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the demon of fornication chose that the icon of the Lady should not be venerated, rather than for the old man to fall into the impurity of fornication, as he knew this to be a greater sin than fornication.” But since the discussion is about an icon and veneration, come, let us clarify the discussion about these things more broadly and say: First, what is an icon? Second, for what purpose was an icon made? Third, how many kinds of icons are there? Fourth, what is imaged and what is not imaged? Fifth, who first made icons? Then also about veneration: First, what is veneration? Second, how many modes of veneration are there? Third, how many things that are venerated do we find in scripture? Fourth, that all veneration is on account of the God who is by nature to be venerated; Fifth, that the honor of the icon passes over to the prototype. First, what is an icon? An icon, then, is a likeness and a model and a representation of something, showing in itself that which is imaged. But the icon is by no means like the prototype, that is, the thing imaged, in every respect—for the icon is one thing and the thing imaged is another—and a difference is certainly seen between them, since the one is not the other. For example: The icon of a man, even if it represents the form of the body, yet it does not have the powers of the soul; for it neither lives, nor thinks, nor speaks, nor feels, nor moves a limb. And the Son, being the natural icon of the Father, has something different from him; for he is Son and not Father. Second, for what purpose is the icon? Every icon is a revealer and an indicator of what is hidden. For example: Since man, being circumscribed by place and time, has no direct knowledge of the invisible (his soul being covered by a body), nor of things that will be after him, nor of things separated and distant in place, the icon was devised for the guidance of knowledge and for the manifestation and publication of hidden things, and certainly for benefit and good service and salvation, so that with deeds being publicly exposed and celebrated, we may recognize the hidden things and may long for and emulate the good things, but turn away from and hate the opposite things, that is, the evil ones. Third, how many kinds of icons are there? There are kinds of icons. The first kind of icon, then, is the natural one. And in everything, there must first be that which is according to nature and then that which is by convention and imitation; for example, there must first be a man by nature and then one by convention through imitation. The first, therefore, natural and unchangeable icon of the invisible God is the Son of the Father, showing the Father in himself. "For no one has ever seen God," and again, "not that anyone has seen the Father." And that the Son is the icon of the Father, the Apostle says: "Who is the icon of the invisible God," and to the Hebrews, "who being the radiance of his glory and the character of his substance," and that he shows the Father in himself, in the Gospel according to John, when Philip said: "Show us the Father, and it is enough for us," the Lord says: "Have I been with you so long, and you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father." The Son is the natural, unchangeable icon of the Father, like the Father in all things except for being unbegotten and for fatherhood; for the Father is the unbegotten begetter, while the Son is begotten and not Father. And the Holy Spirit is the icon of the Son; "for no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit." Through the Holy Spirit, therefore, we know Christ as Son of God and God, and in the Son we behold the Father; for by nature the Word is the messenger of the Mind, and the Spirit is the revealer of the Word. And the Holy Spirit is a like and unchangeable icon of the Son, having a difference only in procession; for the Son is begotten, but does not proceed. And the son of every father is a natural icon. And this is the first mode of icon, the natural one.

