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worshipped upon the top of Joseph's staff,” not honoring the staff, but the one holding it, thus we, the faithful, venerate icons for no other reason, just as we often kiss our children and fathers, but in order to show the longing of our soul; for just as the Jew once worshipped the tablets of the law and the two golden and sculpted cherubim, not honoring the nature of the stone and gold, but the Lord who permitted these things. From Chrysostom on the third psalm, on David and Absalom: Kings dedicate triumphal statues to victorious generals, and rulers erect certain victory pillars for charioteers and athletes, and by the inscription, as by a crown, they make the material a herald of the victory. Others again in books and writings write praises for the victors, wishing to show their own power in praise to be stronger than that of those being praised. And orators and painters and stone-carvers and peoples and rulers and cities and regions admire the victors. But no one has painted images of one who fled and did not fight. From Saint Cyril of Alexandria, from the address to the emperor Theodosius: The images are like the archetypes; for they must be so and not otherwise. From the same, from the Treasures: For icons always have a resemblance to their archetypes. From the same, from the work "That through all the writing of Moses the mystery of Christ is signified," concerning Abraham and Melchizedek, sixth chapter: It is necessary for me that the images be drawn according to the archetypes. From Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, from the second oration on the Son: For this is the nature of an icon, to be an imitation of the archetype and of what it is called. From Chrysostom, from the third homily on Colossians: The icon of the invisible is itself also invisible, since it would not even be an icon; for the icon, inasmuch as it is an icon, must be unvarying with us, such as the character and the likeness. From the same, from the interpretation of the epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 17: Just as in the case of icons, the icon has the type of the man, not the power; so that the reality and the type have communion with one another; for the type is equal. From Eusebius of Pamphilus, from the fifth book of the Evangelical Demonstrations, on "God appeared to Abraham by the oak of Mamre": Wherefore, even to this day among the ancient inhabitants, the place is revered as divine in honor of those who appeared there to Abraham, and the terebinth tree is seen, remaining to this day, and those who were received as guests by Abraham are depicted in a painting, two on either side, and in the middle the greater one, surpassing in honor. This would be the Lord himself who has been revealed to us, our savior, whom even those who do not know worship, believing the divine oracles. This very one, therefore, from that time sowing the seeds of piety among men, assuming a human appearance and form, to the God-loving forefather Abraham, revealed himself as who he was, and delivered to him the knowledge of the Father. From the chronicle of John of Antioch, also called Malalas, concerning the woman with the issue of blood and the statue which she made for Christ the savior: From that time John the Baptist also became known to men; and Herod the toparch beheaded him at the palace of the region of Trachonitis, in the city of Sebaste, on the eighth day before the Kalends of June, in the consulate of Flaccus and Rufinus. For this reason King Herod, son of Philip, being grieved, went up from Judea. And a certain wealthy woman approached him, living in the same city of Paneas, named Bernice, wishing, since she had been healed by Jesus, to erect a statue to him. And not daring to do this without a royal command, she gave a petition to King Herod, asking to set up a golden statue to Christ the savior in her city. Which petition was as follows: "To the august Herod, toparch and lawgiver of both Jews and Greeks, king of Trachonitis, a petition and

