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we, making an icon of God, make the icon of the saints. For just as then the temple and the people were purified with the blood of irrational animals and with the ashes of a heifer, but now with the blood of Christ "who testified under Pontius Pilate" and showed himself as the first-fruits of the martyrs, and furthermore the church has been built on the sacred blood of the saints, so then the house of God was adorned with the forms and images of irrational animals, but now of saints who have prepared themselves as living and rational temples for a dwelling-place of the living God in spirit. 2,9~3,9 And that these things are so, listen: "You shall not make for yourself," it says, "a carved image, nor any likeness." Although God commanded these things, "they made," it says, "the veil of the tent of testimony of hyacinth and purple and spun scarlet and twisted fine linen, a woven work of cherubim," and "they made the mercy-seat above the ark of pure gold and the two cherubim." What are you doing, O Moses? You say: "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, nor any likeness," and you make a veil, "a woven work of cherubim," and "two cherubim of pure gold"? But listen what Moses, the servant of God, answers you by his deeds. O blind and foolish, understand the power of what is said "and take good heed to your souls." I said, "that you saw no likeness on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb on the mountain from the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved likeness, any image," and "you shall not make for yourself molten gods." I did not say: You shall not make an image of cherubim as servants standing by the mercy-seat, but "you shall not make for yourself molten gods," and "you shall not make any likeness" as of God, nor shall you worship "the creation rather than the creator." I therefore made no likeness of God, nor indeed of any other thing as God, nor did I "worship the creation rather than the creator." So you also should do. 3,9 of man (for the nature of humanity was enslaved to sin) nor did I "worship the creation rather than the creator." But I constructed the tent as a likeness of the whole creation "according to the pattern shown to me on the mountain" and cherubim overshadowing the mercy-seat, as standing by God. 2,10 Do you see how the purpose of the scripture has appeared to those who search with understanding? For it is necessary to know, beloved, that in every matter the truth is sought, and the falsehood, and the purpose of the one acting, whether it is good or evil. For in the gospel both God and angel and man and heaven and earth and water and fire and air and sun and moon and stars and light and darkness and Satan and demons and serpents and scorpions and death and Hades and virtues and vices and all things both good and evil are written. But nevertheless, since all things said about them are true and the purpose is for the glory of God and of the saints glorified by him and for our salvation and the casting down and shame of the devil and his demons, we venerate and embrace and kiss and greet with eyes and lips and heart, likewise also the entire Old and New Testament and the words of the holy and chosen fathers, but the shameful and abominable and unclean writing of the accursed Manicheans and Greeks and the other heresies, as containing false and vain things and having been invented for the glory of the devil and his demons and for their joy, we spit upon and reject, even though it also contains the name of God. Thus also in the matter of icons one must investigate both the truth and the purpose of those who make them, and, if they are true and right and for the glory of God and his saints and for zeal for virtue and the avoidance of vice and the salvation of souls, to accept and honor them as icons and representations and likenesses and books for the illiterate and to venerate and kiss

