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of things done by him between himself and Theodosius the bishop; And at these words, they all rose up with joy and tears and made repentance, and a prayer was made, and each of them kissed the holy gospels and the precious cross and the icon of our God and Savior Jesus Christ and of our Lady the all-holy Theotokos who bore him, placing also their own hands in confirmation of what had been spoken. From the most holy and most blessed archbishop of Theopolis and patriarch Anastasius, concerning the Sabbath, and to Symeon, bishop of Bostra: For just as when the emperor is absent his icon is venerated in his place, but when he is present it is superfluous to leave the original and venerate the icon; yet, because it is not venerated due to the presence of the one for whom it is venerated, it should not be dishonored. And after a little: For just as one who insults an icon of the emperor suffers punishment as if he had dishonored the emperor himself, although the icon is nothing other than wood and colors mixed and blended with wax, in the same way, one who dishonors the type of someone refers the insult to that very one of whom it is the type. 1,64 ~2,67 From the Leimonarion of our holy father Sophronius, archbishop of Jerusalem: Abba Theodore of Aelia said that there was a certain recluse on the Mount of Olives, a great ascetic; and the demon of fornication made war against him. On one occasion, then, when it pressed him severely, the old man began to lament and say to the demon: "How long will you not yield to me? Depart from me at last; you have grown old with me." The demon appeared to him visibly, saying: "Swear to me that you will tell no one what I am about to tell you, and I will no longer war against you." And the old man swore to him, that "by Him who dwells in the highest: I will not tell anyone what you tell me." Then the demon says to him: "Do not venerate this icon, and I will no longer war against you." And the icon had a representation of our Lady, the holy Mary the Theotokos, holding our Lord Jesus Christ. The recluse says to the demon: "Let me be, I will consider it." So on the next day, he makes it known to Abba Theodore of Aelia, who was then dwelling in the Laura of Pharan, and he came and related everything. And the old man says to the recluse: "Truly, abba, you were mocked, because you swore to the demon, but you did well to speak it out. It is better for you not to leave a single brothel in this city which you do not enter, than to deny the veneration of our Lord and God Jesus Christ with His own mother." So, having strengthened him and empowered him with more words, he departed to his own place. The demon therefore appears again to the recluse and says to him: "What is this, you wicked old man? Did you not swear to me that you would tell no one? And how did you tell everything to the one who came to you? I tell you, wicked old man, as a perjurer you shall be judged on the day of judgment." The recluse answered him, saying: "What I swore, I swore; and that I committed perjury, I know. But it was by my Master and Maker that I swore falsely; and I do not listen to you." (Scholion) Do you see that he said the veneration of the icon is of the one depicted, and how great an evil it is not to venerate it, and how the demon preferred this to fornication? Since, therefore, from of old many priests and emperors have been given to Christians by God, excelling in wisdom and piety and word and life, and many synods of holy and God-inspired fathers have taken place, why has no one attempted to do these things? We will not tolerate being taught a new faith. "For out of Zion shall go forth the law," said the Holy Spirit prophetically, "and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." We will not tolerate thinking different things at different times, changing with the circumstances, and our faith becoming a laughingstock and a plaything for outsiders. We will not tolerate submitting to a royal decree that attempts to overturn the custom from the fathers; for it is not for pious emperors to overturn ecclesiastical ordinances. These things are not of the fathers;

