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there an image, he did not embrace the matter, because neither did he approach on account of it, but his likeness depicted in it, for which reason he also approached the matter. Indeed, when the mirror itself moved away, the reflection departed along with it, as having no communion with the matter of the mirror, just as, therefore, also in the case of the matter of the icon, that when the likeness seen in it was effaced, on account of which is the veneration, the matter remained unvenerated, as having no communion with the likeness. Again, let there be a ring engraved with the imperial image, then let it be impressed in wax, in pitch, in clay. The seal, therefore, is one and the same, unchangeable in both matters, but they differ from each other; and it would not have remained unchangeable in the differing matters except for the fact that it has no communion with the matters, but is separate from them in concept, remaining in the ring. So, therefore, also the likeness of Christ, even if it has been depicted in any matter whatsoever, has no communion with the matter in which it is shown, remaining in the hypostasis of Christ, of which it is also the property. And to speak simply, the icon of Christ is not worshipped with latreia, but Christ who is venerated in it, and it is to be venerated according to the sameness of the hypostasis of Christ, but despite the difference of the essence of the icon. Thus, therefore, as far as I at least know, resting on the teaching of the holy fathers, is the veneration of the icon of Christ. when this is abolished, the economy of Christ is virtually abolished, and when it is not venerated, likewise the veneration of Christ is abolished. and for this reason, O divine father, one must approach and venerate it with fear and reverence, as the veneration passes over to Christ, and one must believe that divine grace visits it and that it is a dispenser of sanctification to those who approach in faith. since also in the case of the type of the life-giving cross, of the icon of the all-holy Theotokos and of all the saints, and of every holy icon of veneration, the veneration ascends to God through their respective prototypes, and for this reason there is one and only latreutic worship of the holy and consubstantial Trinity, on account of which there are the different venerations towards the others, and to which the reference of all venerations is single. But if I have said anything erroneously through ignorance, or falling short of or exceeding what is proper, as a good father, deign to correct the one, to supply what is lacking in the other, and to remove the excess, praying and interceding for my lowliness to think rightly, to speak without stumbling, and to act without blame. 58 {1To my holy fathers and confessors of Christ, John, Michael and Basil}1 And now I have thought it good to write to my fathers, and to write to you together, as ones who have been deemed worthy of the same virtue and concord, or rather, of the witness of Christ. For since our good God was pleased that we sinners also be released from prison through the mediation of the good emperor, I offer this letter to you as a kind of gift, rejoicing and congratulating your paternity and on the, so to speak, victory in Christ. For you have conquered the evil one, O admirable men, both inwardly through the wrestling of your thoughts and outwardly through divine endurance, not bending the knee to the servant of the dragon. For the all-evil Leo was manifestly his minister, his servant, the insulter of the icon of Christ and murderer of the saints, each agreeing with the other and both making a pact to take away the name of Christ through the removal of his divine and venerable image; since the time of the second divine epiphany has not yet arrived, that Christ might be openly denied. But blessed be God, who both destroyed the persecutor with a notorious death worthy of his apostasy (for it was necessary that he who cut the Lord's body, being himself cut up by a sword, should forfeit his life) and having shown you to be crowned victors, he procured glory for his Church, trainers in virtue, a buttress of faith, foundations of truth, examples of endurance, truly leaders, truly monks,

