of the apostles and the fathers we neither shake nor contrive anything more in them, as the apostle says that even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

353 And concerning veneration, as we venerate the cross and the

gospel, we also venerate the icons, since it is not written that these things are to be venerated; but since the church has received these things from the apostles, one must not seek whether it is written or not written; for the church has received many things unwritten, which are called dogmas, formulated in each generation through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by His holy servants and ministers. And when he heard these things, he replied. "Come," he said, "and speak with my people," referring to those around Antony and John, "who have certainly found in old books testimonies forbidding the veneration of icons." And so the patriarch sent learned bishops and abbots to him to answer his inquiries. But when they had spoken and demonstrated the truth, he insisted on forcing them to dispute with those of the opposing party. But they said that it is a decree of the holy synod that what has been correctly dogmatized and formulated ought not to be maliciously re-examined or scrutinized, nor to make apologies to the foolish who wish to be contentious, and especially to those who are not persuaded. And he says, "Arius, speaking all alone, caused a synod to be convened on his account; and with everyone being scandalized about the faith, why do you not wish to dispute and fully convince 354 everyone that icons are rightly venerated?" And having scorned and threatened them, he dismissed them, remaining to hiss down the orthodox faith, wishing to do what he wanted. But those who were dismissed were overcome with grief and despondency, reporting to the patriarch all his wicked counsel. And so, all the orthodox clergy and monks and laity, having gathered, held an all-night vigil, beseeching God to scatter his counsel. And when the patriarch did this, which the sinner learned and said to the high priest, "Why have you done this?" And he said, "We have done nothing wrong; we beseeched God to keep the church unshaken, if it is pleasing to him."

And hearing these things, he raged more against the truth. And he had some impious men working with him, through whom he also secretly devised his plots. And through them he prepared the impious soldiers to stone the icon of Christ which was on the bronze-named gate of the palace. And so they began to throw stones and mud at the icon, saying words full of all foolishness and impiety, calling it Hades and devil and certain other things, which it is not right to bring into the open. And the tyrant says to the people, "Let us take down the icon from there, so that the army does not dishonor 355 it," imitating in this Leo the Isaurian, as if wishing to reign for his times. For it was written upon the icon that which Leo the ruler formerly took down, Irene here re-erected; for this Leo took it down, since the icon itself had been there from when the city was founded. And having done this, he gave boldness to the devil's collaborators, I mean Antony and John and those with them. And so, when these things happened, all the bishops and monks gathered at the patriarchate, and they read all the testimonies of the fathers, which the opponents maliciously and ignorantly put forward, with the patriarch interpreting them, and saying to all, "Do you have anything said in these, brothers?" And they all cried out, "We know and have been fully convinced that our faith is true and we all for this

τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν πατέρων οὔτε παρασαλεύομεν οὔτε περισσότερόν τι ἐν αὐτοῖς οἰκονομοῦμεν, τοῦ ἀποστόλου λέγοντος ὅτι καὶ ἐὰν ἡμεῖς ἢ ἄγγελος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εὐαγγελίζηται ὑμῖν παρ' ὃ εὐαγγελισάμεθα ὑμῖν, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω.

353 Περὶ δὲ τοῦ προσκυνεῖσθαι, ὡς προσκυνοῦμεν τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὸ

