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It is the voice of Paul: O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed among you as crucified? It is the voice of Basil the Great: Let Christ, the arbiter of the contests, also be inscribed on the panel; and again: the honor of the image passes on to the prototype. It is the voice of Athanasius, the great athlete: we the faithful do not venerate the icons as gods (may it not be so) like the Greeks, but only displaying the disposition and the longing of our love for the character of the person in the image. It is the voice of Chrysostom: I also loved the wax painting, filled with piety; for I saw an angel in an icon driving away hordes of barbarians, I saw the tribes of barbarians being trampled and David speaking the truth: Lord, in your city you will despise their image. This is what the iconoclasts now do to Christ and to the Theotokos and the saints (o fearful thing to hear) despising their holy icons. And so that I may pass over the voices of the others (for they are many), having added one, I might turn my discourse to another matter. It is the voice of the holy fathers of the sixth council: In the paintings of some of the venerable icons a lamb is depicted being pointed to by the finger of the Forerunner; which was received as a type of grace, prefiguring for us through the law the true lamb, Christ our God. Therefore, the old types and shadows, embracing them as symbols and prefigurations of the truth handed down to the church, we prefer grace and the truth, having received it as the fulfillment of the law. Therefore, so that the perfect may be depicted even in paintings before the eyes of all, we decree that from now on the character in human form of the lamb who takes away the sin of the world, Christ our God, be set up in icons instead of the ancient lamb, through him understanding the height of the humiliation of God the Word and being led by the hand to the memory of his life in the flesh, and of his passion and his saving death, and of the redemption which came from it for the world. Having therefore, beloved, these testimonies, along with the indisputable proof from its own source and from the truth itself, as has been previously demonstrated, I beseech you, be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, not frightened in anything by your opponents nor again by the false brethren who have been tripped up and deceived (which is to them an evidence of perdition, but to us of salvation, and that from God, as it is written, that it has been granted to us from God on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake), having the same conflict which you saw in me, a sinner, and now hear, being of the same mind, of one accord, striving together for the faith of the gospel, working out your own salvation with fear and trembling, so that I, a sinner, hearing about you, may rejoice. Beware of Satan, beware of his boldness, see that no one in any way provokes God. For the great dragon is very crafty and very experienced; where he does not find a way to destroy through faith, there he runs to work the same evil through transgression through the law of sin warring against the law of our mind. He roars, he watches like a lion to seize, he tickles, he kindles a fire, he longs to set fire to the house of the soul. We have from God the defenses that bring him down, water for the head, a fountain of tears, supplications, prayers. Above all let the divine fear be restraining and nailing our flesh; let envy nowhere lodge nor again strife, nor vainglory, nor any of the works of darkness. While the passions skirmish, let them be driven out, lest having settled in and poisoned the soul they become hard to get rid of. He who strives exercises self-control in all things. So run that you may obtain. You who are last, submit to the first; for God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. You who... love in a godly manner

