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a memorial. So now also we depict the images of events and virtues. Therefore, either abolish every image and legislate against the one who commanded them to be made, or accept each one according to the reason and manner fitting for each. Therefore, having spoken of the types of the image, let us also speak about veneration. Veneration is a symbol of submission and honor. And of this we have known different types: First, that of worship, which we offer only to God who is by nature to be worshipped. Then, that offered for the sake of God who is by nature to be worshipped to his friends and servants, as Joshua the son of Nun and Daniel venerated the angel, or to the places of God, as David says: "Let us worship at the place where his feet have stood," or to his dedicated things, as all Israel venerated the tabernacle and the temple in Jerusalem, standing in a circle and venerating toward it from all directions even until now, or to rulers ordained by him, as Jacob did to Esau as an elder brother made by God, and to Pharaoh, a ruler ordained by God, and his brothers to Joseph. I know also of the veneration offered to one another out of honor, as Abraham to the sons of Emmor. Therefore, either abolish all veneration, or accept all with the due reason and manner. Tell me as I ask: Is God one God? Yes, you will say, as it seems to me, one lawgiver. Why then does he legislate contrary things? For the cherubim are not outside of creation. Why then does he command graven cherubim, fashioned by human hands, to overshadow the mercy seat? Or is it clear that it is impossible to make an image of God, as he is uncircumscribable and un-imageable, or of anything as God, so that creation might not be worshipped and served as God. But of the cherubim, as being circumscribable and standing in a servile manner by the divine throne, he commands that an image be made to overshadow the mercy seat in a servile manner; for it was fitting for the image of the heavenly ministers to overshadow the image of the divine mysteries. But what do you say of the ark, the jar, the mercy seat? Are they not made by hands? Are they not the works of human hands? Are they not constructed from dishonorable matter, as you say? What about the whole tabernacle? Was it not an image? Was it not a shadow and a copy? Therefore the divine apostle says, when speaking of the priests according to the law: "Who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For he says, 'See that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain.'" But the law was not even an image, but a pre-shadowing of an image; for the same apostle says: "For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image of the things." If, therefore, the law forbids images, but is itself a pre-sketch of an image, what shall we say? If the tabernacle is a shadow and a type of a type, how does the law not command to depict images? But these things are not so, they are not; but rather "there is a time for every matter." In the past, God, being bodiless and formless, was in no way depicted, but now that God has been seen in the flesh and has associated with men, I depict the visible of God. I do not venerate matter, but I venerate the creator of matter, who for my sake became matter and deigned to dwell in matter and through matter worked my salvation, and I will not cease to honor matter, through which my salvation has been worked. I honor it, but not as God—far from it; for how can that which has its origin from non-being be God? —even if the body of God became God immutably through the hypostatic union, that which anointed it, and remained what it was by nature, flesh animated with a rational and intellectual soul, having a beginning, not uncreated. But I honor and hold in reverence the rest of matter through which my salvation has come, as being full of divine energy and grace. Or is not the thrice-blessed and thrice-happy wood of the cross matter? Or is not the venerable and holy mountain, the place of the skull, matter? Or is not the life-bearing matter

