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to your fatherly holiness, having been somewhat hindered by the security which surrounds me; since long ago I have heard of the struggle of your imprisonment and contest for the Lord's sake. But blessed be God, who has also called your reverence to the confession of his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and God. For to contend for the sake of the icon of his bodily form is nothing other than to bear witness concerning him; since the icon is one and the same with the one imaged in its resembling hypostasis. That Christ is depicted even the stones have cried out, because he became like us in all things except sin, as it is written, but of sin, because he took flesh without seed and was born virginally from his all-holy mother and Theotokos. Since, therefore, we are all depicted (for he who is not depicted is not a man, but some abortion, because every living creature that comes to light is by nature depicted), it is clear that Christ too is depicted, even if it does not seem so to the atheists, who by this deny the mystery of the saving economy. For how could the Son of God be confessed to have become man like us, whose brother he also deigned to be called, if he is not circumscribed equally with us? And how could he be born by the law of nature, not being similar to his own mother? If, therefore, he is not circumscribed, he is not from her virginal blood, from which he fashioned a temple for himself, but bears a heavenly body, as it seems to Marcellus the heretic and to the impious ones long before him. From this, then, his mother is not a true mother but falsely named, nor is he like us but of a different substance. Nor indeed has Adam been recalled; for how will the earthly be resurrected with a body of a different nature? For it has been shown that like is saved by like. Therefore, neither has death been swallowed up, as follows, nor has the legal worship ceased; there is need of circumcision and the rest. Do you see, O man of God, into what abyss of impiety the iconoclasts, having been driven, were ensnared by not glorifying Christ as being depicted on a panel? They Judaize, therefore, for certain. From this they accept neither the Theotokos nor any of the saints, abominating the ones characterized through the denial of their own features; for the honor and dishonor of the icon passes on to the prototype, as Basil the Great says. Abominate the type of the cross; and whom do you abominate? Is it not the life-giving cross? Thus of the emperor, thus of any person; so also of Christ, and of his mother and every saint. Christ has now been denied and persecuted and scorned. And you are blessed, father, contending and holding fast to orthodoxy. But pray also for me, wretched one, to follow after your holiness and not to be cast away on account of my sins. 306 {1To the Steward}1 I heard about your honor, how you competed well for Christ, being subjected to scourging and kept in prison, and I gave thanks again to the master Christ who called you to his confession, not only because you are of the holy habit, but also because you are numbered among the subordinates, and I would add that you are also of my monastery; for to be from Symbola, where my blessed father both submitted to the holy Theoktistos and, having practiced asceticism, shone forth in virtue, is for me, the humble one, to reckon your glory and witness. Well done, then, O good steward, soldier of Christ, having surpassed many leaders, or rather having put them to shame, if indeed you, holding the rank of a sheep, appeared unconsumed by the hunt of the heretics, while they, who seem to be shepherds, having been turned into wolves by the spiritual beast, lie as a pitiful spectacle before all, having betrayed Christ our God, the only truth, by choosing the things of this world and sparing the flesh, through their fall, whether by communion or by subscription to the heretics. Rejoice, therefore, a shepherd truly in deeds, rejoice, witness of the Lord; for what follows, act more perfectly manfully. You were scourged with Christ, you are imprisoned as he was; come, receive also blows, be pierced with nails, be lanced, be lifted up in the passion of the cross. Thus far

