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in the same way as slaves to their masters and to their benefactors and, those in need to those of whom they ask, as Abraham to the sons of Hamor, when he bought the double cave. And to speak simply, veneration is a symbol of fear and longing and honor, and of submission and humility, but one must not venerate anyone as God except only the one who is God by nature, but give to all their due for the Lord's sake. See how much strength and what divine power is given to those who approach the icons of the saints with faith and a pure conscience. Therefore, brothers, let us stand on the rock of faith and in the tradition of the church, not moving the boundaries which our holy fathers have set, not giving place to those who wish to innovate and to destroy the edifice of the holy catholic and apostolic church of God; for if permission is given to everyone who wishes it, little by little the whole body of the church will be destroyed. No, brothers, no, Christ-loving children of the church, do not put your mother to shame, do not take down her adornment. Receive her interceding through me. Learn what God says about her: "You are all fair, my love, and there is no blemish in you." Let us venerate and worship only the creator and maker as God, venerable by nature. Let us also venerate the holy Theotokos, not as God, but as mother of God according to the flesh. Furthermore, let us venerate the saints as chosen friends of God and as possessing boldness toward him. For if men venerate mortal kings, often impious and sinful, and the rulers appointed by them and their banners, according to the divine saying of the apostle: "Be subject to rulers and authorities," and "Render to all what is due them: honor to whom honor is due, fear to whom fear is due," and "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's," as the Lord says, "and to God the things that are God's," how much more should one venerate the king of kings as the only one ruling by nature and his servants and friends who have ruled over the passions and have been established as rulers over all the earth ("for you will make them," says David, "princes over all the earth"), who have received authority over demons and diseases and will reign with Christ an incorruptible and indestructible kingdom, whose shadow alone drove away diseases and demons? Let us not, therefore, consider the icon weaker and less honorable than a shadow; for it truly outlines the prototype. Brothers, the Christian is faith; therefore, he who approaches with faith will gain much, "but he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind," who will not receive anything; for all the saints pleased God through faith. Let us, therefore, receive the tradition of the church in uprightness of heart and not in many reasonings; for God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. Let us not accept to learn a new faith as if the tradition of the holy fathers has been condemned; for the divine apostle says: "If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed." We venerate icons, therefore, not offering veneration to the matter, but through them to those who are depicted in them. "For the honor of the icon passes over to the prototype," as the divine Basil says. But you, O most sacred flock of Christ, the people called by Christ's name, the holy nation, the body of the church, may Christ fill you with the joy of his resurrection and deem you worthy, following in the footsteps of the holy shepherds and teachers of the church, being led forth to attain his glory in the splendors of the saints, which may it be for all of us to attain by his grace, eternally glorifying him with the beginningless Father, to whom be glory for ages of ages. Amen. Having spoken about the difference between idols and icons and having taught the definition of icons, it is now time to bring forward also the testimonies, just as we promised. Of Saint Dionysius,