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μνημόσυνον. Οὕτω καὶ νῦν τὰς εἰκόνας τῶν γεγονότων καὶ τὰς ἀρετὰς διαγράφομεν. Ἢ τοίνυν πᾶσαν εἰκόνα ἄνελε καὶ ἀντινομοθέτει τῷ ταύτας προστάξαντι γενέσθαι ἢ ἑκάστην δέχου κατὰ τὸν ἑκάστῃ πρέποντα λόγον καὶ τρόπον. Εἰπόντες τοίνυν τοὺς τῆς εἰκόνος τρόπους εἴπωμεν καὶ περὶ προσκυνήσεως. Ἡ προσκύνησις ὑποπτώσεως καὶ τιμῆς ἐστι σύμβολον. Καὶ ταύτης δὲ διαφόρους ἔγνωμεν τρόπους· Πρώτην τὴν κατὰ λατρείαν, ἣν προσάγομεν μόνῳ τῷ φύσει προσκυνητῷ θεῷ. Ἔπειτα τὴν διὰ τὸν φύσει προσκυνητὸν θεὸν προσαγομένην τοῖς αὐτοῦ φίλοις τε καὶ θεράπουσιν, ὡς τῷ ἀγγέλῳ Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ προσεκύνησαν, ἢ τοῖς θεοῦ τόποις, ὥς φησιν ὁ ∆αυίδ· «Προσκυνήσωμεν εἰς τὸν τόπον, οὗ ἔστησαν οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ», ἢ τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἀναθήμασιν, ὡς ἅπας Ἰσραὴλ τῇ σκηνῇ προσεκύνει καὶ τῷ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ναῷ κύκλῳ ἑστῶτες καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἁπανταχόθεν προσκυνοῦντες εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν, ἢ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ χειροτονηθεῖσιν ἄρχουσιν, ὡς Ἰακὼβ τῷ τε Ἠσαῦ ὡς προγενεστέρῳ ἀδελφῷ ὑπὸ θεοῦ γενομένῳ καὶ Φαραὼ ὑπὸ θεοῦ χειροτονηθέντι ἄρχοντι καὶ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ οἱ αὐτοῦ ἀδελφοί. Οἶδα καὶ κατὰ τιμὴν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους προσαγομένην προσκύνησιν ὡς Ἀβραὰμ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἐμμώρ. Ἢ τοίνυν πᾶσαν προσκύνησιν ἄνελε ἢ πάσας δέχου μετὰ τοῦ ὀφείλοντος λόγου καὶ τρόπου. Λέγε μοι ἐρωτῶντι· Εἷς θεὸς ὁ θεός; Ναί, φήσεις, ὡς ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, εἷς νομοθέτης. Τί οὖν νομοθετεῖ τὰ ἐναντία; Οὐ γὰρ ἔξω τῆς κτίσεως τὰ χερουβίμ. Τί οὖν προστάττει χερουβὶμ γλυπτὰ ἀνθρώπων χερσὶν τεκταινόμενα σκιάζειν τὸ ἱλαστήριον; Ἢ δῆλον, ὡς θεοῦ μὲν ὡς ἀπεριγράπτου καὶ ἀνεικάστου ποιεῖν εἰκόνα ἀμήχανον ἤ τινος ὡς θεοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ὡς θεὸς λατρευομένη προσκυνῆται ἡ κτίσις. Τῶν δὲ χερουβὶμ ὡς περιγραπτῶν καὶ τῷ θείῳ θρόνῳ δουλοπρεπῶς παρεστώτων τὴν εἰκόνα προστάττει ποιεῖν δουλοπρεπῶς σκιάζουσαν τὸ ἱλαστήριον· ἔπρεπε γὰρ τῇ εἰκόνι τῶν οὐρανίων λειτουργῶν τὴν εἰκόνα τῶν θείων μυστηρίων σκιάζεσθαι. Τί δὲ φὴς τὴν κιβωτόν, τὴν στάμνον, τὸ ἱλαστήριον; Οὐ χειρότευκτα; Οὐκ ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων; Οὐκ ἐξ ἀτίμου, ὡς σὺ φής, ὕλης κατεσκευασμένα; Τί δὲ ἡ σκηνὴ ἅπασα; Οὐχὶ εἰκὼν ἦν; Οὐ σκιὰ καὶ ὑπόδειγμα; Φησὶ τοιγαροῦν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἱερέων διεξιών· «Οἵτινες ὑποδείγματι καὶ σκιᾷ λατρεύουσι τῶν ἐπουρανίων, καθὼς κεχρημάτισται Μωσῆς μέλλων ἐπιτελεῖν τὴν σκηνήν. Ὅρα γάρ φησι, ποιήσεις πάντα κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει.» Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἰκὼν ἦν ὁ νόμος, ἀλλ' εἰκόνος προσκίασμα· φησὶ γοῦν ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος· «Σκιὰν γὰρ ἔχων ὁ νόμος τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, οὐκ αὐτὴν τὴν εἰκόνα τῶν πραγμάτων.» Εἰ οὖν ὁ νόμος εἰκόνας ἀπαγορεύει, αὐτὸς δὲ εἰκόνος ἐστὶ προχάραγμα, τί φήσομεν; Εἰ ἡ σκηνὴ σκιὰ καὶ τύπου τύπος, πῶς μὴ εἰκονογραφεῖν ὁ νόμος διακελεύεται; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτω ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστι· «καιρὸς» δὲ μᾶλλον «τῷ παντὶ πράγματι.» Πάλαι μὲν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἀσώματός τε καὶ ἀσχημάτιστος οὐδαμῶς εἰκονίζετο, νῦν δὲ σαρκὶ ὀφθέντος θεοῦ καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συναναστραφέντος εἰκονίζω θεοῦ τὸ ὁρώμενον. Οὐ προσκυνῶ τῇ ὕλῃ, προσκυνῶ δὲ τὸν τῆς ὕλης δημιουργόν, τὸν ὕλην δι' ἐμὲ γενόμενον καὶ ἐν ὕλῃ κατοικῆσαι καταδεξάμενον καὶ δι' ὕλης τὴν σωτηρίαν μου ἐργασάμενον, καὶ σέβων οὐ παύσομαι τὴν ὕλην, δι' ἧς ἡ σωτηρία μου εἴργασται. Σέβω δὲ οὐχ ὡς θεόν-ἄπαγε· πῶς γὰρ τὸ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων τὴν γένεσιν ἐσχηκὸς θεός; - εἰ καὶ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ σῶμα θεὸς διὰ τὴν καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἕνωσιν γεγονὸς ἀμεταβλήτως, ὅπερ τὸ χρῖσαν, καὶ μεῖναν, ὅπερ ἦν τῇ φύσει, σὰρξ ἐψυχωμένη ψυχῇ λογικῇ τε καὶ νοερᾷ, ἠργμένη, οὐκ ἄκτιστος. Τὴν δέ γε λοιπὴν ὕλην σέβω καὶ δι' αἰδοῦς ἄγω, δι' ἧς ἡ σωτηρία μου γέγονεν, ὡς θείας ἐνεργείας καὶ χάριτος ἔμπλεων. Ἢ οὐχ ὕλη τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον τὸ τρισόλβιον καὶ τρισμακάριστον; Ἢ οὐχ ὕλη τὸ ὄρος τὸ σεπτὸν καὶ ἅγιον, ὁ τοῦ κρανίου τόπος; Ἢ οὐχ ὕλη ἡ φερέσβιος