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πατρικῇ σου ἁγιωσύνῃ, οὕτω πως ἐμποδισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς περιεχούσης με ἀσφαλείας· ἐπεὶ πάλαι ἀκηκοώς εἰμι τῆς διὰ Κύριον φυλακῆς καὶ ἐναθλήσεώς σου τὸν ἀγῶνα. ἀλλ' εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεός, ὁ καὶ τὴν σὴν ὁσιότητα καλέσας εἰς τὴν ὁμολογίαν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ ἡμῶν. οὐ γάρ τι ἄλλο ἐστὶν τὸ ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ σωματικοῦ αὐτοῦ χαρακτῆρος ἐναθλεῖν ἢ τὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ μαρτυρεῖν· ἐπειδὴ ἓν καὶ ταὐτὸν τῇ ὁμοιωτικῇ ὑποστάσει ἡ εἰκὼν πρὸς τὸν εἰκονιζόμενον. ὅτι δὲ εἰκονίζεται Χριστὸς καὶ οἱ λίθοι κεκράγασι, διότι ὅμοιος ἡμῖν γέγονε κατὰ πάντα πλὴν ἁμαρτίας, καθὰ γέγραπται, ἁμαρτίας δέ, ὅτι ἄνευ σπορᾶς εἴληφε τὴν σάρκα καὶ ἐκυήθη παρθενικῶς ἐκ τῆς παναγίας αὐτοῦ μητρὸς καὶ Θεοτόκου. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡμεῖς εἰκονιζόμεθα ἅπαντες (ὃς γὰρ οὐκ εἰκονίζεται, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλά τι ἔκτρωμα, ὅτι καὶ πᾶν ζῶον εἰς φῶς ἐλθὸν εἰκονίζεσθαι πέφυκεν), εἰκόνισται δῆλον ὅτι καὶ Χριστός, κἂν τοῖς ἀθέοις οὐ δοκῇ, ἀρνουμένοις ἐντεῦθεν τὸ τῆς σωτηρίου οἰκονομίας μυστήριον. πῶς γὰρ ἂν ὁμολογηθείη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος χρηματίσαι καθ' ἡμᾶς, ὧν καὶ ἀδελφὸς ἠξίωσε κληθῆναι, μὴ ἐφίσης ἡμῖν περιγραφόμενος; πῶς δὲ γεννηθῆναι νόμῳ φύσεως, μὴ ἐμφερὴς ὢν τῇ οἰκείᾳ μητρί; εἰ οὖν οὐ περιγέγραπται, οὐκ ἐκ τῶν παρθενικῶν αὐτῆς αἱμάτων, ἐξ ὧν ἐπλαστούργησεν ἑαυτῷ ναόν, ἀλλ' οὐράνιον φέρων σῶμα, καθὼς Μαρκέλλῳ τῷ αἱρετικῷ δοκεῖ καὶ τοῖς πρὸ αὐτοῦ πάλαι ἀσεβέσιν. ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν οὐδὲ μήτηρ ἀληθὴς ἡ μήτηρ ἀλλὰ ψευδώνυμος, οὐδ' ἡμῖν ὅμοιος ἀλλ' ἑτερούσιος. οὐ μὴν οὔτε Ἀδὰμ ἀνακέκληται· πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἑτερογενεῖ ἀναστήσεται σώματι τὸ χοϊκόν; διότι τῷ ὁμοίῳ τὸ ὅμοιον ἀνασῴζεσθαι δέδεικται. οὔτε οὖν ὁ θάνατος κατεπόθη κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον οὔτε ἡ νομικὴ λατρεία πέπαυται· χρεία περιτομῆς καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν. Ὁρᾷς, ὦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπε, εἰς ὃ βάραθρον ἀσεβείας ἐληλακότες ἐνεπάρησαν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ἐγγράφεσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν πίνακι δοξάζειν οἱ εἰκονομάχοι; ἰουδαΐζουσιν ἄρα ἀσφαλῶς. ἐντεῦθεν οὔτε τὴν Θεοτόκον οὔτε τινὰ τῶν ἁγίων παραδέχονται, διὰ τῆς τῶν οἰκείων αὐτῶν χαρακτήρων ἀρνήσεως τοὺς χαρακτηριζομένους βδελυττόμενοι· ἡ γὰρ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ καὶ ἀτιμία ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον ἀναβαίνει, ὥς φησιν ὁ Μέγας Βασίλειος. βδέλυξαι τὸν τύπον τοῦ σταυροῦ· καὶ τίνα βδελύσσῃ; οὐχὶ τὸν ζωοποιὸν σταυρόν; οὕτως τοῦ βασιλέως, οὕτως οὑτινοσοῦν ἀνθρώπου· οὕτω καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῆς τε μητρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ παντὸς ἁγίου. ἤρνηται νῦν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ δεδίωκται καὶ ἐξουδένωται. καὶ μακάριος εἶ, πάτερ, ἐναθλῶν καὶ ἀντεχόμενος τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας. Ἀλλὰ προσεύχου καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ οἰκτροῦ κατόπιν ἰέναι τῆς ἁγιωσύνης σου καὶ μὴ ἀπωσθῆναι διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου. 306 {1Οἰκονόμῳ}1 Ἤκουσα περὶ τῆς τιμιότητός σου ὅπως καλῶς ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἠγωνίσατο, μάστιξιν ὑποβληθεῖσα καὶ φυλακῇ τηρουμένη, καὶ ηὐχαρίστησα πάλιν τῷ καλέσαντί σε εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ὁμολογίαν δεσπότῃ Χριστῷ, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ εἶναί σε τοῦ ἁγίου σχήματος, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἐν ὑποτακτίταις τελοῦντα, προσθείην δ' ἂν ὅτιπερ καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ μοναστηρίου· τὸ γὰρ ἐκ Συμβόλων εἶναι, ἐν ᾧ ὁ μακάριός μου πατὴρ καὶ ὑπετάγη τῷ ἱερῷ Θεοκτίστῳ καὶ ἠσκηκὼς ἐξέλαμψεν ἐν ἀρετῇ, ἐμοί ἐστι τῷ ταπεινῷ λογίζεσθαι τὸ σὸν κλέος καὶ μαρτύριον. εὖγε τοίνυν, ὦ καλὲ οἰκονόμε, στρατιῶτα Χριστοῦ, ἡγουμένους πολλοὺς ὑπερακοντίσας, μᾶλλον δὲ καταισχύνας, εἴ γε σὺ μὲν προβάτου τάξιν ἔχων ἀνάλωτος τῆς τῶν αἱρετικῶν θήρας ἀνεφάνης, οἱ δὲ τὸ δοκεῖν ποιμένες ὄντες, ὑπὸ τοῦ νοητοῦ λυκωθέντες θηρός, ἐλεεινὸν θέαμα πρόκεινται τοῖς πᾶσιν, αἱρέσει τῶν τῇδε καὶ φειδοῖ τῆς σαρκὸς προδεδωκότες διὰ τῆς συμπτώσεως εἴτε κοινωνίας εἴτε καὶ ὑπογραφῆς τῶν αἱρετιζόντων Χριστὸν τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν, τὴν μόνην ἀλήθειαν. Χαῖρε λοιπόν, ποιμὴν ὡς ἀληθῶς τοῖς ἔργοις, χαῖρε, μάρτυς Κυρίου· τὸ τελεώτερον ἀνδρίζου πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς. ἐμαστίχθης σὺν Χριστῷ, φυλακίζῃ ὡς αὐτός· δεῦρο δέξαι καὶ ῥαπίσματα, ἥλοις ἐμπάρθητι, λογχεύθητι, ὑψώθητι τῷ σταυρικῷ πάθει. μέχρι τοῦδε