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the likeness is in the image of the king, so that one seeing the image sees the king in it and, again, one seeing the king recognizes that this is the one in the image. And from the likeness not differing, to one wishing to behold the king after the image, the image might say to him: "I and the king are one; for I am in him and he is in me, and what you see in me, this you behold in him, and what you have seen in him, this you behold in me; for he who venerates the image, venerates the king in it. For his form and his appearance is the image." From the same, to Antiochus the ruler: What do those who turn away and permit not to venerate the images of the saints, which are depicted by us for remembrance, say to these things? Of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, to Gratian the emperor concerning the incarnate economy of God the Word: God before the flesh and God in the flesh. But there is a fear, he says, lest in ascribing to Christ two principles or a twofold wisdom we might seem to divide Christ. Surely, then, when we venerate both his divinity and his flesh, do we divide Christ, or, when in the same [act] we venerate both the image of God and the cross, do we separate him? May it not be so. Of Cyril, Patriarch of Jerusalem, from the twelfth catechesis: If, therefore, you seek the reason for Christ's coming, go back to the first book of the scriptures. In six days God made the world, but the world was for man; for the most brilliant sun, gleaming with rays, came to be, we say, for man. And all the animals were established to serve us, herbs and trees were created for our enjoyment. All the works of creation are good, but none of these is an image of God, only man. The sun [was made] by command alone, but man was formed by divine hands: "for let us make man in our image and after our likeness." A wooden image of an earthly king is honored, how much more so a rational image of God? From Saint Basil to Saint Flavian concerning the Samaritan woman: Our Lord, re-instructing her who was deceived by local custom that worship is in a place, says, "one must worship in spirit and in truth," meaning himself, of course, as the truth. Just as we say we worship the Father in the Son, as in an image of God the Father, so also in the Spirit as in one who reveals in himself the divinity of the Lord. From Saint Gregory of Nazianzus on baptism: If after baptism the persecutor of the light should attack you—and he will attack; for he even attacked the Word and my God, the hidden light, because of that which was manifest—, you have that by which you will conquer; do not fear the contest. Put forward the spirit, put forward the water. And after a little: Say, taking courage in the seal: "I am an image of God; I have not yet been cast down from the glory above through pride as you were. I have put on Christ, I have been transformed into Christ by baptism. You venerate me." From Saint John Chrysostom on the Maccabees: The impressions of royal images one might find shining not only in gold and silver and more precious materials, but already in bronze also it is possible to see the same form engraved. And the difference in the materials does not diminish the dignity of the image, nor does the participation in a lesser [material] blunt the honor from the greater ones, but the royal stamp ennobles all equally and, being in no way diminished by the material itself, it makes that which receives it more precious. From the same, against Julian the atheist, from the first oration: But what of the new Nebuchadnezzar? For he showed no more humanity towards us than the one of old, whose embers still afflict us, even if we have escaped the flame. Do not also the votive offerings of the saints, placed in churches for the veneration of the faithful, declare the mutilation of the body? From the same, on the

