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perfection and to arrive at a perfect man, having passed beyond infancy, we are no longer under a pedagogue, having received the faculty of discernment from God and knowing what can be depicted and what cannot be circumscribed by an image. “For you have not seen his form,” he says. O, the wisdom of the lawgiver! How will the invisible be depicted? How will the unrepresentable be represented? How will that which is without quantity and magnitude and uncircumscribed be drawn? How will the formless be given form? How will the bodiless be colored? What then is that which is enigmatically signified? It is clear that when you see the bodiless one become man for your sake, then you will make the image of his human form; when the invisible one becomes visible in the flesh, then you will depict the likeness of him who was seen; when he who is bodiless and formless, without quantity, age, and magnitude, by the excellence of his own nature, he who exists in the form of God, having taken the form of a servant, is by this reduced to quantity and measure and puts on the character of a body, then on a panel inscribe and set up for contemplation him who condescended to be seen. Inscribe his ineffable condescension, his birth from the virgin, his baptism in the Jordan, his transfiguration on Tabor, the sufferings that are the cause of impassibility, the miracles, the symbols of his divine nature performed by divine energy through the operation of the flesh, the saving cross, the burial, the resurrection, the ascension into heaven. Write all things both in word and in colors. Do not fear, do not be afraid; I know the difference of venerations. Abraham once venerated the sons of Emmor, when he bought the double cave for a possession of a tomb, impious men and suffering from ignorance of God. Jacob venerated Esau his brother and Pharaoh, an Egyptian man, but indeed he also venerated upon the top of his staff; they venerated, indeed, but they did not worship. Joshua the son of Nun and Daniel venerated an angel of God, but they did not worship. For the veneration of worship is one thing, and another is that which is brought out of honor to those who excel in some dignity. 3,8 To the Jews, therefore, because of their propensity to idolatry, these things were legislated; but we, to speak theologically, to whom it was given, having fled the superstitious error, to be purely with God, having known the truth and to worship God alone and to be enriched with the perfection of the knowledge of God and to arrive at a perfect man, having passed beyond infancy, we are no longer under a pedagogue, having received the faculty of discernment from God and knowing what can be depicted and what cannot be circumscribed by an image. “For the law has become our pedagogue unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith;” and “we were enslaved under the elements, when we were infants.” “But faith having come, we are no longer under a pedagogue.” “For you have not seen his form,” he says. O, the wisdom of the lawgiver! How will the invisible be depicted? How will the unrepresentable be represented? How will that which is without quantity and magnitude and uncircumscribed and formless be drawn? How will the bodiless be colored? How will the unshaped be shaped? What then is that which is mystically signified? Clearly now you should not depict God the invisible; but when you see the bodiless one become man for your sake, then you will make the image of his human form; when the invisible one becomes visible in the flesh, then you will depict the likeness of him who was seen; when he who is without quantity, age, and magnitude, by the excellence of his own nature, he who exists in the form of God, having taken the form of a servant, is by this reduced to quantity and measure and puts on the character of a body, then on a panel inscribe and set up for contemplation him who condescended to be seen. Inscribe his ineffable condescension, his birth from the virgin,

