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through his servants, but we praise the just through the testimony of those whom we know, and we gladden the people through the hearing of good things. (Commentary) See how the memory of the saints establishes the glory of God, the praise of the saints, and the gladness and salvation of the people. Why then do you take this away? And that memory comes through word and images, the same divine Basil says. From the same homily on Gordius the martyr: For just as to give light follows fire automatically and to give fragrance follows myrrh, so too the beneficial necessarily follows good actions. And yet this is not a small thing, to attain precisely the truth of those times; for a certain faint memory has been passed down to us, preserving the valiant deeds of the man in his contests. And in a way our situation seems to resemble that of painters; for they too, whenever they copy icons from icons, are likely to fall very far short of the archetypes, and we, having been deprived of the very sight of the events, are in no small danger of diminishing the truth. And at the end of the same homily: For as we always marvel when we always look upon the sun, so also we always have a fresh memory of that man. (Commentary) It is clear that we always look upon them both through word and image. And in the homily on the most honorable forty martyrs, he says these things: For what surfeit of the memory of martyrs could there be for one who loves martyrs? Because honor toward the good among fellow-servants is a proof of goodwill toward the common master. And again: Bless genuinely the one who has martyred, so that you may become a martyr by choice and come away without persecution, without fire, without scourges, having been deemed worthy of the same praises as they. (Commentary) How then do you restrain me from the honor of the saints and begrudge me my salvation? And that he knows the form through colors is yoked to the word, hear him saying after a little while: Of Basil: Come now therefore, bringing them into the midst through remembrance, let us establish for those present the common benefit from them, showing forth to all, as if in a painting, the valiant deeds of the men. (Commentary) Do you see how the work of the icon and the word is one? "For 'as in a painting,' he said, 'let us show forth by word.'" And again, following the homily: Since both historians and painters often signify the valiant deeds of wars, the ones adorning with word, the others engraving on panels, and both have incited many to courage. For what the word of history presents through hearing, this painting silently shows through imitation. (Commentary) What is clearer than these things for a proof that icons are books for the illiterate and are unceasing heralds of the honor of the saints, teaching beholders with a soundless voice and sanctifying the sight? I do not have access to books, I have no leisure for reading, I enter into the common infirmary of souls, the church, being choked by my thoughts as if by thorns; the beauty of the painting draws me to gaze, and as a meadow it delights the sight and secretly instills the glory of God in the soul. I have gazed upon the endurance of the martyr, the reward of the crowns, and as by fire I am set ablaze with zeal in my eagerness, and falling down I worship God through the martyr and I receive salvation. Have you not heard the same God-bearing father saying in the homily on the beginning of the Psalms, that 'the Holy Spirit, knowing that the race of men is difficult to lead toward virtue and is slothful, mixed melody into the psalmody'? What do you say? Shall I not depict both in word and in colors the martyrdom of the martyrs and shall I not embrace with eyes and lips 'what is marvelous to angels and to all creation, but grievous to the devil and terrible to demons,' as the luminary of the church himself said? And what things he says toward the end of the homily, praising the forty martyrs: O holy choir, O sacred band, O unbreakable shield-wall, O

