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insulting modest men. "4What"5, he says, "4is the difference of this heresy from Manichaeism? Have we not fought against the Manichaean heresy in both words and deeds? And the written compositions of those who fought against it show this, in which they demonstrated with irrefutable syllogisms and indestructible proofs, even if they are now forgetful of themselves and their own works"5. You seem, my friend, to reason without logic and to rely on your own reasonings for the rejection of truth, not knowing that examples, when compared to their originals, would not be those very archetypes, but having so much in common with one another, as much as what is common in name alters them in other respects. And some things are named in a proper sense, and some not in a proper sense, and some are said by an extension of meaning, and some according to truth; for instance, let us say, in the case of the icon of Christ and of Christ himself, that the one is both truly Christ and is so named, but the other is so by an extension of meaning, that is, by homonymy. Since even Paul the holy apostle called the love of money a second idolatry, causally and according to a referential similarity to actual idolatry; from which it follows that the avaricious are not to be censured as idolaters, since then we would be obliged to depart from the world. But now many avaricious men are overlooked and are in every way uncensured. What then is dissonant here, if the iconoclastic heresy were compared to the Manichaean one in respect of the relation of icon and prototype? Wherefore also the second ecumenical and holy synod at Nicaea, having made an exception, treated those who were caught up in it not as having become Manichaeans and those who composed works concerning it and who contended against it in both words and deeds have certainly not forgotten. But you have truly been ignorant of yourself, which is an accusation and a charge of much accusation and stupidity. I wished, therefore, to add also other propositions from the diffuse and tautological little book to what has been said before and to show that they are in every way refuted by right reason; but having cast some away far off as into the fire of Hephaestus, as being unprofitable and incoherent, and others as having their refutation in themselves, and some as being obscure and contrary to the truth, at the end of my discourse I utter this, that, if we ask for pardon for the things in which we have rashly both angered God and dishonored the saints and accused the confession and defamed the church, it would be well; but if not, we the humble will at least place a hand on our mouth, not calling out your holiness to a second written address. 478 {1To Leo the Sakellarios}1 Being liable for a great debt of thanks and apologies, we consider it to pay a certain small debt in the letters inscribed by our humility to your all-famed and all-desired highness. Since even now, in the case of brother Silvanus, what apology shall we make? First, that your God-loving soul received him to see him thus, as one of your intimates, conversing with a gentle manner and approachable countenance and mixing with the lowly one; then, to inquire thus about us sinners, and to reveal the infirmity of both our humble bodies and the other loving disposition, so as to say this much, that "4I am also suspected of being a Studite by some of those who are opposed to you"5 and to pray that there might never be any wound to so great a friendly union. This whole thing astonished us and rooted us more and more in its sincere affection, saying the same things: may you never, O Lord of all, grant that we forget the good benefactor, the faithful kindred spirit, the approved lover, the holy man, who is in all things and in all ways our patron and guardian and lord and master, but may the affection be seated in us even after death, or rather, even accompanying us into the age to come, in which we believe that those who have loved will know one another and rejoice together in God.