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δαίμων τῆς πορνείας ᾑρετίσατο μὴ προσκυνεῖσθαι τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς δεσποίνης ἤπερ εἰς τὴν τῆς πορνείας ἀκαθαρσίαν ἐμπεσεῖν τὸν γέροντα ὡς μείζονα τῆς πορνείας ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην ἐπιστάμενος.» Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ περὶ εἰκόνος ὁ λόγος ἐστὶ καὶ προσκυνήσεως, φέρε πλατύτερον περὶ τούτων τὸν λόγον διευκρινήσωμεν καὶ εἴπωμεν· πρῶτον, τί ἐστιν εἰκών; δεύτερον, τίνος χάριν γέγονεν εἰκών; τρίτον, πόσαι διαφοραὶ εἰκόνων; τέταρτον, τί τὸ εἰκονιζόμενον καὶ τί τὸ μὴ εἰκονιζόμενον; πέμπτον, τίς πρῶτος ἐποίησεν εἰκόνας; Εἶτα καὶ περὶ προσκυνήσεως· πρῶτον, τί ἐστι προσκύνησις; δεύτερον, πόσοι τρόποι προσκυνήσεως; τρίτον, πόσα τὰ προσκυνούμενα εὑρίσκομεν ἐν τῇ γραφῇ; τέταρτον, ὅτι πᾶσα προσκύνησις διὰ τὸν φύσει προσκυνητὸν θεόν ἐστι· πέμπτον, ὅτι ἡ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον διαβαίνει. Πρῶτον, τί ἐστιν εἰκών; Εἰκὼν μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ὁμοίωμα καὶ παράδειγμα καὶ ἐκτύπωμά τινος ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνύον τὸ εἰκονιζόμενον, πάντως δὲ οὐ κατὰ πάντα ἔοικεν ἡ εἰκὼν τῷ πρωτοτύπῳ τουτέστι τῷ εἰκονιζομένῳ- ἄλλο γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰκὼν καὶ ἄλλο τὸ εἰκονιζόμενον-καὶ πάντως ὁρᾶται ἐν αὐτοῖς διαφορά, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἄλλο τοῦτο καὶ ἄλλο ἐκεῖνο. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ καὶ τὸν χαρακτῆρα ἐκτυποῖ τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλὰ τὰς ψυχικὰς δυνάμεις οὐκ ἔχει· οὔτε γὰρ ζῇ οὔτε λογίζεται οὔτε φθέγγεται οὔτε αἰσθάνεται οὔτε μέλος κινεῖ. Καὶ ὁ υἱὸς εἰκὼν φυσικὴ ὢν τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχει τι παρηλλαγμένον πρὸς αὐτόν· υἱὸς γάρ ἐστι καὶ οὐ πατήρ. ∆εύτερον, τίνος χάριν ἐστὶν ἡ εἰκών; Πᾶσα εἰκὼν ἐκφαντορικὴ τοῦ κρυφίου ἐστὶ καὶ δεικτική. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ἐπειδὴ ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὔτε τοῦ ἀοράτου γυμνὴν ἔχει τὴν γνῶσιν σώματι καλυπτομένης τῆς ψυχῆς οὔτε τῶν μετ' αὐτὸν ἐσομένων οὔτε τῶν τόπῳ διεστηκότων καὶ ἀπεχόντων ὡς τόπῳ καὶ χρόνῳ περιγραφόμενος, πρὸς ὁδηγίαν γνώσεως καὶ φανέρωσιν καὶ δημοσίευσιν τῶν κεκρυμμένων ἐπενοήθη ἡ εἰκών, πάντως δὲ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν καὶ εὐεργεσίαν καὶ σωτηρίαν, ὅπως στηλιτευομένων καὶ θριαμβευομένων τῶν πραγμάτων διαγνῶμεν τὰ κεκρυμμένα καὶ τὰ μὲν καλὰ ποθήσωμεν καὶ ζηλώσωμεν, τὰ δὲ ἐναντία τουτέστι τὰ κακὰ ἀποστραφῶμεν καὶ μισήσωμεν. Τρίτον, πόσαι διαφοραὶ εἰκόνων; ∆ιαφοραὶ δὲ εἰκόνων εἰσί. Πρώτη μὲν οὖν εἰκών ἐστιν ἡ φυσική. Ἐν ἑκάστῳ δὲ πράγματι δεῖ πρῶτον εἶναι τὸ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ τότε τὸ κατὰ θέσιν καὶ μίμησιν, οἷον δεῖ πρῶτον εἶναι φύσει ἄνθρωπον καὶ τότε θέσει κατὰ μίμησιν. Πρώτη οὖν φυσικὴ καὶ ἀπαράλλακτος εἰκὼν τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνὺς τὸν πατέρα. «Θεὸν μὲν γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε», καὶ πάλιν «οὐχ ὅτι τὸν πατέρα τις ἑώρακεν.» Ὅτι δὲ εἰκών ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ πατρός, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος· «Ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ», καὶ πρὸς Ἑβραίους «ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ», καὶ ὅτι ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνύει τὸν πατέρα ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Φιλίππου εἰπόντος· «∆εῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν πατέρα, καὶ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν», φησὶν ὁ κύριος· «Τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἔχω μεθ' ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωκάς με, Φίλιππε; ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα.» Ἔστι μὲν ὁ υἱὸς εἰκὼν τοῦ πατρὸς φυσική, ἀπαράλλακτος, κατὰ πάντα ὁμοία τῷ πατρὶ πλὴν τῆς ἀγεννησίας καὶ τῆς πατρότητος· ὁ μὲν γὰρ πατὴρ γεννήτωρ ἀγέννητος, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς γεννητὸς καὶ οὐ πατήρ. Καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα δὲ τὸ ἅγιον εἰκὼν τοῦ υἱοῦ· «οὐδεὶς γὰρ δύναται εἰπεῖν κύριον Ἰησοῦν, εἰ μὴ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ.» ∆ιὰ πνεύματος οὖν ἁγίου γινώσκομεν τὸν Χριστὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ θεὸν καὶ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ καθορῶμεν τὸν πατέρα· φύσει γὰρ νοῦ μὲν λόγος ἄγγελος, λόγου δὲ μηνυτικὸν τὸ πνεῦμα. Ὁμοία δὲ καὶ ἀπαράλλακτός ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐν μόνῳ τῷ ἐκπορευτῷ τὸ διάφορον ἔχον· ὁ μὲν γὰρ υἱὸς γεννητός, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκπορευτός. Καὶ ἑκάστου δὲ πατρὸς ὁ υἱὸς φυσική ἐστιν εἰκών. Καὶ οὗτος μὲν ὁ πρῶτος τρόπος τῆς εἰκόνος, ὁ φυσικός.