Acts of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicaea II (787)

The Fourth Session

Opening of the Fourth Session

In the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, our True God. In the reign of our most pious and Christ loving Sovereigns Constantine and Irene his mother, in the eighth year of their consulship, on the calends of October (October 1), of the eleventh indiction, the holy Ecumenical Council assembled by the grace of God and decree of the same divinely-protected Sovereigns in the splendid city of Nicaea metropolis of the Eparchy of Bithynia — that is, Peter the Arch-presbyter and Peter Monk and Abbot Legates of Adrian most holy Pope of Old Rome; Tarasius Patriarch of Constantinople — that is, New Rome; John and Thomas Vicars of the Apostolic Sees of the Eastern Dioceses; together with the Bishops, the Archimandrites, Abbots, and a full assemblage of the Monastic Order, sitting before the most sacred pulpit of the most holy Church of St. Sophia, in the presence of Petronas and John officers of the Imperial household. After that the Holy and Immaculate Gospels were set in the midst,

Tarasius said: “In the Sessions immediately preceding, the spirit of the Lord being our instructor, our throat according to the proverb did meditate upon the truth, since, from the reading of the letters of the most holy men both of the East and of the West, we were brought into agreement with each other. But since the word of prophecy commands, saying, “O thou that tellest glad tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountains, proclaim in strength, lift up thy voice, O thou that bringest glad tidings to Jerusalem, lift it up, be not afraid’ (Isaiah xi. 9;) — in pursuance of this prophetic command, let us, O ye holy men, cry aloud — let us lift up our voice, speaking peace to the Catholic Church which is the true Zion, the city of the Heavenly King Christ our Lord. How, then, shall this be done? Let the books of the holy and illustrious Fathers be brought before us for our hearing; and drawing from these sources let us each one water his own flock, that so our ‘voice may go forth into all lands and the power of our words unto the ends of the world’ (Psalm xix. 4); for we have not changed the definitions which our Fathers have laid down; but, as the Apostle has taught, we hold fast the traditions which we have received.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “According to the suggestion of Tarasius most holy Ecumenical Patriarch, I vote that the books and documents of the most blessed Fathers be now brought before us, and that they be read with a clear voice in the presence of this holy Council.”

Leontius the Secretary: “In obedience to the profitable and salutary command of Tarasius most holy Ecumenical Patriarch, and with consent of this Ecumenical Council, being ready to fulfil the same, we have brought hither and have laid before you the most holy and sacred books, of which chief of all is the Book inspired and written by God, which, therefore, I shall read in the first place. Let us all therefore, attentively and carefully hear and accurately consider the meaning of that which is to be spoken, that we may reap the full and entire benefit thereof.”

Passages from Holy Scripture

Leontius reads: From the Exodus of the Children of Israel — “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof; and thou shalt make two cherubim of gold: of beaten work shalt thou make them in the two ends of the mercy-seat; and make one cherub for one end, and the other cherub on the other end; even of the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof; and the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one towards another: towards the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above the ark, and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee; and there will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment concerning the children of Israel’” (Exodus xxv. 17, 22).

Also: From the Book of Numbers — “This was the dedication of the altar, after that he had filled his hands, after it was anointed. And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with Him, then he heard the voice of one speaking with Him from off the mercy-seat, that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim and He spoke unto him” (Num. vii. 88,89).

Also: From the Prophecies of Ezekiel — “Afterwards he brought me into the temple, and measured the posts; six cubits broad on one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle, and the breadth of the door was ten cubits;” and, shortly after, “And the house and the parts near were overlaid with wood round about from the ground to the windows, and windows were opened in three places to give light; and within the inner house and without, and on all the walls both within and without, were cherubim engraven, and palm trees between one cherub and another; each cherub had two faces; so that the face of a man was towards the palm-trees on the one side, and the face of a lion was towards the palm-trees on the other side; and the house was sculptured on every side from the floor to the ceiling” (Ezekiel xli. 1, also 16, 20).

Also: From the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Hebrews: “Then, verily, the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made, the first wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the show-bread, which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all, which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and over it the Cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat” (Heb. ix. 1 to 5).

Tarasius: “Let us observe here, O ye holy men, that the Old Testament dispensation had divine symbols — namely, the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat, and from this source the New Testament dispensation received them.”

The Holy Council said: “Yes, my Lord, that is the truth.”

Tarasius: “As, then, the Old Testament had the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat, let us also have the images of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the holy Mother of God, and of the Saints, to overshadow the altar.

The Illustrious Princes said: “Truly, this is the command of God.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “From the passage now read, it is evident that the cherubim had the face of a man. How, then, say certain who hath seen the face of the cherubim?–for the Prophet said, ‘The face was engraven.’”

Tarasius: “All the Saints who have been accounted worthy to see Angels have always seen them in human form, as we read in many passages of Scripture. Wherefore, concerning the cherubim, God instructed Moses, saying, ‘See that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed thee on the Mount’ (Exod. xxv. 40; xxvi. 30; xxvii. 8): and thence the servant Moses made everything according to the forms which he saw, and the cherubim amongst the rest.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “But, when the people seemed inclined to idolatry, then God said to Moses ‘Thou shalt make no manner of likeness to serve it’” (Exodus xx. 4, 5).

John Legate of the East: “And long before this, we find that ‘Jacob set up a pillar to God’ (Gen. xxviii. 8); wherefore, He blessed him and promised to him gifts unspeakable. And, in another place, it is said that He wrestled with him in the form of a Man, and He called him Israel, which is being interpreted ‘A mind seeing God.’ And he himself saith — ‘I have seen the Lord face to face, and my life is preserved’ (Gen. xxxii. 28, 30). Whence, observe, not only have the intellectual essences of Angels been seen, but even God Himself, though incorporeal and invisible by nature, when He was manifested in our form.”

Passages from the Holy Fathers

Demetrius Deacon and Keeper of the Rolls of the holy great Church of Constantinople reads from the “Encomium of our holy Father John Chrysostom on Meletius,” which begins:

“Casting my eyes everywhere around on this assembly, and seeing almost all the city present before me, I know not whom I shall declare as happy;” and then, after other things, he continues — “And that which was done was to the furtherance of piety; for being constantly forced to have his name in memory, and the Saint himself ever before your mind, that name was found as a refuge from every unlawful passion and evil thought; and to such a degree did this feeling prevail that everywhere — in high roads, in the market, in the fields, in by-paths — his name might be heard to resound. Nor was it only for his name that ye bad this regard, but also to the form of his person; and that which ye had before done in respect of his name, ye afterwards did in respect of his image. For very many had that sacred image depicted on rings, on cups, on bowls, on the walls of their chambers, and everywhere else; so that not only might ye hear everywhere his holy name, but also see everywhere the image of his body, and thus ye had a two-fold source of consolation for his departure.”

Peter Bishop of Nicomedia: “If John Chrysostom saith such things in favour of images, who dare advance a word against them?”

Basil Bishop of Ancyra: “Truly, he received them himself; and such a desire had the pious of that day for the image of Meletius that they would have it engraven everywhere: on which account this father praises them exceedingly.”

Tarasius: “And we also have the authority of the fathers when we style images holy, venerable, and sacred.”

Theodosius Abbot of the Monastery of St. Andrew of Nesion offered another book of St. John Chrysostom, and entreated that it might be read; on which the Monk Antony read — “The Sermon of our holy Father John Chrysostom, proving that there is one Lawgiver of the Old and New Testament, and touching on the vestment of the Priest,” which begins:

“The prophets preached beforehand of the kingdom of Christ;” and after other things, he continues — “I have delighted in the picture formed of wax, replete with piety; for I saw an Angel in a picture dispersing the legions of the barbarians — I saw the barbarians trampled underfoot and David’s words fulfilled, ‘Lord, in thy city thou shalt bring their images to nought’” (Psalm lxxiii. 20).

Tarasius: “When he, who had a mouth far more precious than gold, speaks words like these, ‘I have delighted in the picture framed of wax,’ what must we say of those who hate them?”

Basil Bishop of Ancyra: “When he affirms, ‘I have loved, who dare to venture the contrary?”

John Legate of the East: “And who is this Angel but He of whom it is written, “that the Angel of the Lord slew in one night one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians who were encamped round about Jerusalem’” (2 Kings xix. 25; 2 Chron. xxxii. 21).

Nicephorus Bishop of Dyrrhachium said: “May the Lord be gracious to us for the transgressions we have committed in respect of holy images.”

Gregory Deacon and Notary read from the “Sermon of St. Gregory of Nyssa preached at Constantinople, concerning the Deity of the Son and Holy Ghost, and about Abraham,” which begins “What they experience at the flowery meadow;” and after other things, he continues — “Often have I seen in pictures the representation of his trial, and never could I view the spectacle without tears, so powerfully did the work of art present the history to my eyes; for there you might see Isaac before his father on the altar, his knees bent, his hands bound; while the father from behind approaching, inclining with his left hand the head of the lad towards himself, looks compassionately on the countenance of his son now directed towards him, but at the same time his right hand armed with the sword is directed to inflict a deadly stroke; and now he almost touches the body with the edge of the sword, when the voice from heaven forbids him to proceed any further.”

The Princes said: “See how greatly the father was affected at this picture, even so as to shed tears.”

Basil Bishop of Ancyra: “Oft times the father had read this history, and yet perhaps he never wept; but no sooner does he see the picture than he can no longer forbear.”

John Legate from the East: “If a picture thus caused tears of edification to flow from so illustrious a teacher, how much more likely is it to bring compunction and edification to the uninstructed and ignorant?”

The Holy Council said: “In many places have we seen this picture of Abraham as this father hath represented it.”

Theodore Bishop of Catana: “If the holy Gregory, ever watchful (γρηγορῶν) in divine contemplations, wept on seeing the picture of Abraham, how much more ought the image of the incarnate dispensation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sakes became Man, to cause edifying tears to flow forth from all who behold it?”

Tarasius: “And if we now saw a picture before us representing our Lord as crucified should we not all weep?”

The Holy Council said: “Yes, greatly; for we should therein contemplate the depth of the humility of God who was crucified for us.”

Stephen, Deacon, Monk, Notary, etc., read from “the Epistle of St. Cyril Bishop of Alexandria, to Acacius Bishop of Stathopoulos, concerning Apompaeus,” which begins:

“Having met with the communications lately sent from your Holiness I was greatly delighted;” and after other things, he continues — “We say, therefore, that the law is a type and shadow, or like a picture which is set forth for the inspection of those who look into other things. The first part of the painter’s skill is seen in the outlines of his picture, to which, when afterwards the richness of colouring is added, then its beauty shines forth resplendent.” And shortly after, he adds — “It is written in the book of Genesis, ‘And it came to pass after these words that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham, Abraham; and he said, Here am I. And He said, Take now thy beloved son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and go into the mountainous country, and offer him up for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell thee. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son, and he clave the wood for a burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of the which God had told him. And on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder, and having worshipped will return again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took fire and the sword in his hand and they went both of them together’” (Gen. xxii. 1-6). And after other things — “‘And Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order; and, having bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar upon the wood, and Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the sword to slay his son (ix. 10). Now, if any one of us would wish to see this history of Abraham painted in tablets, how would he have the painter to represent him, as under one form doing all these things, or in part under one, in part under another form — that is, by repeated representations of the same person? As, for instance, in one place he would be seen sitting on the ass, his son with him, his servants following him; in another, as having left the servants and the ass below, while Isaac was carrying the wood and himself the fire and the sword: then , again, in another part, the same would be seen in another form, binding Isaac on the wood and arming his right hand with the sword to take away his life. Abraham is not, therefore, so many different persons because seen so often in different positions; but the same everywhere, the countenance of the painter being directed by the peculiarity of the case; for it is not possible that Abraham could be represented as doing all those things in one figure only.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “See, St. Cyril speaks in perfect accordance with St. Gregory of Nyssa.”

Cosmas the Deacon read: “From the Poems of St. Gregory the Divine,” a passage of his poem on Virtue, which begins: “I first invoke God the cause of all,” and after other things he continues:

“Nor shall Polemon be pass’d by in silence, For he was a wonder much spoken of by many; For, whereas formerly he was not among the temperate; But, on the contrary, a slave of pleasure exceedingly degraded; When afterwards he was swayed by a love of virtue, Having found some good counsellor, I cannot say who, Whether some wise man or his own conscience, all at once He rose so superior to all vile affections, That I look on this as one of his most illustrious deeds: A certain debauched youth invited a harlot; But when she drew near to the gate (as they say). Where was a picture of Polemon looking downwards, Having beheld it awhile (for it was very remarkable) She went back forth with, being overcome by the spectacle, Being abashed before the picture as though it had been alive.”

Basil Bishop of Ancyra: “Our father, the divinely-eloquent Gregory, has recounted wonders, indeed, about this picture of Polemon.”

Tarasius: “Ay: for by it a spirit of continence was produced within this woman: for unless this courtezan had seen this picture of Polemon, she would never have left her evil courses.”

Nicephorus Bishop of Dyrrhachium: “Wonderful, indeed, must have been this picture, and most worthy of record, since it had power to deliver this silly woman from such a depth of vice.”

George Deacon and Notary read from the “Discourse of Antipater, Bishop of Bostra, on the woman with the bloody flux,” which begins thus: ‘The Scripture hath taught us that the Jews were first called;’ and after other things, he continues — ‘These things said the woman with the bloody flux, while taking hold of the hem of the Saviour’s garment, clinging to the Lord as the King of nature, and laying before Him the power of her disease; and when she had obtained the gift she raised up an image in honour of her Lord, and thus having spent much of her wealth on physicians she made an offering of the rest to her Saviour.’”

Tarasius: “He, therefore, who depicts an image on a pillar offers it to God, just as this woman with the bloody flux offered the statue which she made.”

Basil Bishop of Ancyra: “To speak truly, this father commands the practice, and receives most fully those who make images.”

Thomas Monk of the Monastery of Chenolaccus said: “I have here a book of the blessed Asterius, which I lay before your Council and await your commands thereon.”

The Holy Council said: “Let it be read.”

Constantine Deacon and Notary, having received the book, read:

“The narration of the blessed Asterius, Bishop of Amasea, concerning the Martyr Euphemia. Not long since, O men, I had in my hands the great Demosthenes, and was particularly engaged with that oration in which he overwhelms Aeschines with such bitterly sarcastic reflections. Having spent some time in the perusal, and finding my mind confused there with, I felt my need of the relaxation of a walk, so that it might be in some manner released from the oppression. Having left my apartments and spent a little time in the forum, walking there with some that I knew, I withdrew to the house of God to employ part of my leisure in prayer. And when I had finished my devotions, my course led me into one of the porches of the church where I saw a certain picture the sight of which greatly attracted my attention. You would have declared that it was the work of Euphranor himself, or of some other of those ancient painters who raised the art to such a degree of excellence as to make their paintings come but little short of life itself. Give me, if you please, your attention, as now there is some spare time for this narration, and I will describe the picture to you; for we sons of the Muses have resources in no way inferior to those of the painter.

“There was a certain woman an undefiled virgin, who had consecrated her virginity to God, whose name was Euphemia, who, as the faithful at that time were exposed to severe persecution, most cheerfully underwent the perils of death. Her citizens, therefore, partakers of the same faith for which she died, in admiration of the piety and constancy of the virgin, built for her a shrine near to the church. Here they placed her coffin and here they hold a yearly feast to her memory, to the celebration of which a general invitation is given to all, at which time those holy men whose office it is to dispense the mysteries of God are accustomed to speak much to her honour in their discourse, and earnestly to impress on the assembled multitudes how she accomplished the conflicts of her passion. A certain painter piously and to his utmost ability, having depicted all her history on fine linen, placed this sacred spectacle near her shrine; and this masterpiece may be thus described — The judge, seated aloft on his judgment-seat, scowls bitterly and angrily upon the virgin: for art, when it pleases, can rage in lifeless material. Many of the body-guard and soldiers of the Governor stand around, and near are the clerks of the records with their tablets and styles: of which, one having raised his hand from the tablet, is looking sternly on the accused, and having turned his whole person towards her seems in the act of bidding her speak more loudly, lest, not hearing well, he should make an inaccurate and censurable report. There, too, was the virgin standing, clothed in a dark vest and cloak, signifying her philosophy, and, as it might seem to the painter, beautiful in person, but, as it seemed to me, adorned with the inward graces of the soul. And two soldiers were seen conducting her to the Governor, one dragging her before, the other urging her behind. The virgin unites in her deportment both modesty and firmness; for though she looks down upon the ground as blushing to be seen in the presence of men, yet she stands undaunted, not exhibiting the least symptom of fear as to her future sufferings. I have, indeed, admired the works of other painters, and more specially the picture of the tragic scene of the Colchian princess, whose countenance bore the mixed expression of rage and anguish when about to slay her children; for while with one eye she glares only wrath, the other betokens her as hesitating and ready to spare. But now I have transferred all my admiration from that composition to the picture I am describing; and nothing so much pleased me in it as that judicious mixture of colouring by which the painter had so happily described the union of modesty and firmness, passions naturally in opposition to each other. But the painting described yet more. Certain executioners, stripped to their shirts, were now beginning their work; and the one seizes the head of the virgin, and bending it backward towards himself holds it in a posture best fitted to receive the torture which the other was about to inflict: on which the other, standing by, dashes out her teeth. And the hammer and the awl, instruments of torture, appear. My tears on this began to flow, and my feelings put an end to further description; for indeed, so vividly had the artist represented the drops of blood that had you seen it you had declared that they really came from her lips, and yourselves would have gone away in tears. But, again, there was the prison and there was the venerable virgin in her dark robes, alone, raising up her hands to heaven and calling on God for aid in her trial; and to her, while thus engaged in prayer, above her head, appears that sign which Christians are wont to reverence, and of which they make the form a symbol, as I think, of the sufferings that awaited her. Not far distant the painter has as it were kindled a fire, embodying the flame as here and there it blazes forth with strokes of vivid red, and the virgin he has placed in the midst with her hands spread towards heaven. No marks of agony appear on her countenance: on the contrary, those of joy only as now she is about to depart to an incorporeal and happy life. Here the painter stayed his hand, and here I finish my description; but it now remains for you, if you would have the picture more fully presented to you, to go and see it for yourselves, lest we should have fallen short of its merits in our description.”

The Illustrious Princes said: “It is evident that the art of the painter is religious, and not such as some calumniously vituperate it to be; for the father himself affirms that the painter acted piously.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “Moreover, also he styles it a sacred offering. By Gregory images are called venerable; by Chrysostom, holy; and, by the father now cited, sacred. Who shall henceforth dare to contravene these testimonies?”

Theodore Bishop of Myra: “On hearing these testimonies of the teaching of the holy fathers, we have been cut to the heart and do bitterly mourn over the years now gone by; but, nevertheless, we thank God that by this teaching of the holy fathers we have come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Theodosius Bishop of Ammorium: “Most holy and God honoured Lord, we and all this holy Council having heard the doctrines of our holy fathers concerning holy images do believe and confess, and do call them holy and sacred, and let him who doth not agree with us be anathema.”

The Holy Council said: “Let him be anathema.”

Nicholas Bishop of Dyrrhachium: “The skillful painter can always by his art make that which he represents to be as it were present with you, even as he did who made this picture of the Martyr Euphemia; wherefore, in this respect also, the father praises the art of painting.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “Yes; especially when he says, ‘Formerly I praised the picture of the Colchian Princess until I met with that of the Martyr.’”

The Holy Council said: “Which, when he saw, he was pricked to the heart.”

Basil Bishop of Ancyra: “The father now cited had the same feelings as the most holy Bishop Gregory, for both shed tears on the sight of images.”

Tarasius: “The father, in the conclusion of his discourse, commands and gives fullest license to all who are willing to represent the conflicts of the Martyrs: for, says he, ‘But now it remains for you, if you would have this picture more fully presented to you, to go and see it for yourselves, lest we should have fallen short of its merits in our description.’”

John Legate of the East: “It seems that pictures have more power than words, which, no doubt, is ordered by Providence for the sake of unlearned men.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “If holy images could work such compunction, even on holy men, how much more ought they to affect us?”

Theodore Bishop of Myra: “After all we have heard from the holy Fathers, we can object nothing.”

John Legate of the East: “Painters do not contradict the Scriptures; for what Scripture saith this they represent, so that they may be looked upon as actually confirmatory of that which has been written.”

Theodosius Bishop of Ammorium: “The divine Apostle teaches us, saying, ‘Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning’ (Rom. xv. 4). Now, holy and venerable images, whether on canvass, on wood, or in mosaics, were also written and are for our instruction, emulation, and pattern, that we may exhibit the same example and zeal towards God: so that He may account us worthy of a place amongst them and a portion with them, and may make us fellow-heirs of His kingdom.”

Theodore Bishop of Catana: “The blessed and God bearing Doctor Asterius, as a shining star, hath enlightened all our hearts; wherefore, we are convinced that the holy Catholic Church has not gone beyond the rule of right in receiving holy images, but has therein acted in strict accordance with the doctrine of our holy fathers.”

Gregory Deacon of the holy great Church of the far famed Apostles read from the “Martyrdom of the holy Martyr Anastasius the Persian,” which begins — “The only begotten Son and Word of God by whom all things were made;” and, after other things, it is said:

“And, as the desire of being enlightened increased, he made many entreaties of the man before-mentioned that he would count him worthy of the grace of holy baptism. But he, from dread of the Persians fearing lest he should bring himself into trouble, deferred his request; nevertheless, Anastasius went together with him into the various churches, and prayed and looked upon the pictures of the holy Martyrs, and enquired of him what these meant. And when he heard of the miracles of the Saints, the intolerable torments inflicted on them by the tyrants, and their more than human patience, he was amazed and confounded. Remaining, therefore, a short time with the before-mentioned Christian brother, he formed within himself the most glorious purpose of going up to Jerusalem and there of being dignified with holy baptism.”

Theodore Bishop of Myra: “Here is another proof of the lawfulness of the tradition of holy images.”

Euthymius Deacon and Monk and Notary of the Bishop of Gotthiae read from the “Miracles of the holy Martyr Anastasius,” which begins — “I propose to give some account of his miracles;” and shortly after it is continued thus:

“And now will we relate, to the best of our ability, those things which were wrought by the Saint in Caesarea of Palestine. When the sacred relics were now very near to the Holy City, it quickly became known to all the people, who were filled with the greatest joy; and they all rising up and striking the sacred wood, were assembled together at the holy temple of the Mother of God, which is called the ‘New’: and there, with crosses and litanies, they awaited the coming of the sacred relics, and rejoiced and exulted in hymns of thanksgiving: and being by the presence of the martyr refreshed, and recovered from that weakness of their faith which oppressed them, and from their other iniquities, they received no small consolation. But while they were thus praying, and embracing and prostrating themselves before the coffin, and paying all due honour to the relics and to the memory of the Saint, a certain woman of rank in Caesarea (if, indeed, she deserves to be so accounted, and not the very reverse, as events will prove) — whose name was Arete (Virtue), but whose conduct was the exact opposite to her name — this woman, yielding to unbelief, cried out, ‘I pay no honour to the relics which came from Persia.’ O, miserable and infatuated soul! Never sure had that wretched woman heard how the holy Psalmist David rebukes the rashness of the wicked, saying, Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile’ (Psalm xxxiv. 13). But now what things God, who honours them that honour Him, laid upon her I will here unfold. After that the relics had been brought into the city, the rulers in public council determined to raise an oratory for the Martyr in the midst of the city near to the Tetrapylon, and there they set up also his picture. While this oratory was yet in the course of erection, the Martyr, in his monastic habit, appeared to this most miserable woman in a dream, and said to her, ‘Feel you no pain in your loins?’ And she replied, ‘No, my Lord; I have no disease — I am quite well.’ No sooner had she spoken than she awoke, and found that a dreadful disease had, indeed, fallen upon her; and she began to cry aloud and to groan, and to be seized with most violent pangs — yea, so intolerable were her sufferings that she could scarcely breathe. And now, being at full leisure, she began to reflect and to enquire with herself what this sudden disease might be, and from what cause it proceeded, and in such enquiries she spent four days. But, when the fifth day dawned she saw the same holy man standing over her, and saying, ‘Go down to the Tetrapylon, and there call upon the holy Anastasius and you shall be made whole.’ And, having risen up, the ill-omened words which she had uttered against her own head now came to her memory, on which she called her servants, and said, ‘Bear me, bear me, hence: let us haste to the oratory of the holy Anastasius: now have I been taught that I ought to worship and honour his relics though they came from Persia, and not to account that common which God hath cleansed.’ Her servants, therefore, having placed her on a litter, went on their way; and, as they were now approaching the place, she, having lifted up her eyes and seeing from afar the image of the Saint, began with a loud voice, amidst floods of tears, to cry out, ‘That is, indeed, the very man whom I saw in my dream, who told me before of the pangs which were coming upon me.’ And when she had prostrated herself on the floor and wept a sufficient time and had propitiated the Saint, she rose up entirely healed: and thus she who but little before was carried by others, and had been reduced to the greatest extremities, went back to her house on her own feet, now harmoniously with the rest praising and glorifying God and magnifying the Martyr.”

Peter and Peter the Legates of Adrian said: “This same picture of the holy Anastasius, even to this day, is preserved in a monastery at Rome with his precious head.”

John Bishop of Tauromenium: “The most reverend Legates have spoken truly; for there was a certain woman in Sicily who, being possessed with an evil spirit, was wont to give oracular answers; but she, on coming to Rome, was perfectly cured by this above-mentioned most holy image.”

John Legate of the East: “In addition to that which has been said, the history which you have just heard abundantly proves that holy images of Saints work miracles and cure diseases.”

Peter Bishop of Nicomedia said: “I have here a book of the holy Athanasius, and I now propose to this holy Council that it be read.”

The Holy Council said: “Let it be read.”

Stephen the Deacon, having taken the book, read, “The Discourse of our Father Athanasius of holy memory, concerning the Image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ our true God, and the Miracle wrought by it in Berytus:”

“Lift up now the eyes of your minds, and behold this new prodigy which hath recently taken place, reflect on the infinite wonder-working of God and give glory to Him: consider His ineffable love to man and the greatness of His dispensation, and mingle tears with your joy. To God nothing is strange; for being God He can do all things: but forasmuch as it was done amongst us and in our days let the heart of all that hear be filled with amazement. Truly, the heavens were aghast at this awful deed! — the very depths were troubled! — the sun was darkened — and the moon and stars, in like manner, at that which was done | But yet, on the other hand, all the powers of heaven rejoiced in the completion of the wonderful dispensation of the Lord. Hear and be amazed at that which was done in our days! understanding, understand ye! incline your ear, that inlet to the heart, and hear.

“There is a city called Berytus, situated within the boundaries of Tyre and Sidon, in the province of Antioch. In this city of Berytus there was a great multitude of Jews. Near to their synagogue, which was very great, a certain Christian had hired a chamber, and while living there he had placed opposite to his bed a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ: it was painted on a tablet of boards and contained the image of our Lord and Saviour at full length. After a short time the Christian, feeling a need of it, sought out a larger abode; and this, as I verily believe, happened through the over-ruling providence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, who displays His wonders to the pious, and to those who believe in Him, for the confusion of the wicked and the confirmation of the true believer. The Christian, as I said before, sought for a larger house, and he found one in another part of the city, and thither he removed from the house which was near the synagogue of the Jews; and in removing his goods, he through forgetfulness, or rather by the over-ruling providence of God, left behind him the aforesaid picture of our Lord. And a certain Jew then hired the house where was this image of our Lord Jesus Christ; and, having brought thither all his goods, he continued in the house without ever perceiving that the image was there at all, for he had not noticed the place where it was, but having taking up his abode in it there he remained. One day, however, this Jew invited another of his own nation to dine with him, and while they were at dinner the Jew who had been invited, lifting up his eyes, saw this picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, on which he said to his host: ‘How is it that thou, being a Jew, should have such a picture as this in thine house?’ And he uttered besides many profane and unlawful blasphemies against the Lord which I dare not write. God forbid it me to record the things which he that was invited then vented against the Saviour! When the Jew who had given the invitation saw the image of the Lord, he endeavoured to persuade his guest of his innocence, saying: ‘Until this present moment I have never seen this picture.’ To this he who had been invited made no reply, but went his way to the Chief Priests, and accused the Jew who lived in the house where the image of the Lord was, saying: ‘There is a certain Jew has in his house a picture of the Nazarene. When they heard this they said: ‘Shew us where, if you can.’ And he said more confidently: ‘Ay, I will show it you in his house.’ And they were filled with wrath. For that evening they remained quiet, but as soon as it was morning the Chief Priests and Elders took with them the Jew who had made the accusation, and a great number of their people, and went to the house of the man where the image of the Lord was. And when they were now at the place, the Chief Priests and Elders, together with the man who had given information, burst in, and there they saw the image of the Lord; and, being greatly enraged, they put the Jew who lived there out of the synagogue and drove him away from the house. After which, laying hold of the picture, they said: ‘As our Fathers of old insulted Him, so will we now insult Him.’ Then they began to spit in the face of the holy image of the Lord, and they buffeted it in the presence of those who were assembled: and now on this side and now on that, they would strike the picture of the Lord, saying: ‘Whatever our fathers did to Him in person that will we also do to His image.’ And they said: ‘We have heard that they mocked Him — We also will do the same: then with unbounded mockeries they insulted the image of the Lord, such as we dare not even to mention. Then they said: ‘We have heard that they nailed His hands and His feet — this will we do also’ and they drove nails through the hands and through the feet of the Lord’s image. Again they said: ‘We remember to have heard that they gave him gall and vinegar to drink with a sponge – we also will do the same: and they did so, and put a sponge filled with vinegar to the mouth of the image of the Lord. Again they said: ‘We have understood that our fathers struck Him on the head with a reed — this also will we do to Him:’ and taking a reed, they struck the bead of the image of the Lord. Last of all they said: ‘As we have certainly learned that they pierced His side with a spear, let us omit nothing — this also will we do as well as the rest:’ and, having commanded a spear to be brought, ordered one of their party to lift it up and to pierce the side of the image of the Lord; and immediately there burst forth from it a large quantity of blood mixed with water!

“Glory be to thee, O Christ! Glory be to thee, O Incomprehensible! Who is like unto thee, O Lord? Who besides thee is there who doest fearful and wonderful things? O miracle of the greatness of the Saviour! Verily, upon this the heavenly powers stood aghast! O Lord, how great art thou in thy love to man! How great in thy long suffering! How abundant in mercy! Long since, for us and for our salvation , thou who wert without flesh becamest Incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and in that flesh wert crucified, because that in thy Godhead thou wert impassible; and now, again, O Lord, wert thou crucified in thine image, for the confusion of the impious and of all unbelievers, and for the confirmation of those who in truth believe upon thee. Glory be to thee, O Lord, who alone art Almighty with our blessed God the Father, and with the Holy Ghost. Amen.

“But now, my children, hear the rest, how all was ordered by the Lord Himself; for the event was brought about by Him. When the Priests and Elders saw the blood and water gushing from wounds inflicted in the side of the image of the Lord, they said, ‘Since they who venerate Him set forth that He wrought many miracles, let us take this blood and water and go to the synagogue, and there getting together as many sick persons as we can find, let us anoint them with it; and so we shall see if that which has been said hath any truth in it.’ They took, therefore, a basin and applied it to the side of the picture of the Lord which had been struck by the spear, from which the blood and water gushed forth, and they quickly filled the basin from the place of the stroke of the spear; and they took it away with scoffs that they might, in the presence of all, insult the Lord of all. And when they had got together all who were diseased, they selected, in the first place, one who was a paralytic from his birth and they anointed him, and immediately he stood on his feet and leaped, being entirely healed: they then brought the blind, and they, in like manner being anointed recovered their eye sight and unnumbered demoniacs were immediately cleansed. Then did the utmost excitation prevail throughout the city. All the people ran together at the fame of these unheard-of miracles, and the whole multitude of the Jews was stirred up, for there were very many who dwelt in that city. And they all ran together, bringing with them those of their families who were in any way diseased, whether paralytic, maimed, halt, withered, or lepers; all, I say, ran together, so that the synagogue, though of the largest size, could not contain, nor could the surrounding precincts contain, the innumerable multitudes of those who flocked together to witness these most astonishing miracles. And the Chief Priests and Elders, and all the people of the Jews, both men, women, and children, believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, crying out, ‘Glory be to thee, O Christ, whom our fathers crucified, and who hast now been crucified by us in thy image! Glory be to thee, O Son of God, who hast done all these wonders! We believe in thee, be gracious to us and receive us.’ These things they all cried aloud in bitter sorrow; and their cries sounded aloud and wonders were wrought, the Priests continuing to anoint, and the diseased to be cured, and to receive new life. And after that all had been healed, immediately the whole multitude ran to the Bishop of the most holy Church there, who had already been apprized of that which was done, and cried aloud, ‘There is one God the Father, one Son His only begotten, one Christ, even Him whom our fathers slew. We acknowledge Him to be God. In Him we believe. With many acclamations of this kind they glorified God, showed the image to the Bishop, and told him what they had done to the image of the Lord, and how the blood and water burst from the side of the image, and all the unnumbered miracles which were wrought thereby; and, then with one accord, they all entreated to be accounted worthy of holy baptism. These therefore, the Bishop with his clergy received; and having instructed them during certain days he baptized them, and consecrated their Synagogue as a Church of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. At their request, also, he turned their other Synagogues into Martyria. And so there was great joy in that city, not only because the bodies of many were healed and restored to temporal life, but rather because so many souls were raised from death to eternal life. These things having come to my knowledge I have made all haste to communicate the same to you, my most beloved brethren, for the benefit of your souls, that ye knowing by this the power of our God and Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, might be more fully confirmed in the faith which is in Him, and might rejoice in His wondrous works which have now been done amongst us. Give glory to Him, with joy mingled with compunction and sorrow. Rejoice and give thanks that He hath accounted you worthy of faith and of the knowledge of Himself. To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory now and ever more, throughout all ages. Amen.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “See how He who is named from immortality, hath caused all this holy Council to be moved unto tears; for not only hath he declared images to be holy, but able even to work miracles of healing.”

