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he took [the form] of a slave, having been seen in our likeness; for this is what the Theologian says, "and the Word became flesh," and what the great apostle says, "God was manifested in the flesh." And he is one and the same in two natures, perfect God and perfect man, and in each perfect nature not leaving any property unassumed, but rather having all things of the Father divinely and all things of the mother humanly, as a true son. As, therefore, he is uncircumscribable from the Father, so he is circumscribable from the mother, that is, able to be depicted in an image in the manner of his mother. The iconoclasts, therefore, about whom this teaching is also directed, by not confessing that he is circumscribable are surely found not even to confess him to be the true son of his mother; for where is the genuineness, and is it not rather entirely foreign, if the offspring were not according to the one who bore him in all natural properties? For just as with respect to circumscription he has no communion with the Father, but with the mother, so neither with respect to uncircumscribability is the opposite true; for communion is with the one who begot, not with the one who bore. Thus the correct dogma of the truth, this is the apostolic faith, to confess Christ as circumscribable in the flesh. And indeed Basil the Great [says], "Let Christ, the judge of the contests, also be inscribed on the panel," and to honor the inscribed icon, as Christ is venerated in it. For in the icon the golden Chrysostom cries out to see an angel; and if the bodiless in an icon, how much more then the embodied Word? And if he sees, it is clear that he also venerates the angel in the icon just as Christ; for to be deemed worthy to see in a painting is equivalent to venerating. since the honor of the icon also passes to the prototype, as the divine Basil would say again. Therefore, those who insult his icon are deniers of Christ, referring the rejection to him through the rejection of it, even if they say they confess Christ; since even the demons confess God, he says, but by their works they deny him. Great, therefore, brothers, is their impiety and great is our confession and in no way inferior to that of the martyrs of old. Stand firm, therefore, in no way wavering about the things already demonstrably proven true, but in this faith even unto blood, if the time should call, undertaking the struggles. From this also rises the luminous life, sun from sun, since the brother of God has shown that one is a testimony of the other. Love God with the entirety of the three powers, as the commandment bids, and love yourselves as members of Christ; for by this, he says, all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Through faith, be led by your superior. Let no one be unconfessed to him; for such a one is a nourisher of snakes. Let no one be lukewarm in faith; for such a one has no share in the fervor of the Holy Spirit. Let no one possess things in secret; for such a one is a thief like Judas. Let no one be self-willed; for such a one is an ex-monk. Let no one be over-familiar; for such a one is a worker of corruption. Let no one eat stealthily; for such a one is like a slave. Let no one give offense in anything, so that the ministry may not be blamed, as the apostle cries out, but in everything commending oneself as a minister of God in much patience, in tribulations, in distresses and the rest, which he himself enumerated, perfecting the true Christian. But if the subordinate is so, what and how much would be required of the superior, who ought to be set forth as a good example of what he teaches? Great is the struggle, but also the reward is infinitely greater, the kingdom of heaven, of which may we be deemed worthy, both rulers and ruled, living divinely in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is the glory and the power with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 65 {1To the canonesses of Principus}1 Yesterday, having seen you, sisters in the Lord, since it was urgent on account of the illness of the most God-loving archbishop, I was prevented from speaking to you as much as was necessary; but now through this letter I thought it good to supply what was lacking. I saw your sisterhood, how great and how numerous it is, and that it has increased in number and