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καθ' ὃν τοῖς δεσπόταις οἱ δοῦλοι καὶ τοῖς εὐεργέταις καί, ὧν ἂν δέοιντο, οἱ δεόμενοι ὡς Ἀβραὰμ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἑμμώρ, ὅτε τὸ διπλοῦν ὠνήσατο σπήλαιον. Καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, φόβου καὶ πόθου καὶ τιμῆς ἐστιν ἡ προσκύνησις σύμβολον ὑποπτώσεώς τε καὶ ταπεινώσεως, ἀλλ' οὐδενὶ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν ὡς θεῷ εἰ μὴ μόνῳ τῷ φύσει θεῷ, πᾶσι δὲ ὀφειλὴν ἀπονέμειν διὰ τὸν κύριον. Ὁρᾶτε, πόση ἰσχὺς καὶ ποία θεία ἐνέργεια τοῖς πίστει καὶ καθαρῷ συνειδότι προσιοῦσι ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων εἰκόσι δίδοται. ∆ιό, ἀδελφοί, στῶμεν ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῇ παραδόσει τῆς ἐκκλησίας μὴ μεταίροντες ὅρια, ἃ ἔθεντο οἱ ἅγιοι πατέρες ἡμῶν, μὴ διδόντες τόπον τοῖς βουλομένοις καινοτομεῖν καὶ καταλύειν τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῆς ἁγίας τοῦ θεοῦ καθολικῆς καὶ ἀποστολικῆς ἐκκλησίας· εἰ γὰρ δοθῇ ἄδεια παντὶ βουλομένῳ, κατὰ μικρὸν ὅλον τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἐκκλησίας καταλυθήσεται. Μή, ἀδελφοί, μή, τέκνα φιλόχριστα τῆς ἐκκλησίας, μὴ καταισχύνητε τὴν μητέρα ὑμῶν, μὴ καθέλητε τὸν κόσμον αὐτῆς. ∆έξασθε αὐτὴν δι' ἐμοῦ πρεσβεύουσαν. Μάθετε, τί φησι περὶ αὐτῆς ὁ θεός· «Ὅλη εἶ καλή, ἡ πλησίον μου, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν σοὶ μῶμος.» Προσκυνήσωμεν καὶ λατρεύσωμεν μόνῳ τῷ κτίστῃ καὶ δημιουργῷ ὡς φύσει προσκυνητῷ θεῷ. Προσκυνήσωμεν καὶ τῇ ἁγίᾳ θεοτόκῳ οὐχ ὡς θεῷ, ἀλλ' ὡς μητρὶ θεοῦ κατὰ σάρκα. Ἔτι προσκυνήσωμεν καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις ὡς ἐκλεκτοῖς φίλοις θεοῦ καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν κεκτημένοις παρρησίαν. Εἰ γὰρ βασιλεῦσι φθαρτοῖς πολλάκις καὶ ἀσεβέσι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτῶν χειροτονουμένοις ἄρχουσι καὶ τοῖς τούτων λαβράτοις προσκυνοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι κατὰ τὸ θεῖον τοῦ ἀποστόλου λόγιον· «Ἀρχαῖς καὶ ἐξουσίαις ὑποτάσσεσθε», καὶ «ἀπόδοτε πᾶσι τὰς ὀφειλάς, τῷ τὴν τιμὴν τὴν τιμήν, τῷ τὸν φόβον τὸν φόβον», καὶ «ἀπόδοτε τὰ καίσαρος καίσαρι», ὥς φησιν ὁ κύριος, «καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ», πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐχρῆν προσκυνεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν βασιλευόντων ὡς μόνῳ φύσει δεσπόζοντι καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ δούλοις καὶ φίλοις τοῖς βασιλεύσασι τῶν παθῶν καὶ κατασταθεῖσιν ἄρχουσι πάσης τῆς γῆς («καταστήσεις γὰρ αὐτούς», φησὶν ὁ ∆αυίδ, «ἄρχοντας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν»), κατὰ δαιμόνων καὶ νόσων ἐξουσίαν λαβοῦσι καὶ συμβασιλεύσουσι Χριστῷ βασιλείαν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀκατάλυτον, ὧν ἡ σκιὰ μόνη ἀπήλαυνε νόσους καὶ δαίμονας; Μὴ οὖν σκιᾶς ἀσθενεστέραν καὶ ἀτιμωτέραν λογισώμεθα τὴν εἰκόνα· σκιογραφεῖ γὰρ ἀληθῶς τὸ πρωτότυπον. Ἀδελφοί, ὁ χριστιανὸς πίστις ἐστίν· ὁ οὖν πίστει προσερχόμενος κερδανεῖ πολλά, «ὁ δὲ διακρινόμενος ἔοικε κλύδωνι θαλάσσης ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ», ὃς οὐ μὴ λήψεται οὐδέν· πάντες γὰρ οἱ ἅγιοι διὰ πίστεως εὐηρέστησαν τῷ θεῷ. ∆εξώμεθα οὖν τὴν παράδοσιν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐν εὐθύτητι καρδίας καὶ μὴ ἐν πολλοῖς λογισμοῖς· ὁ θεὸς γὰρ ἐποίησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον εὐθῆ, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐζήτησαν λογισμοὺς πολλούς. Μὴ καταδεξώμεθα νέαν πίστιν μαθεῖν ὡς κατεγνωσμένης τῆς τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων παραδόσεως· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· «Εἴ τις ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται, παρ' ὃ παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω.» Προσκυνοῦμεν οὖν ταῖς εἰκόσιν οὐ τῇ ὕλῃ προσφέροντες τὴν προσκύνησιν, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτῶν τοῖς ἐν αὐταῖς εἰκονιζομένοις. «Ἡ γὰρ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον ἀναβαίνει», καθώς φησιν ὁ θεῖος Βασίλειος. Ὑμᾶς δέ, ὦ ἱερώτατον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποίμνιον, ὁ χριστώνυμος λαός, τὸ ἔθνος τὸ ἅγιον, τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἐμπλήσαι Χριστὸς τῆς χαρᾶς τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀναστάσεως καὶ καταξιώσαι ἑπομένους τοῖς ἴχνεσι τῶν ἁγίων τῶν ποιμένων τε καὶ διδασκάλων τῆς ἐκκλησίας, προαγομένους τυχεῖν τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς λαμπρότησι τῶν ἁγίων, ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι αἰωνίως αὐτὸν δοξάζοντας σὺν τῷ ἀνάρχῳ πατρί, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Εἰπόντες περὶ τῆς διαφορᾶς τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ τῶν εἰκόνων καὶ διδάξαντες τὸν ὅρον τῶν εἰκόνων ὥρα δὴ ἐπενεγκεῖν καὶ τὰς χρήσεις, καθάπερ ὑπεσχόμεθα. Τοῦ ἁγίου ∆ιονυσίου,