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ἐστιν ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ ὁμοιότης, ὡς τὸν ὁρῶντα τὴν εἰκόνα ὁρᾶν τὸν βασιλέα ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ τὸν πάλιν ὁρῶντα τὸν βασιλέα ἐπιγινώσκειν, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ μὴ διαλλάτειν τὴν ὁμοιότητα τῷ θέλοντι μετὰ τὴν εἰκόνα τὸν βασιλέα θεωρῆσαι, εἴποι ἂν τούτῳ ἡ εἰκών· «Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἕν τί ἐσμεν· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνῳ εἰμὶ κἀκεῖνος ἐν ἐμοί, καὶ ὃ ὁρᾷς ἐν ἐμοί, τοῦτο ἐν ἐκείνῳ βλέπεις, καὶ ὃ ἑώρακας ἐν ἐκείνῳ, βλέπεις τοῦτο ἐν ἐμοί· ὁ γὰρ προσκυνῶν τὴν εἰκόνα, ἐν αὐτῇ προσκυνεῖ τὸν βασιλέα. Ἡ γὰρ ἐκείνου μορφὴ καὶ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ εἰκών.» Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς Ἀντίοχον ἄρχοντα· Τί φασι πρὸς ταῦτα οἱ ἀποστρεφόμενοι καὶ ἐπιτρέποντες μὴ προσκυνεῖν τοὺς χαρακτῆρας τῶν ἁγίων, οἵτινες δι' ὑπόμνησιν παρ' ἡμῶν ἐκτυποῦνται; Ἀμβροσίου, ἐπισκόπου Μεδιολάνων, πρὸς Γρατιανὸν τὸν βασιλέα περὶ τῆς ἐνσάρκου οἰκονομίας τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου· Θεὸς πρὸ τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ θεὸς ἐν σαρκί. Ἀλλὰ φόβος, φησί, μὴ δύο ἡγεμονικὰ ἢ σοφίαν διττὴν ἀπονέμοντες Χριστῷ μερίζειν δόξωμεν Χριστόν. Ἆρα οὖν μή, ὁπότε καὶ τὴν θεότητα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σάρκα προσκυνοῦμεν, μερίζομεν τὸν Χριστὸν ἤ, ὅτε ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰκόνα καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν προσκυνοῦμεν, διαιροῦμεν αὐτόν; Μὴ γένοιτο. Κυρίλλου, πατριάρχου Ἱεροσολύμων, τῆς δωδεκάτης κατηχήσεως· Εἰ τοίνυν ζητεῖς τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας τὸ αἴτιον, ἀνάδραμε ἐπὶ τὸ πρῶτον τῶν γραφῶν βιβλίον. Ἐν ἓξ ἡμέραις ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ὁ κόσμος διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· ἥλιος μὲν γὰρ λαμπρότατος, αὐγαῖς ἀποστίλβων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, φαμέν, ἐγένετο. Καὶ πάντα τὰ ζῶα διὰ τὸ δουλεύειν ἡμῖν κατέστη, βοτάναι καὶ δένδρα διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀπόλαυσιν ἐκτίσθη. Πάντα καλὰ τὰ δημιουργήματα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ, μόνος δὲ ἄνθρωπος. Ἥλιος προστάγματι μόνῳ, ἄνθρωπος δὲ χερσὶ θείαις ἐπλάσθη· «ποιήσωμεν γὰρ ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν.» Εἰκὼν ξυλίνη ἐπιγείου βασιλέως τιμᾶται, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον εἰκὼν λογικὴ θεοῦ; Τοῦ ἁγίου Βασιλείου πρὸς τὸν ἅγιον Φλαβιανὸν περὶ τῆς Σαμαρείτιδος· Ἐν τόπῳ εἶναι τὴν προσκύνησιν ἐκ τῆς ἐγχωρίου συνηθείας ἠπατημένην ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν μεταδιδάσκων· «Ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν», φησίν, ἑαυτὸν λέγων δηλαδὴ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ προσκυνεῖν λέγομεν τὸν πατέρα, ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι θεοῦ πατρός, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ὡς ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνύντι τὴν τοῦ κυρίου θεότητα. Τοῦ ἁγίου Γρηγορίου Ναζιανζοῦ εἰς τὸ βάπτισμα· Ἐάν σοι προσβάλῃ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ὁ τοῦ φωτὸς διωκτής-προσβαλεῖ δέ· καὶ γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ θεῷ μου προσέβαλε, τῷ κρυπτῷ φωτὶ διὰ τὸ φαινόμενον-, ἔχεις, ᾧ νικήσεις· μὴ φοβηθῇς τὸν ἀγῶνα. Προβαλοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα, προβαλοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Εἰπὲ τῇ σφραγῖδι θαρρήσας· «Εἰκών εἰμι θεοῦ· τῆς ἄνω δόξης οὔπω δι' ἔπαρσιν ὥσπερ σὺ καταβέβλημαι. Χριστὸν ἐνδέδυμαι, Χριστὸν μεταπεποίημαι τῷ βαπτίσματι. Σύ με προσκύνησον.» Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου εἰς τοὺς Μακκαβαίους· Τὰ τῶν βασιλικῶν ἐκτυπώματα χαρακτήρων οὐ μόνον ἐν χρυσῷ καὶ ἀργύρῳ καὶ ταῖς τιμιωτέραις ὕλαις εὕροι τις ἂν διαλάμποντα, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ ἐν χαλκῷ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν χαραττομένην μορφήν. Καὶ ἡ διαφορὰ τῶν ὑλῶν οὐ λυμαίνεται τῷ ἀξιώματι τοῦ χαρακτῆρος οὐδὲ ἀμβλύνει τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων τιμὴν ἡ τῆς ἐλάττονος μετοχή, ἀλλὰ πάσας ὁμοίως ὁ βασιλικὸς τύπος σεμνύνει καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ὕλης αὐτὸς ἐλαττούμενος τιμιωτέραν τὴν δεχομένην ἐργάζεται. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ κατὰ Ἰουλιανοῦ τοῦ ἀθέου ἐκ τοῦ πρώτου λόγου· Τί δὲ ὁ νέος Ναβουχοδονόσορ; Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὗτος εἰς ἡμᾶς τοῦ πάλαι φιλανθρωπότερον ἐπεδείξατο, οὗ οἱ ἄνθρακες ἡμᾶς ἔτι διαθλίβουσιν, εἰ καὶ τὴν φλόγα διαπεφεύγαμεν. Οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ ἀναθήματα τῶν ἁγίων ἐπ' ἐκκλησίαις κείμενα εἰς προσκύνησιν τῶν πιστῶν δηλοῦσι τὴν λώβην τοῦ σώματος; Τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν