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would confess, and further that every icon is called by the same name as its own prototype by saying, "4a lamb pointed out by the finger of the Forerunner is inscribed,"5 as also the divine Gregory of Nyssa says somewhere as follows: Isaac is set before his father at the very altar. A voice of the fathers who assembled in Antioch: not as another in form, but as the same one Lord being in one form, in whom also the one character, being of the Father's hypostasis, was both one and incorporeal before the flesh, and is one in the flesh, and is the same one in the icon, not being divided into two characters, nor split into two glories, but gathered into one. And after other things: But just as he is one from two opposites and is brought together into one person, so also his icon is one and of the same one Christ. And we shall not say that the character who appeared to us in the flesh is one, and that the character formed in an icon in the likeness of his form is another, but the same one, since the character is spoken of not insofar as he is body, but insofar as he is incorporeal. And this will be clarified more through the divine Chrysostom, who calls the character heavenly, since also from heaven, not insofar as body but insofar as incorporeal, the only-begotten God, having come down from heaven, was incarnate and appeared, having put on our body. And after a little: Therefore, since it shows the character himself by reference, we venerate Christ himself and not the material, which is artfully formed in the icon. Here the dogmatic clarification is clearer: first, that there is one form in both, of Christ and of the icon; then, that the character of the Father's hypostasis himself is in the icon in the likeness of his form, being both manifested and venerated with indivisible glory. The fourth mode of the ancient legislation remains. Lift up your eyes round about, O most philanthropic one, and see the world under heaven, from the apostolic preaching itself everywhere on land and sea, bearing Christ depicted through holy churches, and divine vessels, and venerable votive offerings, and by these very works giving voice that Christ has reigned over the things on earth, according to that which is sung in the manner of David, "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession"; and, that "there is no idol in the world," according to what was said by the apostle, and that all things have been filled with blessed light, since he who said, "I have come as a light into the world," has come. For what are the things seen? Here, being born in a cave and glorified by angels; there, being carried in the arms of his mother and venerated by magi; then among the youths, when he was seen sitting in the midst of the teachers; then being baptized by the Forerunner; then working wonders with the apostles, going up on the cross, expiring, being buried, rising, ascending into heaven. Therefore, gazing on all these things in icons, as the apostles did then with their own eyes, we too might reasonably say: "We have seen his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." This, then, is the faith preached from of old; this the holy councils embraced, and with this all the churches everywhere in every place concur, in the east and west, the north and the sea; which we also, the least, embracing, pray and fervently pray, as is owed, for your God-loving majesty. 533 {1To Peter of Nicaea}1 Your holy hearing has surely heard of the suffering concerning our blessed and common father, the metropolitan of Synnada, and your holy soul has fittingly mourned for him, since it would not yet cease from groaning nor stop from the pain, as it were, that comes from the division. But come, O thrice-longed-for one, and be taught more effectively by us, so that we might both pay the debt we owe, and you, having learned his story more historically, might receive some relief from the narration. Oh, oh, how could we bear without tears the

