30

Historians often and painters represent, the former adorning with the word, the latter inscribing on panels, and both have aroused many to courage; for what the word presents through hearing, these things painting silently shows through imitation <...> 1,35͂2,31 ͂3,48 Of the same, from the thirty chapters to Amphilochius concerning the Holy Spirit, from chapter 17: That the image of the king is also called king, and not two kings; for neither is the power split nor is the glory divided. For just as our ruling origin and authority is one, so also the doxology offered by us is one and not many, because the honor of the image passes over to the prototype. What, therefore, the image is here by way of imitation, this the Son is there by nature. And just as in the case of artificial things the likeness is according to the form, so also in the case of the divine and uncompounded nature the union is in the communion of the Godhead. 3,49 (Scholium) Just as therefore "he who does not honor the Son," as the Lord says, "does not honor the Father who sent him," so also he who does not honor the image does not honor the one depicted. But perhaps someone will say: It is necessary to honor the image of Christ, but not also those of the saints. O the folly! Hear the Lord saying to the disciples: "He who receives you receives me." Therefore he who does not honor the saints does not honor the Lord himself. 1,36͂2,32 (Scholium) If the image of the king is the king, and the image of Christ is Christ, and the image of the saint is the saint, and neither the power is split nor the glory divided, but the glory of the image becomes that of the one depicted. Demons fear the saints and flee from their shadow; and the image is also a shadow, and I make it as a driver-away of demons. If you should say that it is necessary to be united to God only intellectually, take away all corporeal things: the lights, the fragrant incense, prayer itself which is through the voice, the divine mysteries themselves accomplished from matter, the bread, the wine, the oil of anointing, the form of the cross. For all these things are matter; the cross, the sponge and the reed, the lance that pierced the life-giving side. Either take away the veneration of all these things, which is impossible, or do not refuse the honor of the images. Divine grace is given to materials through the invocation of the names of those depicted. Just as the purple-shell by itself is simple, and the silk, and the garment woven from both, and by itself has no honor, but if a king puts it on, from the honor belonging to the one clothed, honor is imparted to the clothing; so materials themselves are by themselves not to be venerated, but if the one depicted is full of grace, they become partakers of grace according to the proportion of faith. The apostles saw the Lord with bodily eyes, and others the apostles, and others the martyrs. I too long to see them with soul and body and to have a remedy against evil, since I am created twofold, and seeing, I venerate what is seen not as God, but as a venerable representation of venerable ones. You, perhaps, being lofty and immaterial and having become beyond the body and, as it were, fleshless, despise everything that is seen, but I, since I am a human being and am clothed in a body, long to commune corporeally and to see the holy things. Condescend to my humble way of thinking, O lofty one, that you may keep your loftiness. Christ accepts my longing for him and for his own; for a master rejoices when a well-disposed servant is praised, said the great Basil, eulogizing the forty martyrs. But observe what things he says, honoring in his oration Gordius the renowned. From the oration of Saint Basil on Gordius the martyr: Peoples rejoice with a spiritual joy at the mere remembrance of the righteous deeds, being led to zeal and imitation of the good things which they hear; for the story of men of good conduct produces a kind of light for the way of life for those who are being saved. And after a little: So that, when we narrate the lives of those who have excelled in piety, we first glorify the master

