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of God in this. If, then, you wish to condemn me concerning icons, first condemn God who commanded these things to be made as a reminder of him among us. From the same, from the fifth discourse: Again they mock us concerning the precious cross and the marking and veneration of the divinely-imprinted icons, the utterly godless calling us idolaters and wood-god worshippers. But if I am a wood-god worshipper, as you say, O godless one, then I am certainly a polytheist as well. And if I am a polytheist, I should certainly swear saying, 'By the gods,' just as you, seeing one calf, said, 'These are your gods, O Israel.' But you would never be deemed worthy to hear this from Christian mouths, but the adulterous and faithless synagogue is always accustomed to proclaim the all-wise Church of Christ as a harlot. From the same: For neither are the images and icons and types of the saints venerated by us as gods. For if we venerated the wood of the icon as God, we would certainly also venerate other pieces of wood and we would not, as often when the image has been effaced, burn the icon in the fire. And again, as long as the pieces of wood of the cross are joined together, I venerate the type on account of Christ who was crucified on it; but when they are separated from one another, I throw them away and burn them. And just as one who has received a sealed command of a king and has kissed the seal has not honored the clay, nor the paper, nor the lead, but has bestowed the reverence and the veneration to the king, so also we, the children of Christians, venerating the type of the cross, do not venerate the nature of the wood, but seeing the seal and signet-ring and image of Christ himself, through it we kiss and venerate him who was crucified on it. From the same: And for this reason I fashion and depict Christ and the sufferings of Christ in churches and houses and marketplaces, and on icons and on linen and in storerooms and on garments and in every place, so that by continually seeing these things I may be reminded and not forget, just as you have always forgotten the Lord your God. And just as you, venerating the book of the law, do not venerate the nature of the skins and the ink, but the words of God contained in it, so also I, venerating the icon of Christ, do not venerate the nature of the wood and the colors—may it never be!—but venerating the inanimate image of Christ, through it I think I hold and venerate Christ himself. And just as Jacob, having received from the brothers of Joseph the multi-colored tunic stained with blood, when they had sold Joseph, certainly kissed the tunic with tears and placed it upon his own eyes, not lamenting the garment, but thinking that through it he was kissing Joseph and holding him in his hands, so also we, the children of Christians, kissing an icon <of Christ> or of an apostle or of a martyr with the body, with the soul we think we are kissing that very Christ or his martyr. As I have often said, therefore, the intention is examined in every kiss and in every act of veneration. But if you accuse me, saying that I venerate the wood of the cross as God, why do you not accuse Jacob who bowed down over the head of Joseph’s staff? But it is very clear that he did not venerate it honoring the wood, but through the wood he venerated Joseph, just as we also through the cross [venerate] Christ. For Abraham also bowed down to the impious men who sold him the tomb and bent his knee to the ground, but he did not venerate them as gods. And again Jacob blessed Pharaoh, who was impious and an idolater, and Esau seven times, but not as a god. See how many kisses and how many acts of veneration I have shown you, both scriptural and natural, which do not incur condemnation. But when you see me venerating an icon of Christ or of his all-holy mother or of a saint, you are immediately indignant and you blaspheme and you recoil and you call me an idolater and you are not ashamed and