Tarasius: “If any one should say, why do not images in our days work miracles? — to him we answer that the Apostle hath said, ‘That signs are not for them that believe, but for them that believe not’ (1 Cor. xiv.22). Now, they who made their attack upon the image were unbelievers: wherefore, God wrought a miracle among them by means of this image in order to bring them over to the faith of us Christians. ‘A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and no sign shall be given them’” (Matt. xii. 39).

Theodore Deacon and Notary reads from “the Epistle of the blessed Nilus to Heliodorus, the Silentiary:”

“By miracles continually wrought in divers places and at various times, the Lord invites those who have little faith, and those who have none, to steadfast faith; whilst He yet more increases the faith and hope of those who believe already, and manifests His fixed immutable designs. I will, therefore, relate to thee one instance out of many thousands in which our triumphant Martyr, Plato, has proved, not in our own country only, but in every other city and district, how readily He grants grace and displays His wonderful might to all who, by him, make requests to God.

“In the Mount called Sinai, where Moses received the law from the hand of God, and where many Monks, both natives and strangers dwell, a certain man of Galata with his son, having embraced the Monastic life, sojourned some time in that desert, there performing the exercises of ascetic discipline. On a certain day, certain barbarians, heathens in religion, made a sudden irruption on the aforesaid mountain: they seized all the Solitaries whom they could readily lay lands upon and carried them away captives, among whom was the son of the old man before-mentioned. Having bound their hands behind their backs, they forced them away from their now empty cells, driving them onwards naked and fasting. And without any shoes to their feet they were made by force and cruel necessity to run over those parched, rugged, inhospitable regions, worn out with a thousand fears. But the old man hidden in a dark cave, overwhelmed with grief on the loss of so pious a son, earnestly besought the Lord Christ, by Plato, the Martyr of his own country, that he would in mercy condescend to hear his prayer. The very same petition, the son now in bonds, entreated of God, by the same immaculate Martyr — namely, that He would have mercy upon him and would work a miracle in his favour. And both the old man in his cave on the mountain, and the son in his captivity were heard. For, behold, on a sudden our Martyr Plato himself on horseback, and also having with him another beautiful horse, appeared to the young man as he was watching, who at once recognised his person because he had often seen his likeness in his image. The Saint commands him to rise forth with from the midst of the other prisoners, to take hold of the horse and to mount it. Immediately his chains were broken like a spider’s web; and he, the only one liberated for the sake of his invocation, by the permission of God rose up and mounted the horse, and with great confidence and joy, followed the guidance of the holy Martyr. And as quickly and swiftly as if they had wings, the Martyr Plato and the young solitary presented themselves at the cell of the old man still praying and weeping. And now that the illustrious Martyr had restored to the broken-hearted father his beloved son, he vanished out of their sight.

“So that it is plain that in every place the venerable and illustrious champions of the Church are able to accomplish everything, however wonderful or amazing, in behalf of those who call on God by them. These things have I written to you as being a lover of Martyrs, and as one who never can hear too much in memory of these thrice blessed Martyrs.”

The Holy Council said: “It is evident that it was from previous acquaintance with the Martyr’s image that the young man knew the Saint when he appeared for his deliverance.”

Theodore Bishop of Myra: “I myself have experienced something not unlike the history just now related; for when I was suffering under the injurious treatment of some of our great men, my Archdeacon, a religious man and one that fears God, said to me — I have seen the Patriarch in a vision, who said, Let the Metropolitan come up to us, and all his affairs shall be arranged to his satisfaction. On which I asked him again — In what form or appearance did the Patriarch manifest himself to you . And he answered, ‘That his face was ruddy and his hair like that of an old man.’ I replied, this is not the description of the Patriarch, but answers well to the image of St. Nicholas.’ ‘But was the person whom you saw exactly such as you have described him?’ And he answered, ‘Yes: the man whom I saw speaking to me was exactly such as I have described.’ Then I knew that it was St. Nicholas who had appeared to him from the likeness of his description to the image of the Saint. Confiding, therefore, in his words, I went up immediately to the Royal and God-preserved city, and there all my business relative to my bishopric was settled just as I would have it.”

Thomas Legate of the Eastern Sees: “Some have insinuated that St. Nilus wrote against holy images. We have in our hands a book written by the father, and, if you please, let it be read.”

The Holy Council said: “Let it be read.”

Cosmas the Deacon and Chamberlain read “The Letter of our holy Father St. Nilus to Olympiodorus the Prefect:”

“You write to ask me whether in the great temple you propose to raise, in honour of the holy Martyrs and also of Christ, to whom they, by the conflicts, labours, and toils of their martyrdom bore witness, it would be proper to adorn the sanctuary with pictures, and to fill up the walls on the right hand and on the left with paintings of the hunting of wild animals; so that on the one side might be seen a landscape where ropes extended, and hares, goats, and the like, fleeing away; while after them should be seen the hunters with their dogs eagerly pursuing; and on that side a sea view with the net cast forth, and every kind of fish caught therein and brought to land by the fishermen: and, further, that every other form which could give pleasure to the eye be wrought on the stucco in the house of God, just as in any ordinary house, a thousand crosses should be set up, and that pictures of birds, beasts, and reptiles, and various plants painted there.

“In answer to what you have written I would reply, that to me it appears quite childish and infantine thus to divert the eyes of the faithful in the manner which you have proposed; and all that a sound and manly judgment would require is, to have in the sanctuary which is to the east of the most sacred church, one cross only; for by one salvation-bringing cross the race of man has been saved, and hope has been everywhere preached to those who were without hope. Fill the other part of the church of the Saints at proper intervals with histories of the Old and New Testaments, the work of some excellent artist, that they who know not their letters, and so are not able to read the Scriptures, by contemplating that which is represented, may be enabled both to call to mind the fortitude of those who have served God in sincerity, and may be excited to emulate those illustrious and venerable deeds, by means of which they, who preferred the things which] are not seen to those which are seen, exchanged earth for heaven. In a private house, divided into many and various apartments, it will be quite sufficient to have one cross set up in each, and all that is more than this may, as I think, be dispensed with. But I exhort and admonish you to continue in fervent prayer, in unwavering faith, and in the giving of alms; and that by humiliation of self-perpetual trust in God, meditation in the sacred oracles, sympathy towards your kindred, kindness to your domestics, and by attention to all the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ, to provide for your own protection, and for the protection, peace, and well-being of your wife and children, and all that belongs to you.”

Theodore Bishop of Myra: “This epistle, when we heard it before being falsified, deceived and destroyed us, for we imagined that it had been genuine and without fraud.”

The Bishops who had recanted said: “If we had then heard that which the father says — namely, “At proper intervals adorn your house with paintings from the Old and New Testaments, we should not thus have given heed to vanity; but they, instead of this, ‘At proper intervals make paintings’ (ἱστόρησον) substituted the word ‘whiten over’ (λεύκανον), which most powerfully deceived us.”

Peter and Peter Legates of Adrian said: “Constantine of holy memory formerly made a building of the same kind; for, having erected a church at Rome to the Saviour, on the walls he caused the histories of the Old and New Testaments to be painted; so that in one place you might see Adam going out of Paradise, and in another the thief entering into Paradise, and so forth.”

Tarasius: “If those prime champions of the Christianity-slanderers had been men of truth, why did they not exhibit in their conventicle the very books of St. Nilus for the satisfaction of all? But let the most religious Bishops Gregory of Neocaesarea, and Theodosius of Ammorium, declare whether they did bring forward the books in the Council.”

Gregory and Theodosius replied: “No, my Lord; but, instead of books, they brought forward extracts (πιττακια), and by them deceived us.”

Euthymius Bishop of Sardis: “And how was it that ye, being High Priests, did not demand the unmutilated testimonies of the book themselves?”

Gregory Bishop of Neocaesarea: “Believe me, Brother, we had no care or trouble of this kind; but as it is written — ‘Our foolish heart was darkened, and professing ourselves wise we became fools.’”

Theodore Bishop of Myra (to the Bishops Gregory and Theodosius): “Beyond all doubt it was those same extracts, which ye brought forward, that undid us. God knows how this passage of the holy Nilus, being mis-cited, deceived all and myself more especially. But now that the genuine passage hath been read it has converted, corrected, and saved us.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “If you have another copy of the same book, let it be read.”

Constantine the Deacon and Notary read another book, having the above-mentioned epistle of St. Nilus in it.

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “Behold, it hath now been most plainly proved that this holy and inspired Father Nilus does admit of holy images; whereas, he was accused by that false conventicle as though he had spoken against them. Whence these wretches are not only proved to be Christianity-slanderers, but Saint-slanderers and parricides, in thus bringing these false charges against our divine fathers.”

Euthymius Bishop of Sardis: “I have here the book of Maximus Saint and Confessor, and I lay it before you that it may be read.”

Constantine Deacon and Notary, having taken the book, read, “From the Dogmas which were Discussed between Maximus of holy memory and Theodore Bishop of Caesarea with the Consuls of his Party,” which begins:

“The disquisitions which are made concerning the faith of us Christians.” And, after other things it continues, Maximus said, “My Lords, since it has been decreed that it should be thus, let there now take place the accomplishment of that which hath been determined; for whereever ye command, thither will I follow. Upon this, all arose with joy and tears: they did penance and joined in prayer. And each of them embraced the holy Gospels, the venerable Cross, and the images of Jesus Christ our God and Saviour, and of our Lady who begat Him, the immaculate Mother of God, in confirmation of the things which had been spoken.” And, shortly after, “The Abbot Maximus, having turned to the Bishop, said to him with tears, ‘O, my illustrious Lord, we are all expecting the day of judgment, do you know what things were sealed and determined upon over the holy Gospels, the life giving Cross, the image of our God and Saviour, and the image of Her who begat Him, His immaculate Mother, ever a Virgin?”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “This expression, ‘they embraced,’ the father uses to imply worship; for it is evident that he worshipped the life-giving Cross and the holy Gospels: and with these were associated the venerable images of the Saviour and of His immaculate Mother.”

Tarasius: “Venerable images have ever been numbered among the consecrated vessels.”

The Holy Council said: “That is evident.”

The Sicilian Bishops said: “As holy, they are numbered with holy things.”

Peter Bishop of Nicomedia: “We have also another copy of the book of Maximus; and if ye please let the passage be read again.”

Cosmas the Deacon read the passage over again.

Tarasius: “Consider, my brethren, how he said, ‘they embraced:’ now this is just what we ought to do in honorary worship (τιμητικῇ διαθέσει), for our absolute worship has reference to God alone.”

John Legate of the East: “If images had not been necessary, they had not embraced them as a security. Wherefore venerable images are equal in power and authority to the Gospel and the life-giving Cross.”

Peter Bishop of Nicomedia: “And as it was not a common man who did this, but the heaven-instructed Maximus, the equal of the holy fathers, who was, moreover, a confessor and a defender of the truth, it may suffice us that we are imitating such an one when we worship holy images.”

Elias Archpresbyter of the most holy Church of our Lady the Mother of God at Blachernae read, from a Roll which contained the Definitions of the Holy and Ecumenical Sixth Council, the Eighty-second Canon of the same Ecumenical Council:” –

“In certain venerable pictures, the lamb as pointed out by the finger of the forerunner is represented, which was a type of grace, and under the law prefigured the true Lamb Christ our God. But, while we duly value the ancient types and shadows as types and prefigurations of the truth, we value more highly the truth and the grace itself, receiving the same as the completion of the law. In order, therefore, that the perfect image may be presented to the contemplation of all, we decree that in all pictures from henceforth the figure of our Lord Jesus Christ, ‘the true Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,’ should be pourtrayed in His human form, instead of the lamb as heretofore; that we, being stirred up by the sight thereof, may be led to meditate upon the depth of the humiliation of God the Word, and to the remembrance of His conversation in the flesh, and of His passion, and of His saving death, and the redemption thereby accomplished in behalf of the world.”

After that he had finished reading the Canon he turned to the Council and said: “Venerable and holy fathers, no one felt a stronger inclination to have engaged in this late persecution than, for my sins, did I; but this roll which I have here, which was subscribed by the fathers of the Sixth Council, became to me as it were a divine hook (ἄγκιϛρον), and drew me back to the Orthodox faith, in addition to which the most holy Patriarch used his influence with me; whom may God reward for my sake.”

Sabbas: “Wherefore is this read from a roll, and not from the book?”

Tarasius: “Because that is the original roll which the fathers themselves subscribed.”

Peter Bishop of Nicomedia said: “I have here another book, which contains the Canons of the Sixth Holy Council.”

Nicetas Deacon and Notary took the book and read over again the same Canon.

Tarasius: “Some persons, labouring under the malady of ignorance, have taken offence at these Canons, and ask, ‘Are these really the Canons of the Sixth Council?’ Let all such know, therefore, that the sixth holy Ecumenical Council was assembled under Constantine against those who maintained the one will and operation in Christ; and that after these fathers had anathematized the heretics, and clearly set forth the Orthodox faith, they returned home in the fourteenth year of Constantine. Four or five years after that event the same fathers were again assembled by Justinian, the son of Constantine, who then laid down the above-mentioned Canons. Let no one have any scruple about them, since the same fathers who subscribed under Constantine were the very same who subscribed in this roll which you see under Justinian, as is evident from the exact similarity of the hand-writing; and it was but right that they who had presented to the world an Ecumenical Council should also enact Ecclesiastical Canons. Now, they affirmed that by means of holy images ‘we are led to the remembrance of His conversation in the flesh and of His life-giving death.’ If, then, these are the means by which we are led to the consideration of the dispensation of Christ our God, what must we think of those who have abolished venerable images?”

The Holy Council said: “As Atheists, Hebrews, and enemies to the truth.”

Tarasius: “But the Lord our God is good, who receiveth us all; for He hath not left the rod of the wicked to rest on the lot of the righteous” (Psalm cxxv. 3).

Leo Bishop of Rhodes: “See how it is evident, from the holy Scripture, that our Church hath for so many years been ravaged and despoiled; but, thanks be to Christ, who hath stirred up our most reverend Lord for its restoration.”

Peter and Peter the Legates of Adrian said: “We have in our hands the book of the blessed Leontius, Bishop of Neapolis, in Cyprus, and we propose that it be read.”

Stephen the Deacon and Notary took the book and read from the “Fifth Discourse of the Apology of Leontius, Bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus.” in behalf of Christians against the Jews, and more particularly in the matter of holy images: “Come now, and let us, in conclusion, make an apology in behalf of holy images, that the mouths of all who speak wickedly may be stopped. This tradition is of the law, in proof whereof hear God commanding Moses, ‘Make two cherubim of gold to overshadow the mercy-seat’ ( Exod. xxv. 17-22); and again, in the temple which God showed to Ezekiel, he speaks of the appearance of palm trees, lions, men, and cherubim, from the floor to the ceiling’ (Ezekiel xli. 1, 2). Truly the command is terrible which forbade Israel to make any graven thing, image or likeness of things in heaven or of things which are on the earth; and yet He commanded Moses to make graven images of living cherubim, and He showed to Ezekiel the temple full of graven images, and likenesses of lions, palm-trees, and men. Whence, also, Solomon having taken his plan from the law, made a temple full of images of lions, oxen, palm-trees, and men in brass, both sculptured and molten; nor was he reproved by God for doing this. If therefore you condemn me about images, condemn God Himself, who commanded that such things should be made to be a memorial of Himself amongst us. But, replies the Jew, these likenesses were never worshipped as gods, but were intended for the sake of memorial only. Thou hast well said, rejoins the Christian: neither are our images, pictures, or likenesses of the saints, worshipped as gods, for if they worshipped the wood of an image as God, why then they would worship all other wood. Again, if they worshipped the wood on which an image is painted as God, they would never dare to burn that wood after that the image which was upon it had been obliterated. Whereas, on the contrary, as long as the two beams of the cross are united together, I worship them for the sake of Christ, who was crucified thereon; but, after they are separated, I throw them aside and burn them as any other wood.