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ἐκεῖσε εἰκόνα, οὐ τὴν ὕλην προσεπτύξατο, ὅτι μηδὲ δι' αὐτὴν πρόσεισιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπεικονισθὲν αὐτοῦ ὁμοίωμα, δι' ὃ καὶ προσέφυ τῇ ὕλῃ. ἀμέλει μεταστάντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐσόπτρου συναπέστη αὐτῷ ἅμα καὶ τὸ ἴνδαλμα, ὡς μὴ κοινωνοῦν τι τῇ τοῦ ἐσόπτρου ὕλῃ, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰκονικῆς ὕλης, ὅτι ἀφανισθέντος τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ ὁρωμένου ὁμοιώματος, ἐφ' ᾧ ἡ προσκύνησις, ἔμεινεν ἡ ὕλη ἀπροσκύνητος, ὡς μηδὲν κοινωνοῦσα τῷ ὁμοιώματι. Ἔστω πάλιν δακτύλιος ἐγκεχαραγμένος βασιλικὴν εἰκόνα, εἶτα ἐκτυπούσθω ἐν κηρῷ, ἐν πίσσῃ, ἐν πηλῷ. ἡ μὲν οὖν σφραγὶς μία καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ ἀπαράλλακτος ἐν ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ὕλαις, αἱ δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλας διαφορούμεναι· οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἐν ταῖς διαφορουμέναις ἀπαράλλακτος ἔμεινεν ἢ παρὰ τὸ μηδὲν ταῖς ὕλαις κοινωνεῖν, ἀλλ' εἶναι αὐτὴν τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ τούτων κεχωρισμένην, μένουσαν ἐν τῷ δακτυλίῳ. οὕτως οὖν καὶ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁμοίωμα, κἂν ἐν ὁποιᾳοῦν ὕλῃ κεχαρακτήρι σται, ἀκοινώνητόν ἐστι τῇ ἐν ᾗ δείκνυται ὕλῃ, μένον ἐν τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑποστάσει, ἧσπέρ ἐστι καὶ ἴδιον. καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, οὐ λατρεύεται ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν αὐτῇ προσκυνούμενος Χριστός, καὶ προσκυνητέον αὐτῇ κατὰ τὸ ταὐτὸν τῆς ὑποστάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, παρὰ δὲ τὸ τῆς οὐσίας τῆς εἰκόνος διάφορον. Οὕτω τοιγαροῦν, ὡς ἐμὲ γοῦν εἰδέναι, τῇ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων διδασκαλίᾳ ἐπερειδόμενον, ἡ τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσκύνησις. ἧς ἀναιρουμένης ἀνῄρηται δυνάμει καὶ ἡ Χριστοῦ οἰκονομία, καὶ ἧς μὴ προσκυνουμένης ἀνῄρηται ὡσαύτως καὶ ἡ Χριστοῦ προσκύνησις. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, ὦ θεῖε πάτερ, σὺν φόβῳ καὶ εὐλαβείᾳ προσιτέον καὶ προσκυνητέον αὐτῇ, ὡς τῆς προσκυνήσεως ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν διαβαινούσης, καὶ πιστευτέον χάριν θείαν ἐν αὐτῇ ἐπιφοιτᾶν καὶ ἁγιασμοῦ αὐτὴν ὑπάρχειν μεταδοτικὴν τοῖς πίστει προσιοῦσιν. ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ τύπου τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ, τῆς εἰκόνος τῆς τε παναγίας Θεοτόκου καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων πάσης ἁγιωτικῆς εἰκόνος προσκυνήσεως διὰ μέσου τῶν κατ' αὐτὰς πρωτοτύπων ἐπὶ θεὸν ἀναβαινούσης καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μιᾶς καὶ μόνης οὔσης λατρευτικῆς προσκυνήσεως τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ὁμοουσίου Τριάδος, δι' ἣν ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων αἱ διάφοροι προσκυνήσεις καὶ πρὸς ἣν ἡ ἀναφορὰ τῶν ἁπασῶν προσκυνήσεων ἑνιαία. εἰ δέ τι ἀγνοίᾳ ἐσφαλμένως εἴρηκα ἢ τοῦ καθήκοντος ἐνδεῶς ἢ πέρα, ὡς πατὴρ ἀγαθὸς τὸ μὲν ἐπανορθοῦν, τὸ δὲ ἀναπληροῦν, τὸ δὲ καὶ περιελεῖν ἀξίωσον, εὐχόμενος καὶ ὑπερευχόμενος τῆς ταπεινώσεώς μου καὶ νοεῖν ὀρθῶς καὶ λέγειν ἀπταίστως καὶ πράττειν ἀνεπιψόγως. 58 {1Τοῖς ἁγίοις μου πατράσι καὶ ὁμολογηταῖς Χριστοῦ, Ἰωάννῃ, Μιχαὴλ καὶ Βασιλείῳ}1 Καὶ νῦν ἐπιστεῖλαι εὖ ἔχειν ἐδοκίμασα τοῖς ἐμοῖς πατράσι, καὶ ἐπιστεῖλαι ὁμοῦ, ὡς τῆς αὐτῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ ὁμονοίας, μᾶλλον δὲ μαρτυρίας Χριστοῦ ἠξιωμένοις. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εὐδόκησεν ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς ἡμῶν ἀφεθῆναι καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς τῆς φυλακῆς τῇ μεσιτείᾳ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ βασιλέως, ὥσπερ τι ἕδνον προσφέρω ὑμῖν τὸ γράμμα, χαίρων καὶ συγχαίρων ὑμῶν τῇ πατρωσύνῃ καὶ τῇ, οἷον εἰπεῖν, κατὰ Χριστὸν νίκῃ. καὶ γὰρ νενικήκατε τὸν πονηρόν, ὦ θαυμάσιοι, καὶ ἔνδον διὰ τῆς πάλης τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ ἐκτὸς διὰ τῆς ἐνθέου ὑπομονῆς, μὴ κάμψαντες γόνυ τῷ ὑπηρετοῦντι δράκοντι. ἐκείνου γὰρ ἀριδήλως ὑπουργὸς Λέων ὁ παγκάκιστος, ἐκείνου θεραπευτής, ὁ τῆς εἰκόνος Χριστοῦ ὑβριστὴς καὶ τῶν ἁγίων φονευτής, ἑκάτερος ἑκατέρῳ συμφωνήσας καὶ συνθήκην ἄμφω ποιησάμενοι περιελεῖν τὸ ὄνομα Χριστοῦ δι' ἀφαιρέσεως τοῦ θείου καὶ προσκυνητοῦ αὐτοῦ χαρακτῆρος· ἐπεὶ μὴ πέφθακεν ὁ καιρὸς τῆς δευτέρας θείας ἐπιφανείας, ἵνα ὁλοφανῶς Χριστὸς ἀρνηθείη. Ἀλλ' εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεός, ὅς καὶ τὸν διώκτην ὤλεσεν θανάτῳ περιβοήτῳ καὶ ἀξιολόγῳ τῆς ἀποστασίας (ἔδει γὰρ τὸν τεμόντα τὸ κυριακὸν σῶμα ξίφει κατατμηθέντα ἀπορρῆξαι τὴν ζωὴν) καὶ ὑμᾶς στεφανίτας ἀναδείξας κλέος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ περιεποιήσατο, ἀρετῆς ἀλείπτας, ἔρεισμα πίστεως, ἑδραιώματα ἀληθείας, ὑποδείγματα καρτερίας, τῷ ὄντι καθηγητάς, ὡς ἀληθῶς μοναστάς,