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indestructible and immortal, eternal and everlasting, incomprehensible, incorporeal, invisible, uncircumscribable, unfigured, one super-essential essence, a super-divine divinity, in three hypostases, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and this one alone I worship and to this one alone I offer the adoration of worship. I adore one God, one divinity, but I also worship a Trinity of hypostases, God the Father and God the Son incarnate and God the Holy Spirit, not three gods but one, not in divided hypostases but in united ones. I do not offer three adorations but one, not one for each of the hypostases separately but one adoration unitarily to the three hypostases as to one God. I do not adore creation alongside the creator, but I adore the creator who became created according to my nature and who came down into creation without humiliation and without degradation, so that he might glorify my nature and make it a partaker of the divine nature. I adore along with the king and God the purple robe of the body, not as a garment nor as a fourth person (God forbid), but as having been designated and having become co-divine with that which anointed it, unchangeably; for the nature of the flesh did not become divinity, but just as the Word became flesh unchangeably, remaining what he was before, so also the flesh became Word, not losing that which it is, but rather being identified with the Word according to hypostasis. Therefore I boldly make an image of the invisible God not as invisible, but as he became visible for our sake by partaking of flesh and blood. I do not make an image of the invisible divinity, but I make an image of the visible flesh of God; for if it is impossible to make an image of a soul, how much more so of him who gave immateriality even to the soul? But they say: God said through Moses the lawgiver: 'You shall adore the Lord your God and him only shall you worship,' and 'you shall not make any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth.' Brothers, truly they are deceived who do not know the scriptures, who do not know that 'the letter kills, but the spirit gives life,' who do not investigate the spirit hidden under the letter. To whom I would rightly say: Let him who taught you this also teach you what follows. Learn how the lawgiver interprets it in this way in Deuteronomy, saying: 1,6 You see that the purpose is one, so that one might not worship creation alongside the creator nor offer the adoration of worship, but only to the creator. Therefore he everywhere joins worship with adoration; for again he says: 'You shall have no other gods besides me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness, you shall not adore them nor shall you worship them, for I am the Lord your God,' and again 'you shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their groves and burn the graven images of their gods with fire; for you shall not adore another god,' and after a little, 'and you shall not make for yourself molten gods.' 2,8.20 and again 'and you shall not make for yourself molten gods.' 3,7 you shall not adore them nor shall you worship them, for I am the Lord your God,' and again 'you shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and burn the graven images of their gods with fire; for you shall not adore another god,' and after a little 'and you shall not make for yourself molten gods.' 1,7 You see that he forbids the making of images on account of idolatry and that it is impossible for God who is unquantifiable and uncircumscribable and invisible to be depicted. 'For you have not seen his form,' he says, just as Paul also, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, says: 'Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, a graven image of human art and thought.' For the Jews, then, these things were legislated because of their proneness to idolatry; but we, to speak theologically, to whom it has been given to flee the superstitious error and be purely with God, having recognized the truth and to worship God alone and to be enriched with the knowledge of God

