This apostolic preaching they continue to uphold; and never in another jurisdiction, where there are Christians, is that wicked and lawless and God-hated dogma, alien to Christian piety, found to have sprung up, not even so much as for the wicked and abominable treatises to have come to memory, but only in this servile and enslaved domain which mocks divine things by authority, 780 in which prevails the impassioned and materialist earthly and boastful and arrogant mindset of those who turn about the earth and wallow in the mud. Where self-love, love of power, love of pleasure, love of glory, the enjoyment of all desires, the will to rule over all and not to be ruled even by God Himself, and the acquisition and procurement of human glory, or rather to say, shame. From this comes the insolence against God and the saints and the persecution of the church. From here the subject populace, being dominated or tyrannized, is forced to submit to their dogmas and wishes; for which reason the living weapon has been forged and devised, assembled in appearance to be a bodyguard, but in truth conceived to sack the church of Christ and to plunder, on the pretext of circumscribing the divinity of Christ together in the icon, speaking nonsense; as if someone were to show this solar and disc-shaped body depicted in some place, as is seen to happen in some cases, they would have dogmatized that the substance of the light and its radiance are also depicted and circumscribed with it, or that in any case the light is cut off from the sun, or again if he should see a ray of the sun somewhere striking a tree, and the tree were cut into, it was senselessly thought that the ray would also be cut with it. And indeed they will reason this way also in the case of fire 781 and of some other things, so that they might be justly made sport of by playing children for thinking things more foolish. For if in the case of the things mentioned it is not natural for it either to happen or to be seen, nor will it have a place in speech, how much more in the case of the ineffable and divine nature or in the case of the unutterable and inexplicable economy of Christ is it impossible and not to be attempted to say or to think these things! For not even when being incarnate or suffering for us in the body did He suffer this, since in that case even if a man like us were depicted in body, it would be necessary for the soul also to be depicted with it, or for it certainly to die as they are separated; for what else is death than the separation of soul and body? Wherefore in these things they are clearly seen to be no less impious than they are ignorant; for they do not know how great is the peculiar and different meaning of 'depictable' and 'circumscribable' and of 'to depict' and 'to circumscribe', and for this reason, being deceived, they talk nonsense. Where indeed at all has a body that cannot be depicted or is uncircumscribable been heard of from all eternity? or how will the definition and principle of a body be preserved, if it did not have these things? The one therefore who does not hold the opinion that Christ can be depicted or circumscribed in body, either does not know what a body is, from which he does not possess a right opinion, or, knowing, he refuses that body and soul are saved. The one, at any rate, who confesses that Christ has taken up a body such as ours, and this is depictable 782 and circumscribable, would of necessity also confess that the body of Christ is depictable and circumscribable. but if he will not grant the second, then he will not grant the first either, which is in every way irrational and ridiculous. 27 We therefore do not circumscribe, but we depict. But the wretches also babble something else more absurd; for they monstrously claim, I know not how out of foolishness, that He whom they say is uncircumscribable is circumscribed together with the icon. But if indeed they will again babble that Christ ought not to be depicted, the Charybdis of their own teachers, of Manes and Valentinus and Marcion, has gaped wide for them. For by holding the opinion that the divine Word was incarnate in appearance and illusion, they will be ensnared no less in the former blasphemy of falsehood, they who impiously array themselves against the whole economy and do not blush. And who are these? The accusers of those who are praised, those who are dark concerning the light, the uninstructed concerning wisdom, the ungrateful creatures, according to the theologian's voice.