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διὰ τῶν δούλων, ἐγκωμιάζομεν δὲ τοὺς δικαίους διὰ τῆς μαρτυρίας, ὧν ἴσμεν, εὐφραίνομεν δὲ τοὺς λαοὺς διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς τῶν καλῶν. (Σχόλιον) Ὅρα, ὡς θεοῦ μὲν δόξαν, τῶν δὲ ἁγίων ἐγκώμιον, τῶν δὲ λαῶν εὐφροσύνην καὶ σωτηρίαν ἡ μνήμη τῶν ἁγίων συνίστησι. Τί οὖν ταύτην ἀφαιρεῖς; Ὅτι δὲ διὰ λόγου καὶ εἰκόνων ἡ μνήμη γίνεται, φησὶν ὁ αὐτὸς θεῖος Βασίλειος. Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου τοῦ εἰς Γόρδιον τὸν μάρτυρα· Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῷ πυρὶ αὐτομάτως ἕπεται τὸ φωτίζειν καὶ τῷ μύρῳ τὸ εὐωδεῖν, οὕτω καὶ ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς πράξεσιν ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ ὠφέλιμον. Καίτοι οὐδὲ τοῦτο μικρόν, ἀκριβῶς τυχεῖν τῆς ἀληθείας τῶν τότε· ἀμυδρὰ γάρ τις μνήμη εἰς ἡμᾶς διεδόθη τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων ἀνδραγαθίας τοῦ ἀνδρὸς διασῴ ζουσα. Καί πως δοκεῖ τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς τῷ τῶν ζωγράφων προσεοικέναι· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, ἐπειδὰν ἐξ εἰκόνων μεταγράφωσι τὰς εἰκόνας, πλεῖστον ὡς εἰκὸς τῶν ἀρχετύπων ἀπολιμπάνονται, καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτῆς τῆς θέας τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπολειφθέντας κίνδυνος οὐ μικρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐλαττῶσαι. Καὶ ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου· Ὡς γὰρ τὸν ἥλιον ἀεὶ καθορῶντες ἀεὶ θαυμάζομεν, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκείνου ἀεὶ νεαρὰν τὴν μνήμην ἔχομεν. (Σχόλιον) ∆ῆλον, ὡς ἀεὶ καθορῶντες διά τε λόγου καὶ εἰκονίσματος. Καὶ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ δὲ τῷ εἰς τοὺς ὑπερτίμους τεσσαράκοντα μάρτυρας ταῦτά φησιν· Μαρτύρων δὲ μνήμης τίς ἂν γένοιτο κόρος τῷ φιλομάρτυρι; ∆ιότι ἡ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς τῶν ὁμοδούλων τιμὴ ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει τῆς πρὸς τὸν κοινὸν δεσπότην εὐνοίας. Καὶ πάλιν· Μακάρισον γνησίως τὸν μαρτυρήσαντα, ἵνα γένῃ μάρτυς τῇ προαιρέσει καὶ ἐκβῇς χωρὶς διωγμοῦ, χωρὶς πυρός, χωρὶς μαστίγων τῶν αὐτῶν ἐκείνοις ἐπαίνων ἠξιωμένος. (Σχόλιον) Πῶς οὖν με ἀπείργεις τῆς τῶν ἁγίων τιμῆς καὶ φθονεῖς μοι τῆς σωτηρίας; Ὅτι δὲ συνεζευγμένην οἶδε τῷ λόγῳ τὴν διὰ τῶν χρωμάτων μορφήν, ἄκουε αὐτοῦ μετ' ὀλίγα φάσκοντος· Βασιλείου· ∆εῦρο δὴ οὖν εἰς μέσον αὐτοὺς ἀγαγόντες διὰ τῆς ὑπομνήσεως κοινὴν τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὠφέλειαν τοῖς παροῦσι καταστησώμεθα, προδείξαντες πᾶσιν ὥσπερ ἐν γραφῇ τὰς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀριστείας. (Σχόλιον) Ὁρᾷς, ὡς ἓν εἰκόνος καὶ λόγου τὸ ἔργον; «Ὡς ἐν γραφῇ» γάρ, ἔφη, «προδείξωμεν τῷ λόγῳ.» Καὶ πάλιν ἐχόμενα τοῦ λόγου· Ἐπεὶ καὶ πολέμων ἀνδραγαθήματα καὶ λογογράφοι πολλάκις καὶ ζωγράφοι διασημαίνουσιν, οἱ μὲν τῷ λόγῳ κοσμοῦντες, οἱ δὲ τοῖς πίναξιν ἐγχαράττοντες, καὶ πολλοὺς ἐπήγειραν εἰς ἀνδρείαν ἑκάτεροι. Ἃ γὰρ ὁ λόγος τῆς ἱστορίας διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς παρίστησι, ταῦτα γραφικὴ σιωπῶσα διὰ μιμήσεως δείκνυσι. (Σχόλιον) Τί τούτων τηλαυγέστερον πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν, ὅτι βίβλοι τοῖς ἀγραμμάτοις εἰσὶν αἱ εἰκόνες καὶ τῆς τῶν ἁγίων τιμῆς ἀσίγητοι κήρυκες ἐν ἀήχῳ φωνῇ τοὺς ὁρῶντας διδάσκουσαι καὶ τὴν ὅρασιν ἁγιάζουσαι; Οὐκ εὐπορῶ βίβλων, οὐ σχολὴν ἄγω πρὸς τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν, εἴσειμι εἰς τὸ κοινὸν τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρεῖον, τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ὥσπερ ἀκάνθαις τοῖς λογισμοῖς συμπνιγόμενος· ἕλκει με πρὸς θέαν τῆς γραφῆς τὸ ἄνθος καὶ ὡς λειμὼν τέρπει τὴν ὅρασιν καὶ λεληθότως ἐναφίησι τῇ ψυχῇ δόξαν θεοῦ. Τεθέαμαι τὴν καρτερίαν τοῦ μάρτυρος, τῶν στεφάνων τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν καὶ ὡς πυρὶ πρὸς ζῆλον ἐξάπτομαι τῇ προθυμίᾳ καὶ πίπτων προσκυνῶ τῷ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ μάρτυρος καὶ λαμβάνω τὴν σωτηρίαν. Οὐκ ἀκήκοας τοῦ αὐτοῦ θεοφόρου πατρὸς λέγοντος ἐν τῷ εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ψαλμῶν λόγῳ, ὅτι «γινῶσκον τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὅτι δυσάγωγον πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ ῥᾴθυμον τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὸ μέλος ταῖς ψαλμῳδίαις ἐγκατέμιξε»; Τί φής; Οὐ γράψω καὶ λόγῳ καὶ χρώμασι τὸ τῶν μαρτύρων μαρτύριον καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ χείλεσι περιπτύξομαι «τὸ θαυμαστὸν καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει, ὀδυνηρὸν δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ φοβερὸν δαίμοσιν», ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ φωστὴρ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἔφησεν; Οἷα δέ φησι πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ λόγου, ἐγκωμιάζων τοὺς τεσσαράκοντα μάρτυρας· Ὦ χορὸς ἅγιος, ὦ σύστημα ἱερόν, ὦ συνασπισμὸς ἀρραγής, ὦ