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ὁμολογήσειεν, ἔτι τε ὅτι πᾶσα εἰκὼν ὁμωνύμως τῷ αὐτῆς πρωτοτύπῳ κέκληται διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν "4ἀμνὸς δακτύλῳ τοῦ Προδρόμου δεικνύμενος ἐγχαράττεται"5, ὡς καὶ ὁ Νυσσαεὺς θεῖος Γρηγόριος ὧδέ πού φησι· πρόκειται ὁ Ἰσαὰκ τῷ πατρὶ παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ. φωνὴ τῶν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ συνεδρευσάντων πατέρων· οὐχ ὡς ἕτερον τῇ μορφῇ, ἀλλ' ὡς αὐτὸν ἕνα Κύριον ἐν μιᾷ μορφῇ ὄντα, καθ' ὃν καὶ χαρακτὴρ εἷς πεφυκὼς τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ὑποστάσεως καὶ πρὸ σαρκὸς ἀσώματος εἷς τε ἦν καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ εἷς ἐστι καὶ ἐν εἰκόνι ὁ αὐτὸς εἷς ὑπάρχει, μὴ διαιρούμενος εἰς δύο χαρακτῆρας μήτε δὲ σχιζόμενος εἰς δύο δόξας, ἀλλ' εἰς μίαν συναγόμενος. καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ αὐτὸς εἷς ἐστιν ἐκ δύο τῶν ἐναντίων καὶ εἰς ἓν συνάγεται πρόσωπον, οὕτω καὶ ἡ εἰκὼν αὐτοῦ μία τέ ἐστι καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἑνὸς Χριστοῦ. καὶ οὐχ ἕτερον χαρακτῆρα ἐροῦμεν τὸν κατὰ σάρκα ἐπιφανέντα ἡμῖν καὶ ἕτερον τὸν κατ' εἰκόνα σχηματιζόμενον χαρακτῆρα ἐν εἴδει μορφῆς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ἕνα, ἐπεὶ μήτε καθὸ σῶμα ὁ χαρακτὴρ εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ καθὸ ἀσώματον. καὶ τοῦτο μᾶλλον διὰ τοῦ θείου Χρυσοστόμου διευκρινηθήσεται, τὸν χαρακτῆρα οὐράνιον λέγοντος, ἐπείπερ καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ οὐ καθὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ καθὸ ἀσώματον ὁ μονογενὴς θεὸς κατελθὼν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐσαρκώθη καὶ ἐπέφανε, σῶμα περιθέμενος τὸ ἡμέτερον. καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· οὐκοῦν, ἐπεὶ κατὰ ἀναφορὰν αὐτὸν δείκνυσι τὸν χαρακτῆρα, αὐτὸν Χριστὸν προσκυνοῦμεν καὶ οὐ τὴν ὕλην, τεχνικῶς σχηματιζομένην ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι. δεῦρο τρανοτέρα ἡ δογματικὴ διασάφησις, πρῶτον μέν, ὅτι μία μορφὴ ἐπ' ἀμφοῖν, τοῦ τε Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς εἰκόνος, ἔπειτα, ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ὑποστάσεως ἐν εἰκόνι τῷ εἴδει τῆς μορφῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκφαινόμενός τέ ἐστιν ὁμοῦ καὶ προσκυνούμενος ἀσχίστῳ δόξῃ. Λειπόμενός ἐστιν ὁ τέταρτος τρόπος τῆς ἀρχαίας νομοθεσίας. ἆρον κύκλῳ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, ὦ φιλανθρωπότατε, καὶ ἴδε τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανόν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ κηρύγματος πανταχοῦ γῆς τε καὶ θαλάσσης δι' ἱερῶν ναῶν, θείων τε σκευῶν καὶ σεπτῶν ἀναθημάτων τὸν Χριστὸν ἐξεικονισμένον φέρουσαν καὶ αὐτοῖς ἔργοις φωνὴν ἀφιεῖσαν ὅτι Χριστὸς βεβασίλευκε τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς κατὰ τὸ ᾀδόμενον ∆αυιτικῶς, αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς· καί, ὅτι οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐν κόσμῳ κατὰ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου εἰρημένον καὶ ὅτι πάντα ὀλβίου φωτὸς πεπλήρωται, ἐληλυθότος τοῦ εἰπόντος, ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα. οἷα γὰρ τὰ ὁρώμενα; ὧδε μὲν ἐν σπηλαίῳ τικτόμενος καὶ ὑπ' ἀγγέλων δοξαζόμενος, δεῦρο δὲ ἐπ' ὠλένης ὑπὸ τῆς μητρὸς βασταζόμενος καὶ ὑπὸ μάγων προσκυνούμενος· εἶτα ἐν μειρακίοις, ὁπηνίκα μέσος τῶν διδασκάλων ὦπται καθήμενος· ἔπειτα βαπτιζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Προδρόμου, εἶτα θαυματουργῶν σὺν ἀποστόλοις, ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀνιών, ἀποπνέων, θαπτόμενος, ἀνιστάμενος, εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνερχόμενος. τούτοις οὖν πᾶσιν εἰκονικῶς ἐνατενίζοντες, ὡς τηνικαῦτα αὐτοπτικῶς οἱ ἀπόστολοι, εἴποιμεν ἂν εἰκότως καὶ ἡμεῖς· ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. Αὕτη οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ἐξ αἰῶνος κηρυττομένη πίστις, ταύτην ἠσπάσαντο αἱ ἅγιαι σύνοδοι καὶ ταύτῃ σύμψηφοι τυγχάνουσι πᾶσαι αἱ πανταχοῦ κατὰ τόπον ἐκκλησίαι, ἔν τε ἀνατολῇ καὶ δύσει, βορρᾷ τε καὶ θαλάσσῃ· ἣν καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐλάχιστοι ἀσπαζόμενοι εὐχόμεθα καὶ ὑπερευχόμεθα ὀφειλομένως τῆς θεοφιλοῦς ὑμῶν βασιλείας. 533 {1Πέτρῳ Νικαίασ}1 Ἤκουσεν πάντως ἡ ἱερά σου ἀκοὴ τὸ περὶ τὸν μακάριον καὶ κοινὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν μητροπολίτην Συννάδων πάθος καὶ ὠδύρατό σου ἡ ἁγία ψυχὴ ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὰ εἰκότα, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἔτι τοῦ στεναγμοῦ οὐκ ἀποπαύσοι οὐδὲ τῆς οἱονεὶ ἐκ τῆς διχοτομίας γενομένης ἀλγηδόνος ἀπολήξειεν. ἀλλὰ δεῦρο καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν, ὦ τριπόθητε, διδάχθητι ἐνεργέστερον, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ ὀφειλόμενον χρέος τίσωμεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἱστορικώτερον ἐπιγνοὺς τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ῥᾳστώνην τινὰ λάβοις ἐκ τῆς ἐξηγορίας. ὤ, ὤ, πῶς ἀδακρυτὶ ἐνέγκοιμεν τὸ