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φωνὴ Παύλου ἐστίν· ὦ ἀνόητοι Γαλάται, τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσκανεν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μὴ πείθεσθαι, οἷς κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς προεγράφη ἐν ὑμῖν ἐσταυρωμένος; φωνὴ Βασιλείου τοῦ Μεγάλου ἐστίν· ἐγγραφέσθω τῷ πίνακι καὶ ὁ τῶν παλαισμάτων ἀγωνοθέτης Χριστός· καὶ αὖθις· ἡ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον ἀναβαίνει. φωνὴ Ἀθανασίου τοῦ πολυάθλου ἐστίν· οὐχ ὡς θεοὺς τὰς εἰκόνας προσκυνοῦμεν οἱ πιστοὶ (μὴ γένοιτο) ὥσπερ οἱ Ἕλληνες, ἀλλὰ τὴν σχέσιν μόνον καὶ τὸν πόθον τῆς ἡμῶν ἀγάπης πρὸς τὸν χαρακτῆρα τοῦ προσώπου τῆς εἰκόνος ἐμφανίζοντες. φωνὴ τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου ἐστίν· ἐγὼ καὶ τὴν κηρόχυτον ἠγάπησα γραφήν, εὐσεβείας ἕνεκεν πεπληρωμένην· εἶδον γὰρ ἄγγελον ἐν εἰκόνι ἐλαύνοντα βαρβάρων στίφη, εἶδον πατούμενα βαρβάρων φῦλα καὶ τὸν ∆αυὶδ ἀληθεύοντα· Κύριε, ἐν τῇ πόλει σου τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτῶν ἐξουδενώσεις. ὅπερ εἰς Χριστὸν νῦν οἱ εἰκονομαχοῦντες εἴς τε τὴν Θεοτόκον καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους ἐργάζονται (ὢ τοῦ φοβεροῦ ἀκούσματος) τὰς ἁγίας αὐτῶν εἰκόνας ἐξουδενοῦντες. Καὶ ἵνα τὰς τῶν ἄλλων φωνὰς παραδράμω (πολλαὶ γάρ εἰσιν), μίαν προσθεὶς ἐπ' ἄλλο τρέψοιμι τὸν λόγον. φωνὴ τῶν τῆς ἕκτης συνόδου ἁγίων πατέρων ἐστίν· ἔν τισι τῶν σεπτῶν εἰκόνων γραφαῖς ἀμνὸς δακτύλῳ τοῦ Προδρόμου δεικνύμενος ἐγχαράττεται· ὃς εἰς τύπον παρελήφθη τῆς χάριτος, τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἡμῖν διὰ νόμου προϋποφαίνων ἀμνόν, Χριστὸν τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν. τοὺς οὖν παλαιοὺς τύπους καὶ τὰς σκιάς, ὡς τῆς ἀληθείας σύμβολά τε καὶ προχαράγματα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ παραδεδομένους κατασπαζόμενοι τὴν χάριν προτιμῶμεν καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὡς πλήρωμα νόμου ταύτην ὑποδεξάμενοι. ὡς ἂν οὖν τὸ τέλειον κἀν ταῖς χρωματουργίαις ἐν ταῖς ἁπάντων ὄψεσιν ὑπογράφηται, τὸν τοῦ αἴροντος τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου ἀμνοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον χαρακτῆρα καὶ ἐν ταῖς εἰκόσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἀντὶ τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀμνοῦ ἀναστηλοῦσθαι ὁρίζομεν, δι' αὐτοῦ τὸ τῆς ταπεινώσεως ὕψος τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου κατανοοῦντες καὶ πρὸς μνήμην τῆς ἐν σαρκὶ πολιτείας τοῦ τε πάθους αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου θανάτου χειραγωγούμενοι καὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν γινομένης τῷ κόσμῳ ἀπολυτρώσεως. Ταύτας οὖν ἔχοντες, ἀγαπητοί, τὰς μαρτυρίας μετὰ τῆς οἴκοθεν καὶ παρ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας ἀναμφιλέκτου ἀποδείξεως, καθὼς προαποδέδεικται, παρακαλῶ, γρηγορεῖτε, στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀνδρίζεσθε, κραταιοῦσθε, μὴ πτυρόμενοι ἐν μηδενὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων μηδ' αὖ ὑπὸ τῶν ὑποσκελισθέντων καὶ φρεναπατηθέντων ψευδαδέλφων (ἥτις ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς μὲν ἔνδειξις ἀπωλείας, ἡμῖν δὲ σωτηρίας, καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ θεοῦ, καθὰ γέγραπται, ὅτι ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσθη ἀπὸ θεοῦ τὸ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐ μόνον τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάσχειν), τὸν αὐτὸν ἀγῶνα ἔχοντες οἷον εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοὶ τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ καὶ νῦν ἀκούετε, συμφρονοῦντες, συμψυχοῦντες, συναθλοῦντες τῇ πίστει τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν κατεργαζόμενοι, ἵνα ἀκούων τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν χαίρω ὁ ἁμαρτωλός. βλέπετε τὸν σατανᾶν, βλέπετε τὴν παρρησίαν, ὁρᾶτε μή τις ἔν τινι παραπικράνοι τὸν θεόν. ὁ γὰρ δράκων ὁ μέγας πολύτεχνός ἐστι καὶ πολύπειρος· ἔνθεν διὰ πίστεως οὐχ εὑρίσκει ὀλέσαι, ἐκεῖθεν τρέχει διὰ παραπτώματος τὸ αὐτὸ κακὸν ἀπεργάσασθαι διὰ τοῦ ἀντιστρατευομένου νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς ἡμῶν. βρυχᾷ, ἐπιτηρεῖ ὡς λέων ἁρπάσαι, γαργαλίζει, πῦρ ἀνάπτει, ἐμπιπρᾶν ὀρέγεται τὸν οἶκον τῆς ψυχῆς. ἔχομεν ἐκ θεοῦ τὰ καθαιρετικὰ αὐτοῦ ἀμυντήρια, ὕδωρ κεφαλῆς, πηγὴν δακρύων, δεήσεις, προσευχάς. ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὁ θεῖος φόβος σιδηρῶν καὶ καθηλῶν τὰς σάρκας ἡμῶν ἔστω· μηδαμοῦ φθόνος αὐλιζέσθω μηδ' αὖ ἔρις μὴ μὴν κενοδοξία μήτε τι τῶν ἔργων τοῦ σκότους. ἕως ὅτε ἀκροβολεῖ τὰ πάθη ἐκκρουέσθω, ἵνα μὴ εἰσοικισθέντα καὶ φαρμάξαντα τὴν ψυχὴν δυσαπάλλακτα γένηται. ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται. οὕτως τρέχετε, ἵνα καταλάβητε. ὑπείκητε οἱ ἔσχατοι τοῖς πρώτοις· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀκαταστασίας ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' εἰρήνης. ἀγαπᾶτε θεϊκῶς οἱ