“Again, as he who receives the mandate of a king and kisses the seal does not intend thereby any honour to the wax, the letter itself, or the lead, but only a demonstration of respect and reverence to the king — so we, the sons of Christians, when we worship the type of the cross, honour not the wood of which it is formed; but looking on it as the seal, the ring, the image of Christ, by means of it we worship Him who was crucified upon it. Again, as when the lawfully begotten children of any father who for a season is absent from them, out of their great affection towards him, whenever they see in the house his staff, his coat, his chair, embrace them with kisses and tears, and this not intending to honour the things mentioned, but to show their respect and affection to their father — so all we, the faithful, worship the cross of Christ as His staff — His all holy tomb as His throne and couch — the manger, Bethlehem, and holy places where He abode as His house — the holy Apostles, Martyrs, and other Saints, we honour as His friends — as His city we venerate Zion — as His country we reverence Nazareth — Jordan we embrace as His divine bath; and, further, from the ineffable love we bear towards Him, the very spots whence He ascended, where He sat down, where He appeared, which He touched, or over which His shadow passed, we venerate as the place of God; and yet we honour not the place, the house, the country, the city, or the stones; but Him alone who sojourned there and there appeared, and was made manifest in the flesh, even Christ our God who hath set us free from all error. And for the sake of Christ it is that we represent the sufferings of Christ in churches, in houses, in markets, in pictures, on veils, in private chambers, on our garments, and in all other places, that having these things continually in view we may never forget as you have forgotten the Lord your God. Again, when you worship the book of the law, you worship not the parchment or the ink, but the words of God found therein; so, in like manner, when I worship the image of God, I worship not the wood or the colours — (God forbid!); but, laying hold upon the lifeless image, I seem by means of it to lay hold on and to worship Christ Himself.

“Again, as Jacob, when he had received from his sons Joseph’s coat of many colours, now covered with blood, kissed it with tears, and placed it over his eyes — and yet he did this, not out of affection or regard to the garment, but because thus he seemed to kiss Joseph himself and to have him in his hands — in the same manner all Christians, when they lay hold on and in the flesh salute the image of Christ or of any Apostle and Martyr, do seem in the spirit to lay hold on and to salute Christ Himself or the Martyr so represented. Tell me, O thou who considerest, that nothing made with hands, or, indeed, that no created thing whatsoever, should be worshipped, hast thou not, when in thy chamber thou hast seen the garments or some ornament belonging to thy wife or children now deceased, taking them up in thine hands, covered them with kisses — made them moist with tears And wert thou ever condemned for this? No; for thou didst not worship these garments as gods, but thy kisses were only intended to show the regard which thou bearest to the person who at one time or other did wear them. And have we not often embraced our parents or our children, though created beings and even sinful? And we were never condemned for this; for we do not salute them as gods, but by this, our salutation, we display the natural affection which we bear towards them; for, as I have often said, the intention of every salutation, and of every act of reverence, should be enquired into. But if you accuse me for worshipping the wood of the cross, why, in like manner, do you not accuse Jacob who worshipped the top of Joseph’s staff? Now, as it is evident that he did not worship the wood on which he looked, but rather Joseph by the wood, so in like manner, is it evident that by the wood of the cross we worship Christ. Again, Abraham worshipped the impious men who sold him a burial place and bowed his knee to the earth before them, yet he did not worship them as gods. Again, Jacob blessed Pharaoh, though an impious man and an idolator, but he blessed him not as God. Again, he fell down and worshipped Esau, but not as God. See you not how many instances of salutation and worship we have laid before you from the Scripture, and none of which ever met with any condemnation. And you each day kiss your wife though it may be wanting both in modesty and goodness, and are not for this condemned although God hath never enjoined upon you this carnal salutation of womankind; but when you see me kissing the image of Christ, of His immaculate Mother or of any other Saint, you are quite indignant, vent insulting blasphemies, and call me an idolator. Tell me, are you not ashamed?–do you not tremble?–do you not blush?–when you see how every day throughout the world I am destroying the temples of idols and raising in their place the temples of the Martyrs? Now, if I worship idols, how can I any more worship the Martyrs who destroyed idols? If I honour and glory in wood as gods, how is it that I honour and worship the Martyrs who destroyed wooden images? If I worship stones as gods, how is it that I worship and magnify the Martyrs and Apostles who broke them to pieces and destroyed their statues of stone? Why do I honour and praise, build temples for, and institute festivals in honour of the three young men in Babylon who would not worship the golden image? Verily, great is the blindness of the Jews — great is their impiety. Truth is set at nought by them — yea, God Himself is reproached by the tongues of these graceless Jews. By the relics and images of Martyrs demons are expelled; and yet these cursed men treat them with every kind of contumely, insult, and disgrace. How many have been the obumbrations — how many the emanations — how many the flowings of blood — from the images and relics of the Martyrs? But they being void of understanding, though they see, are not persuaded, but still account such things fables and old wives’ tales. Nor are they convinced, though they daily see, how, throughout the world by Christ and His cross, the impious and lawless, the idolator, murderer, fornicator, and robber are brought to compunction, learn to renounce the world and to practice every virtue. Say, how can we be worshippers of idols who honour and worship the bones, the ashes, the rags, the blood, the tombs of the Martyrs, who became martyrs for no other cause than that they would not worship idols? The Jew saith — Why, then, throughout the Scripture, hath God commanded us to worship no creature? The Christian replies — Tell me, are not the earth and the mountains creatures of God? Certainly. Then, says the Christian, how is it that He teaches us thus — ‘Exalt the Lord our God and worship His foot-stool, for it is holy’ (Ps. xcix. 5); and, ‘Worship in His holy mountain’ (Ps. xcix. 9). Again: He saith — ‘Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool’ (Isaiah lxv. 1). The Jew replies — We must not adore them as gods, but rather by them we must worship Him who made these things. The Christian rejoins — True is the word which you have spoken; but be it known to you that I also by heaven, by earth, by the sea, by wood, by stones, by relics, by temples, by the cross, by angels, by men, and by every creature visible and invisible, offer my worship and adoration to the Creator, Lord and only Framer of them all. For the creature does not glorify the Creator by itself, but through some medium: wherefore by me the heavens declare the glory of God; by me the moon worships God; by me the stars glorify God; by me the waters, the showers, the dew — by me every creature worships and glorifies God. If some good Sovereign should with his own hands make for himself a curiously-wrought very precious crown, would not all who were sincerely attached to him salute and do reverence to the crown, not honouring thereby the gold or the jewels, but rather the head of the Sovereign and the ingenious hands which had formed it? Thus it is, o man, when Christians embrace crosses or images: they worship not the wood, or the stones, or the perishable image, or the chest, or the relics; but by means of these they offer their glory, reverence, and worship to God the Creator of them and of all things. How often have they who have destroyed or insulted the royal image suffered capital punishment, who were judged as having injured a Sovereign, and not a picture merely?

“Now, the image of God is man, who was created after the image of God, and specially those who have received the indwelling of the Spirit. Justly do I honour and worship the image of the servants of God and glorify the abode of the Holy Spirit; ‘for (saith He) I will dwell in them and walk in them’ (2 Cor. vi. 16). Let the Jews who have worshipped Kings, both their own and those of the Gentiles, blush with shame if inclined to revile Christians as Idolaters. We Christians, in every country and city, do daily and hourly take up arms against idols — against idols we sing, against idols we write, against idols and devils we pray. How, then, dare the Jews to call us ‘Idolaters?’ Where are now the sacrifices of sheep, of oxen, and of children, which they were accustomed to offer to their idols? Where are their odours, their altars, their effusion of blood? We Christians know nothing either of altar or sacrifice. The Gentiles dedicated temples and idols to adulterers and murderers — men impure and accursed and made gods of them; but never did they dedicate either altar or temple to Prophet or holy Martyr. We know that the Jews in Babylon had harps and organs and other musical instruments, even as had the Babylonians; but those of the one were for the glory of God, while those of the other were for the service of devils: so let us distinguish between the Gentile and Christian images — theirs are for the service of Satan; ours for the remembrance and the glory of God. Moreover, God hath made us to hear of many miracles wrought by wood: thus, He called one tree the Tree of Life; another, the Tree of Knowledge; another, Sabek the Tree of Forgiveness. Again: by the rod He overwhelmed Pharaoh, He divided the sea, made the water sweet, lifted up the serpent: He opened the rock and brought forth water. The rod also which budded fixed the priesthood in Aaron; and thus Solomon saith — Bless ye the wood whence cometh righteousness (Wisdom of Sol. xiv. 8). So also Elisha, having cast the wood into the water of Jordan, brought back the iron, a type of the redemption of Adam, from hades; and, further, he commanded his servant to raise up the son of the Shunamite by means of his staff. Has, then, God wrought so many wonders: by means of wood, tell me why He cannot work miracles by means of the wood of the Holy Cross?

“And, if it be impious to do honour to bones, why were the bones of Joseph brought with so much care from Egypt? How came it to pass that a dead man came to life again on touching the bones of Elisha? And, if God work miracles by bones, He can do the same no less by images, by stones, and many other things of the same kind. Moreover, Abraham did not choose that the body of Sarah should be buried in the tombs of the aliens, but only in his own sepulchre, for the sake of honour. Jacob also by a stone honoured God, having set it up and poured oil upon it as a type of Christ the chief cornerstone (Gen. xxxi. 43-49). And, again, he called a heap of stones a witness against Laban. Joshua the son of Nave also testifies in our favour who set up twelve stones for a memorial.

“And since, O Jew, thou hadst in thy temple two graven images of Cherubim overshadowing the mercy-seat, if any Gentile idolater had come in, and, when he saw these things, had blamed the Jews as themselves being worshippers of idols, tell me, what defence you would have made in behalf of the two molten cherubim, the lions, the oxen, and palm-trees, which, being graven images, were in the temple? You could have said nothing else, in truth, but this — that we have not these cherubims in the temple as gods; but for the remembrance and for the glory of God we have them there. Now, if it be so, wherefore do you blame me in the matter of images But you will say to me that God commanded Moses to make those graven images in the temple: but I say this, that Solomon, having taken his pattern from the tabernacle, made many more images for his temple which neither God had commanded nor were seen in the tabernacle of the testimony nor in the temple which God showed to Ezekiel; and yet he never was condemned for this, since he made those figures for the glory of God even as we do now. Thou hadst, O Jew, other things for the glory and praise of God — the rod of Moses, the tables written with the finger of God, the bush that was not burned, the rock which gave forth water, the pot which contained manna, the ark, the altar, the leaf which bore the name of God, the ephod which manifested God, the tabernacle in which God dwelt. Well had it been for thee if of old thou hadst been contented by these things to worship and call upon God who is over all, and by these inferior types and images had kept Him in remembrance; and, if thou hadst not preferred thy calf and flies to the tablets framed by God, I would that thou hast regarded thy golden altar, and not the calves of Samaria — I would that thou hadst chosen the rod which budded, and not Astarte which desolated thy city. O, that thou hadst embraced the rod, which by divine command gave forth water, and not thy god Baal; but, O Ancient Israel, the reason that thou didst not worship these things was that thou hast not loved the Lord thy God with all thy heart. As he who loves his friend, his Sovereign, and above all his benefactor, when he sees his son, his staff, his throne, his crown, his house, or his servant, lays hold of them and embraces them, and by means of them honours him whom he regards: much more in this way will any one honour God who loves Him. When, therefore, you see Christians worshipping the cross, know that their worship is offered to Christ who was crucified thereon, and not to the wood of which it is made; for if they worshipped the nature of the wood, why, then, they must worship all trees and all wood, just as thou, O Israel, didst in times of old, saying, ‘to the tree and to the wood, thou art my God, thou hast begotten me’ (Jer. ii. 27). Again: we never speak thus of the cross or of the images of Saints, ‘Ye are our gods;’ for they are not our gods, but images and likenesses of Christ and of His Saints, which are set forth and worshipped for the sake of reminiscence and for the honour and glory of the Church; for he who honours a Martyr honours God — he who worships the Mother of God worships Him — and he who honours an Apostle honours Him that sent him. Would that thou hadst made images of Moses and the Prophets, and daily by means of these hadst worshipped their God and Master, instead of worshipping the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar! But, as this was not the case, are you not ashamed thus to be excited and stirred up against me with calumnies about the worship of images and the cross? If Abraham worshipped idolaters — if Moses worshipped the idolater Jethro — if Jacob worshipped Pharaoh, and Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar — if these, being just men and prophets, did, for the sake of some benefit received, worship on the earth those who were idolaters, do you rise up against me because I worship the cross and the images of the Saints by whom I obtain ten thousand blessings from God through them? He who reverences his sovereign does not dishonour his son; and he who fears God honours equally, and worships and reverences (as the Son of God) Christ our God, and the type of His cross and the images of the Saints. To whom be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and evermore, world without end. Amen.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “The father now read lived with great reputation for sanctity in one of the cities of Cyprus. We have many of his encomiastic and panegyrical discourses, and, amongst the rest, a discourse on the transfiguration. He wrote also the lives of Saint John Archbishop of Alexandria the Almsgiver, and of Saint Symeon the Simple,” and some others beside. All his writings display his Orthodoxy. He flourished in the time of the Emperor Maurice.”

John Legate of the East: “All that which has now been said in praise of the above-mentioned father is manifestly true; wherefore the Legates of the most holy Pope have brought his book to this Holy Council, and more specially because he is so full on the subject of the reception and worship of images.”

John said further, after having exhibited another book which he had with him before the Council: “This book, venerable Fathers, I found in the Royal City, in the library of my Lord Procopius the Silentiary; and I rejoiced much on finding it, since we have a copy of it in the East in all respects similar. In it the blessed Anastasius teaches concerning the distinctions of worship; and, if the Holy Council pleases, let it be read.”

The Holy Council said: “Let it be read.”

Stephen the Monk, taking the book, read: “The Epistle of Saint Anastasius Bishop of Theopolis to a certain Lawyer, in which he replies to certain doubts laid before him by the same,” which begins:

“If to him alone who seeks after wisdom, wisdom be imputed:” and, after other things, he continues: “Let no one be offended at the mention of worship, for we worship both men and angels; but we do not serve them. For Moses saith ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve’ (Deut. vi. 13; x. 20; Matt. iv. 10; Luke xl. 8). And mark, too, in the expression, ‘Thou shalt serve’ (λατρεύσεις), he had added the word ‘only;’ while to the expression, ‘Thou shalt worship’ (προσκυνήσεις), he has not done this. So that it is lawful to worship other things; for worship is the token of respect: but we must by no means serve them; wherefore we must not pray to them. This may serve, in some respects, as an answer to the first; but the second lies subject to the opinions of the generality, not having as yet received the benefit of deep enquiry.”

Tarasius: “Observe here what the father saith concerning worship.”

The Holy Council said: “He proves a diversity in worship; for he says, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ To the expression ‘Thou shalt serve,’ he hath added the word ‘only;’ while to the expression, ‘Thou shalt worship,’ he hath not done this. Now, the false Conventicle took this passage as in favour of themselves; but it is manifest that they did this most impiously.”

Tarasius: “But observe further how the learned father explains himself on this point: for that which we find in the middle of the passage quoted constrains us all — aye, even those who have been most contentiously opposed — to receive and to worship images; for he there says, ‘Worship is the token of honour.’ So that all who profess to honour images, but refuse to worship them, are by this holy father convicted of hypocrisy: and, indeed, they who admit not of worship, which is the symbol of honour, must be obnoxious to the charge of doing the opposite, which is to dishonour them.”

Leo Bishop of Phocia [one who had recanted]: “Now, indeed, is it fitting for me to say, with the Prophet, ‘Thou hast turned my mourning into joy; thou hast taken away my sackcloth and girded me with gladness’ (Psalm xxx. 12). For the divine Scriptures have turned away our minds from all impiety, and have filled us with divine knowledge and understanding.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia gave a volume of the works of Saint Anastasius Bishop of Theopolis into the hands of Stephen the Deacon and Notary, who read “The Discourse of holy Father Anastasius to Symeon Bishop of Bostra concerning the Sabbath,” which begins:

“If, according to the proverb, and as you yourself say, it becomes fathers and also elders to make enquiry;” and shortly after, “For though, when any Sovereign is absent, his image is reverenced instead of himself, yet, when he is afterwards present, it would be vain and idle to leave the prototype and to turn to the image. Nevertheless, though the image is no longer reverenced, because that he was present for whose sake it receives honour, yet it must not be dishonoured.” And a few lines onward — “And as he who insults the King’s images suffers justly as having done dishonour to the King himself; although the image is nothing else but wood, and colours mixed and impounded with wax: thus, in like manner, he who does despite to the image of any one actually insults the persons whose image it bears.”

