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Hear a short word of defense from our own lowliness and nothingness. As for me, if I have defended myself at all to our pious and in all things orthodox emperors, I also offer a defense before you: I am constrained by fear to consent to this vote, and I am wary before the face of God of rushing in so thoughtlessly and at random, lest I fall under a terrible condemnation. For if the one who heard divine voices and had heaven as his school and became a beholder of paradise and heard unspeakable words and bore the name of God before nations and kings, Paul the divine apostle, writing to the Corinthians said: "lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified," how can I, who associate with the world and am numbered among the laity and serve in the imperial services, so without examination and consideration leap into the greatness of the priesthood? The undertaking is terrible for my littleness; the pursuit is rash. And this is the cause of my fear and my refusal. I see and behold his church, founded upon the rock Christ our God, now torn and divided, and us speaking differently at different times, and our fellow Christian believers of the East differently, and those of the West agreeing with them, while we are alienated from all of them and are anathematized by them daily. Anathema is a terrible thing; it casts one far from God and expels from the kingdom of heaven, leading away into the outer darkness. The rule and law of the church knows neither strife nor contention, but just as it knows to confess one baptism, one faith, so also one accord in every ecclesiastical matter. For nothing is so acceptable and well-pleasing before God as for us to be united and become one and catholic church, as we also confess in the creed of our sincere faith and we ask, brothers, (and I think you do too, since I know you have the fear of God,) that by our most pious and orthodox emperors an ecumenical coun460cil be assembled, so that we who are of the one God may become one, and we who are of the Trinity may be united and of one mind and of one honor, we who are of our head Christ one body joined and knit together, we who are of the Holy Spirit, not against each other, but with each other, we who are of the truth thinking and saying the same thing, and that there may be no strife and division among us, so that the peace of God which passes all understanding may guard us all; and if our emperors, champions of orthodoxy, command to assent to my request, I too consent and fulfill their command and embrace your vote; but if not, I am unable to do this, lest I be subjected to the anathema and be found condemned on the day of our Lord and judge of righteousness, where neither emperor, nor priest, nor rulers, nor a multitude of people can deliver me. And if anything is pleasing to you, brothers, give a response to my defense, or rather, I should say, my request." And all gladly heard what was spoken, agreeing that a council should take place. And Tarasios, again addressing the people, said, "Emperor Leo destroyed the icons, and the council, when it happened, found them destroyed; and because they were destroyed by an imperial hand, the matter again requires investigation, because they dared, as it seemed good to them, to abolish an ancient custom handed down in the church; but the truth of God is not bound, to speak apostolically." On the 25th of the month of December of the same 8th indiction, our holy father Tarasios was ordained patriarch of Constantinople, and having sent to Rome his synodical letters and the statement of his faith, he was accepted by Pope Adrian. And the empress also, sending to the same pope, requested

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ἀκούσατε βραχὺν λόγον ἀπολογίας παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας εὐτελείας καὶ οὐθενότητος. ἐγὼ μέν, εἴ τι τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν ἡμῶν βασιλεῦσι καὶ κατὰ πάντα ὀρθοδόξοις ἀπελογησάμην, καὶ ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν προσαπολογοῦμαι, φόβῳ συνέχομαι συγκαταθέσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ ψήφῳ ταύτῃ, καὶ εὐλαβοῦμαι ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ προσδραμεῖν οὕτω καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἀπερισκέπτως, ἵνα μὴ ὑποπέσω φοβερῷ κατακρίματι. εἰ γὰρ ὁ θείων φωνῶν ἀκροασάμενος οὐρανόν τε ἐσχηκὼς παιδευτήριον καὶ παραδείσου θεωρὸς γενόμενος ἀκούσας τε ἄρρητα ῥήματα καὶ βαστάσας τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνώπιον ἐθνῶν καὶ βασιλέων, Παῦλος ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, Κορινθίοις γράφων ἔλεγεν· "μήπως ἄλλοις κηρύξας αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι," πῶς ἐγώ, ὁ τῷ κόσμῳ συναναστρεφόμενος καὶ μετὰ λαϊκῶν ἠριθμημένος καὶ στρατευόμενος ἐν βασιλικαῖς ὑπηρεσίαις, οὕτω χωρὶς ἀνακρίσεως καὶ περισκέψεως δύναμαι εἰσπηδῆσαι εἰς τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης μέγεθος; φοβερὸν τὸ ἐγχείρημα πρὸς τὴν ἐμὴν σμικρότητα· θρασὺ τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα. ἡ δὲ αἰτία τοῦ φόβου καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς παραιτήσεώς ἐστιν αὕτη. ὁρῶ καὶ βλέπω τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν Χριστὸν τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν τεθεμελιωμένην ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ διεσχισμένην νῦν καὶ διῃρημένην, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἄλλοτε ἄλλως λαλοῦντας, καὶ τοὺς τῆς ἀνατολῆς ὁμοπίστους ἡμῶν Χριστιανοὺς ἑτέρως, καὶ συμφωνοῦντας αὐτοῖς τοὺς τῆς δύσεως, ἀλλοτριουμένους δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐκείνων ἁπάντων καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀναθεματιζομένους. δεινόν ἐστι τὸ ἀνάθεμα· πόρρω τοῦ θεοῦ βάλλει καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐκδιώκει ἀπάγον εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον. οὐκ οἶδεν ὁ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὅρος καὶ νόμος ἔριν ἢ φιλονεικίαν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἶδεν ὁμολογεῖν ἓν βάπτισμα, μίαν πίστιν, οὕτω καὶ συμφωνίαν μίαν ἐπὶ παντὸς πράγματος ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ. οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἀπόδεκτον καὶ εὐάρεστον ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἑνωθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ γενέσθαι μίαν καὶ καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καθὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ συμβόλῳ τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς ἡμῶν πίστεως ὁμολογοῦμεν καὶ αἰτοῦμεν, ἀδελφοί, (οἶμαι δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἐπειδὴ γινώσκω τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ ἔχειν ὑμᾶς,) παρὰ τῶν εὐσεβεστάτων καὶ ὀρθοδόξων βασιλέων ἡμῶν σύν460 οδον οἰκουμενικὴν συναθροισθῆναι, ἵνα γενώμεθα οἱ τοῦ ἑνὸς θεοῦ ἕν, καὶ οἱ τῆς τριάδος ἡνωμένοι καὶ ὁμόψυχοι καὶ ὁμότιμοι, οἱ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ σῶμα ἓν συναρμολογούμενον καὶ συμβιβαζόμενον, οἱ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, οὐ κατ' ἀλλήλων, ἀλλὰ σὺν ἀλλήλοις, οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ αὐτὸ φρονοῦντες καὶ λέγοντες, καὶ μὴ ᾖ ἔρις καὶ διχοστασία ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅπως ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσῃ πάντας ἡμᾶς· καὶ εἰ μὲν κελεύουσιν οἱ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας πρόμαχοι βασιλεῖς ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ αἰτήσει ἐπινεῦσαι, συγκατατίθεμαι κἀγὼ καὶ τὴν κέλευσιν αὐτῶν ἐκπληρῶ καὶ ὑμῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἀσπάζομαι· εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἀδυνάτως ἔχω τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ἵνα μὴ ὑποβληθῶ τῷ ἀναθέματι καὶ εὑρεθῶ καταδεδικασμένος ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ κριτοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἔνθα οὔτε βασιλεύς, οὔτε ἱερεύς, οὔτε ἄρχοντες, οὔτε πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων δύναταί με ἐξελέσθαι. καὶ εἴ τί ἐστιν ἀρεστὸν ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, δότε τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολογίας, φράσαι δὲ μᾶλλον αἰτήσεως, ἀπόκρισιν." καὶ ἀσμένως ἠκροάσαντο πάντες τῶν λαληθέντων συμφωνήσαντες τοῦ γενέσθαι σύνοδον. ὁ δὲ Ταράσιος πάλιν πρὸς τὸν λαὸν διαλεγόμενος ἔφη, ὅτι "Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς κατέστρεψε τὰς εἰκόνας, καὶ ἡ σύνοδος, ὅτε ἐγένετο, κατεστραμμένας αὐτὰς εὗρεν· καὶ διότι διὰ βασιλικῆς χειρὸς κατεστράφησαν, πάλιν ζήτησιν ἔχει τὸ κεφάλαιον, ὅτι ἀρχαίαν συνήθειαν παραδεδομένην ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ κατετόλμησαν, ὡς ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς, ἀφανίσαι· ἀλλ' ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται, ἀποστολικῶς εἰπεῖν." τῇ δὲ κεʹ τοῦ ∆εκεμβρίου μηνὸς τῆς αὐτῆς ηʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος ἐχειροτονήθη ὁ ὅσιος πατὴρ ἡμῶν Ταράσιος πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἐν Ῥώμῃ τὰ συνοδικὰ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν λίβελλον τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ ἀπεδέχθη παρὰ τοῦ πάπα Ἀδριανοῦ. ἀποστείλασα δὲ καὶ ἡ βασίλισσα πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν πάπαν ᾐτήσατο