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have I been deemed worthy to remain his? wherefore I also fear lest when he inspects the confessor's wedding feast being celebrated, he might see me not clothed in a wedding garment, that is, of purity, and say to the servant angels: ‘Bind his hands and feet, cast him out and throw him into the outer darkness,’ as one who has unworthily inserted himself among my confessors. So knowing this, weep for me rather, father, and pray that this may not happen to me. And so much for that. But concerning the "4through"5 and "4up to"5 spoken by Basil the Great, it is clear that with the prepositions of the icon being in use, it does not seem to me to have been pronounced by the saint in both ways, but the error is from a transcription; however, both convey the same meaning. For example: the honor of the icon ascends to the prototype. And this is true both for a natural icon and for a man-made one, the ascension indicating nothing other than that the honor is the same despite the difference of substance in the case of man-made ones, but in the case of natural ones, it is also according to the sameness of substance for both. And indeed, Truth itself has said: 'He who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.' The Son, then, is the natural icon of God the Father, but we are the man-made icon of the Son as also of the Father, that is, a created one; for God might be called the maker and craftsman of all things. But for Saint Basil the "man-made" is taken with respect to icons on panels, and it is the same for us to take those made in the image of God and the icon crafted by us on a panel as man-made. And our own character has a closer identity to us, being according to likeness, just as that of Christ has to himself, than ours has to God, since the distance between God and humans is infinite; because he is uncreated, incomprehensible, uncircumscribable and whatever belongs to the same series; whereas humans are a creation, a body, circumscribed and whatever is of the same series as these. But a man and an icon of a man are both creation, even if there is a difference of creation in substance in the one case. And well done on your problem, for it has shown us from the God-spoken voice itself that in the rejection of the icon he himself is rejected, and in the rejection of Christ himself, the Father who sent him is rejected; and the iconoclasts are found to be not only Christ-deniers, but indeed thrice-deniers. As for "4passes over"5, it is because the passing over conveys the same as the ascending. The Lord said, 'I ascend to my Father'; and Moses, 'Having passed over I shall see.' For both, the movement is similar in appearance and is neither circular nor helical one from the other, but, although different, it is according to position, not relation. For he says there are seven movements. So the ascent, to draw it schematically, is this: .|.; and the passing over is this: .-... So both, as has been said, are of equal appearance; for philosophically, the example is a line. Therefore, whatever relation the up has to the down, the same the right has to the left. Thus ascending and passing over convey the same thing. And if the argument is well-ordered, thanks be to God and the Word; but if not, teach me, the ignorant one, O best of men. 428 {1To Athanasius, my child}1 "4How"5, you say, "4is the icon of Christ not worshipped, but rather Christ who is venerated in it, when there is one veneration for both?"5 Because in the case of Christ himself the veneration is worship. For in venerating him I venerate together with him the Father and the Holy Spirit, which is our Triadic veneration and worship. But in the case of the icon, it is the same (for how could it not be? for of whom the power is one and the glory one, of them clearly the reverence is one and the veneration one), but it is nevertheless relative, that is, homonymous. For in venerating it, I was not performing a joint veneration, but I venerated Christ, not divided in hypostasis, but differing according to the principle of substance. which is relative, but not worship, even if it is the same, being understood and spoken of in that case as Triadic, that is, natural, but here the opposite, as it is relative, that is, hypostatic; for if you were to say "4worship"5, you would have signified that the Father and the Spirit were incarnate just like the Son, which is absurd. Therefore, in venerating the icon of Christ, not the

