255

to drive a sword through the throat of him who belched forth impieties, to inflict a fatal blow upon the shoulder that quivered in insolence against Christ, for the shedding of righteous blood, that unrighteous blood be shed, instead of the cutting and scraping of limbs and backs, that God-hated limbs be cut off, instead of the death of a holy one, that an unholy death be demonstrated, and instead of a purple robe, that the dishonorable seed be clothed in a rag. And not rejoicing in the fall of the impious one (since I am both groaning and weeping), I mock the manner of his death, but because an evil man will perish evilly, as is the decree of the Truthful One, and everyone who acts insolently against God will receive things comparable to what he has done, even here; for I do not yet speak of the future and final fire, by which every impious and lawless person will be tested. What then is to be said to this? There is need of a new Josiah, or, if you will, a certain Jovian or another of such men; one who, zealous for the Lord, would hasten to restore what has been shattered, to join what is separated, to render to God the things that are God's, as the saying goes, to set up the icon of Christ, of the Theotokos, and of each of the saints; not that the icon of Christ has ever fallen, far from it, but so that we who have fallen into impiety might be raised up. We sinners pray for such a most pious and God-appointed emperor both to appear and to be. And if it is so, it is best and to be praised for ages; but if, on account of my sins, it is not so, yet at least we are so in the confession of Christ, not neglecting His holy guard, nor shrinking from anything, nor fearing anything else before God, as God Himself guarantees. Show these things to your fellow confessors, whom you should also greet on our behalf, since they are friends and pious men whom you would approve. May we be deemed worthy to come also to a face-to-face conversation; but if it is not the Lord's will, make use, my brother, of the letter, seeing from it and being seen. Your brother Nicholas greets you warmly. 418 {1To Michael, autocrat and emperor}1 It is especially just at the present time that from the mouth of all the persecuted praise should be perfected, first to Christ the King of all, and then to your God-appointed rule, through which we who were bound have received redemption, we who were imprisoned, release, we who were afflicted, comfort, we who were wounded, health, we who were hidden, boldness, we who were exiled, return. And indeed I think I rightly suppose that the passion of your reign pre-existed as a type of Christ, so that, having done like for like, it too might say with Christ and after Christ to those in bonds: Come forth, and to those in darkness: Be revealed. And blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, a new David, a second Josiah, the king of peaceful rule, who, in acting, may he do the things pleasing to God, who may he raise up the things that have fallen, may he join with bandages the things that have been severed, and heal them, and, to speak prophetically, raise them up on the third day; since, O Christ-imitating emperor, those who have managed to die in the heresy have departed in the portion of destruction, having denied Christ by the denial of His icon, even if they are called Christians. For to believe in Christ is nothing other than that the Son of God and the Father, having become a perfect man, is depicted according to our likeness, so that He might not be something other than us, while remaining the same uncircumscribable one with the Father and the Spirit, insofar as He is true God. Thus, then, let Him be understood as the mediator of God and men, as having both things of both and lacking nothing in either, as the whole chorus of the God-bearers proclaims. And just as in the case of your rule the acceptance of the stamped icon is a confession that you reign, as is also the opposite, so also in the case of Christ, the king of all the earth, it is the same thing to accept, and much more so, because of His kingdom there will be no end. If, then, in the denial of the icon of Christ it has been shown with all truth that Christ Himself has been denied, it is clear that also in the rejection of its veneration Christ Himself has been rejected from being venerated. And for this reason the