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αὐτοῦ πεπραγμένων μεταξὺ αὐτοῦ τε καὶ Θεοδοσίου ἐπισκόπου· Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀνέστησαν πάντες μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ δακρύων καὶ ἔβαλον μετάνοιαν, καὶ εὐχὴ γέγονε, καὶ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν τὰ ἅγια εὐαγγέλια καὶ τὸν τίμιον σταυρὸν καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς δεσποίνης ἡμῶν τῆς αὐτὸν τεκούσης παναγίας θεοτόκου ἠσπάσαντο τεθεικότες καὶ τὰς ἰδίας χεῖρας ἐπὶ βεβαιώσει τῶν λαληθέντων. Τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου καὶ μακαριωτάτου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Θεουπόλεως καὶ πατριάρχου Ἀναστασίου περὶ σαββάτου, καὶ πρὸς Συμεὼν ἐπίσκοπον Βόστρης· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀπόντος μὲν βασιλέως ἡ εἰκὼν αὐτοῦ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ προσκυνεῖται, παρόντος δὲ λοιπὸν αὐτοῦ περιττὸν καταλιπόντα τὸν πρωτότυπον προσκυνεῖν τὴν εἰκόνα· οὐ μήν, ἐπεὶ μὴ προσκυνεῖται διὰ τὸ παρεῖναι τὸν δι' ὃν προσκυνεῖται, ἀτιμάζεσθαι αὐτὴν ἔδει. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ παροινῶν εἰκόνι βασιλέως τιμωρίαν ὑφίσταται ὡς αὐτόχρημα βασιλέα ἀτιμάσας, καίτοι τῆς εἰκόνος οὐδὲν ἕτερον οὔσης ἢ ξύλον καὶ χρώματα κηρῷ μεμιγμένα καὶ κεκραμένα, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὁ τὸν τύπον τοῦδέ τινος ἀτιμάζων εἰς αὐτὸ ἐκεῖνο, οὗ τύπος ἐστίν, ἀναφέρει τὴν ὕβριν. 1,64 ͂2,67 Ἐκ τοῦ Λειμωναρίου τοῦ ἁγίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Σωφρονίου, ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἱεροσολύμων· Ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Θεόδωρος ὁ Αἰλιώτης, ὅτι ἦν τις ἔγκλειστος εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν, ἀγωνιστὴς πάνυ· ἐπολέμει δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ δαίμων τῆς πορνείας. Ἐν μιᾷ οὖν, ὡς ἐπέκειτο αὐτῷ σφοδρῶς, ἤρξατο ὁ γέρων ἀποδύρεσθαι καὶ λέγειν τῷ δαίμονι· «Ἕως πότε οὐκ ἐνδίδως μοι; Ἀπόστα λοιπὸν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· συνεγήρασάς μοι.» Φαίνεται αὐτῷ ὁ δαίμων ὀφθαλμοφανῶς λέγων· «Ὄμοσόν μοι, ὅτι οὐδενὶ λέγεις, ὃ μέλλω λέγειν σοι, καὶ οὐκέτι σοι πολεμῶ.» Καὶ ὤμοσεν αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων, ὅτι «μὰ τὸν ἐνοικοῦντα ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις· Οὐκ εἴπω τινί, ὅπερ λέγεις μοι.» Τότε λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ δαίμων· «Μὴ προσκυνήσῃς ταύτῃ τῇ εἰκόνι, καὶ οὐκέτι σοι πολεμῶ.» Εἶχε δὲ ἡ εἰκὼν ἐκτύπωμα τὴν δέσποιναν ἡμῶν τὴν ἁγίαν Μαρίαν τὴν θεοτόκον βαστάζουσαν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Λέγει ὁ ἔγκλειστος τῷ δαίμονι· «Ἄφες, σκέψομαι.» Τῇ οὖν ἐπαύριον δηλοῖ τῷ ἀββᾷ Θεοδώρῳ τῷ Αἰλιώτῃ οἰκοῦντι τότε ἐν τῇ λαύρᾳ Φαράν, καὶ ἦλθε καὶ διηγεῖται ἅπαντα. Ὁ δὲ γέρων λέγει τῷ ἐγκλείστῳ· «Ὄντως, ἀββᾶ, ἐνεπαίχθης, ὅτι ὤμοσας τῷ δαίμονι, πλὴν καλῶς ἐποίησας ἐξειπών. Συμφέρει δέ σοι μὴ ἐᾶσαι εἰς τὴν πόλιν ταύτην πορνεῖον, εἰς ὃ μὴ εἰσέρχῃ, ἢ ἵνα ἀρνήσῃ τὸ προσκυνεῖν τὸν κύριον καὶ θεὸν ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν μετὰ τῆς ἰδίας αὐτοῦ μητρός.» Στηρίξας οὖν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐνδυναμώσας πλείοσι λόγοις ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν ἴδιον αὐτοῦ τόπον. Φαίνεται οὖν πάλιν ὁ δαίμων τῷ ἐγκλείστῳ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· «Τί ἔνι, κακόγηρε; Οὐκ ὤμοσάς μοι, ὅτι οὐδενὶ λέγεις; Καὶ πῶς πάντα ἐξεῖπες τῷ ἐλθόντι πρός σε; Λέγω σοι, κακόγηρε, ὡς ἐπίορκος ἔχεις κριθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως.» Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ ὁ ἔγκλειστος λέγων· «Ὅ τι μὲν ὤμοσα, ὤμοσα· καὶ ὅ τι ἐπιώρκησα, οἶδα. Πλὴν τὸν ἐμὸν δεσπότην καὶ ποιητὴν ἐπιώρκησα· σοῦ δὲ οὐκ ἀκούω.» (Σχόλιον) Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τὴν τῆς εἰκόνος προσκύνησιν τοῦ εἰκονιζομένου εἶπε, καὶ πόσον κακὸν τὸ ταύτῃ μὴ προσκυνεῖν, καὶ πῶς αὐτὸ τῆς πορνείας προετίμησεν ὁ δαίμων; Πολλῶν τοίνυν ἀνέκαθεν ἱερέων τε καὶ βασιλέων χριστιανοῖς θεόθεν δεδωρημένων σοφίᾳ τε καὶ θεοσεβείᾳ καὶ λόγῳ καὶ βίῳ διαπρεψάντων καὶ συνόδων πλείστων γεγενημένων ἁγίων καὶ θεοπνεύστων πατέρων, τί μηδεὶς ταῦτα δρᾶν ἐπεχείρησεν; Οὐκ ἀνεξόμεθα νέαν πίστιν διδάσκεσθαι. «Ἐκ γὰρ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος», προφητικῶς ἔφη τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, «καὶ λόγος κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ.» Οὐκ ἀνεξόμεθα ἄλλοτε ἄλλα φρονεῖν καὶ καιροῖς μεταβάλλεσθαι καὶ τὴν πίστιν τοῖς ἔξωθεν γέλωτα καὶ ἄθυρμα γίνεσθαι. Οὐκ ἀνεξόμεθα βασιλικῷ ὑποκύπτειν θεσπίσματι τὴν ἐκ πατέρων πειρωμένῳ ἀνατρέπειν συνήθειαν· οὐ γὰρ εὐσεβῶν βασιλέων ἀνατρέπειν ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς θεσμούς. Οὐ πατρικὰ ταῦτα·