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αὐτοῦ ἠξίωμαι διατελεῖν; διὸ καὶ δεδιῶ μήπως ἐπισκεψάμενος ἐν τῷ τελουμένῳ ὁμολογητικῷ γάμῳ ἴδοι με οὐκ ἐνδεδυμένον ἔνδυμα γάμου, εἴτουν καθαρότητος, καὶ εἴποι τοῖς ὑπηρέταις ἀγγέλοις· δήσαντες αὐτοῦ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας ἐκβάλετε αὐτὸν καὶ ἐμβάλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, ὡς παρενείραντα ἑαυτὸν ἀναξίως τοῖς ὁμολογηταῖς μου. ὥστε τοῦτο εἰδὼς κλαῖέ με μᾶλλον, πάτερ, καὶ προσεύχου μὴ τοῦτό μοι συμβῆναι. Καὶ ὧδε μὲν ταῦτα. περὶ δὲ τοῦ "4διὰ"5 καὶ "4ἀνὰ"5 ὑπὸ τοῦ Μεγάλου Βασιλείου εἰρημένων, δῆλον ὅτι ἐν τῇ χρήσει κειμένων τῶν προθέσεων τῆς εἰκόνος, οὐχ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου δοκεῖ μοι ἐκφωνηθῆναι καὶ οὕτως καὶ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἐκ μεταγραφῆς τὸ σφάλμα· πλὴν εἰς ταὐτὸν φέρει τὸν νοῦν ἀμφότερα. οἷον· ἡ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον ἀναβαίνει. καὶ ἀληθὲς τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ φυσικῆς εἰκόνος, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τεχνητῆς, τῆς ἀναβάσεως οὐδὲν ἄλλο δηλούσης ἢ ὅτι ἡ αὐτή ἐστι τιμὴ παρὰ τὸ τῆς οὐσίας διάφορον ἐπὶ τῶν τεχνητῶν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν φυσικῶν καὶ κατὰ τὸ τῆς οὐσίας ταὐτὸν ἀμφοῖν. καὶ γοῦν αὐτὴ ἡ ἀλήθεια εἴρηκεν· ὁ ἀθετῶν ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ ἀθετεῖ, καὶ ὁ ἐμὲ ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ τὸν πέμψαντά με. φυσικὴ οὖν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς εἰκὼν ὁ υἱός, τεχνητὴ δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ ὥσπερ καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμεῖς, ἤγουν ποιητική· καὶ ποιητὴς γὰρ καὶ τεχνίτης τῶν ἁπάντων λέγοιτο θεός. εἴληπται δὲ τῷ Ἁγίῳ Βασιλείῳ τὸ τεχνητὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν πίναξιν εἰκόνων, καὶ ταὐτὸν ἡμᾶς λαβεῖν τοὺς κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ γεγονότας καὶ τὴν ἐν πίνακι ὑφ' ἡμῶν τεχνουργουμένην εἰκόνα ἐπὶ τοῦ τεχνητοῦ. καὶ μᾶλλον ἔγγυος ταυτισμὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ὁ ἡμέτερος χαρακτὴρ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Χριστοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν, ἢ ὁ ἡμέτερος πρὸς θεόν, ἐπειδὴ θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων τὸ μέσον ἄπειρον· ὅτι ὁ μὲν ἄκτιστος, ἀπερίληπτος, ἀπερίγραπτος καὶ ὅσα τῆς αὐτῆς συστοιχίας ἄνθρωποι δὲ κτίσμα, σῶμα, περιγραμμὸς καὶ ὅσα ὁμόστοιχα τούτων ἄνθρωπος δὲ καὶ εἰκὼν ἀνθρώπου ἑκάτερα κτίσμα, κἂν διαφορότης κτίσεως κατὰ θάτερον ἐπ' οὐσίᾳ. Καὶ εὖγε τὸ πρόβλημά σου, ὅτι ὑπέδειξεν ἡμῖν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς θεολέκτου φωνῆς ἐν τῇ ἀθετήσει τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτὸν ἀθετεῖσθαι καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀθετήσει ἀθετεῖσθαι τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντα αὐτόν· καὶ εὑρίσκονται οἱ εἰκονομάχοι οὐκ ἀρνησίχριστοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τρισάρνητοι. τὸ δὲ "4διαβαίνει"5, ὅτι εἰς ταὐτὸν φέρει ἡ διάβασις τῇ ἀναβάσει. εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· ἀναβαίνω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου· καὶ ὁ Μωυσῆς· διαβὰς ὄψομαι. ἀμφοῖν ὁμοιοφανὴς ἡ κίνησις καὶ οὔτε κυκλοφορικὴ θατέρα θατέρας οὔτε ἑλικοειδής, ἀλλ', εἰ καὶ διάφορος, κατὰ θέσιν, οὐ κατὰ σχέσιν. ἑπτὰ γάρ φησιν εἶναι τὰς κινήσεις· ἡ οὖν ἀνάβασις, ἵνα καὶ σχηματίσω, τοῦτο .|.· καὶ ἡ διάβασις τοῦτο .-.. ἀμφοῖν οὖν, ὡς εἴρηται, ἰσοφανῆ· γραμμὴ γὰρ φιλοσοφικῶς τὸ δεῖγμα. ἣν οὖν ἔχει σχέσιν τὸ ἄνω πρὸς τὸ κάτω, τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ τὸ δεξιὸν πρὸς τὸ ἀριστερόν. ὥστε τὸ ἀναβαίνειν καὶ τὸ διαβαίνειν εἰς ταὐτὸν φέρει. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐπιτετεγμένος ὁ λόγος, τῷ θεῷ καὶ λόγῳ χάρις· εἰ δ' οὖν, δίδαξον, λῷστε, τὸν ἀμαθῆ ἐμέ. 428 {1Ἀθανασίῳ τέκνῳ}1 "4Πῶς"5, φῆς, "4οὐ λατρεύεται ἡ εἰκὼν Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν αὐτῇ προσκυνούμενος Χριστός, μιᾶς οὔσης ἐπ' ἀμφοῖν προσκυνήσεως;"5 ὅτι ἐπ' αὐτοῦ δὴ Χριστοῦ λατρευτικὴ ἡ προσκύνησις· προσκυνῶν γὰρ αὐτὸν συμπροσκυνῶ τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ὁμοῦ, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ τριαδικὴ ἡμῶν προσκύνησις καὶ λατρεία. ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς εἰκόνος ἡ αὐτὴ μὲν (πῶς γὰρ οὔ; ὧν γὰρ ἓν τὸ κράτος καὶ ἡ δόξα μία, τούτων δῆλα δὴ ἓν τὸ σέβας καὶ μία ἡ προσκύνησις), σχετικὴ δὲ ὅμως, ἤγουν ὁμωνυμική· προσκυνῶν γὰρ αὐτὴν οὐ συμπροσεκύνησα, ἀλλὰ προσεκύνησα Χριστόν, οὐ διαιρούμενον καθ' ὑπόστασιν, ἀλλὰ διαφορούμενον κατὰ τὸν τῆς οὐσίας λόγον. ὅπερ ἐστὶ σχετική, ἀλλ' οὐ λατρευτική, κἂν ἡ αὐτή, ἐκεῖ μὲν οὕτως νοουμένη καὶ λεγομένη, καθότι τριαδική, ἤγουν φυσική, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ ἔμπαλιν, καθότι σχετική, ἤγουν ὑποστατική· εἰ γὰρ εἴποις "4λατρευτική"5, ἐσήμανας σεσαρκῶσθαι ὡς τὸν υἱὸν τόν τε πατέρα καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἔκτοπον. Τοιγαροῦν προσκυνῶν τὴν εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ οὐ τὴν