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τὴν τελειότητα καὶ εἰς ἄνδρα καταντῆσαι τέλειον παρελθοῦσι τὴν νηπιότητα, οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν, λαβόντες τὴν διακριτικὴν ἕξιν παρὰ θεοῦ καὶ εἰδότες, τί τὸ εἰκονιζόμενον καὶ τί τὸ μὴ εἰκόνι περιγραφόμενον. «Οὐ γὰρ εἶδος αὐτοῦ», φησίν, «ἑωράκατε.» Βαβαὶ τῆς σοφίας τοῦ νομοθέτου. Πῶς εἰκονισθήσεται τὸ ἀόρατον; Πῶς εἰκασθήσεται τὸ ἀνείκαστον; Πῶς γραφήσεται τὸ ἄποσον καὶ ἀμέγεθες καὶ ἀόριστον; Πῶς ποιωθήσεται τὸ ἀνείδεον; Πῶς χρωματουργηθήσεται τὸ ἀσώματον; Τί οὖν τὸ αἰνιγματικῶς μηνυόμενον; ∆ῆλον ὡς, ὅταν ἴδῃς διὰ σὲ γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἀσώματον, τότε δράσεις τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης μορφῆς τὸ ἐκτύπωμα· ὅταν ὁρατὸς σαρκὶ ὁ ἀόρατος γένηται, τότε εἰκονίσεις τὸ τοῦ ὁραθέντος ὁμοίωμα· ὅτε ὁ ἀσώματος καὶ ἀσχημάτιστος ἄποσός τε καὶ ἀπήλικος καὶ ἀμεγέθης ὑπεροχῇ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως ὁ ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν ταύτῃ συσταλῇ πρὸς ποσότητά τε καὶ πηλικότητα καὶ χαρακτῆρα περίθηται σώματος, τότε ἐν πίναξι χάραττε καὶ ἀνατίθει πρὸς θεωρίαν τὸν ὁραθῆναι καταδεξάμενον. Χάραττε τούτου τὴν ἄφατον συγκατάβασιν, τὴν ἐκ παρθένου γέννησιν, τὴν ἐν Ἰορδάνῃ βάπτισιν, τὴν ἐν Θαβὼρ μεταμόρφωσιν, τὰ πάθη τὰ τῆς ἀπαθείας πρόξενα, τὰ θαύματα, τὰ τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ σύμβολα φύσεως δι' ἐνεργείας σαρκὸς ἐνεργείᾳ θείᾳ πραττόμενα, τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν σωτήριον, τὴν ταφήν, τὴν ἀνάστασιν, τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον. Πάντα γράφε καὶ λόγῳ καὶ χρώμασι. Μὴ φοβοῦ, μὴ δέδιθι· οἶδα διαφορὰν προσκυνήσεων. Προσεκύνησέ ποτε Ἀβραὰμ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἐμμώρ, ὅτε τὸ σπήλαιον τὸ διπλοῦν εἰς τάφου κλῆρον ὠνήσατο, ἀνδράσιν ἀσεβέσι καὶ ἀγνωσίαν νοσοῦσι θεοῦ. Προσεκύνησεν Ἰακὼβ Ἠσαῦ τῷ ἀδελφῷ καὶ Φαραὼ ἀνδρὶ Αἰγυπτίῳ, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου προσεκύνησε· προσεκύνησαν μέν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐλάτρευσαν. Προσεκύνησαν Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ ἀγγέλῳ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐλάτρευσαν. Ἕτερον γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τῆς λατρείας προσκύνησις καὶ ἕτερον ἡ ἐκ τιμῆς προσαγομένη τοῖς κατά τι ἀξίωμα ὑπερέχουσιν. 3,8 Ἰουδαίοις μὲν οὖν διὰ τὸ πρὸς εἰδωλολατρείαν εὐόλισθον ταῦτα νενομοθέτητο· ἡμεῖς δέ, θεολογικῶς εἰπεῖν, οἷς ἐδόθη φυγοῦσι τὴν δεισιδαίμονα πλάνην καθαρῶς μετὰ θεοῦ γενέσθαι, ἐπεγνωκόσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ θεῷ μόνῳ λατρεύειν καὶ τῆς θεογνωσίας καταπλουτῆσαι τὴν τελειότητα καὶ εἰς ἄνδρα καταντῆσαι τέλειον παρελθοῦσι τὴν νηπιότητα, οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν, λαβόντες τὴν διακριτικὴν ἕξιν παρὰ θεοῦ καὶ εἰδότες, τί τὸ εἰκονιζόμενον καὶ τί τὸ εἰκόνι μὴ περιγραφόμενον. «Ὁ μὲν γὰρ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν, ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν·» καὶ «ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι.» «Ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς πίστεως οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν.» «Οὐ γὰρ εἶδος αὐτοῦ», φησίν, «ἑωράκατε.» Βαβαὶ τῆς σοφίας τοῦ νομοθέτου. Πῶς εἰκονισθήσεται τὸ ἀόρατον; Πῶς εἰκασθήσεται τὸ ἀνείκαστον; Πῶς γραφήσεται τὸ ἄποσον καὶ ἀμέγεθες καὶ ἀόριστον καὶ ἀνείδεον; Πῶς χρωματουργη θήσεται τὸ ἀσώματον; Πῶς σχηματισθήσεται τὸ ἀσχημάτιστον; Τί οὖν τὸ μυστικῶς μηνυόμενον; ∆ηλονότι νῦν μὲν θεὸν μὴ εἰκονίσῃς τὸν ἀόρατον· ὅταν δὲ ἴδῃς διὰ σὲ γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἀσώματον, τότε ποιήσεις τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης μορφῆς τὸ ἐκτύπωμα· ὅταν ὁρατὸς σαρκὶ ὁ ἀόρατος γένηται, τότε εἰκονίσεις τὸ τοῦ ὁραθέντος ὁμοίωμα· ὅτε ὁ ἄποσος καὶ ἀπήλικος καὶ ἀμεγέθης ὑπεροχῇ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως ὁ ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν ταύτῃ συσταλῇ πρὸς ποσότητά τε καὶ πηλικότητα καὶ χαρακτῆρα περίθηται σώματος, τότε ἐν πίναξι χάραττέ τε καὶ ἀνατίθει πρὸς θεωρίαν τὸν ὁραθῆναι καταδεξάμενον. Χάραττε τούτου τὴν ἄφατον συγκατάβασιν, τὴν ἐκ παρθένου γέννησιν,