εὐαγγέλιον, προσκυνοῦμεν καὶ τὰς εἰκόνας, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ ταῦτα γέγραπται προσκυνεῖσθαι· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἡ ἐκκλησία ταῦτα παρείληφεν, οὐ δεῖ ζητεῖν εἰ γέγραπται ἢ οὐ γέγραπται· πολλὰ γὰρ ἀγράφως ἡ ἐκκλησία παρέλαβεν, ἅπερ λέγονται δόγματα, δι' ἐμπνεύσεως τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος καθ' ἑκάστην γενεὰν ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ δούλων καὶ θεραπόντων διατυπωθέντα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα ἤκουσεν, ἀντεδήλωσεν. "ἐλθὲ" φησὶ "καὶ διαλέχθητι πρὸς τοὺς κατ' ἐμέ," τοὺς περὶ Ἀντώνιον καὶ Ἰωάννην λέγων, "οἵ τινες ἀσφαλῶς εὗρον ἐν παλαιοῖς βιβλίοις χρήσεις ἀποτρεπούσας προσκυνεῖσθαι τὰς εἰκόνας." καὶ λοιπὸν ὁ πατριάρχης ἀπέστειλεν ἐπισκόπους καὶ ἡγουμένους ἐλλογίμους πρὸς αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸ ἀπολογήσασθαι πρὸς τὰς πεύσεις αὐτοῦ. διαλεχθέντων δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀποδειξάντων, ἐπέμενεν ἀναγκάζων αὐτοὺς διαλεχθῆναι πρὸς τοὺς τῆς ἐναντίας μοίρας. οἱ δὲ εἶπον ὅτι ὅρος ἐστὶ τῆς ἁγίας συνόδου τὰ ὀρθῶς δογματισθέντα καὶ διατυπωθέντα μὴ δεῖν πάλιν κακούργως ἀναζητεῖν ἢ περιεργάζεσθαι, μηδὲ τοὺς ἄφρονας θέλοντας φιλονικεῖν ποιεῖσθαι ἀπολογίας, μάλιστα δὲ καὶ μὴ πειθομένους. καί φησιν "ὁ Ἄρειος μονώτατος λαλήσας ἐποίησεν σύνοδον συγκροτηθῆναι δι' αὐτόν· καὶ πάντων σκανδαλιζομένων περὶ τῆς πίστεως, τίνος ἕνεκεν ὑμεῖς οὐ βούλεσθε διαλεχθῆναι καὶ πληροφορῆσαι 354 πάντας ὅτι καλῶς προσκυνοῦνται αἱ εἰκόνες;" καὶ ἐξουδενώσας καὶ ἐπαπειλησάμενος αὐτοὺς ἀπέλυσεν, μείνας κατασυρίζων τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως, ποιῆσαι βουλόμενος ὅπερ ἤθελεν. οἱ δὲ ἀπολυθέντες συνείχοντο λύπῃ καὶ ἀθυμίᾳ, ἀπαγγείλαντες τῷ πατριάρχῃ πᾶσαν τὴν βουλὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν πονηράν. καὶ λοιπὸν συναχθέντες πάντες οἱ ὀρθόδοξοι κληρικοί τε καὶ μοναχοὶ καὶ λαϊκοὶ ἐποίησαν παννυχίδα ὁλονυκτί, παρακαλοῦντες τὸν θεὸν ἵνα διασκεδάσῃ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτοῦ. τοῦ δὲ πατριάρχου τοῦτο πράξαντος, ὅπερ μαθὼν ὁ ἀλιτήριος δηλοῖ τὸν ἀρχιερέα "τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας;" ὁ δὲ εἶπεν "οὐδὲν κακὸν ἐποιήσαμεν· τὸν θεὸν ἱκετεύσαμεν ἵνα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀσάλευτον φυλάξῃ, εἰ εὐάρεστον αὐτῷ ἐστίν."

Ταῦτα δὲ ἀκούσας πλέον ἐμαίνετο κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας. εἶχεν δὲ καί τινας ἀσεβεῖς ἄνδρας συνεργοῦντας αὐτῷ, δι' ὧν καὶ τοὺς δόλους κρυπτῶς ἐτέκταινεν. καὶ παρασκευάζει δι' αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς στρατιώτας τοῦ λιθάσαι τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν οὖσαν ἐν τῇ χαλκεπωνύμῳ πύλῃ τοῦ παλατίου. καὶ λοιπὸν ἤρξαντο βάλλειν κατὰ τῆς εἰκόνος λίθους καὶ πηλά, λέγοντες ῥήματα πάσης ἀφροσύνης καὶ ἀσεβείας μεστά, ᾅδην ἀποκαλοῦντες καὶ διάβολον καὶ ἄλλα τινά, ἃ μὴ θέμις εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν. καί φησιν ὁ τύραννος πρὸς τὸν λαὸν "ἆς καταβάσωμεν ἐκεῖθεν τὴν εἰκόνα, ἵνα μὴ ὁ στρατὸς ἀτιμάζῃ 355 αὐτήν," μιμούμενος ἐν τούτῳ Λέοντα τὸν Ἴσαυρον, ὡς βουλόμενος τοὺς χρόνους αὐτοῦ βασιλεῦσαι. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐγέγραπτο ἐπάνω τῆς εἰκόνος ὅτι ἣν καθεῖλε πάλαι Λέων ὁ δεσπόζων, ἐνταῦθα ἀνεστήλωσεν Εἰρήνη· οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Λέων αὐτὴν καθεῖλε, ἐπεὶ ἀφ' οὗ ἡ πόλις ἐκτίσθη, αὐτὴ ἡ εἰκὼν ἦν. καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσας ἔδωκεν παρρησίαν τοὺς τοῦ διαβόλου συνεργούς, λέγω δὴ Ἀντώνιον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτῶν. καὶ λοιπὸν τούτων γενομένων συνήγοντο πάντες οἱ ἐπίσκοποι καὶ οἱ μοναχοὶ εἰς τὸ πατριαρχεῖον, καὶ ἀνεγίνωσκον πάσας τὰς χρήσεις τῶν πατέρων, ἅσπερ οἱ ἐναντίοι κακούργως καὶ ἀμαθῶς προέφερον, ἑρμηνεύοντος αὐτὰς τοῦ πατριάρχου, καὶ λέγοντος πρὸς πάντας "μὴ ἔχετέ τις λεγόμενόν τι ἐν τούτοις, ἀδελφοί;" καὶ ἀνέκραξαν πάντες "ἴσμεν καὶ πεπληροφορήμεθα ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστι ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν καὶ πάντες εἰς τοῦτο