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I worship the Godhead, as some say (for this signifies the Trinity; and the Trinity was not incarnate, perish the thought); but what? Christ himself relatively; for he alone is the incarnate God the Word. And in worshiping Christ himself, it is clear that I have worshiped together the Father and the Spirit. Therefore in the case of the icon it would reasonably be understood and said to be relative, but in the case of Christ himself, it is of worship, since the Father and the Spirit are conceived of and worshiped together with him. 429 {1Letter on behalf of all the abbots to Emperor Michael}1 We, the least bishops and abbots, having come together in the same place at the command of your God-crowned majesty, utter this first word before your God-appointed power, one of thanksgiving and praise, because we, the rejected, have been recalled, because we, the afflicted, have been shown mercy, because we, who were exhausted, have been refreshed from winter to spring, from storm to calm, from despondency to cheerfulness, having seen certain strange and unexpected things. For such is your just reign: joyful, glad, much-prayed-for, a ruler of peace, a lover of justice, worthy of many other titles, in imitation of Christ our true God, uniting what is divided, healing what is sick, making what is grievous joyful, being a special reign and equal to those of old who are blessed; which a human tongue could not easily suffice to honor with encomiums. But since these things are so, we the unworthy beg and beseech to be deemed worthy of your sacred presence itself and to hear the most sweet voice of your all-honorable and God-wise mouth, so that, seeing with our eyes those things which we hear with our ears, we may leap in spirit, as if changing the dejection like some mourning garment for the exultation of joy. But since the second matter concerns the sincere and blameless faith of us Christians, we dare with reverence to bring this up, that, if what was being said were something human and subject to the authority either of our most holy archbishop or of us the unworthy, it would be necessary to concede not just something small, but indeed everything, since the command so orders. But since the matter is about God and refers to God, to whom all things are subject, not this man or that man, but not even if it were Peter and Paul nor any of the angels, would dare to alter even the slightest thing, since through this the entire gospel would be overturned; and as for engaging in contentious argument with the heterodox, which is contrary to the apostolic command, it is not proper, except only for the purpose of admonition. And for this reason we the unworthy servants of your pious power do not dare even to mutter. But if anything is doubted or disbelieved by your divine magnanimity to be piously resolved by the archbishop, let its great and God-strengthened hand, as one zealous for divine things for the benefit of all, command that the clarification be received from the elder Rome as it was issued from above and from the beginning according to the tradition of the fathers; For this, O Christ-imitating emperor, is the chiefest of the churches of God, of which Peter was the first to preside, to whom the Lord says: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. This is our request, from your unworthy servants, this, with God, is the entreaty of the humbled. May the mighty hand of God preserve you, the world-desired and God-beloved, the emperor of the Christians, extending for many years and passing on the power to children's children in prosperity and victories over foes and enemies. May it be so, may it be so. τ430-506 {1BEGINNING OF BOOK 3 430 To the bishops exiled for the Lord's sake}1 I, the humble one, having just heard the news concerning your blessedness, O thrice-desired fathers, was exceedingly glad and glorified our good God. But that I was not worthy to see you and to enjoy the gifts in you, I was very much distressed;