John the Legate of the East: “The father has shown us that when a Sovereign is absent his image is honoured, and even when he is present, it is not therefore dishonoured: so now, since Christ the Lord of all is not sensibly present with us (for though, as God, He is present everywhere, yet is He invisible to our bodily eyes), His image is therefore to be honoured, as the aforesaid father has expounded concerning the image of a Sovereign.

Gregory Monk and Abbot of the Monastery of Hormisdas brought forward a book of the blessed Sophronius, which the Monk Stephen having received, read:

“The Encomium of our holy Father Sophronius Archbishop of Jerusalem, on the Saints Cyrus and John. Let all, some in one way some in another honour the Saints, at sundry periods sounding forth their gifts, and in divers manners proclaiming their benevolence. Let some do this by the erection of lofty temples — others by the ornament of variegated marbles: some by curious gilded mosaic — others by the splendid production of the painter: some by offerings of gold and silver — others with tapestry of silks and satins; and, in short, let each be most earnest in respect of honouring the Saints, according as he hath the ability and the will; and let each desire to excel his neighbour in this contest, both as thereby showing the affection which he hath towards the Saints, and as thereby securing, instead of corruptible things, things incorruptible — instead of temporal things, those which are eternal; for with such blessings are these godlike persons wont to repay those who love them.”

In the same book of this father the following miracle of the afore-mentioned Saints is found, which begins:

“I hear that Alexandria is the Metropolis of Libya and Egypt.” And a few lines onward — “We came to a temple perfect in its kind. In appearance fearful and exceedingly splendid — in height reaching to the very heavens, and when we had entered we saw a picture vast and wonderful. In the midst was painted the figure of Christ our Lord, having on the left hand the Mother of Christ, our Lady Mary, the Mother of God, and ever a Virgin; but on the right John the Baptist of this same Saviour and His forerunner, who before announced His coming by leaping within the womb; for had he then spoken he would not have been heard: and certain of the glorious company of Prophets and Apostles, and of the sainted assembly of the Martyrs, among whom were the Martyrs Cyrus and John. And they having placed themselves before the image of the Lord, bending their knees, bowed down before it, and, touching the ground with their heads, they interceded for the cure of the young man.” And shortly after — “And coming before the image a third time they used the same words and postures as before; and, after they had long prayed and prostrated themselves, crying out only this, ‘Lord, if thou dost command’ Christ as being full of mercy pitied them and granted their request; and He said by His image, ‘Bestow it upon him.’ And the Martyrs having risen from the ground, in the first place, returned thanks to Christ our God, because that He had heard their prayer, and with joy and exultation they said, ‘Behold, to us God hath granted His grace: go to Alexandria and sleep in the great temple fasting; take a little of the oil in a bottle from the lamp which burns before the Saviour’s image and bring it hither; and then, having anointed your feet there with, you shall obtain the gift of health.’” And, after other things — “And he having risen up from his sleep took the oil from the lamp and goes with it to the Church of the Saints, and there, as it was charged upon him, he anointed his hands and his feet and immediately he got rid of his disease and recovered strength.”

Tarasius: “He declares that all things offered are to be received, whether the work of the painter or any other artist, for the decoration of consecrated abodes.”

Thomas Legate of the East: “This very image, venerable fathers, stands in the great Church of Alexandria even to the present time and heals all kind of diseases.”

The Holy Council: “Glory be to thee, O God, who hast wrought miracles by means of holy images.”

Eustathius Monk Presbyter and Abbot of the Monastery of Maximin said: “I also, holy fathers, have brought thither a book of the same father containing the lives of many holy men; and if it be agreeable to your holy Assembly let it be read.”

The Holy Council: “Let it be read.”

Stephen the Monk, having received the book, read a passage from the “Spiritual Meadow” of St. Sophronius:

“Theodore Abbot, of Aelia, said there was a certain recluse in the Mount of Olives a perfect champion. This man was sorely assaulted by the demon of fornication. One day, when the demon was more than usually hard upon him, the old man began to lament and to cry out to the demon, ‘Why wilt thou not spare me — leave me for the future: thou hast grown old with me. On which the demon, having made himself visible, said to him, ‘Swear to me that thou wilt tell no man that which I am now about to say unto thee, and I will trouble thee no more.’ And the old man swore to him, saying, ‘By Him who dwells above, never will I tell to any what now you may declare to me.’ Then the demon said to him, ‘Worship that image no more, and I will no more contend with thee.’ Now, he had there a picture representing our Lady, the holy Mary, Mother of God, bearing in her arms our Lord Jesus Christ. The recluse gave answer to the demon, ‘Go, and I will consider of it. On the morrow he revealed the whole matter to Theodore Abbot, of Aeliota, then living in the Laura of Pharan, for the Abbot came to him and he told him all. And the aged man said to the recluse, ‘Verily, father, have you been so imposed upon as to swear to a demon? However, you have done well to consult me about it; for it were better for you not to pass by a single brothel in yon city without entering into it, than that you should refuse to worship our Lord and God Jesus Christ with His own Mother represented in a picture.’ Having confirmed and strengthened him with many other exhortations the aged man went to his own abode. Again the demon appears to the recluse and says to him, What now, thou aged sinner, didst thou not swear to me that thou wouldst tell no man? How hast thou dared to tell all to him who came to thee? I tell thee, thou vile old man, thou shalt for this be judged in the day of judgment as a perjurer. The recluse answered him, saying, ‘What I have sworn, I have sworn; and that I have foresworn myself I know; but I have not foresworn my Lord and Maker; and, therefore, for thee I care not.’

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “Like to links in a chain of gold, so harmonious are the testimonies brought by our God-inspired fathers in favour of images.”

John Legate of the East: “The discourse of our Father Sophronius teaches us another lesson also — namely, that it is better for him that hath sworn to foreswear himself rather than to regard any oath tending to the destruction of holy images; and this we say because there are some today who feel unsettled on account of the oath they have taken.”

Tarasius: “Because the old man knew the goodness of God and also how ready He is to receive the penitent, therefore he determined to violate his sinful oath. Whence it appears that those who have taken an oath in favour of this heresy (if they have no other sin laid to their charge), have a reasonable precedent, and may plead this in their own defence; but, should they have fallen into other sins, they must for these endeavour to propitiate God for them, as well as to supplicate Him for the remission of this their unlawful oath.”

Theodore Bishop of the Subritenses: “Peter, chief of the Apostles, denied his Master; but, having repented, he was received again into favour.”

Tarasius: “Herod observed his oath and perished; but Peter, though he denied his Master with an oath, yet, because he went out and shed tears, he was saved; for God forgives every sin if we repent of it with our whole heart.”

The Holy Council said: “Even so, my lord, for so holy Scripture teaches.”

Tarasius: “The great head of theology John has said, ‘My son, if we say that we have no sins, we deceive ourselves’ (1 John i. 8-9); but, if we entreat God for our sins, He will be gracious to us and pass by our offences.”

Nicephorus Bishop of Dyrrachium: “My lord, our fears are great, because our sins are so numerous: we entreat speedy penance and confession.”

Leo Bishop of Phocia: “It is written, ‘Love ye not the false oath’ (Zech. viii. 17); wherefore our false oath may be quite set aside as having no validity.”

John Legate of the East: “If ye are willing, we might now enquire something more about oaths.”

Tarasius: “Enough has been said on that subject at present: anything more on this point may be enquired into at another time; but now let us attend to the matter under consideration.”

Theodosius Deacon and Notary, reads: “From the miracles of SS. Cosmas and Damian:

“Another man of very amiable character had a fistula in his thigh; and though he had tried many remedies, and had submitted himself to the lancet of the surgeon, yet he was afflicted with the disease for fifteen years, and it continued to gain ground upon him to such a degree that it made no less than four orifices, through which the virus was discharged; and, not unfrequently, the drink which he took passed from his body by those vents. At last the physicians declared that his disease had so far the mastery that no human skill could be of any further avail to him. At length, in sheer despair, he determined to yield to the advice given him by many, and to betake himself to the house dedicated to those holy servants of God, Cosmas and Damian. While deliberating on this point (for necessity is full of deliberation), he beholds the Saints in a dream, who said to him — ‘Come hither to us, and thou shalt be healed.’ Confiding, therefore, in the assurance given by the Saints, he betakes himself to their glorious abode, and there he failed not every day to beseech the Saints for the cure of his disease. And he remained some time without receiving any benefit, till going on one occasion into the porch which was attached to the abode of the Saints, his eye was arrested by a picture of the Saviour, which was on the right-hand side of it. In it was also represented Mary the holy Mother of God, and those holy servants of God, Cosmas and Damian, and a certain nobleman named Leontius. Here, having made earnest prayers, and having for some hours wept bitterly, and besought the Saints most earnestly, he then retired to the place where his couch was. In the night he beholds the servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian, coming towards him, having between them the Virgin full of all grace, who said to them — ‘See, this is he; heal him with all speed.’”

Theodore read also from the same miracles about the wife of Constantine of Laodicea:

“It came to pass that a certain man, who was a soldier of the name of Constantine, one full of faith and who never failed in his attendance on those illustrious Saints Cosmas and Damian, was absent from this Royal and Christ-loving city, on account of some expedition in which he was engaged. He, in every such journey, was accustomed in faith to take with him a likeness of these Saints in a small picture for his own safety. Having reached a city of the Laodiceans named Trimitaria, in pursuance of the orders given to him, he remained there some time, during which period he was united in the bands of lawful matrimony. Not long after his marriage his wife had a painful disease in her left cheek which broke out into an irruption, and being greatly distressed with it she gave her husband no slight uneasiness. And he, having had great experience of the Saints, would console her by saying—(for he had forgotten that according to his custom he had them about him) — ‘What shall I do for thee? Here I am a stranger: were I now in my own city, I would apply to the waxen images of my lords the Saints Cosmas and Damian, and forthwith they would put an end to thy grief and heal thy disease.’ And she believing and filled with wonder at the speedy cures wrought by the Saints, and having prayed that on her return she might be counted worthy to worship in their glorious and far-famed temple, for from merely hearing of them she was pierced to the heart with affection towards them, silenced her griefs. On the following night, while fallen into deep sleep, she sees those great and terrible physicians and servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian, in the form in which they are commonly painted, standing near her bed and saying to her — ‘What would you have? Why do you complain? Why do you add affliction to your husband? We are here with you — you need have no further anxiety;’ and having said thus much they left her. And when she awoke, she made many enquiries of her husband as to the figure of the glorious Saints Cosmas and Damian — how they are represented, and in what manner they were wont to appear when visiting the infirm. And when her husband had informed her of their usual appearance, and further had narrated their graces, she in turn related to her husband the forms of the Saints which she had seen in a vision and the words which they had spoken to her. From what she said, her husband now recalled to mind that he had under his armhole the image of the Saints in a small picture, which he produced forthwith and showed to his wife. And she having gazed upon it worshipped, and was convinced that the Saints did really dwell with them, even as they had spoken, and immediately the woman was healed of her disease.”

John Legate of the East: “It has been most clearly proved to us that the Saints do appear and work wonders by means of their images, for by an image they were manifest to this woman and healed her.”

Manzon Bishop of the Procanensians: “Last year, after I had left the royal city, and had arrived at the poor town in which I, your humble servant, live, I fell into so dangerous a disease that I actually called my friends together in order to make my will. And while thus engaged, the disease constraining me, I laid hold on a venerable image of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and said — ‘O Lord, who givest grace to thy Saints, look upon me also.’ After which, I applied the image to the suffering member and the disease was immediately expelled and I was made whole.”

Theodore Bishop of Seleucia rose up and said: “We can vouch for the truth of this fact, for we live near to him.”

Theodosius Deacon and Monk and Keeper of the sacred vessels read from the same Miracles, “about the woman who was cured of the gripes:”

“Well does that oracle of wisdom — that pillar and teacher of the Church, Paul — declare that ‘hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in the breast’ (Rom. v. 5). A believing woman possessed of this hope, who had at various times been delivered from grievous maladies by those glorious Saints, Cosmas and Damian, in order to make the remembrance of her obligations to them indelible, was most assiduous in her attendance at their most wonderful abode and in paying them all due honour: nor was she content with having these great and wonderful Saints, Cosmas and Damian, every day in her mind, but she must needs have their pictures painted on every wall in her house, as if she could never be satisfied with gazing upon them. From this, her superabundant affection, the following event took place; and let no one deem it unworthy of belief, for want of faith is everywhere to be condemned as injurious to the interests of the soul. It happened that this woman was afflicted with an internal disease and was confined to her house with unmitigated pains: and she rolled in her bed in incessant agonies, nor had she a moment’s rest from her pangs. On one occasion she found herself for a short time alone; and, as she reflected on her danger, she contrived to drag herself along and to descend from the bed. And making towards that part of the wall where the images — these all-wise Saints — had been painted, using her faith as a crutch, she raised her self up; and, having scratched off a little of the paint with her nails and cast it into water she drank up the mixture, and immediately she was made whole — her internal pains ceasing at once on the entering in of the Saints! When sufficiently recovered, she betook herself to their great house, and there gave thanks to the Lord God who had granted such gifts to His Saints: and she told every one the cure which had been wrought in her by these Saints.”

Symeon Monk Presbyter and Abbot of the District presented a book, which Nicetas Deacon and Notary took and read “from the Discourse of our holy Father John Chrysostom, on the Laver of Purification:”

“All things are made for the glory of God and for our use — the clouds to minister rain, the earth for the abundance of fruits, the sea for the service of the merchant — all things are for thy service, O man, or rather for the image of God in thee; for, when the imperatorial images or pictures are brought into any city, and the governors and the people meet them with shouts of joy, they honour not the canvass nor the waxen-formed tablet, but the royal image; thus, in like manner, the creature honours not the earthly dress but reverences the heavenly image.”

Tarasius: “The books which have been read are taken from the temple of the holy Anargyri, which is in the sacred and royal city; for the Clergy who were there brought them to us and conjured us that we should read them in the holy Council.”

The Holy Council said: “And very suitable was it, my lord, that they should be read, since they have contributed much to the edification of us all.”

Peter Reader and Notary of the sacred Patriarchate read “from the Fourth Discourse of Saint Athanasius against the Arians,” which begins:

“The Ariomaniacs having once determined to apostatize” and after other things, “This it may be easier to understand by taking the image of the Sovereign as an example. In the picture of the King there is his shape and form; and in the King there is the same image which there was in the picture. And the likeness of the King in his image is so far unchangeable that he who looks on the image sees the King in it: and again, he who sees the King recognizes him to be the same which he saw before in the image. And from this immutable likeness the image might say to him who wished, after seeing the image, to see the King himself — ‘I and the King are one; for I am in him and he me: and that which you see in me you see in him: and that which you have seen in him you see in me.’ He, therefore, who worships the image worships in it the King, for it is his image and figure.”

Tarasius: “The very nature of things teaches us that ‘the honour paid to the image passes on to the prototype;’ and in like manner the dishonour, which caused the father to take for example that which has now been read in the passage before us.”

Epiphanius Deacon and Legate of Thomas Archbishop of Sardinia said: “Examples are generally taken from things confessedly allowed, and, therefore, our divine father brought forward the example of the image of the King.”

Nicetas the Deacon and Notary read “from the Thirty Chapters of Saint Basil to Saint Amphilochius, on the Holy Spirit — a passage of chapter the seventeenth:”

“Because the King’s image is called the ‘King,’ and yet there are not two Kings, neither is the power divided nor the glory parted, because one kingdom and one power ruleth us, so is our doxology one and not multifold; for the honour paid to the image passeth on to the prototype.”

John the Legate of the East: “This book which we have in our hands we brought from the East, and we request that it may be read.”

Constantine Deacon and Notary reads “from the Discourse against the Sabellians, Arians, and the Anomai,” which begins: 

“Judaism is opposed to Paganism, and both of them to Christianity.” And, after other things — “The word of truth avoids contradictions on all sides; for when the original is one, that which is from it is one also: if the archetype be one the image is one also, and the rationale of the unity is not violated. Wherefore, the Son being born of the Father and by nature exhibiting in Himself the image of the Father, inasmuch as He is the image He hath unchangeableness, and inasmuch as He is born He preserves the consubstantiality; for if any one looking on the Emperor’s image in the forum should say, ‘That is the Emperor,’ he would not mean to insinuate that there are two Emperors, as if the image were one and the archetype were another; nor does he when he calls an image the Emperor mean to affirm that the archetype is not the Emperor; but, on the contrary, by this kind of language to express the regard and respect which he hath for the Emperor himself.”