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ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ προσεκύνησεν», οὐ τὴν ῥάβδον τιμῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ταύτην κατέχοντα, οὕτως οἱ πιστοὶ οὐ δι' ἕτερόν τινα τρόπον τὰς εἰκόνας ἀσπαζόμεθα, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν καὶ πατέρας πολλάκις καταφιλοῦντες, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν πόθον τῆς ἡμετέρας ψυχῆς ἐμφανίσωμεν· ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος τὰς τοῦ νόμου ποτὲ πλάκας καὶ τὰ δύο χερουβὶμ τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ γλυπτὰ προσεκύνει οὐ τιμῶν τὴν τοῦ λίθου καὶ χρυσίου φύσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ταῦτα ἐπιτρέψαντα κύριον. Τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου εἰς τὸν τρίτον ψαλμὸν εἰς ∆αυὶδ καὶ Ἀβεσσαλώμ· Ἐπινικίους μὲν ἀνδριάντας οἱ βασιλεῖς τοῖς στρατηγοῖς νικήσασιν ἀνατιθέασι, νικηφόρους δέ τινας στήλας ἐπεγείρουσιν ἄρχοντες ἡνιόχοις καὶ ἀθληταῖς καὶ τῷ ἐπιγράμματι ὡς στέμματι κήρυκα τῆς νίκης τὴν ὕλην ἐργάζονται. Ἄλλοι πάλιν ἐν βίβλοις καὶ γράμμασι τοὺς ἐπαίνους τοῖς νικηταῖς γράφουσι τὴν αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ ἐπαίνῳ δύναμιν ἰσχυροτέραν τῶν ἐπαινουμένων δεῖξαι θέλοντες. Καὶ λογογράφοι καὶ ζωγράφοι καὶ λιθογλύπται καὶ δῆμοι καὶ ἄρχοντες καὶ πόλεις καὶ χῶραι τοὺς νικητὰς θαυμάζουσιν. Οὐδεὶς δὲ φεύγοντος καὶ μὴ πολεμήσαντος εἰκόνας ἔγραψεν. Τοῦ ἁγίου Κυρίλλου Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐκ τοῦ προσφωνητικοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Θεοδόσιον· Αἱ δὲ εἰκόνες ὥσπερ τὰ ἀρχέτυπα· δεῖ γὰρ οὕτως αὐτὰς καὶ οὐχ ἑτέρως ἔχειν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν Θησαυρῶν· Αἱ γὰρ εἰκόνες ἀεὶ πρὸς τὰ ἀρχέτυπα τὴν ἐμφέρειαν ἔχουσιν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ πονήματος τοῦ «Ὅτι διὰ πάσης τῆς Μωσέως γραφῆς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον ἐνσημαίνεται», περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ, ἕκτον κεφάλαιον· ∆έον μοι τὰς εἰκόνας γράφεσθαι πρὸς τὰ ἀρχέτυπα. Τοῦ ἁγίου Γρηγορίου Ναζιανζοῦ ἐκ τοῦ περὶ υἱοῦ λόγου βʹ· Αὕτη γὰρ εἰκόνος φύσις, μίμημα εἶναι τοῦ ἀρχετύπου καὶ οὗ λέγεται. Τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς Κολασσαεῖς λόγου γʹ· Ἡ τοῦ ἀοράτου εἰκὼν καὶ αὕτη ἀόρατος, ἐπεὶ οὐδ' ἂν εἰκὼν εἴη· τὴν γὰρ εἰκόνα, καθώς ἐστιν εἰκών, καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν ἀπαράλλακτον δεῖ εἶναι, οἷον τὸν χαρακτῆρα καὶ τῆς ὁμοιώσεως. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἑρμηνείας ἐπιστολῆς, κεφάλαιον ιζʹ· Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν εἰκόνων τύπον ἔχει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἡ εἰκών, οὐχὶ τὴν ἰσχύν· ὥστε τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ ὁ τύπος κοινωνοῦσιν ἀλλήλοις· ὁ γὰρ τύπος ἴσος. Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Παμφίλου ἐκ τῆς πέμπτης βίβλου τῶν ἐν εὐαγγελίοις ἀποδείξεων εἰς τὸ «Ὤφθη ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραὰμ παρὰ τῇ δρυῒ τῇ Μαμβρῆ»· Ὅθεν εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν παρὰ τοῖς παλαιοῖς πλησιοχώροις ὡς ἂν θεῖος ὁ τόπος εἰς τιμὴν τῶν αὐτόθι τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιφανέντων θρησκεύεται καὶ θεωρεῖται εἰς δεῦρο διαμένουσα ἡ τερέβινθος οἵ τε τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιξενωθέντες ἐπὶ γραφῆς ἀνακείμενοι, δύο μὲν ἑκατέρωθεν, μέσος δὲ ὁ κρείττων ὑπερέχων τῇ τιμῇ. Εἴη δ' ἂν ὁ δεδηλωμένος ἡμῖν κύριος αὐτός, ὁ ἡμέτερος σωτήρ, ὃν καὶ οἱ ἀγνοοῦντες σέβουσι, τὰ θεῖα λόγια πιστούμενοι. Οὗτος δὴ οὖν αὐτὸς ἐξ ἐκείνου τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας σπέρματα εἰς ἀνθρώπους καταβαλλόμενος, ἀνθρώπινον ὑποδὺς εἶδός τε καὶ σχῆμα, τῷ θεοφιλεῖ προπάτορι Ἀβραάμ, ὅστις ἦν, ἑαυτὸν ἐξέφηνε καὶ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ παρεδίδου γνῶσιν. Ἐκ τῆς χρονογραφίας Ἰωάννου Ἀντιοχείας τοῦ καὶ Μαλάλα περὶ τῆς αἱμορροούσης καί, ἧς ἐποίησε τῷ σωτῆρι Χριστῷ, στήλης· Ἀπὸ τότε καὶ ὁ βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης δῆλος ἐγένετο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· καὶ ἀπέτεμεν αὐτὸν Ἡρῴδης ὁ τοπάρχης εἰς τὸ βασίλειον τῆς Τραχωνίτιδος χώρας, ἐν Σεβαστῇ τῇ πόλει, πρὸ ὀκτὼ Καλανδῶν Ἰουνίων ἐν ὑπατείᾳ Φλάκκωνος καὶ Ῥουφίνου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λυπούμενος ὁ Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ Φιλίππου ἀνῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Καὶ προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ γυνή τις εὔπορος, οἰκοῦσα τὴν αὐτὴν Πανεάδα πόλιν, ὀνόματι Βερνίκη, βουλομένη ὡς ἰαθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ στήλην αὐτῷ ἀναστῆσαι. Καὶ μὴ τολμῶσα δίχα βασιλικῆς κελεύσεως τοῦτο ποιῆσαι δέησιν δέδωκε τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἡρῴδῃ αἰτοῦσα στήλην χρυσῆν τῷ σωτῆρι Χριστῷ ἐν τῇ αὐτῆς πόλει στῆσαι. Ἥτις δέησις εἶχεν οὕτως· «Σεβαστῷ Ἡρῴδῃ, τοπάρχῃ καὶ θεσμοθέτῃ Ἰουδαίων τε καὶ Ἑλλήνων, βασιλεῖ Τραχωνίτιδος, δέησις καὶ