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δούλου ἔλαβεν ἐν τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς εἴδει ὀφθείς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, ὅ φησιν ὁ Θεολόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος σάρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὅ φησιν ὁ μέγας ἀπόστολος, θεὸς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί. καὶ ἔστιν εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς ἐν δυσὶ φύσεσιν, τέλειος θεὸς καὶ τέλειος ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἐν ἑκατέρῳ τελείῳ οὐχ ὑφείς τι ἰδίωμα ἀπρόσληπτον, ἔχων δὲ μᾶλλον πάντα τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς θεϊκῶς καὶ πάντα τὰ τῆς μητρὸς ἀνθρωπικῶς, ὡς υἱὸς γνήσιος. ὡς οὖν ἐκ πατρὸς ἀπερίγραπτος, οὕτως ἐκ μητρὸς περιγραπτός, ἤγουν ἐξεικονιζόμενος μητρομοίως. Οἱ οὖν εἰκονομάχοι, περὶ ὧν καὶ τὸ ταῦτα δογματίζειν, μὴ ὁμολογοῦντες αὐτὸν περιγράφεσθαι εὑρίσκονται ἀσφαλῶς μηδὲ ὁμολογεῖν αὐτὸν γνήσιον υἱὸν τῆς μητρός· ποῦ γὰρ τὸ γνήσιον καὶ οὐ πάντῃ μᾶλλον ἀλλότριον, ἂν μὴ κατὰ τὴν γεννήσασαν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς φυσικοῖς ἰδιώμασιν εἶεν ἂν καὶ τὸ γέννημα; ὡς γὰρ κατὰ τὴν περιγραφὴν οὐδεμίαν κοινωνίαν ἔχει πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν μητέρα, οὕτως οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀγραφίαν τὸ ἔμπαλιν· πρὸς τὸν γεννήσαντα γὰρ ἡ κοινωνία, οὐ πρὸς τὴν τεκοῦσαν. οὕτως τὸ ὀρθὸν δόγμα τῆς ἀληθείας, αὕτη ἡ ἀποστολικὴ πίστις, περιγραπτὸν ὁμολογεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν σαρκί. καὶ γοῦν ὁ Μέγας Βασίλειος, ἐγγραφέσθω τῷ πίνακι καὶ ὁ τῶν παλαισμάτων ἀγωνοθέτης Χριστός, καὶ τὴν ἐγγεγραμμένην εἰκόνα τιμᾶν, ὡς ἐν αὐτῇ προσκυνουμένου Χριστοῦ. ἐν γὰρ τῇ εἰκόνι βοᾷ ὁ χρυσοῦς Χρυσόστομος ἰδεῖν ἄγγελον· καὶ εἰ ἀσώματον ἐν εἰκόνι, πόσῳ οὖν μᾶλλον τὸν ἐνσώματον λόγον; καὶ εἰ ὁρᾷ, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ προσκυνεῖ ἐν εἰκόνι τὸν ἄγγελον ὥσπερ καὶ τὸν Χριστόν· τὸ γὰρ ἀξιωθῆναι ἰδεῖν ἐν γραφῇ ἴσον ἐστὶ τῷ προσκυνεῖν. ἐπείπερ καὶ ἡ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον ἀναβαίνει, ὡς πάλιν φαίη ὁ θεῖος Βασίλειος. ἀρνηταὶ τοιγαροῦν εἰσι Χριστοῦ οἱ τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτοῦ ὑβρισταί, διὰ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῇ ἀθετήσεως εἰς αὐτὸν τὴν ἀθέτησιν ἀναφέροντες, κἂν λέγωσιν ὁμολογεῖν Χριστόν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια ὁμολογοῦσι, φησί, θεόν, τοῖς δὲ ἔργοις ἀρνοῦνται. Μέγα οὖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ ἀσέβημα αὐτῶν καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ὁμολογία ἡμῶν καὶ οὔ τί που ἀποδέουσα τῶν πάλαι μαρτύρων. στῆτε οὖν κραταιοί, μηδόλως ὀκλάζοντες περὶ τῶν ἤδη ἀποδεικτικῶς ἠληθευμένων, ἀλλὰ ταύτῃ τῇ πίστει μέχρις αἵματος, εἰ καλοίη καιρός, ὑποδυόμενοι τοὺς ἀγῶνας. ἐντεῦθεν ἀνατέλλει καὶ ὁ φαεινὸς βίος, ἐξ ἡλίου ἥλιος, ἐπείπερ θάτερον θατέρου μαρτύριον ὁ ἀδελφόθεος ἀποδέδειχεν εἶναι. ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν θεὸν ἐξ ὁλοκλήρου τῶν τριῶν δυνάμεων, καθὼς ἡ ἐντολὴ κελεύει, ἀγαπᾶτε καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ὡς μέλη Χριστοῦ· ἐν τούτῳ γάρ, φησί, γνώσονται πάντες ὅτι ἐμοὶ μαθηταί ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγάπην ἔχητε ἐν ἀλλήλοις. διὰ πίστεως ἄγετε τὸν καθηγούμενον ὑμῶν. μηδεὶς ἔστω ἀνεξαγόρευτος αὐτῷ· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος ὀφιοτρόφος. μηδεὶς χλιαρόπιστος· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος ἀμέτοχος τῆς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ζέσεως. μηδεὶς κρυφιοκτήμων· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος ἰουδοκλέπτης. μηδεὶς ἰδιόγνωμος· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος ἐξωμόναχος. μηδεὶς παρρησιοποιός· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος φθορεργάτης. μηδεὶς κλεψιφάγος· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος δουλόμοιος. μηδεὶς ἐν μηδενὶ διδοὺς προσκοπήν, ἵνα μὴ μωμηθῇ ἡ διακονία, ὡς βοᾷ ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ συνιστῶν ἑαυτὸν ὡς θεοῦ διάκονος ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ, ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἐν στενοχωρίαις καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς, οἷς αὐτὸς ἀπηριθμήσατο, καταρτίζων τὸν ἀληθινὸν χριστιανόν. εἰ δὲ ὁ ὑπήκοος οὕτως, τί καὶ πόσον ἀπαιτοῖτο ὁ καθηγούμενος, τύπος ἀγαθὸς ὧν διδάσκει ὀφείλων προκεῖσθαι; Μέγας ὁ ἀγών, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ μισθὸς ἀπειροπλάσιος, βασιλεία οὐρανῶν, ἧς ἀξιωθείημεν καὶ ἄρχοντες καὶ ἀρχόμενοι, θείως βιοτεύοντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος σὺν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν. 65 {1Κανονικαῖς Πριγκίπου}1 Χθὲς ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς, τὰς ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀδελφάς, ἐπεὶ κατεπεῖγον ἦν διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου ἀρχιεπισκόπου ἀσθένειαν, ἐκωλύθην ὑμῖν λαλῆσαι ὅσον ἐχρῆν· νυνὶ δὲ διὰ τοῦ γράμματος τὸ ἐλλιπὲς ἀναπληρῶσαι καλῶς ἔχειν ἐνόμισα. εἶδον ὑμῶν τὴν ἀδελφότητα ὅση καὶ ἡλίκη, ὅτι τε καὶ πλήθει ηὐξημένη καὶ