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θεότητα προσκυνῶ, ὥς φασί τινες (τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς Τριάδος σημαντικόν· καὶ οὐ σεσάρκωται ἡ Τριάς, ἄπαγε)· ἀλλὰ τί; αὐτὸν Χριστὸν σχετικῶς· μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ σαρκωθεὶς θεὸς λόγος. προσκυνῶν δὲ αὐτὸν Χριστὸν δῆλον ὅτι συμπροσεκύνησα τὸν πατέρα ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα. ὥστε ἐπὶ τῆς εἰκόνος σχετικὴ εἰκότως ἂν νοοῖτο καὶ λέγοιτο, ἐπ' αὐτοῦ δὲ Χριστοῦ λατρευτική, ὡς συνεπινοουμένου τε καὶ συμπροσκυνουμένου τοῦ τε πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος. 429 {1Ἐπιστολὴ ἐκ προσώπου πάντων τῶν ἡγουμένων πρὸς Μιχαὴλ βασιλέα}1 Ἡμεῖς, οἱ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνεληλυθότες κατὰ κέλευσιν τῆς θεοστέπτου ὑμῶν βασιλείας ἐλάχιστοι ἐπίσκοποί τε καὶ ἡγούμενοι, πρώτην φωνὴν ταύτην φθεγγόμεθα ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοπροβλήτου ὑμῶν κράτους εὐχαριστήριόν τε καὶ αἰνετήριον, ὅτι ἀνεκλήθημεν οἱ ἀπωσμένοι, ὅτι ἠλεήθημεν οἱ τεταλαιπωρημένοι, ὅτι ἀνεψύξαμεν οἱ ἐκλελοιπότες ἀπὸ χειμῶνος εἰς ἔαρ, ἀπὸ ζάλης εἰς γαλήνην, ἀπὸ ἀθυμίας εἰς εὐθυμίαν, ξένα τινὰ καὶ παράδοξα ἑωρακότες· τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ δικαία ὑμῶν βασιλεία χαρμόσυνος, εὐφρόσυνος, πολύευκτος, εἰρήναρχος, φιλοδίκαιος, πολλαῖς ἑτέραις προσηγορίαις ἀξιώνυμος, μιμήσει Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν τὰ διεστῶτα συνάπτουσα, τὰ νενοσηκότα ὑγιάζουσα, τὰ λυπηρὰ χαροποιοῦσα, ἐξαίρετός τις οὖσα βασιλεία καὶ τῶν πάλαι μακαριζομένων ἰσόρροπος· ἣν ἀποσεμνύνειν τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις οὐκ ἂν εὐμαρῶς γλῶσσα ἀνθρώπου ἐξαρκέσειεν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα οὕτως, παρακαλοῦμεν καὶ ἀντιβολοῦμεν οἱ ἀνάξιοι καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἱερᾶς ὑμῶν θέας ἀξιωθῆναι καὶ φωνῆς ἡδίστης ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ παντίμου καὶ θεοσόφου στόματος ὑμῶν, ὡς ἄν, ἅπερ ὠσὶν ἀκούομεν, ταῦτα κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς θεασάμενοι σκιρτήσοιμεν τῷ πνεύματι, ὥσπερ τι ἔνδυμα πενθικὸν τὴν κατήφειαν μετενδιδυσκό μενοι εὐφροσύνης ἀγαλλιάματι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ δεύτερος λόγος περὶ τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς τε καὶ ἀμωμήτου ἡμῶν τῶν χριστιανῶν ἐστι πίστεως, ἐκεῖνο μετὰ αἰδοῦς τολμῶμεν ἀνενέγκαι, ὡς, εἰ μὲν ἀνθρώπινόν τι ἦν τὸ λεγόμενον καὶ ἢ πρὸς τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου ἡμῶν ἀρχιερέως ἢ παρ' ἡμῶν τῶν ἀναξίων ἐξουσιαζόμενον, οὔ τί που τὸ μικρόν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ πᾶν παραχωρεῖν ἔδει, οὕτω τῆς ἐντολῆς κελευούσης. ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ θεοῦ καὶ εἰς θεὸν ὁ λόγος, οὗ δοῦλα τὰ σύμπαντα, οὐχ ὁ τίσδε ἢ τίσδε, ἀλλ' οὐδ' εἰ Πέτρος καὶ Παῦλος οὐδ' ἄν τις τῶν ἀγγέλων εἴη, τολμήσειεν ἂν κἂν τὸ βραχύτατον παρακινῆσαι, ὡς διὰ τούτου τοῦ παντὸς εὐαγγελίου ἀνατρεπομένου· πρός τε τὸ συνᾶραι λόγον ἀντιρρητικὸν μετὰ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων, ἐναντιούμενον τῇ ἀποστολικῇ παραγγελίᾳ, οὐ καθῆκον, εἰ μή τι πρὸς νουθεσίαν μόνον. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οἱ ἀνάξιοι δοῦλοι τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς ὑμῶν κράτους καὶ γρύξαι μόνον οὐ κατατολμῶμεν. εἰ δέ τι ἀμφιβαλλόμενον ἢ ἀπιστούμενον τῇ θείᾳ ὑμῶν μεγαλονοίᾳ διαλύεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως εὐσεβῶς, ἡ μεγάλη καὶ θεοστήρικτος αὐτῆς χείρ, ὡς ζηλοτυποῦσα τὰ θεῖα ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ τοῦ παντός, κελευσάτω παρὰ τῆς πρεσβυτέρας Ῥώμης δέξασθαι τὴν διασάφησιν ὡς ἄνωθέν τε καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς πατροπαραδότως ἐξεδόθη· αὕτη γάρ, χριστομίμητε βασιλεῦ, ἡ κορυφαιοτάτη τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἧς Πέτρος πρωτόθρονος, πρὸς ὃν ὁ Κύριός φησιν· σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Τοῦτο ἡμῖν τὸ αἴτημα τῶν ἀναξίων δούλων σου, αὕτη σὺν θεῷ ἡ παράκλησις τῶν τεταπεινωμένων. ἡ κραταιὰ χεὶρ τοῦ θεοῦ σῴζοι σε, τὸν κοσμοπόθητον καὶ θεοφιλῆ, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν χριστιανῶν, ἐν πολλοῖς χρόνοις διατεινόμενον καὶ εἰς παῖδας παίδων τὸ κράτος ἀμείβοντα ἐν εὐημερίαις τε καὶ νίκαις ἐχθρῶν τε καὶ πολεμίων. γένοιτο, γένοιτο. τ430-506 {1ΑΡΧΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΥ Γʹ 430 Ἐπισκόποις διὰ Κύριον πεφυγαδευμένοισ}1 Ἄρτι ἀκουτισθεὶς ὁ ταπεινὸς τὰ περὶ τῆς μακαριότητος ὑμῶν, ὦ τριπόθητοι πατέρες, λίαν ἥσθην καὶ ἐδόξασα τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἡμῶν θεόν. ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἠξιώθην ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀπολαῦσαι τῶν ἐν ὑμῖν χαρισμάτων, καὶ πάνυ ἠνιάθην·