255

λάρυγγος τοῦ ἐρευξαμένου ἄθεα μάχαιραν διελάσαι, κατὰ τοῦ ὤμου τοῦ παλλομένου ἐφ' ὕβρει Χριστοῦ καιρίαν πληγὴν ὑποδῦναι, ὑπὲρ ἐκχύσεως αἱμάτων δικαίων αἷμα ἄδικον χεθῆναι, ἀντὶ κοπῆς καὶ ξεσμῶν μελῶν καὶ νώτων μέλη κοπῆναι θεοστυγῆ, ἀντὶ θανάτου ὁσίου ἀνόσιον θάνατον ἀποδειχθῆναι καὶ ἀντὶ πορφυρίδος ῥάκος ἐνδύσασθαι τὸ ἄτιμον σπέρμα. Καὶ οὐκ ἐπιχαιρόμενος τῷ πτώματι τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς (ἐπεὶ καὶ στένων καὶ κλαίων) κωμῳδῶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ θανάτου, ἀλλ' ὅτι κακὸς κακῶς ἀπολεῖται, ὡς ἡ τοῦ ἀψευδοῦς ἀπόφασις, καὶ πᾶς νεανιευόμενος κατὰ θεοῦ ἐφάμιλλα ὧν ἔδρασεν ἀπολήψεται κἀνταῦθα· οὔπω γὰρ λέγω τὸ μέλλον καὶ τελευταῖον πῦρ, ᾧ δοκιμασθήσεται πᾶς ἀσεβὴς καὶ παράνομος. τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα; νέου Ἰωσίου χρεία, εἰ δὲ βούλει, Ἰοβιανοῦ τινος ἢ ἄλλου τῶν τοιούτων· ὃς ζηλῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ σπεύσειεν ἀνορθῶσαι τὰ κατερραγμένα, συνάψαι τὰ διεστῶτα, ἀποδοῦναι θεῷ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἀναστῆσαι τὴν εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ, τῆς Θεοτόκου καὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ἁγίων· οὐχ ὅτι πέπτωκέν ποτε ἡ Χριστοῦ εἰκών, ἄπαγε, ἀλλ' ἵνα οἱ πεσόντες ἡμεῖς τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ ἀνασταθείημεν. Τοιοῦτον ἐπευχόμεθα οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ φανῆναι καὶ ἔσεσθαι τὸν εὐσεβέστατον βασιλέα καὶ θεοπρόβλητον. καὶ εἰ μὲν οὕτως, ἄριστον καὶ εἰς αἰῶνας ὑμνούμενον· εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλά γε ἡμεῖς οὕτως ἐν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ Χριστοῦ, μὴ ὀλιγωροῦντες τὴν ἁγίαν αὐτοῦ φυλακὴν μηδέ τι ὑποπτήσσοντες μηδὲ φοβούμενοι ἄλλο τι πρὸ θεοῦ, ὡς αὐτὸς θεὸς ἐγγυᾶται. Ταῦτα ὑπόδειξον τοῖς συνομολογηταῖς σου, οὓς καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν προσαγόρευσον, ἐπεὶ καὶ φίλους καὶ εὐσεβεῖς οὓς δοκιμάζοις. ἀξιωθείημεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁμιλίας ἐλθεῖν· εἰ δὲ οὐ θελητὸν Κυρίῳ, χρῶ, ἀδελφέ μου, τῷ γράμματι, θεωρῶν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ θεωρούμενος. ὁ ἀδελφός σου Νικόλαος θερμῶς προσαγορεύει. 418 {1Μιχαὴλ αὐτοκράτορι βασιλεῖ}1 ∆ίκαιόν ἐστιν ὅτι μάλιστα ἐν τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ ἐκ στόματος ἁπάντων τῶν δεδιωγμένων καταρτίζεσθαι αἶνον, προηγουμένως μὲν Χριστῷ τῷ παμβασιλεῖ, ἔπειτα τῷ ὑμετέρῳ θεοπροβλήτῳ κράτει, δι' οὗ ἐσχήκαμεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν οἱ πεπεδημένοι, τὴν ἄφεσιν οἱ πεφυλακισμένοι, τὴν παράκλησιν οἱ τετρυχωμένοι, τὴν ὑγιείαν οἱ τετραυματισμένοι, τὴν παρρησίαν οἱ κατακεκρυμμένοι, τὴν ὑποστροφὴν οἱ πεφυγαδευμένοι. καί γε νομίζω καλῶς ὑπολαμβάνειν ὡς ὑποτύπωσιν Χριστοῦ τὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας βασιλείας πάθος προϋπάρξαι, ὡς ἂν τῷ ὁμοίῳ τὸ ὅμοιον δράσασα εἴποιεν καὶ αὐτὴ σὺν Χριστῷ καὶ μετὰ Χριστοῦ τοῖς ἐν δεσμοῖς· ἐξέλθετε, καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότει· ἀνακαλύπτεσθε. καὶ εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι ἤγειρεν κέρας σωτηρίας ἡμῖν, τὸν νέον ∆αυίδ, τὸν δεύτερον Ἰωσίαν, τὸν τῆς εἰρηναρχίας βασιλέα, ὃς ποιῶν ποιήσοι τὰ ἀρεστὰ θεῷ, ὃς τὰ πεπτωκότα ἀναστήσειεν, τὰ διατμηθέντα συνάψειεν μοτώσει καὶ ὑγιάσει καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ προφητικῶς εἰπεῖν ἀναστήσειεν· ἐπειδή, βασιλεῦ χριστομίμητε, οἱ φθάσαντες ἐν τῇ αἱρέσει τελευτῆσαι ἐν μερίδι ἀπωλείας ᾤχοντο, Χριστὸν ἠρνημένοι τῇ τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτοῦ ἀρνήσει, κἂν χριστιανοὶ ὀνομάζωνται. τὸ γάρ τοι πιστεύειν εἰς Χριστὸν οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρός, ἄνθρωπος γεγονὼς τέλειος, ἐξεικονίζεται καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ ἄλλο τι εἴη παρ' ἡμᾶς, μένων ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπερίγραπτος σὺν πατρί τε καὶ πνεύματι, καθό ἐστι θεὸς ἀληθινός. οὕτως οὖν νοοῖτο μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ὡς ἀμφοτέρων ἀμφότερα ἔχων καὶ ἐν ἑκατέρῳ οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν λειπόμενος, καθὼς ἅπας ὁ τῶν θεοφόρων χορὸς βοᾷ. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὑμετέρου κράτους ἡ παραδοχὴ τῆς τυπουμένης εἰκόνος ὁμολογία ἐστὶ τοῦ βασιλεύειν ὑμᾶς, καθάπερ καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως πάσης τῆς γῆς τὸ αὐτό ἐστι λαβεῖν καὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ὅτι τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος. εἰ οὖν ἐν τῇ ἀρνήσει τῆς εἰκόνος Χριστοῦ αὐτὸν ἠρνῆσθαι Χριστὸν ἀποδέδεικται πάσῃ ἀληθείᾳ, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀθετήσει τῆς προσκυνήσεως αὐτῆς αὐτὸς Χριστὸς ἠθέτηται προσκυνεῖσθαι. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡ ὑπ'