the saving miracles and passions of Christ and the valiant deeds of the saints against the devil. And who, having divine knowledge and spiritual understanding, does not recognize that this is a suggestion of the devil? For he does not want his defeat and shame to be made public, nor the glory of God and of His saints to be depicted. For if we were making an image of the invisible God, we would truly be sinning; for it is impossible for that which is bodiless and formless and invisible and uncircumscribable to be depicted. And again, if we were making images of men and considering these to be gods and were worshipping them as gods, we would truly be impious. But we do none of these things. For since God became incarnate and was seen on earth in the flesh and dwelt among men through his ineffable goodness, and took on the nature and substance and form and color of flesh, in making his image we do not err; for we long to see his likeness; for as the divine apostle says: "Now we see in a mirror and in a riddle." And the icon is a mirror and a riddle suited to the denseness of our body; for the mind, struggling greatly, is not able to transcend bodily things, says the divine Gregory. O this is from you, envious devil, you envy us seeing the likeness of our master and through it being sanctified, and seeing his saving passions, and marveling at his condescension, and contemplating his miracles, and recognizing and glorifying the power of his divinity. You envy the saints the honor given to them by God. You do not want us to see their glory depicted and to become emulators of their courage and faith. You do not bear the bodily and spiritual benefit which comes to us from faith in them. We do not obey you, envious and man-hating demon. Hear, peoples, tribes, tongues, men, women, children, elders, young men and infants, the holy nation of Christians: If anyone preaches a gospel to you contrary to what the Catholic Church has received from the holy apostles and fathers and councils and has guarded until now, do not listen to him nor accept the counsel of the serpent, as Eve accepted it and harvested death. Even if an angel, even if a king preaches a gospel to you contrary to what you have received, shut your ears; for I hesitate for now to say, as the divine apostle said: "Let him be anathema," awaiting the

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ὑποστάσεις ἀθέσμως σέβειν ἐνόθευσε. Καὶ τισὶ μὲν μίαν ὑπόστασιν καὶ μίαν φύσιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἑνὸς τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος, τισὶ δὲ δύο φύσεις καὶ δύο ὑποστάσεις τοῦ αὐτοῦ δοξάζειν ὑπέθετο. Ἡ δὲ ἀλήθεια μέσην ὁδὸν βαδίζουσα πάντα ταῦτα ἀπαρνεῖται τὰ ἄτοπα καὶ διδάσκει ἕνα θεὸν ὁμολογεῖν, μίαν φύσιν ἐν τρισὶν ὑποστάσεσι, πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. Τὴν δὲ κακίαν οὐκ οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ συμβεβηκός φησιν, ἔννοιάν τινα καὶ λόγον καὶ πρᾶξιν παρὰ τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν τῷ ἐννοεῖσθαι καὶ λέγεσθαι καὶ πράττεσθαι τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἔχουσαν καὶ ἅμα τῷ παύσασθαι ἀφανιζομένην. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸν ἕνα τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος, τὸν Χριστόν, δύο φύσεις κηρύττει καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν. 3,1 Ἡ δὲ ἀλήθεια μέσην ὁδὸν βαδίζουσα πάντα ἀπαρνεῖται τὰ ἄτοπα. 