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αἰδήμονας καθυβρίζοντες. "4Τί"5, φησί, "4τὸ διάφορον τῆς αἱρέσεως ταύτης πρὸς τὸν Μανιχαϊσμόν; οὐχὶ κατὰ Μανιχαϊκῆς αἱρέσεως ἠγωνίσμεθα καὶ λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις; καὶ δηλοῦσι τὰ ἔγγραφα συντάγματα τῶν κατ' αὐτῆς ἀγωνισαμένων, ἐν οἷς ἀπαραλογίστοις συλλογισμοῖς καὶ ἀκαθαιρέτοις ἀποδείξεσιν ἀπέδειξαν, εἰ καὶ νῦν ἑαυτῶν καὶ τῶν οἰκείων πονημάτων ἀμνημονοῦσιν"5. ἔοικας, ἑταῖρε, ἀσυλλογίστως συλλογίζεσθαι καὶ ἰδίοις λογισμοῖς ἐπ' ἀθετήσεις ἀληθείας στηρίζεσθαι, μὴ εἰδὼς ὅτι τὰ παραδείγματα, τοῖς πρωτοτύποις παραβαλλόμενα, οὐκ αὐτὰ ἐκεῖνα εἶεν τὰ ἀρχέτυπα, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον ἔχοντα τὸ πρὸς ἄλληλα ταὐτόν, ὅσον τὸ κατὰ τοὔνομα κοινὸν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐξαλλάσσοντα. καὶ τὰ μὲν κυρίως ὠνόμασται, τὰ δὲ οὐ κυρίως, καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ κατάχρησιν λέλεκται, τὰ δὲ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν· οἷον, φέρε εἰπεῖν, ἐπὶ τῆς εἰκόνος Χριστοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ὁ μὲν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν Χριστὸς καὶ ἔστι καὶ ὀνομάζεται, ἡ δὲ κατὰ κατάχρησιν, ἤτοι ὁμωνυμίαν. ἐπεὶ καὶ Παῦλος ὁ ἱερὸς ἀπόστολος τὴν φιλαργυρίαν δευτέραν εἰδωλολατρείαν ἀπεκάλεσεν αἰτιολογικῶς καὶ κατὰ ἀναφορὰν ὁμοιωματικὴν τῆς οὔσης εἰδωλολατρείας· ἐξ οὗ οὐδὲ ἐπιτιμητέον τοῖς φιλαργύροις ὡς εἰδωλολάτραις, ἐπεὶ ἄρα ὀφείλομεν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελθεῖν. νῦν δὲ πολλοὶ φιλάργυροι καὶ πάντῃ ἀνεπιτίμητοι παρεωραμένοι. τί οὖν ἀπᾷδον κἀνταῦθα, εἰ ἡ εἰκονομαχικὴ αἵρεσις τῇ Μανιχαϊκῇ παραβάλλοιτο ὅσον κατ' εἰκόνος καὶ πρωτοτύπου λόγον; καθὸ καὶ ἡ ἐν Νικαίᾳ τὸ δεύτερον οἰκουμενική τε καὶ ἁγία σύνοδος τοὺς ἐν ταύτῃ ἑαλωκότας οὐχ ὡς μανιχαΐσαντας ὑπεξελθοῦσα τεθεράπευκεν καὶ οὔ τί που ἀμνημονήκασιν οἱ τὰ περὶ αὐτῆς πονήματα καταβαλλόμενοι, καὶ λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις κατ' αὐτῆς ἀνταγωνισάμενοι. ἠγνόηκας δ' αὐτὸς ὄντως ἑαυτόν, ὃ πολλῆς ἐστι κατηγορίας καὶ ἀβελτερίας ἔγκλημα. Ἐβουλόμην οὖν καὶ ἑτέρας προτάσεις τοῦ πολυσχεδοῦς καὶ ταὐτολογοῦντος γραμματείου συνεισοῖσαι τοῖς προλεχθεῖσι καὶ ἀποδεῖξαι πάντῃ ἐξ ὀρθοῦ λόγου ἐληλεγμένας· ἀλλὰ ἃς μὲν ὡς ἀλυσιτελεῖς καὶ ἀσυναρτήτους, ἃς δὲ ὡς αὐτόθεν ἐχούσας τὸν ἔλεγχον, ἐνίας δὲ ὡς σκοτεινὰς καὶ ἀντιδόξους τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πόρρω που ἀπορριψάμενος ὡς εἰς πῦρ Ἡφαίστου, ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ λόγου ἐκεῖνο ἐπιφθέγγομαι, ὅτι, εἰ μὲν αἰτοῦμεν συγγνώμην ἐφ' οἷς προπετῶς καὶ θεὸν παρωργίσαμεν καὶ ἁγίους ἠτιμάσαμεν καὶ τὴν ὁμολογίαν κατῃτιασάμεθα καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν δεδυσφημήκαμεν, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι· εἰ δὲ μή, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς γε οἱ ταπεινοὶ ἐπὶ στόματι χεῖρα ἐπιθήσομεν, μὴ ἐκκαλούμενοί σου τὴν ὁσιότητα εἰς δευτέραν γραμματικὴν προσφώνησιν. 478 {1Λέοντι σακελλαρίῳ}1 Πολλοῦ χρέους εὐχαριστιῶν καὶ ἀπολογιῶν ὑπεύθυνοι ὄντες μικράν τινα νομίζομεν ἀποδιδόναι ὀφειλὴν ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τὴν πανεύφημον καὶ παμπόθητόν σου ὑπεροχὴν ὑπὸ τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν ἐγχαραττομέναις ἐπιστολαῖς. ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ Σιλουανῷ τί καὶ ἀπολογησόμεθα; πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι οὕτως αὐτὸν προσήκατο ἰδεῖν ἡ θεοφιλής σου ψυχὴ ὡς ἕνα τινὰ τῶν συνήθων, μειλιχίῳ ἤθει καὶ εὐπροσίτῳ προσώπῳ συλλαλήσασα καὶ συνανακραθεῖσα μετὰ τοῦ εὐτελοῦς· ἔπειτα τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν οὕτως συνανακρῖναι, τήν τε τοῦ ἀμφοτέρων ἡμῶν ταπεινοῦ σώματος ἀσθένειαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ὑποφῆναι ἀγαπητικὴν συνδιάθεσιν, ὡς τοσοῦτον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι "4καὶ Στουδιώτης ὑποπτεύομαι πρός τινων τῶν ἀντιθέτως πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐχόντων"5 καὶ τὸ ἀπεύξασθαι μή ποτε γενέσθαι τινὰ τρῶσιν τῆς τηλικαύτης φιλικῆς ἀνακράσεως. τοῦτο ὅλον ἐξένισεν ἡμᾶς καὶ συνερρίζωσε μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ εἰλικρινεῖ αὐτῆς ἀγαπήσει, τὰ αὐτὰ λέγοντες· μή ποτε, ὦ δέσποτα τῶν ἁπάντων, δῴης ἡμῖν ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ καλοῦ εὐεργέτου, τοῦ πιστοῦ συμψύχου, τοῦ δοκίμου ἐραστοῦ, τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἀνθρώπου, τοῦ κατὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν καὶ προστάτου καὶ κηδεμόνος καὶ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ δεσπότου, ἀλλ' εἴη τὸ φίλτρον καὶ μετὰ πότμον ἐνιζάνον ἐν ἡμῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ συμμετερχόμενον ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι, ἐν ᾧ πιστεύομεν γνωρίζειν ἀλλήλους καὶ συγχαίρειν ἐν θεῷ τοὺς φιλήσαντας