30

λογογράφοι πολλάκις καὶ ζωγράφοι διασημαίνουσιν, οἱ μὲν τῷ λόγῳ κοσμοῦντες, οἱ δὲ τοῖς πίναξιν ἐγχαράττοντες, καὶ πολλοὺς ἐπήγειραν πρὸς ἀνδρείαν ἑκάτεροι· ἃ γὰρ ὁ λόγος διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς παρίστησι, ταῦτα γραφικὴ σιωπῶσα διὰ μιμήσεως δείκνυσιν <...> 1,35͂2,31 ͂3,48 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν πρὸς Ἀμφιλόχιον τριάκοντα κεφαλαίων περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀπὸ κεφαλαίου ιζʹ· Ὅτι βασιλεὺς λέγεται καὶ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰκών, καὶ οὐ δύο βασιλεῖς· οὔτε γὰρ τὸ κράτος σχίζεται οὔτε ἡ δόξα διαμερίζεται. Ὡς γὰρ ἡ κρατοῦσα ἡμῶν ἀρχὴ καὶ ἐξουσία μία, οὕτως καὶ ἡ παρ' ἡμῶν δοξολογία μία καὶ οὐ πολλαί, διότι ἡ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον διαβαίνει. Ὃ οὖν ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα μιμητικῶς ἡ εἰκών, τοῦτο ἐκεῖ φυσικῶς ὁ υἱός. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν τεχνητῶν κατὰ τὴν μορφὴν ἡ ὁμοίωσις, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θείας καὶ ἀσυνθέτου φύσεως ἐν τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς θεότητός ἐστιν ἡ ἕνωσις. 3,49 (Σχόλιον) Ὥσπερ οὖν «ὁ μὴ τιμῶν τὸν υἱόν», καθώς φησιν ὁ κύριος, «οὐ τιμᾷ τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντα αὐτόν», οὕτως καὶ ὁ μὴ τιμῶν τὴν εἰκόνα οὐδὲ τὸν εἰκονιζόμενον τιμᾷ. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις· Τιμᾶν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνάγκη, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων. Ὢ τῆς ἀφροσύνης. Ἄκουσον τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος τοῖς μαθηταῖς· «Ὁ δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ δέχεται.» Ὥστε ὁ μὴ τιμῶν τοὺς ἁγίους οὐδὲ αὐτὸν τιμᾷ τὸν κύριον. 1,36͂2,32 (Σχόλιον) Εἰ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ βασιλέως βασιλεύς, καὶ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ Χριστοῦ Χριστὸς καὶ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ ἁγίου ἅγιος, καὶ οὔτε τὸ κράτος σχίζεται οὔτε ἡ δόξα διαμερίζεται, ἀλλ' ἡ δόξα τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ εἰκονιζομένου γίνεται. ∆εδοίκασι τοὺς ἁγίους οἱ δαίμονες καὶ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτῶν δραπετεύουσι· σκιὰ δὲ καὶ ἡ εἰκών, καὶ ταύτην ποιῶ ὡς δαιμόνων ἐλάτειραν. Εἰ δὲ χρῆναι λέγοις νοερῶς μόνον θεῷ συνάπτεσθαι, ἄνελε πάντα τὰ σωματικά, τὰ φῶτα, τὸ εὐῶδες θυμίαμα, αὐτὴν τὴν διὰ φωνῆς προσευχήν, αὐτὰ τὰ ἐξ ὕλης τελούμενα θεῖα μυστήρια, τὸν ἄρτον, τὸν οἶνον, τὸ τῆς χρίσεως ἔλαιον, τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ ἐκτύπωμα. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ὕλη· ὁ σταυρός, ὁ σπόγγος καὶ κάλαμος, ἡ τὴν ζωηφόρον πλευρὰν νύξασα λόγχη. Ἢ τούτων ἁπάντων ἄνελε τὸ σέβας, ὅπερ ἀδύνατον, ἢ μὴ ἀπαναίνου μηδὲ τὴν τῶν εἰκόνων τιμήν. Χάρις δίδοται θεία ταῖς ὕλαις διὰ τῆς τῶν εἰκονιζομένων προσηγορίας. Ὥσπερ λιτὸν ἡ κογχύλη καθ' ἑαυτὴν καὶ ἡ μέταξα καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἐξυφασμένον ἱμάτιον καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ οὐδεμίαν ἔχει τιμήν, ἂν δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο περίθηται, ἐκ τῆς προσούσης τῷ ἠμφιεσμένῳ τιμῆς τῷ ἀμφιάσματι μεταδίδοται· οὕτως αἱ ὕλαι αὐταὶ μὲν καθ' ἑαυτὰς ἀπροσκύνητοι, ἂν δὲ χάριτος εἴη πλήρης ὁ εἰκονιζόμενος, μέτοχοι χάριτος γίνονται κατ' ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως. Εἶδον οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὸν κύριον σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἕτεροι καὶ τοὺς μάρτυρας ἕτεροι. Ποθῶ κἀγὼ τούτους ὁρᾶν ψυχῇ τε καὶ σώματι καὶ ἔχειν ἀλεξίκακον φάρμακον, ἐπεὶ διπλοῦς ἔκτισμαι, καὶ ὁρῶν προσκυνῶ τὸ ὁρώμενον οὐχ ὡς θεόν, ἀλλ' ὡς τιμίων εἰκόνισμα τίμιον. Σὺ τυχὸν ὑψηλός τε καὶ ἄυλος καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ σῶμα γενόμενος καὶ οἷον ἄσαρκος καταπτύεις πᾶν τὸ ὁρώμενον, ἀλλ' ἐγώ, ἐπεὶ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι καὶ σῶμα περίκειμαι, ποθῶ καὶ σωματικῶς ὁμιλεῖν καὶ ὁρᾶν τὰ ἅγια. Συγκατάβηθι τῷ ταπεινῷ μου φρονήματι, ὁ ὑψηλός, ἵνα σου τηρήσῃς τὸ ὑψηλόν. Ἀποδέχεται Χριστὸς τὸν πρὸς αὐτόν μου πόθον καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτοῦ· χαίρει γὰρ δεσπότης ἐγκωμιαζομένου δούλου εὐγνώμονος, ὁ μέγας ἔφη Βασίλειος ἐγκωμιάζων τοὺς τεσσαράκοντα μάρτυρας. Ἄθρει δὲ οἷα καὶ εἰς Γόρδιον τὸν ἀοίδιμον τῷ λόγῳ γεραίρων φησίν. Τοῦ ἁγίου Βασιλείου ἐκ τοῦ εἰς Γόρδιον τὸν μάρτυρα λόγου· Εὐφραίνονται λαοὶ εὐφροσύνην πνευματικὴν ἐπὶ μόνῃ τῇ ὑπομνήσει τῶν τοῖς δικαίοις κατωρθωμένων εἰς ζῆλον καὶ μίμησιν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀφ' ὧν ἀκούουσιν, ἐναγόμενοι· ἡ γὰρ τῶν εὐπολιτεύτων ἀνδρῶν ἱστορία οἷόν τι φῶς τοῖς σῳζομένοις πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου ὁδὸν ἐμποιεῖ. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ὥστε, ὅταν διηγώμεθα τοὺς βίους τῶν διαπρεψάντων ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ, δοξάζομεν πρῶτον τὸν δεσπότην