2,4 ͂3,1 Ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθρὸς καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων πολέμιος ὅ ποτε δαιμόνων καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ κνωδάλων καὶ ἑρπετῶν εἰκόνας ποιεῖν καὶ ταύταις ὡς θεοῖς προσκυνεῖν οὐ μόνον τὰ ἔθνη, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ πολλάκις πλανήσας νῦν εἰρήνην ἔχουσαν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίαν συνταράξαι σπουδάζει διὰ χειλέων ἀδίκων καὶ γλώσσης δολίας λόγοις θείοις τὴν κακίαν παραρτύων καὶ ταύτης τὸ ἄσχημον καὶ σκοτεινὸν εἶδος ἐπικαλύπτειν πειρώμενος καὶ τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀστηρίκτων σαλεύειν ἐκ τῆς ἀληθοῦς καὶ πατροπαραδότου συνηθείας· ἀνέστησαν γάρ τινες λέγοντες, ὡς οὐ δεῖ εἰκονίζειν καὶ προτιθέναι εἰς θεωρίαν καὶ δόξαν καὶ θαῦμα καὶ ζῆλον τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σωτήρια θαύματά τε καὶ πάθη καὶ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδραγαθίας κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου. Καὶ τίς ἔχων γνῶσιν θείαν καὶ σύνεσιν πνευματικὴν οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκει, ὅτι ὑποβολὴ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν; Οὐ θέλει γὰρ τὴν ἧτταν καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτοῦ δημοσιεύεσθαι οὐδὲ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ δόξαν ἀνάγραπτον γίνεσθαι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου εἰκόνα ἐποιοῦμεν, ὄντως ἡμαρτάνομεν· ἀδύνατον γὰρ τὸ ἀσώματον καὶ ἀσχη μάτιστον καὶ ἀόρατον καὶ ἀπερίγραπτον εἰκονισθῆναι. Καὶ πάλιν· εἰ ἐποιοῦμεν εἰκόνας ἀνθρώπων καὶ ταύτας θεοὺς ἡγούμεθα καὶ ὡς θεοῖς ἐλατρεύομεν, ὄντως ἠσεβοῦμεν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ποιοῦμεν. Θεοῦ γὰρ σαρκωθέντος καὶ ὀφθέντος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς σαρκὶ καὶ ἀνθρώποις συναναστραφέντος δι' ἄφατον ἀγαθότητα καὶ φύσιν καὶ πάχος καὶ σχῆμα καὶ χρῶμα σαρκὸς ἀναλαβόντος τὴν εἰκόνα ποιοῦντες οὐ σφαλλόμεθα· ποθοῦμεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἰδεῖν τὸν χαρακτῆρα· ὡς γάρ φησιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· «Ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ καὶ ἐν αἰνίγματι νῦν βλέπομεν». Καὶ ἡ εἰκὼν δὲ ἔσοπτρόν ἐστι καὶ αἴνιγμα ἁρμόζον τῇ τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν παχύτητι· πολλὰ γὰρ κάμνων ὁ νοῦς οὐ δύναται ἐκβῆναι τὰ σωματικά, φησὶν ὁ θεῖος Γρηγόριος. Ὢ ἀπὸ σοῦ, φθονερὲ διάβολε, φθονεῖς ἡμῖν ἰδεῖν τὸ τοῦ δεσπότου ἡμῶν ὁμοίωμα καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ἁγιασθῆναι καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὰ σωτήρια πάθη καὶ θαυμάζειν αὐτοῦ τὴν συγκατάβασιν καὶ θεωρεῖν αὐτοῦ τὰ θαύματα καὶ ἐπιγινώσκειν καὶ δοξάζειν αὐτοῦ τὴν τῆς θεότητος δύναμιν. Φθονεῖς τοῖς ἁγίοις τῆς παρὰ θεοῦ δεδομένης αὐτοῖς τιμῆς. Οὐ θέλεις ὁρᾶν ἡμᾶς τὴν αὐτῶν δόξαν ἀνάγραπτον καὶ ζηλωτὰς γενέσθαι τῆς αὐτῶν ἀνδρείας καὶ πίστεως. Οὐ φέρεις τὴν ἐκ τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς πίστεως προσγενομένην ἡμῖν σωματικήν τε καὶ ψυχικὴν ὠφέλειαν. Οὐ πειθόμεθά σοι, δαῖμον φθονερὲ καὶ μισάνθρωπε. Ἀκούσατε, λαοί, φυλαί, γλῶσσαι, ἄνδρες, γυναῖκες, παῖδες, πρεσβύται, νεανίσκοι καὶ νήπια, τὸ ἔθνος τῶν χριστιανῶν τὸ ἅγιον· Εἴ τις εὐαγγελίζεται ὑμᾶς, παρ' ὃ παρέλαβεν ἡ καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων πατέρων τε καὶ συνόδων καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν διεφύλαξε, μὴ ἀκούσητε αὐτοῦ μηδὲ δέξησθε τὴν συμβουλὴν τοῦ ὄφεως, ὡς ἐδέξατο Εὔα καὶ ἐτρύγησε θάνατον. Κἂν ἄγγελος, κἂν βασιλεὺς εὐαγγελίζηται ὑμᾶς, παρ' ὃ παρελάβετε, κλείσατε τὰς ἀκοάς· ὀκνῶ γὰρ τέως εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἔφη ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· «Ἀνάθεμα ἔστω», ἐκδεχόμενος τὴν