John Legate of the East: “That false Conventicle muttered that he who worships Christ in a picture divides Christ into two, and that he who sees an image, and says of it, or writes upon it, This is Christ, divides Christ, which is absurd; for the God-fearing Basil, as being a light and master of the Church of God, and also instructed in divine things by the Spirit of God, declares that the honour of the image passeth on to the prototype, and that he who looks upon the picture of the King sees the King in it, and that he who worships it does not worship or look upon two kings, but only one; for the father says expressly that the King’s image is styled the ‘King’ — not that there are two kings. He, therefore, who worships an image and says, ‘This is Christ,’ does not sin. We know that Christ is the true Son of God and sits together with His Father which is in heaven in His own body; yet, by means of the picture illustrated by colours, His majesty is worshipped and glorified, and we attain to the memorial of His manifestation upon the earth. Wherefore, this father proves that the worship of the image and of the prototype of which it is the image is not twofold but one.”

Peter and Peter the Legates of Adrian brought forward a book which Demetrius having received read, “from the Epistle of our Father Basil to Julian the Transgressor:”

“According to the immaculate faith of us Christians, which we have received by inheritance from God, I confess and profess to believe in One God the Father Almighty, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, and these Three I glorify and worship as One God. I confess also the incarnate dispensation of the Son, and furthermore I confess holy Mary who begat Him to be the Mother of God. I acknowledge also both the holy Apostles, Prophets, and Martyrs, who make intercession with God: these I invoke that, for their sake, God who loves man may be merciful unto me and may grant unto me remission of my sins. Wherefore I honour and worship their likenesses in their pictures, and more especially because these have been handed down to us from the Apostles and never prohibited by them; and, moreover, they have been painted in all the Churches.”

Gregory Deacon of the Church of the Holy Apostles reads from “The Life of Symeon Stylites,” written by Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, which begins, “Symeon was verily the astonishment of the whole world;” and, after other things, it is written: “They say that this man became very famous in the illustrious city of Rome; so that they were accustomed to set up little images of him in the porches of their workshops, hoping thereby to secure to themselves both safety and protection.”

Joseph Monk and Abbot of the Monastery of Heraclia said: “I, a sinner, have with me the book which contains the ‘Life of Symeon of the Wonderful Mount;’ and wait your commands.”

The Holy Council: “Let it be read.”

Cosmas Deacon and Chamberlain read the “one hundredth and eighteenth chapter of the ‘Life of Symeon of the Wonderful Mount,’ concerning a woman of Rosopolis who was barren and under the influence of a malignant spirit; who, having been cured, and brought forth children, set up the image of the holy man in her house, which wrought the most astonishing miracles:

“There was a certain woman of Rosopolis, in Cilicia, named Theoteana who, though she had lived with her husband twenty years, yet had no child. Moreover, it happened that she had from a child been vexed by an evil spirit which made her to gnaw her tongue; and her husband, being no longer able to bear with the trying circumstances of her affliction, dismissed her from his house; and though for four years he remained separate, he did not take any other in her place. She having met with a party of travelers betook herself with them to the holy man, and when the devil saw him immediately he foamed and was tormented in his presence; for he, with the woman, beheld the spiritual image of the Saint, saying to him in a human voice: ‘I will separate thee from her, thou wicked and unclean spirit! and she shall return to her husband, and in the year following she shall have a son.’ At this the devil was horribly vexed, and cried out, ‘what violence is done to me! It is not in thy province to effect divorces; and, wherefore, hast thou granted her a child when she never had one to me? What harm have I done to thee that thou separatest me from my woman? If you had bought me as a slave you would, belike, bring me in bondage to men.’ Symeon replied, ‘And a vile slave you are! Accursed wretch, remember what you are! Run quickly in flames of fire, and bring hither water and fetch wood.’ And immediately, like a whirlwind and in flames of fire, the devil, in the woman, took up the waterpot and rushed forth; and he filled it and collected the wood, bellowing and roaring out, ‘Woe to me! Woe to me! vile slave as I am and inventor of evil! What have I not endured! And now this holy Symeon forces me away from this woman, and what then I shall do I know not!’ Thus he spake in the presence of the people now assembling together; but when he had fulfilled his appointed task he roared out, bellowing loudly on seeing the fiery lightning directed against him; and, being greatly and horribly tormented, he ran his round through every part of the woman: in this way at length he came out of her. And the woman being restored, Symeon sent her away, saying, ‘Return, my good woman, to thy own house and live with thy husband; behold, the Lord has disposed the heart of thy husband to receive thee with great joy.’ And so it happened, for, on her return, immediately the heart of her husband was filled with love for her, and be went in unto her and she conceived. And when a year had now passed away, they brought the child to the man of God, praising and giving thanks to Him. And after that they had fulfilled their vow, and had returned to their own country, the woman, excited by faith, set up in her private apartment an image of the Saint; and it wrought miracles, because that the Holy Spirit which dwelt in him overshadowed it; and many demoniacs were cleansed there, and many sick were healed of divers diseases. Among the rest, was a woman who had an issue of blood fifteen years who, coming in faith to look upon the image, found that her issue of blood was staunched immediately; for she said within herself, ‘If I may only behold his face I shall be healed.’ And when she perceived that the fountain of her blood was dried up, she went forthwith to the man of God, and worshipped before him, singing hymns and praises to God, and declaring the wonderful work which had been done in her.”

Cosmas reads another miracle of our holy Father Symeon:

“It came to pass in those days that there was a certain lawyer of the city of Antioch who was dreadfully afflicted with an evil spirit, and from time to time he was so distressed by it that he was well-nigh choked with contractions of the windpipe. This man having betaken himself to the Saint, and by his intercession obtained a cure and now being as well as if he had never ailed anything whatever, when he returned home, by way of thank-offering, he set up an image of the Saint over the door of his office, which was in a public and well frequented part of the city. And when certain who believed not saw this image, made glorious with tapers and veils, being filled with furious rage, they stirred up some other disorderly persons, like to themselves, and thus it was a mob was gathered together who tumultuously shouted aloud, ‘Away with the man who made this — throw down the image.’ It happened, by the special providence of God, that the man was not to be found in his own house, as they undoubtedly would have dispatched him: some crying out one thing and some another. Their malice was, indeed, exceedingly great before God, and their ill-will was immeasurable. Being now wrought up to any purpose, they thought it a good opportunity to show their dislike to the Saint and to revenge themselves on him by insults, because that he had oftentimes rebuked the ill faith and deceit of those who lived as heathen among them. When, therefore, they could no longer restrain their great fury, they bid one of the soldiers ascend the steps of the ladder and throw down the image. He ascended the ladder, but as he was stretching forth his hands to do their bidding he was struck down from above and fell to the ground; and the clamour amongst the crowd was immense, and, being enraged, they prevailed on another to ascend. No sooner did he put forth his hand than he was dashed to the ground in like manner, and on this, through fear, they all began to sign themselves with the sign of the cross; but the unbelievers being only the more enraged, made a third to ascend the ladder for the same purpose; and when he stretched forth his hands to throw down the image he also, like the others, was hurled to the ground. Then great fear fell on all the faithful who were standing around, who, in utter astonishment at the obduracy and audacity of these unbelieving and unholy men, worshipped the image with prayer and went their own way.”

Constantine Bishop of Constantia: “Those things, venerable fathers, which have been read we have heard and believe; but I, your unworthy brother, will now relate certain like miraculous events which have come to my personal knowledge. A certain man of Cyprus, of the city of Constantia, had been driving his team, and having left his work awhile had betaken himself to an oratory of the Mother of God to pray; and, when he had prayed, he saw an image of the holy Mother of God painted on the wall; and he said, ‘What’s this to do here?’ And he took up his ox-goad and dug out the right eye of the image; and after he had gone out of the temple he struck his team with the ox-goad, and, the ox-goad snapping asunder, a splinter of it flew into his right eye and put it out. This man I myself have seen and I know that he has but one eye. Another man, of the city of Citium, went on the day of the holy Mother of God, the 15th of August, into her temple to adorn it with hangings. In doing this he took a nail and drove it into the forehead of an image of Saint Peter which was on the wall; but when he had attached his ropes and fixed up the hangings, in the same hour a most intolerable pain seized him in his head and forehead, and he continued during the two days of the feast lying in torments. When the Bishop of Citium was made acquainted with the facts he reprimanded the man, and bid him go immediately and draw out the nail from the image, and while he was doing this, as he drew out the nail, so he lost his head-ache. [Hereupon the Bishop of Citium, being questioned about the fact, declared upon oath, in the presence of the Council, that it was so. After which Constantine continued his narration.] About two years ago, certain men of Citium sailed in two boats to a city of Syria named Gabula, and while they were there (as was frequently the case), the Saracen soldiers came to the sea coast, and certain of them, on going into the city of Gabula, turned aside to one of the temples of that city; and one of these Saracens, having seen on the wall an image made of small stones, asked a Christian who was at hand, ‘What profit is there in this image?’ To whom the Christian replied, ‘It benefits those who honour it, but those who dishonour it it injures:’ on which the Saracen said, ‘See, I will dig out its eye, and I will see what harm it will do me;’ and, having said this, he took up his pike and struck out the right eye of the image. Immediately his own right eve leaped out and fell to the ground and he was seized with a burning fever; and his companions, seeing how ill he was, took him up and carried him to their own city. These things the men, who were thirty-two in number, told me on their return to Cyprus.”

Theodore Bishop of Catana presented a book which Gregory the Deacon of the Church of the Apostles received, and read from the “Sermon of Saint Basil, on the blessed Barlaam the Martyr,” which begins “And first the deaths of the Saints.” And after other things he continues: “Come forth now, O ye who are eminently skilled in painting the combats of the Athletae, magnify with your art the mutilated image of the warrior: set forth, with the glowing colours of your craft, the conqueror, whose praise is so feebly described by me. To you must I yield the palm in describing the conflicts of the Martyrs: nor shall I this day grieve to be overcome by your superior powers. O let me see the conflict of the hand in the fire, as more powerfully described by you: let me see the combatant in that lustre in which he will shine in your picture: let demons now howl as being confounded at the noble deeds of the Martyr, and let his burning and yet triumphant hand be again exhibited before them; and in your picture let the great President of the combat, even Christ, find a place, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.”

Constantine Deacon and Notary read an extract from the “Life of our Father John the Faster, of holy memory, formerly Bishop of Constantinople, by Photinus most reverend Presbyter and Ecclesiastical Advocate of the most holy Great Church of Constantinople.”

“Neither may this miracle be passed by in silence, nor can we consent to keep it in secret, however greatly our inspired father might desire it. It was night, and we were going with all haste to meet the Emperor Mauritius on the opposite coast — Mauritius, then our most righteous most gracious Lord, but now a Martyr. This glory that infernal dragon, the Tyrant, conferred on him against his own will. But we were marching on in great haste when a certain woman, very beautiful in her dress, in her person, and in her mind, and moreover very rich (though, on account of her present calamity, she did not appear to be so), was seen by me at a distance, surrounded by a great crowd of our poorer brethren; and when she was repulsed by those who had the charge of the rest, she would not give way; for though modesty suffused her countenance with blushes and tears, yet, on account of her necessity, she was importunately troublesome. When I saw this I quitted the company with which I was entrusted, and, laying hands on the woman, I demanded of her what she would have. To this she replied, ‘I have a husband who now for these three years has been afflicted with an evil spirit, and though I have (so to speak) had him to ten thousand holy places and holy men, hitherto all has been in vain; and now I have just come from the desert, for be who has the greatest name in all parts for working miracles of this kind declared that he could do nothing for me; but (said he) go to John the Great Patriarch, and thence thou shalt take away, with the blessing of the High Priest of the Lord Almighty, an image of the Virgin the Mother of God; and thou shalt bear it, and take it away to thy house which thou hast built in thine own land; and thou shalt send away thy husband and confine him within the walls of thy house, and he shall not see the great city of the King, to which now you must make your way; and thou shalt set up the image and dedicate it, and it shall be sanctified in thine house, and it shall be that whosoever shall dwell therein shall be blessed with blessings; and behold the evil spirit shall flee away in flight and be banished from thee, neither shall he any more return; for the Lord is near, and His glory shall last forever. Amen.’ These things she said, and the next day I waited with her on the Patriarch. He was then just on the point of entering into the temple of the Mother of God, as was his custom on the passover-day: before him I laid the whole affair — now with greater vigour and rhetoric, and now with all humility and tears — and I rejoiced as certain of success, and moreover as expecting to meet with commendation as being the bearer of such pious proposals. But while I was still urging my suit and saying with all freedom — ‘O, my Lord, the hermit said, under the inspiration of God, that you should expel the evil spirit,’ he cut me short, and in great anger he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Yea, O Lord — yea, O Lord — yea, the hermit hath given it out that I, O Lord, that I cast out devils — that I should say, I command thee, O evil spirit, go out of that creature, and depart hence and be no more seen. Dost thou command such things that I, vile and sinful as I am, should trifle thus? Oh, if ye be such workers of miracles, cast the evil spirit out of me! Nay, brother Photinus, by the prayers of the Saints, you stand much in need of prayer yourself.’ Being thus repulsed in a manner so contrary to my expectations, I went away covered with confusion; and silently hastening onwards I was carried just as chance might happen, running against every one as if I had been demented. At last, however, I reached one end of the church; and now I was greatly enraged (for my grief by this time had given way to anger at being thus rejected by the Priest of the great God), and I made many complaints in silence with myself; for, thought I, little good can be expected by any of the sheep, when our shepherd himself assumes the nature of the wolf. While I was thus reflecting and hesitating what to do, a sudden thought came into my mind. I sent home one of my servants, and procured from the consecrated things which were there, a very beautiful image of our Lady, and having adorned it as handsomely as I could, that it might appear to the best advantage, and be more readily esteemed to come from our great Patriarch (as if, at length, he had been inclined to listen to my petition), I then gave it to the woman, and enjoining on her to pray for us and to be very thankful to the Patriarch, I bid her to depart in peace. She left me almost dancing, not understanding what was done. The joy of both the one and the other of us was but superficial. I appeared to rejoice, but did not really rejoice: she both appeared to rejoice and did rejoice; and yet the accomplishment of her object was as far off as ever. While endeavouring to console myself for the despondency which had now seized upon me, I did but increase it the more as I considered and reflected in what way, and where, and when, and by what, and how and through what medium, I had deceived and beguiled the wretched woman, so truly pitiable, and who had reposed so great confidence in me; and I was the more grieved as having put her out of the way of the protection of my betters, and the possibility of her obtaining by their means, from our wise father, that which she needed. In addition I could not but reflect on the occasion which I had given to the evil spirit to talk and to howl about this imposition of mine; and that I might, contrary to my intentions, have established and confirmed the hold which the demon had upon the man, and that I might afford him matter and pretext for just accusation — I say not against myself only, but against all Christians in general and Priests in particular; for they would say, ‘The Priest hath afflicted the poor wife with another pest, with another demon — namely, that of lies;’ which, after all, is nothing more nor less than clearly this, to endeavour to cast out devils by Beelzebub. Such and similar reflections continually rushing in upon my soul dread fully harassed and disquieted me, and made me to apprehend great evils, both from man and God; but I again pondered the matter and imagined for myself a kind of subterfuge, whence I gained an appearance of consolation, which was this — God only knows what will take place; and that in the meantime it might be, that the woman might die, or the man himself, or someone else; or I might die over and over again, and so that which troubled me would come to an end: for I felt that if, by reflections like these, I could liberate myself from the qualms which I had about this wretched woman, I should be eased of a very great burden. About three years as I think after this transaction I was standing at the sacred doors of the great church, and behold a woman, lifting up her eyelids, panting and speaking in the greatest agitation, looked intently upon me, and questioned one who was near to her — ‘Is that he?’ or ‘Which is he?’ And on being answered, ‘Yes, that is the very person,’ she ran and fell down at my knees, and stooping yet lower she embraced my ankles, and kissed them as she lay prostrate upon the pavement. This I allowed her to do and in some sort rejoiced, and I looked with great complacency this way and that tray on the multitudes, and I gave them full opportunity of seeing her prostrate; and I did this in order to show that, in some respects, I might be considered among those who have some influence. Now, among other things usual to suppliants which she then said was this, which she repeated very often, ‘I venerate the Lord, for He was there.’ At last, embracing me too closely, she caused me to fall with violence upon her, and my fall excited no small mirth amongst the bystanders; and being scarcely able to rise for shame I gave her a smart blow and called the Deans and commanded them to take the irreverent woman to the vestry. When, however, on looking at her more particularly, I was beginning to conjecture that it was her whom I had seen before, she added this — ‘The Lord give thee a reward for my house;’ and then I saw how the whole matter stood, and with mingled emotions of joy and anxiety I asked no more than this — ‘Did you obtain a cure?’ and ‘How did you obtain it?’ Afterwards, when at leisure, she told me of her departure to her own country, and that she carried the image to her own house and that it was set upon high, being with all honour and veneration affixed to the walls of her chamber; and that the evil spirit, having for a long time raged against it, spurned it, barked at it, and indeed almost torn it to pieces, was at last forced to depart. ‘And it was (added she) a cordial for all our former sufferings.’ And for all those who suffer the like, the abode, or rather the image of the Virgin Mother, is equally efficacious. This is the end of our narration.”