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ἀνώλεθρον καὶ ἀθάνατον, αἰώνιον καὶ ἀίδιον, ἀκατάληπτον, ἀσώματον, ἀόρατον, ἀπερίγραπτον, ἀσχημάτιστον, μίαν ὑπερούσιον οὐσίαν, ὑπέρθεον θεότητα, ἐν τρισὶν ὑποστάσεσι, πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, καὶ τούτῳ μόνῳ λατρεύω καὶ τούτῳ μόνῳ προσάγω τὴν τῆς λατρείας προσκύνησιν. Ἑνὶ θεῷ προσκυνῶ, μιᾷ θεότητι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τριάδι λατρεύω ὑποστάσεων, θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ θεῷ υἱῷ σεσαρκωμένῳ καὶ θεῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, οὐ τρισὶ θεοῖς ἀλλ' ἑνί, οὐ διῃρημέναις ὑποστάσεσιν ἀλλ' ἡνωμέναις. Οὐ τρεῖς προσκυνήσεις προσάγω ἀλλὰ μίαν, οὐχ ἑκάστῃ τῶν ὑποστάσεων ἀναμέρος ἀλλ' ἑνιαίως ταῖς τρισὶν ὑποστάσεσιν ὡς ἑνὶ θεῷ μίαν προσάγω προσκύνησιν. Οὐ προσκυνῶ τὴν κτίσιν παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, ἀλλὰ προσκυνῶ τὸν κτίστην κτισθέντα τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ καὶ εἰς κτίσιν ἀταπεινώτως καὶ ἀκαθαιρέτως κατεληλυθότα, ἵνα τὴν ἐμὴν δοξάσῃ φύσιν καὶ θείας κοινωνὸν ἀπεργάσηται φύσεως. Συμπροσκυνῶ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ θεῷ τὴν ἁλουργίδα τοῦ σώματος οὐχ ὡς ἱμάτιον οὐδ' ὡς τέταρτον πρόσωπον (ἄπαγε), ἀλλ' ὡς ὁμόθεον χρηματίσασαν καὶ γενομένην, ὅπερ τὸ χρῖσαν, ἀμεταβλήτως· οὐ γὰρ θεότης ἡ φύσις γέγονε τῆς σαρκός, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἀτρέπτως ἐγένετο μείνας, ὅπερ προῆν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ σὰρξ λόγος γέγονεν οὐκ ἀπολέσασα τουθ', ὅπερ ἐστί, ταυτι ζομένη δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὸν λόγον καθ' ὑπόστασιν. ∆ιὸ θαρρῶν εἰκονίζω θεὸν τὸν ἀόρατον οὐχ ὡς ἀόρατον, ἀλλ' ὡς ὁρατὸν δι' ἡμᾶς γενόμενον ἐν μεθέξει σαρκὸς καὶ αἵματος. Οὐ τὴν ἀόρατον εἰκονίζω θεότητα, ἀλλ' εἰκονίζω θεοῦ τὴν ὁραθεῖσαν σάρκα· εἰ γὰρ ψυχὴν εἰκονίσαι ἀμήχανον, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸν καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ δόντα τὸ ἄυλον; Ἀλλά φασιν· Εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ Μωσέως τοῦ νομοθέτου· «Κύριον τὸν θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις», καὶ «οὐ ποιήσεις πᾶν ὁμοίωμα, ὅσα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ὅσα ἐν τῇ γῇ.» Ἀδελφοί, ὄντως πλανῶνται οἱ μὴ εἰδότες τὰς γραφὰς οἱ μὴ εἰδότες, ὡς «τὸ γράμμα ἀποκτένει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ», οἱ μὴ ἐρευνῶντες τὸ ὑπὸ τῷ γράμματι κεκρυμμένον πνεῦμα. Πρὸς οὓς ἂν ἀξίως εἴποιμι· Ὁ τοῦτο διδά ξας ὑμᾶς διδαξάτω καὶ τὸ ἑπόμενον. Μάθε, ὅπως ἑρμηνεύει αὐτὸ ὁ νομοθέτης ὧδέ πως ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ λέγων· 1,6 Ὁρᾷς, ὡς εἷς ἐστιν ὁ σκοπός, ὥστε μὴ λατρεῦσαι τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα μηδὲ προσάγειν τὴν τῆς λατρείας προσκύνησιν, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνῳ τῷ δημιουργῷ. ∆ιὸ πανταχῆ συνάπτει τῇ προσκυνήσει τὴν λατρείαν· πάλιν γάρ φησιν· «Οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ. Οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ γλυπτὸν οὐδὲ πᾶν ὁμοίωμα, οὐ προσκυνήσεις αὐτοῖς οὐδ' οὐ μὴ λα τρεύσῃς αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν», καὶ πάλιν «τοὺς βωμοὺς αὐτῶν καθελεῖτε καὶ τὰς στήλας αὐτῶν συντρίψετε καὶ τὰ ἄλση αὐτῶν ἐκκόψετε καὶ τὰ γλυπτὰ τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν κατακαύσετε πυρί· οὐ γὰρ μὴ προσκυνήσητε θεῷ ἑτέρῳ», καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα «καὶ θεοὺς χωνευτοὺς οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ.» 2,8.20 καὶ πάλιν «καὶ θεοὺς χωνευτοὺς οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ.» 3,7 οὐ προσκυνήσεις αὐτοῖς οὐδ' οὐ μὴ λατρεύσῃς αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν», καὶ πάλιν «τοὺς βωμοὺς αὐτῶν καθελεῖτε καὶ τὰς στήλας αὐτῶν συντρίψετε καὶ τὰ γλυπτὰ τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν κατακαύσετε πυρί· οὐ γὰρ μὴ προσκυνήσητε θεῷ ἑτέρῳ», καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα «καὶ θεοὺς χωνευτοὺς οὐ ποιήσεις ἑαυτῷ.» 1,7 Ὁρᾷς, ὡς τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἕνεκα ἀπαγορεύει τὴν εἰκονογραφίαν καὶ ὅτι ἀδύνατον εἰκονίζεσθαι θεὸν τὸν ἄποσον καὶ ἀπερίγραπτον καὶ ἀόρατον. «Οὐ γὰρ εἶδος αὐτοῦ», φησίν, «ἑωράκατε», καθὰ καὶ Παῦλος ἑστὼς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Ἀρείου πάγου φησίν· «Γένος οὖν ὑπάρχοντες τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ὀφείλομεν νομίζειν χρυσίῳ ἢ ἀργυρίῳ ἢ λίθῳ, χαράγματι τέχνης καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως ἀνθρώπου, τὸ θεῖον εἶναι ὅμοιον.» Ἰουδαίοις μὲν οὖν διὰ τὸ πρὸς εἰδωλολατρείαν εὐόλισθον ταῦτα νενομοθέτητο· ἡμεῖς δέ, θεολογικῶς εἰπεῖν, οἷς ἐδόθη φυγοῦσι τὴν δεισιδαίμονα πλάνην καθαρῶς μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γενέσθαι, ἐπεγνωκόσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ θεῷ μόνῳ λατρεύειν καὶ τῆς θεογνωσίας καταπλουτῆσαι