τοῦτο καὶ ἀποστολικὸν περιέποντες διατελοῦσι κήρυγμα· καὶ οὔ ποτε ἐν ἄλλῃ ἐξουσίᾳ, ἔνθα Χριστιανοί, τὸ ἔκθεσμον ἐκεῖνο καὶ παράνομον καὶ τῆς Χριστιανῶν θεοσεβείας ἀλλότριον παραφυὲν καταλαμβάνεται θεοστυγὲς δόγμα, οὐδὲ ὅσον εἰς μνήμην ἀφῖχθαι τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ μυσαρῶν συνταγμάτων, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον κατὰ τὴν δούλην ταύτην καὶ ἠνδραποδισμένην καὶ τὰ θεῖα κατ' ἐξουσίαν 780 παίζουσαν, ἐν ᾗ τὸ ἐμπαθὲς καὶ πρόσυλον τῶν περὶ γῆν στρεφο μένων καὶ ἰλυσπωμένων γήϊνον καὶ ἀλαζονικὸν καὶ ὑπερήφανον πρυτανεύει φρόνημα. ἔνθα τὸ φίλαυτον, τὸ φίλαρχον, τὸ φιλή δονον, τὸ φιλόδοξον, ἡ πάντων καταθυμίων ἀπόλαυσις, τὸ πάν των ἐθέλειν ἄρχειν καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς αὐτοῦ θεοῦ ἄρχεσθαι, καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης δόξης ἢ μᾶλλον εἰπεῖν αἰσχύνης κτῆσις καὶ περι ποίησις. ἔνθεν ἡ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ὕβρις καὶ τῆς ἐκ κλησίας ὁ διωγμός. ἐντεῦθεν κατακυριευόμενον ἢ τυραννούμενον τὸ ὑπήκοον τοῖς ἐκείνων δόγμασι καὶ θελήμασιν ὑποκύπτειν ἐκβιά ζεται· ὧν ἕνεκεν τὸ ἔμψυχον κεχάλκευται καὶ ἐσχεδίασται ὅπλον, σχήματι μὲν τοῦ σωματοφυλακεῖν ἠθροισμένον, ταῖς δὲ ἀληθείαις τοῦ ἐκπορθεῖν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν Χριστοῦ καὶ ληΐζειν ἐπινενοημένον, προφάσει τοῦ συμπεριγράφεσθαι τὴν Χριστοῦ θεότητα ἐν τῇ εἰ κόνι, παραληροῦντες· ὡς εἴ τις καὶ τὸ ἡλιακὸν δὴ τοῦτο καὶ δισκοειδὲς σῶμα γεγραμμένον ἔν τινι τόπῳ, καθὼς ἔν τισιν ὁρᾶται γιγνόμενον, ὑποδείξειεν, ἐδογμάτισαν ἂν καὶ τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς οὐ σίαν καὶ αὐγὴν συγγράφεσθαι καὶ περιγράφεσθαι ἢ πάντως ἐκ τοῦ ἡλίου τὸ φῶς ἀποτέμνεσθαι, ἢ πάλιν ἀκτῖνα ἡλίου εἴ που δένδρῳ προσβάλλουσαν ἴδοι, ἐντμηθείη δὲ τὸ δένδρον, συνεγκοπήσεσθαι καὶ τὴν ἀκτῖνα παραφρόνως ἐνομίσθη. καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐπὶ πυρὸς 781 καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν διανοηθήσονται, ἵνα ἐνδίκως παρὰ παίδων παι ζόντων παιχθήσωνται φρονοῦντες ἀσυνετώτερα. εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν εἰρημένων οὔτε γίνεσθαι οὔτε ὁρᾶσθαι πέφυκεν οὔτε μὴν λέγεσθαι χώραν ἕξει, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς ἀπορρήτου καὶ θείας φύσεως ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀφράστου καὶ ἀνερμηνεύτου Χριστοῦ οἰκονομίας ταῦτα λέγειν ἢ ἐννοεῖν ἀδύνατα καὶ ἀνεπιχείρητα! οὐδὲ γὰρ σαρκούμενος ἢ πάσχων ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῷ σώματι τοῦτο πέπονθεν, ἐπεὶ οὕτω γε καὶ εἰ ἄνθρωπος τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς εἰκονίζοιτο σώματι, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν συνεικονίζεσθαι, ἢ πάντως τεθνήξεσθαι χωριζομένων· τί γὰρ ἕτερον θάνατος ἢ χωρισμὸς ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος; ὅθεν ἐν τούτοις φαίνονται προδήλως οὐδὲν ἧττον ἀσεβοῦντες ἢ ἀμαθαί νοντες· οὐ γὰρ ἴσασιν ὅσον γραπτοῦ καὶ περιγραπτοῦ τοῦ τε γρά φειν καὶ περιγράφειν τὸ ἰδιάζον καὶ διηλλαγμένον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φενακιζόμενοι ματαιολογοῦσι. ποῦ δὲ ὅλως σῶμα ἄγραφον ἢ ἀπερίγραφον ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος ἤκουσται; ἢ πῶς ὁ τοῦ σώμα τος ὅρος καὶ λόγος σωθήσεται, εἰ μὴ ταῦτα ἔχοι; ὁ τοίνυν μὴ δοξάζων γράφεσθαι ἢ περιγράφεσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν σώματι, ἢ ὅ τι ἔστι σῶμα οὐκ ἔγνω, ἐξ οὗ μηδὲ δόξαν ὀρθὴν κέκτηται, ἢ γνοὺς σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν σώζεσθαι παραιτεῖται. ὁ γοῦν ὁμολογῶν σῶμα τὸν Χριστὸν ἀνειληφέναι ὁποῖον τὸ ἡμέτερον, τοῦτο δὲ γραπτὸν 782 καὶ περιγραπτόν, ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σῶμα γραπτὸν καὶ περιγραπτὸν εἶναι συνομολογήσειεν. εἰ δὲ τὸ δεύτερον οὐ δώσει, οὐδὲ τὸ πρῶτον ἄρα, ὃ πάντῃ ἄλογον καὶ καταγέλαστον. 27 οὐ περιγράφομεν οὖν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ γράφομεν. κενολογοῦσι δὲ οἱ ἄθλιοι καὶ ἄλλο ἀτοπώτερον· ὃν γὰρ φασὶν ἀπερίγραπτον, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ὑπ' εὐηθείας συμπεριγράφεσθαι τῇ εἰκόνι τερα τεύονται. εἰ δὲ δὴ μὴ χρῆναι τὸν Χριστὸν εἰκονίζεσθαι πάλιν κενολογήσουσιν, ἡ τῶν διδασκάλων αὐτῶν Χάρυβδις αὐτοὺς με γάλως περικέχηνε, Μάνεντος Οὐαλεντίνου τε καὶ Μαρκίωνος. δοκήσει γὰρ καὶ φαντασίᾳ τὸν θεῖον λόγον σεσαρκῶσθαι δοξάζον τες οὐδὲν ἧττον τῇ προτέρᾳ τοῦ ψεύδους βλασφημίᾳ περιπαρήσον ται, οἵ γε πρὸς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκονομίαν παραταττόμενοι δυσσεβῶς οὐ κατερυθριῶσιν. καὶ ταῦτα τίνες; οἱ κατήγοροι τῶν ἐπαινου μένων, οἱ σκοτεινοὶ περὶ τὸ φῶς, οἱ περὶ τὴν σοφίαν ἀπαίδευτοι, τὰ ἀχάριστα κτίσματα κατὰ τὴν θεολόγον φωνήν.