Leo Bishop of Phocea: “It is written: ‘In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established;’ and the many sacred books which have been this day laid before us, have both refreshed our minds and fully satisfied us concerning the restoration of holy images.”

Peter the Reader read an extract from “The Life of Blessed Mary of Egypt,” which begins thus: “It is good to conceal the secrets of a King, but the works of the Lord it is glorious to reveal.” And after other things it proceeds:

“Others, indeed, the Church received without any hindrance, but me, unhappy wretch, it would not admit; for, as if there had been some military troop stationed for this purpose to preclude my entrance, so did some combined power withstand me and again I stood in the porch. Having done this three or four times with the same ill-success, I at length gave up any further attempt, no longer able to continue the struggle; for my strength was quite exhausted by the opposition which I had met with. At length I retired and stood in a niche of the porch of the church, and there I came after some time to perceive the reason why I was not permitted to behold the life-giving wood. For a saving truth had touched the eyes of my heart, which showed to me that it was the filthiness of my doings which prevented my entrance there. Then I began to mourn and lament — I smote upon my breast and groaned from the very bottom of my heart. While weeping I perceived above the place where I was standing an image of the immaculate Mother of God; and having fixed my eyes steadfastly upon her I said, ‘O Virgin Mistress, who according to the flesh hast begotten God the Word: I know, I know, indeed, that it is neither right nor proper that I, utterly defiled and abandoned as I am, should presume to look upon thy image, who art ever a Virgin, ever chaste, in body and soul equally pure and uncontaminated. It were indeed but right, that my impurity should be loathed and abominated by thy purity; but, as I have heard that He whom thou didst beget was for this end born into the world, and took our nature upon Him that He might call sinners to repentance, O grant thy assistance to me, now deserted and having no other helper. Command that entrance into the Church should be granted to me also: shut me not out from beholding that life-giving wood, on which God, whom thou didst beget according to the flesh, was crucified, did give His own blood as a ransom for me. Command that even to me, O my Mistress, the door may be opened for the holy adoration of the cross. Behold I give thee, as my veritable security, to that God who was born of thee, never again to abuse my body by any licentious practices; but when I shall have seen the wood of the cross of thy Son, to bid farewell to the world, and all that are in the world, and to depart wherever thou, as being my saving pledge, mayest suggest and lead me.’ Thus I prayed, and as having received a kind of assurance in fervour of faith and in reliance on the clemency of the Mother of God, I move away from the place where I had been standing and praying, and I go and join myself with those who were going in. And now there was no longer any to resist and to be resisted by me — none to hinder my approach to the door by which they went into the temple. Fearfulness and astonishment overwhelmed me! I was in the utmost confusion and agitation; for when I reached the door, which up to that time had been as it were barred against me, it seemed as if the same mighty influence which before had hindered my progress had now prepared an entrance for me, so easily did I then enter. Thus was I brought into the holy of holies, and I was counted worthy to behold the wood of the life-giving cross, and I saw the mysteries of God and how ready He is to accept of repentance. Having prostrated myself on the ground and adored that holy pavement, I went out and hastened with all speed to her who had been pledged by me. And now I was once again in the place where the configuration of my pledge was depicted, and having bent my knee before the immaculate Virgin the Mother of God, I used these words: ‘O my Mistress, lover of goodness, thou hast shown in me thy love to man. Thou hast not abominated the prayer of the unworthy I have seen that glory from which we licentious persons are justly excluded. Glory be to God, who, by thee, hast admitted the repentance of the sinner. But what more have I a sinner to think of or to say? It is now time, O my Mistress, for me to fulfil the terms of the agreement of which thou hast been the pledge. Now direct me whither thou wilt have me to go — now be still more the preceptor of salvation to me by conducting me into the paths of penance.’ And while I was yet speaking I heard the voice of one crying out from afar, ‘Pass over Jordan, and there thou shalt find a blessed rest.’ When I heard this voice, believing that it was intended for my direction, I cried out with tears and called aloud upon the Mother of God: ‘O Mother of God, my Mistress, forsake me not;’ and, having said this, I went immediately from the porch of the church, and have continually wandered ever since.”

John Legate of the East: “A similar image I have seen in the holy city of Christ our God, and have often worshipped it.”

Stephen Deacon Notary and Referendary read: “From the Martyrdom of St. Procopius,” which begins, “At that time Diocletian the Tyrant reigned.” And after other remarks it is continued as follows:

“The young man being filled with great joy became bold in the faith; and so, in like manner, did all his companions, and in the same hour of the night he went back with the soldiers and came to Scythopolis. Here having privately assembled all the workers of gold and silver he demanded of them, Can you make for me an article after the pattern which I will give you?’ They being awe-struck at the severity of the man’s countenance, having consulted together, put forward one of their best artificers, whose name was Mark, saying, ‘This man will make for you whatever you wish, my lord.’” And shortly after the history continues: “But Mark was unwilling to obey him: he was, however, persuaded by the young man who said. ‘Even until death I never will reveal your secret to the King.’ On which, the other being persuaded, began by night to make a cross of silver and gold in mysterious secrecy. And it came to pass that, when the cross was finished and set up, then there appeared three images upon it and there was inscribed in the Hebrew dialect over the one in the midst, Immanuel, and over those on each side, Gabriel and Michael. Mark, being in a fright, was anxious to have wiped out the images; but he could not, for his hand was as it were withered. At cock-crowing came the leader, the young man spoken of to the house of Mark to take away the cross, and when he saw it he worshipped; and he said to Mark, ‘What are these figures, and what is this superscription?’ He replied, ‘My lord, in the same hour that this work was finished these images made their appearance; but I know not of whom they are the images nor what is the inscription.’ The young man, however, knew that some virtue was in the cross: wherefore he worshipped it and wrapped it in purple, and went on his way rejoicing, having rewarded the artificer (Mark) handsomely. And he entered with the two bands into the city.”

Stephen Monk and Librarian read: “From the Life of our Father S. Theodore Archimandrite of the Sicensians,” which begins, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And then proceeds as follows:

“When he was now about twelve years old there was an epidemic disease in the groin raging in the place where he lived, with which he was so afflicted as to be in great danger of death. They took him, therefore, to an oratory of St. John the Baptist which was near at hand and laid him at the entrance of the sanctuary. Now, above him in the receptacle of the cross, there was an image of our Saviour Jesus Christ standing; and as he lay groaning from the power of his malady, on a sudden tears of dew distilled upon him from the image. Immediately by the grace of God being relieved he was made whole, and went back to his house.” And shortly after, “Wishing to imitate David in the godly singing of hymns, he began to learn the Psalter: with great pains and labour he learned as far as the sixteenth, but the seventeenth Psalm he could by no means retain in his memory. Being in an oratory of St. Christopher near the place where he lived, he was meditating thereupon, but not being able to learn it; having prostrated himself on the pavement, he entreated of God that He would grant him greater success in his endeavour to commit the Psalms to memory, And God, who is gracious to man and who hast said, ‘Seek and ye shall find,’ granted his request. For after he had risen from the floor and had supplicated the image of the Saviour, a sweetness surpassing that of honey filled his mouth. And he, recognising the grace of God in the sweetness of which he was partaking, returned thanks to Him on this account; and from that hour he was enabled with the greatest ease to learn and to retain in his memory the whole Psalter.”

Cosmas Deacon and Chamberlain read: “The Letter of Gregory, Most Holy Pope of Rome, to Germanus, Most Holy Patriarch of Constantinople:

“What pleasure, what delight, did ever so rejoice my soul as did that most gratifying communication which has been by thee transmitted concerning thyself, who art to me a name and a glory ever venerable, ever precious, my most religious, my God-directed brother; Inspired with these glad tidings, as now I read your invaluable letters I grew warm in spirit and almost danced from excess of joy. Then lifting up my eyes to heaven, I returned most hearty thanks to God the Sovereign Ruler of all, who hitherto hath approved of thee, and to the end will co-operate with thee and bring all thy works to light. This, indeed, is my prayer night and day, nor (I speak boldly in Christ) shall I ever cease from such affection towards you. The constant remembrance which I have of thy super-eminent excellence, O thou most worthy of all praise and ever beloved by God, bears witness to my words; which having ever on my lips and no longer being able to bear the burden thereof I have once more addressed myself to you by letter; for I feel it a duty, and a duty surpassing all others, to hail and address thee, my brother and champion of the Church, and to laud and magnify the motives which impelled thee to the conflict. But if any will speak (and well they may), let him the rather cry aloud — the forerunner of impiety, he who now suffers, who in thy triumph hath exchanged good for adverse fortune. For whereas, like one who fell from heaven, he thought to lift up himself against religion and to prevail against her, he was bound in fetters from above, being utterly despoiled of his expectations, and he heard from the Church that which of old the Egyptian tyrant heard from Moses when triumphing over him, ‘The enemy said, Pursuing I will seize, I will divide the spoil, I will satiate my soul’ ( Exodus xv. 9): yea, and against him was denounced the same prophetic curse which was denounced against the devil himself, ‘God shall destroy thee forever: He will pluck thee out and drive thee from thy dwelling-place, and thy root from the land of the living’ (Psalm lii. 5). Thus, contrary to his hopes, utterly foiled in all his endeavours, did he perish; the internal conflicts of the warfare of the apostate against God being utterly prostrated before the firmness of celestial prowess, so that the Christ-opposing arrogance of the enemy was driven to the very verge of entire extermination; and in his case also were the words of Scripture fulfilled which declare, ‘The bows of the mighty are broken, and the weak are girded with strength’ (1 Sam. ii. 4): for the strength of the wickedness of those who fight against God is as nothing compared with the weakness of God; and it is written, ‘The whole world shall fight with God against the unwise’ (Wisdom of Solomon, v. 20). Aided thus by God, why should you cease to carry on your warfare, O most holy, against these atheistical opposers of God? — who have at length discovered that it is He (though unperceived by them) against whom they have been contending, or, to speak more truly, who hath been fighting with you, and hath defeated their hostile attacks; and the more especially as you have entered on this contest under the direction of God. For foremost in the camp of the kingdom of Christ, you ordered that there should be set up the truly glorious and illustrious labarum — I mean the life-giving cross, the great trophy of his prowess over death, in which he engraved in letters the four ends of the world; and next in order the sacred image of the Mistress of us all, who is verily the chaste Mother of God, ‘Whose face the rich among the people shall supplicate’ (Psalm xliv. 11); for she is holy, as the fathers have testified; and who, having been honoured by you as such, hath not left you without a recompense, and the honour paid to the image passes on to the prototype, according to the great Basil. Moreover, the doctrine of holy images is replete with piety, according to Chrysostom, who declares, ‘I have delighted in the picture formed in wax, and filled with piety; for I saw in a picture the Angel pursuing the troops of the barbarians, and the words of David verified, Lord, in thy city thou shalt bring their image to nought.’ The Church hath by no means been in error, though some have imagined that it has — God be gracious to us! Nor is our tradition at all in imitation of Gentile error — far be it from us! And let not the things which may be done be considered, but rather the intention of him who does them. Thus when, in the city of Paneas, the woman with the bloody flux was disposed piously to commemorate the miracle which was wrought in her behalf, she was not rejected; for at the feet of the statue which she raised of our Lord: herb sprung up of strange and unusual form, which was open to all, through the condescension and goodness of the same our God and Saviour, as a cure for every kind of disease. Such setting up of images in the name of God is, as we may rather say, according to the law; but, since grace and truth are more exact than types and to be honoured above the shadow, therefore, holy men assembled in Council, by the direction of God, have delivered this canon to the Church, in order that the greatest cause of salvation should ever be in the sight of all — namely, that the holy and venerable image of Him who takes away the sins of the world should be set forth by the colours of the painter according to His human form; that we, being stirred up by the sight thereof, may be led to meditate upon the depth of the humiliation of God the Word, and to the remembrance of His conversation in the flesh, and of His passion, and of His saving death, and of the redemption thereby accomplished in behalf of the world, and in all this there is nothing incongruous with the divine oracles. For, if the predictions of the Prophets have met with no fulfilment, then let not pictures be made for the illustration of that which has never taken place — that is, if the Lord never was incarnate, let not His sacred image, according to the flesh, be painted — if He were not born in Bethlehem of the all-glorious Virgin Mother of God — if the Magi did not bring any gifts — if the holy Angels did not appear to the shepherds — if the multitude of the heavenly host did not sing a hymn in praise of Him who was born — if He who bears the weight of the whole universe was not carried in His Mother’s arms as a babe — or if He, who gives food to all flesh, was not nourished by her milk — then let no representation of such events be made. If the Lord of life and death was not taken into the arms of the aged man who recognized Him, and, at the same time, proclaimed Him as the Lord of all and besought of Him dismissal from this life — if to fulfil the appointed dispensation He who now sits above did not ‘go into Egypt on a light cloud’ (Isaiah. xix. 1) — namely, His Mother, who is all light, strong in goodness and in holiness — and return again from Egypt and dwell at Nazareth — let not these events be represented by colours. If He never raised the dead, restored the paralytic, cleansed the leper, gave sight to the blind, made the tongue of the dumb to speak, caused the lame to walk, or cast out devils — if He never opened the ears of the deaf — if He wrought not things beyond all expectation — if He fulfilled not the heavenly oracles — then never let such things be painted. If He who shall come again to judge both the quick and the dead did not voluntarily undergo suffering — if He spoiled not hell and did not, having risen again, ascend into heaven — let not the histories which record these events be written — let not the pictures which represent them by colours be painted. But if all these things have been accomplished, and ‘great is the mystery of godliness’ (1 Tim. iii. 16) I, would, if it were possible, that the heavens, the earth, and the sea — that every animal, plant, and every other creature — should publish them abroad by words, by writing, or by pictures.

“It is the configuration of those things which have no existence which is idolatry — namely, such as Gentile mythology has invented, vainly pretending to make the outward form of that which has no actual being. Certainly, the Church of God has no agreement with idols — far be it from us. We have never worshipped calves — we have not made a brazen calf in Horeb: neither has any creature been accounted by us as God. We have bowed down to no graven image — we have not been initiated in the mysteries of Belphegor — we admit not of the slaying of children or any secret rites — we have not offered our sons or our daughters to devils, and, therefore, that which was spoken by Solomon against idolatry can never be made to apply to us. Have we ever stained the earth with blood? — or have we set up an image in a temple with four faces and worshipped it — or have we pourtrayed upon the wall of the temple the abomination of creeping things and of beasts — or has Ezekiel seen us weeping for Adonis, or offering up incense to the sun, concerning whom the Apostle says, ‘They served the creature above the Creator’ (Ezek. viii. 14; Rom. i. 25) Have we made images of the two harlots of Egypt, Oola and Ooliba (Ezek. xxiii. 4), and worshipped them? Have sacrifices been offered by us to Bel in Babylon, or to Dagon in Palestine? — or have we fallen down before any of the gods of the nations? It is not so — it is not so. Let no one slander us; for the people of Christ — that name which is above every name even to this day — have never worshipped or served any created thing: they have served only the holy and life-giving Trinity. God forbid! The nature of idolatry is manifest to all; but to Christians and those who fear God the Lord of all is the supreme object of worship. But if any, like a Jew, ready for cavils, urges against us that which was denounced against idolaters of old, and ascribes idolatry to the Church because of that godlike and truly admirable guidance to better things which her venerable images supply, count him as no other than a barking dog, and whirling him far from you, as it were from a sling, say to him as if he were a Jew indeed — ‘I would that Israel, by those visible things which were ordained, had offered his worship to God and by his typical things had kept his Creator in remembrance; that he had not cleaved to the calf and flies rather than to the tables of the law: would that he had desired the holy altar rather than the calves of Samaria: would that he had preferred the rod of Moses to the idol Astarte. It had been well for him, and at the same time right, to have embraced the rock which, by divine commission, gave forth water instead of Baal. Oh, that he had paid more regard to the rod of Moses, the golden urn, the ark, the mercy-seat, the rod which budded, the ephod, the table, the inner and outer tabernacle — all which were made for the glory of God: and although they were made with hands yet were they called the holy of holies; and, moreover, that he had regarded the cherubim which were carved, of which the Apostle makes mention, saying, ‘The cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat,’ between which, as we learn from Scripture, the divine glory was wont to dwell; for, if he had adhered to these, he would not have fallen into idolatry, for every work done in the name of the Lord is precious and holy.