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θεοῦ ἐν τούτῳ. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐμοῦ καταγινώσκειν θέλεις περὶ εἰκόνων, προκατάγνωθι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ταῦτα ποιεῖν κελεύσαντος ὡς ὑπόμνησιν αὐτοῦ εἶναι παρ' ἡμῖν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τοῦ πέμπτου λόγου· Πάλιν ἡμᾶς διαπαίζουσι περὶ τοῦ τιμίου σταυροῦ καὶ τῆς τῶν θεοτυπώτων εἰκόνων σημειώσεώς τε καὶ προσκυνήσεως εἰδωλολάτρας ἡμᾶς καὶ ξυλοθέους ὀνομάζοντες οἱ πανάθεοι. Εἰ δὲ ξυλόθεός εἰμι, ὡς λέγεις, ἄθεε, καὶ πολύθεος πάντως. Εἰ δὲ πολύθεος, ἐχρῆν με πάντως ὀμνύντα λέγειν· Μὰ τοὺς θεούς, καθάπερ καὶ σὺ ἕνα ὁρῶν μόσχον ἔλεγες· «Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, Ἰσραήλ.» Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀξιωθείης τοῦτο παρὰ χριστιανῶν στομάτων ἀκοῦσαί ποτε, ἀλλ' εἴθισται ἀεὶ ἡ μοιχαλὶς καὶ ἄπιστος συναγωγὴ τὴν πανσώφρονα Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίαν ὡς πόρνην διαγορεύειν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ· Οὐδὲ γὰρ παρ' ἡμῶν ὡς θεοὶ προσκυνοῦνται οἱ τῶν ἁγίων χαρακτῆρες καὶ εἰκόνες καὶ τύποι. Εἰ γὰρ ὡς θεῷ προσεκυνοῦμεν τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς εἰκόνος, ἐμέλλομεν πάντως καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς προσκυνεῖν ξύλοις καὶ οὐχ ὡς πολλάκις λεανθέντος τοῦ χαρακτῆρος τῷ πυρὶ τὴν εἰκόνα κατεκαίομεν. Καὶ πάλιν, ἕως μέν ἐστι συνδεδεμένα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ σταυροῦ, προσκυνῶ τὸν τύπον διὰ τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ σταυρωθέντα Χριστόν· ἐπὰν δὲ διαιρεθῶσιν ἐξ ἀλλήλων, ῥίπτω αὐτὰ καὶ κατακαίω. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ κέλευσιν βασιλέως δεξάμενος ἐσφραγισμένην καὶ ἀσπασάμενος τὴν σφραγίδα οὐ τὸν πηλὸν ἐτίμησεν, οὐ τὸν χάρτην ἢ τὸν μόλυβδον, ἀλλὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀπένειμε τὸ σέβας καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν, οὕτω καὶ χριστιανῶν παῖδες τῷ τύπῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ προσκυνοῦντες οὐ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ ξύλου προσκυνοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ σφραγίδα καὶ δακτύλιον καὶ χαρακτῆρα Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ βλέποντες δι' αὐτοῦ τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ σταυρωθέντα ἀσπαζόμεθα καὶ προσκυνοῦμεν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ· Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Χριστὸν καὶ τὰ Χριστοῦ πάθη ἐν ἐκκλησίαις καὶ οἴκοις καὶ ἀγοραῖς καὶ ἐν εἰκόσι καὶ ἐν σινδόνι καὶ ἐν ταμείοις καὶ ἐν ἱματίοις καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἐκτυπῶ καὶ διαγράφω, ἵνα διηνεκῶς ὁρῶν ταῦτα ἀναμιμνήσκωμαι καὶ μὴ ἐπιλάθωμαι, ὥσπερ σὺ ἐπελάθου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου ἀεί. Καὶ ὥσπερ σὺ προσκυνῶν τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ νόμου οὐ τὴν φύσιν τῶν δερμάτων καὶ τοῦ μέλανος προσκυνεῖς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ θεοῦ τοὺς ἐγκειμένους ἐν αὐτῷ, οὕτως κἀγὼ τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσκυνῶ, οὐ τῇ φύσει τοῦ ξύλου καὶ τῶν χρωμάτων-μὴ γένοιτο-, ἀλλ' ἀψύχῳ χαρακτῆρι Χριστοῦ προσκυνῶν δι' αὐτοῦ αὐτὸν Χριστὸν δοκῶ κρατεῖν καὶ προσκυνεῖν. Καὶ ὥσπερ Ἰακὼβ δεξάμενος παρὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν χιτῶνα τὸν ποικίλον ᾑμαγμένον, ὅτε ἐπίπρασαν τὸν Ἰωσήφ, κατεφίλησε πάντως τὸν χιτῶνα μετὰ δακρύων καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῖς ἰδίοις τοῦτον ἔθηκεν οὐ τὸ ἱμάτιον θρηνῶν, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ νομίζων καταφιλεῖν καὶ ἐν χερσὶν αὐτὸν κατέχειν, οὕτω καὶ χριστιανῶν παῖδες εἰκόνα <Χριστοῦ> ἢ ἀποστόλου ἢ μάρτυρος κατασπαζόμενοι τῇ σαρκὶ τῇ ψυχῇ νομίζομεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν Χριστὸν ἢ τὸν μάρτυρα αὐτοῦ ἀσπάζεσθαι. Ὡς γοῦν πολλάκις εἶπον, ὁ σκοπὸς ἐξετάζεται ἐπὶ παντὸς ἀσπασμοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ πάσης προσκυνήσεως. Εἰ δὲ ἐμοὶ ἐγκαλεῖς λέγων, ὅτι ὡς θεῷ προσκυνῶ τῷ ξύλῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ, διὰ τί οὐκ ἐγκαλεῖς τῷ Ἰακὼβ προσκυνήσαντι ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου τοῦ Ἰωσήφ; Ἀλλὰ πρόδηλον, ὅτι οὐ τὸ ξύλον τιμῶν προσεκύνησεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ ξύλου τῷ Ἰωσὴφ προσεκύνησεν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ τῷ Χριστῷ. Ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἀβραὰμ τοῖς πωλήσασιν αὐτῷ τὸν τάφον ἀνδράσιν ἀσεβέσι προσεκύνησε καὶ γόνυ ἔκαμψεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς θεοὺς αὐτοὺς προσεκύνησε. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἰακὼβ τὸν Φαραὼ ηὐλόγησεν ἀσεβῆ καὶ εἰδωλολάτρην ὄντα καὶ τὸν Ἠσαῦ ἑπτάκις, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς θεόν. Ἴδε, πόσους ἀσπασμοὺς καὶ πόσας προσκυνήσεις ἀπέδειξά σοι γραφικάς τε καὶ φυσικὰς μὴ ἐχούσας κατάγνωσιν. Ἐμὲ δέ, ἐπὰν ἴδῃς εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ ἢ τῆς πανάγνου αὐτοῦ μητρὸς ἢ ἁγίου προσκυνοῦντα, ἀγανακτεῖς εὐθέως καὶ βλασφημεῖς καὶ ἀποπηδᾷς καὶ εἰδωλολάτρην με ἀποκαλεῖς καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ καὶ