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ἡμεῖς θεὸν εἰκονίζοντες ποιοῦμεν τὸ τῶν ἁγίων εἰκόνισμα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τότε μὲν ἀλόγων αἵματι ἡγνίζετο ὅ τε ναὸς καὶ ὁ λαὸς καὶ σποδῷ δαμάλεως, νῦν δὲ Χριστοῦ αἵματι «τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου» καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀπαρχὴν τῶν μαρτύρων δείξαντος, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῷ τῶν ἁγίων αἵματι ἱερῷ ἡ ἐκκλησία ᾠκοδόμηται, οὕτω τότε μὲν μορφαῖς τε καὶ ἐκτυπώμασιν ἀλόγων ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ οἶκος κατεκοσμεῖτο, νῦν δὲ ἁγίων τῶν ναοὺς ἐμψύχους καὶ λογικοὺς ἑαυτοὺς εἰς κατοικητήριον θεοῦ ζῶντος ἐν πνεύματι κατεσκευακότων. 2,9͂3,9 Καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, ἄκουε· «Οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ», φησί, «γλυπτὸν οὐδὲ πᾶν ὁμοίωμα.» Ταῦτα τοῦ θεοῦ προστάξαντος «ἐποίησαν», φησί, «τὸ καταπέτασμα τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐξ ὑακίνθου καὶ πορφύρας καὶ κοκκίνου νενησμένου καὶ βύσσου κεκλωσμένης, ἔργον ὑφαντὸν χερουβίμ», καὶ «ἐποίησαν τὸ ἱλαστήριον ἄνωθεν τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἐκ χρυσίου καθαροῦ καὶ τοὺς δύο χερουβίμ.» Τί ποιεῖς, ὦ Μωσῆ; Σὺ λέγεις· «Οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ γλυπτὸν οὐδὲ πᾶν ὁμοίωμα», καὶ σὺ καταπέτασμα κατασκευάζεις, «ἔργον ὑφαντὸν χερουβὶμ» καὶ «δύο χερουβὶμ ἐκ χρυσίου καθαροῦ»; Ἀλλ' ἄκουε, τί πρός σε ὁ θεράπων τοῦ θεοῦ Μωσῆς τοῖς πράγμασιν ἀντιφθέγγεται. Ὦ τυφλοὶ καὶ μωροί, σύνετε τῶν λεγομένων τὴν δύναμιν «καὶ φυλάξασθε σφόδρα τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν.» Εἶπον, «ὅτι ὁμοίωμα οὐκ εἴδετε ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ᾗ ἐλάλησε κύριος πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν Χωρὴβ ἐν τῷ ὄρει ἐκ μέσου τοῦ πυρός, μήποτε ἀνομήσητε καὶ ποιήσητε ὑμῖν ἑαυτοῖς γλυπτὸν ὁμοίωμα, πᾶσαν εἰκόνα», καὶ «θεοὺς χωνευτοὺς οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ». Οὐκ εἶπον· Οὐ ποιήσεις εἰκόνα χερουβὶμ ὡς δούλων παρεστηκότων τῷ ἱλαστηρίῳ, ἀλλ' «οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ θεοὺς χωνευτούς», καὶ «οὐ ποιήσεις πᾶν ὁμοίωμα» ὡς θεοῦ οὐδ' οὐ μὴ λατρεύσῃς «τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα». Ὁμοίωμα μὲν οὖν θεοῦ οὐκ ἐποίησα οὐδὲ μὴν ἑτέρου τινὸς ὡς θεοῦ οὐδὲ «ἐλάτρευσα τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα». Οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε. 3,9 ἀνθρώπου (δεδούλωτο γὰρ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἡ φύσις τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος) οὐδὲ «ἐλάτρευσα τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα». Πάσης δὲ τῆς κτίσεως ὁμοίωμα τὴν σκηνὴν κατεσκεύασα «κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δειχθέντα μοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει» καὶ χερουβὶμ σκιάζοντα τὸ ἱλαστήριον ὡς θεῷ παρεστηκότα. 2,10 Εἶδες, πῶς ἀνεφάνη ὁ σκοπὸς τῆς γραφῆς τοῖς συνετῶς ἐρευνῶσι· δεῖ γὰρ γινώσκειν, ἀγαπητοί, ὅτι ἐν παντὶ πράγματι ἡ ἀλήθεια ζητεῖται καὶ τὸ ψεῦδος καὶ ὁ σκοπὸς τοῦ ποιοῦντος, εἰ καλός ἐστιν ἢ κακός. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ καὶ θεὸς καὶ ἄγγελος καὶ ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐρανὸς καὶ γῆ καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀὴρ καὶ ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη καὶ ἄστρα καὶ φῶς καὶ σκότος καὶ σατανᾶς καὶ δαίμονες καὶ ὄφεις καὶ σκορπίοι καὶ θάνατος καὶ ᾅδης καὶ ἀρεταὶ καὶ κακίαι καὶ πάντα καλά τε καὶ κακά εἰσιν ἐγγεγραμμένα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ πάντα τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν λεγόμενα ἀληθῆ εἰσι καὶ ὁ σκοπὸς πρὸς δόξαν θεοῦ ἐστι καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δοξαζομένων ἁγίων καὶ σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν καὶ καθαίρεσιν καὶ αἰσχύνην τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων αὐτοῦ, προσκυνοῦμεν καὶ περιπτυσσόμεθα καὶ καταφιλοῦμεν καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ χείλεσι καὶ καρδίᾳ ἀσπαζόμεθα, ὁμοίως καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν παλαιὰν καὶ καινὴν διαθήκην τούς τε λόγους τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἐκκρίτων πατέρων, τὴν δὲ αἰσχρὰν καὶ μυσαρὰν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον γραφὴν τῶν καταράτων Μανιχαίων τε καὶ Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν αἱρέσεων ὡς ψευδῆ καὶ μάταια περιέχουσαν καὶ πρὸς δόξαν τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων αὐτοῦ καὶ χαρὰν αὐτῶν ἐφευρεθεῖσαν ἀποπτύομεν καὶ ἀποβαλλόμεθα καίτοι γε καὶ ὄνομα θεοῦ περιέχουσαν. Οὕτως καὶ ἐν τῷ πράγματι τῶν εἰκόνων χρὴ ἐρευνᾶν τήν τε ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὸν σκοπὸν τῶν ποιούντων καί, εἰ μὲν ἀληθὴς καὶ ὀρθὸς καὶ πρὸς δόξαν θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ καὶ πρὸς ζῆλον ἀρετῆς καὶ ἀποφυγὴν κακίας καὶ σωτηρίαν ψυχῶν γίνονται, ἀποδέχεσθαι καὶ τιμᾶν ὡς εἰκόνας καὶ μιμήματα καὶ ὁμοιώματα καὶ βίβλους τῶν ἀγραμμάτων καὶ προσκυνεῖν καὶ καταφιλεῖν