“But why should I make my letter more prolix, especially when writing to a man beloved of God — a chosen vessel to God — one who has received the grace of the Spirit — able to penetrate into the profundity of the divine teaching, and, under God’s guidance, to soar to the sublimity of sacred knowledge? Having said thus much, let us return to our main design, extolling the wonderful deeds of thy defender, O most holy, the Mistress of all Christians, and beholding with admiration how in all things you have by her been directed, saved, and made victorious over your enemies; for they, who for so long a time treated her with insults, found her not less able to contend with than ready to oppose them: nor is this to be wondered at; for, if Bethulia was saved by the hands of an Israelitish woman, whose great feat was the killing of Holofernes, and she by her contemporaries was announced as the Saviour of Israel, how much more may not your transcendent Holiness, with the aid of such an ally conquer all the enemies of the faith, and crown with victory those who are subject to you! But may our God, powerful in battle, strong and patient, who hath led thee like a sheep even more than Joseph, by the intercessions of the Virgin and of all the Saints, preserve thee, O most holy, for many years, to benefit the whole Christian commonwealth — to guide, and at the same time to exhort all to walk according to the divine canon, and keep the traditions which we have received from the fathers and to bring back those who for a while have been turned aside. Thou art our continual joy and a blessing and benefit to all! — O, most holy — O, thou who art dear to all Christians!”

Tarasius: “This blessed father has rivalled the divine Apostle Peter in thus sounding the trumpet of truth from Rome.”

Theodore Monk and Notary read “The Epistle of Germanus most blessed Patriarch of Constantinople to John Bishop of the Synadensians:

“Tarasius the most noble Patrician hath delivered to us the Epistle of your Piety, concerning our beloved in God the Bishop of Nacolia. In reply to which we answer that, before we had received the letters of your Reverence, the aforesaid pious Bishop having come hither we had held a conference with him, in order that we might know his mind and what were his real feelings in respect of those things which had been reported concerning him. And this was the defence which he made for himself — (for I wish to lay everything clearly before your Reverence) — ‘Because (said he) I heard the sacred Scripture declaring, ‘Thou shalt make no manner of likeness to worship it, neither of things in heaven above, nor in the earth beneath.’ (Exod. xx. 4); therefore have I affirmed that we ought not to worship things made with hands — that is, things made by men; and this, though we have ever accounted the holy Martyrs of Christ, the true jewels of the Church, worthy of all honours and do evermore invoke their intercessions in our behalf.’ In answer to which we made the following reply — ‘The faith, supreme veneration, and worship of Christians is directed to One God only, as it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve’ (Matt. iv. 20); and this our giving of praise and our supreme worship (λατρεια) is offered to Him alone, both by the holy, intellectual, incorporeal powers which are in heaven, and by all in earth who have known the way of truth. For thus in all the Churches of Christ, the Trinity in Unity, in Lordship, and in Deity, is praised and glorified: in accordance therewith One God is confessed by us, and that there is no other beside Him who rules in all ages according to His will, and who brought all things, whether visible or invisible, into existence from things which did not exist; by which we mean the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the holy, consubstantial, and life-giving Trinity. Believing in which and confessing which we have been baptised, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, even as our Lord Jesus Christ, very God the Word, who was made man, Himself one of this holy, incomprehensible, sacred Trinity, hath delivered to us. We worship no created things — God forbid! Nor do we offer the service due only to the divine Majesty to our fellow-servants. For when we bow down in reverence to the earth before kings and rulers, we do not mean the same worship which we offer to God. Thus the prophet Nathan bowed down to the earth before David, who, though a king, was but a man, but he has never on this account been charged with worshipping man more than God. Neither do we admit the formation of those images in wax and colours which would at all tend to derogate from the perfection of that reverence which we owe to the Divine Being, on which account we never pourtray any image, form, or likeness of the invisible Godhead; since this even the most exalted order of holy Angels themselves have no power to comprehend or in any way to delineate. But since the only begotten Son who was in the bosom of the Father, in order to recall the work of His own hands from the judgment of death, did, with the good will of the Father and the Holy Ghost, condescend to become man, and like us was made partaker of flesh and blood, even as saith the great Apostle, ‘being made in all respects like to us, yet without sin:’ we making the image of His human figure and of His form according to the flesh, and not of His incomprehensible and invisible Godhead, are thereby led to confirm more fully the right faith. And thereby we demonstrate that He did take not upon Him our nature in mere external and shadowy appearances, as some of the older heretics had erroneously dogmatized; but that, indeed and in truth, He became perfect man in every respect, sin alone excepted, that which was sown in our nature by the enemy. In this view of sound faith concerning Him, having made the likeness of His holy flesh in images, we embrace and account them worthy of all veneration and becoming honour, as from this source we come to the remembrance of His divine, life-giving, and ineffable incarnation. Also, in the same manner, we pourtray the likeness of His immaculate Mother according to the flesh — the holy Mother of God, in order to show that she, being by nature a woman and in no respect different from ourselves, did, nevertheless, in a manner surpassing all thought, whether of men or angels, conceive in her womb the unseen God who rules over all, and did bring Him forth being incarnate of her; for we venerate and magnify her as rightly and truly the Mother of the true God, and we account her as exalted above all creatures visible or invisible. We admire and count as blessed the holy Martyrs of Christ, the Apostles and Prophets, and all other Saints, our fellow servants, who were made servants of God both by their deeds of goodness and by their preaching of the truth, and were manifested as proved and tried friends of God by their patience under sufferings for the cause of God, and have obtained great confidence in respect of Him — and we make images of them for a memorial of their fortitude and of their unfeigned obedience to God. Not, indeed, that we mean to offer to them that honour and worship which is due to the divine power and glory as though we counted them partakers of the divine nature; but thus we show the love which we have towards them, by desiring that those things concerning them which we believe already from hearing may be more powerfully brought home to our minds by the representative picture; for, as we are compounded of flesh and blood, it is by sight that we are brought to a more certain assurance in respect of the things of the soul. For as the Saints of God, because they would reserve for Him only their supreme adoration, worship, and honour, and because they called on all others and taught them to do the same, poured out their own blood and were honoured with the crown of a true confession, so it is with us also in respect of our images: like them, we by no means allow the worship due to the incomprehensible unapproachable Godhead to be bestowed on images made with hands or any work of man’s skill and device — no, not even to any of those things which God hath made, whether they be visible or invisible; but we take this method of displaying the affection which we justly entertain towards those who were true servants of our God; because by honouring them, we venerate and honour Him also who was glorified by them and who gave them glory in the confession of His majesty; and, further, that so we may learn to manifest our imitation of their fortitude and love towards God, by our good works and resistance of evil passions. Let everyone, therefore, feel assured that it is after this manner that the making of images is conducted in the Church of Christ, and that we look for the things which accompany salvation, whether in this world or in the world to come, from no other source than from the only begotten Son, who together with the Father and the Holy Spirit dispenses the divine gifts; ‘for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we may be saved’ (Acts iv. 12). But though we embrace the images, both of our Lord and Saviour, of His immaculate Mother, the true Mother of God, and of His Saints, yet it is not that we have the same feeling or the same faith in one as in the other; for Him we recognise as God without beginning or end, who holds all things in His hand, who made us and all creatures, as the true God and our Saviour, who has all power in heaven and earth, and who for the human race became truly incarnate; and her, as His handmaid and His Mother, and thus of right exercising the most powerful interference in behalf of our race: He, as Lord dispensing all things necessary for our salvation — she, as a Mother requesting the same in our behalf; and all the Saints, as our fellow-servants and as partakers of the same nature with ourselves; but who (as was said before) have become well-pleasing to God, and thereby have obtained highest boldness and blessedness with Him, and have received grace from God to minister to us the blessings which are with Himself, as in the healing of diseases and in the deliverance from dangers, when we invoke our God for their sake and ascribe honour to them as far as we are capable and delight in singing hymns to their praise; ‘for the memory of the just (as the Scripture declares) is blessed’ (Prov. x. 7). All this we plainly laid before the foresaid Bishop of Nacolia, and he both agreed to it and declared, as in the presence of God, that such was his belief, and that he would neither say or do anything to scandalize the people or afford any further cause of disquiet. As your Reverence has now been made acquainted with the merits of the case, do not, we entreat you, trouble your God-beloved Council any further in this matter, nor take any offence against him yourself on this account; but, sending for him, read this our letter to him and obtain from his own mouth an assurance of his agreement with its own contents. Pray ye further for long, happy, and victorious life in behalf of our most excellent lords our Emperors, and entreat in behalf of all Christian people that peace of God which passeth all understanding.”

Tarasius: “Our father, Saint Germanus, is quite in accordance with all the most holy fathers who preceded him.”

The Holy Council: “Yes, my lord, he agrees with them in everything.”

Tarasius: “This letter the Bishop of Nacolia concealed, and did not show to his Metropolitan; wherefore the blessed Germanus was forced to write to him of Nacolia again: for, indeed, this heresy began with him.”

Theodore Monk Deacon Notary and Keeper of the Records read: “The Epistle of our Father Germanus, of holy memory, to Constantine Bishop of Nacolia.”

“John, most beloved in God, Metropolitan of the Synadensians, has written to us that your Reverence has not presented to him our letter, at which we were greatly grieved concerning you, that you should, as it seems, treat us of minor consequence, both the fear of God and the love and respect due to the members of Christ between each other.

“By this our present epistle we enjoin your Reverence to present in person the aforesaid letter of ours to the beloved in God your Metropolitan, and that you pay him all due respect and submit yourself to him according to his sacerdotal rank: and, further, that as your Reverence has received our words and declared that in all things you would follow them, that you continue steadfast and be not puffed up with your own imagination. For your Reverence is not ignorant — (has not forgotten, as we suppose) — that you once advised with us about the resignation of your bishopric, pretending that an attack was intended against you about such things as yourself declared that you were utterly unconscious; for that you protested that you neither did or said anything against our Lord or His Saints on account of their images, but that you had merely urged the Scripture doctrine that no created thing was worthy of divine worship, which we also have taught and which we firmly hold and profess: and that we then read to you the letter which we had written to the above-mentioned God-Beloved Metropolitan, and that you declared your consent to that which was written and that we gave to your Reverence a copy of the same. Beware, then, how you cast a stumbling-block before your people hitherto untried by evil, remembering the fearful judgments of the Lord which He hath denounced against those who offend one of His little ones (Luke xvii. 2). But, let your Reverence know this, that, until you have delivered our epistle into the hands of the most beloved in God your Metropolitan, by the authority of the holy consubstantial Trinity, you have no power to perform any part of the sacerdotal ministry. For it behoved us rather to act a somewhat austere part towards you than to leave you without correction, to be obnoxious to the vengeance of God.”

Tarasius: “As we said before, my honourable brethren, the origin of this foreign innovation is to be attributed to him who has been already mentioned, the Bishop of Nacolia.”

Constantine Deacon and Notary read: “The Epistle of Germanus Bishop of Constantinople to Thomas Bishop of Claudianople”:

“The wise Solomon in a certain place in his discourse has observed that, ‘A brother assisted by a brother is like a strong and lofty city, and powerful as a castle fortified with bars’ (Prov. xviii. 19). Now, though I do not account myself amongst the number of those who are able to assist others, but rather as among those who need the assistance of others, yet have I been compelled to write this my present epistle to your Reverence, being no longer able to keep back the inward commotions of my thoughts concerning you. For I have heard that certain things have been done by your Reverence, which rumours, if they be false, why, then, according to Gregory the Divine, let the winds disperse them: but, suppose them to be true, perplexity on every side assails my mind. Can it be that you imagined that we had, according to the thoughtless manner of many, endeavoured to impose on you with the pleasing outside of affection which is in the lips and that you had no place in our heart — or, in other words, that our love and regard towards you was not sincere? Or, as this cannot be the case, was it that your Reverence was displeased at any want of learning in us, or any negligence or sloth on our part respecting that which God requires of us, as if we did not bestow sufficient care and research into the divine will, according to the holy command delivered to us in the sacred Scriptures? Or, as this supposition seems hardly admissible, must we not be led to conclude that being favoured with some superior revelation — (I would not say fancy or opinion; for, as the Apostle declares, ‘Charity thinketh no evil’), (1 Cor. xiii. 5) — you arrived at a certainty so satisfactory that you felt no necessity in conferring with us upon the subject? And, surely, we have reason enough to justify such suspicions; for, though your Reverence was long time with us, and though we lived together and were accustomed from time to time to discuss the words of Scripture or questions connected with it, never once did you question with us about images — whether those of holy men, or of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, or of His holy Mother according to the flesh the true Mother of God; nor, as one enquiring and desirous to arrive at some certainty, did you ever ask what was our opinion in this matter, or reflect that, if what was in them had been according to reason, it could never bring down any judgment from God against those who had been engaged therein; nor, as if you yourself were fully certified about the propriety of their abolition and destruction, did you think it at all necessary to confer and consult with us, so as to bring us over to the same views: but, having constantly maintained a studied silence on all these points towards us, no sooner had you arrived at your own city, than, as if it had been determined by mutual agreement between us, or as if it were a question about which there could be no doubt, you have (as we have heard) made an entire clearance of images — at least (as we say again) if the report be true; for we are not ready to give ear without enquiry to those reports which are so frequently circulated to a neighbour’s discredit. Having, however, considered as a necessary thing, by way of investigation and fraternal disquisition, to lay down our sentiments on this head, we have come to the determination to enter on the discussion with the utmost care. Of this, however, we would first remind you that, above all, we must be on our guard against innovation, and more especially if any scandal or stumbling-block is likely to be thereby cast in the way of those who are in the faith of Christ; and, again, if the custom has long maintained its ground in the Church: for if, according to the Scripture, ‘we must drink wine with caution’ (Prov. xxxi. 3), much more ought we to use deliberation and counsel in things of so much greater importance, lest we should be obnoxious to the fearful judgment prepared by God for those who offend even one of His little ones; and, in general, we must at once put down all arguments or facts advanced by unbelievers to the injury of the Church of Christ and exhibit to them her stern and godlike immutability… And it is worthy of our more special observation that not now only, but very often, reproaches of this kind have been urged against us by Jews and by the actual servants of idolatry, whose intention was to cast a blot on our immaculate and sacred faith, not to prevent men from adhering to the worship of things made with hands; for all their zeal and religion amounted to this — to have no notion of anything higher than things seen and palpable to the senses and in every way to degrade the divine nature, either confining His universal providence to certain localities or representing Him under a gross corporeal form. These our predecessors, with a spirit worthy of themselves, drove away from the sheepfold of Christ, as (to speak scripturally) dumb dogs, who bark in vain, whose performances we do not now possess. And, moreover, the word of truth stops the mouth of such by the mention of their own peculiar abominations, branding with infamy the heathen with the wickedness and abominations of Gentile sacrifices and fables, making the Jews to blush, not only by reminding them of the frequent lapses of their fathers into idolatry, but, further, of their own opposition to the divine law which they made such a boast of holding. For whereas, the law gave command that they should offer their typical sacrifices only in some specified place, they make no scruple of doing this in every part of the world — thus displaying their accustomed disobedience to the Holy Spirit after the manner of their fathers, and their sacrificing to devils and not to God. For the true worship and service of the true God is exactly regulated by the preservation of a holy confession concerning Him, and the careful conservation of the laws and mysteries given to us by Him, whether compendiously or more at large. But with respect to the Saracens, since they also seem to be among those who urge these charges against us, it will be quite enough for their shame and confusion to allege against them the invocation which even to this day they make in the wilderness to a lifeless stone — namely, that which is called ‘Chobar,’ and the rest of ‘their vain conversation received by tradition from their fathers’ (1 Pet. i . 18); as, for instance, the ludicrous mysteries of their solemn festivals.

“But the distinguishing characteristic of all Christians throughout the world, who serve God as the Prophet declares under the one yoke of the Gospel is, their faith in, and confession of, One God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — a Trinity uncreated, eternal, incomprehensible, invisible — of the same substance and of the same dignity; and, furthermore, their confession of the perfect incarnation of the Son of God, and of all those other articles which are according to the tenor of the sacred symbol, which the people of Christ with one mind offer to God before the mystic and holy oblation; and the spiritual regeneration, which is perfected by divine baptism, in the name of the Three Supreme Persons; and the Theurgic reception and communion of the life-giving symbols of the unbloody sacrifice, by which the illumination of the truth is made resplendent, and the darkness of impiety with the atheism of Polytheism (τὴν τῆς πολυθείαν ἀθεότητα), the most appropriate symbol of its own error, is utterly dispelled; for ‘these things are (to use the Apostle’s words) contrary the one to the other’ (Gal. v. 17) — even as ‘in the beginning God divided between the light and between the darkness’ (Gen. i. 2). Let the blessed John join with us in saying, ‘This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith’ (1 John v. 4): and let this furthermore be added by us — ‘This is the rock on which Christ hath built His Church’ (Matt. xvi. 18), not to be shaken, not to be subverted, by the gates of hell — that is, by hostile attacks of opposing powers. Hence, we have obtained a new name which Isaiah declares shall be blessed, for he speaks thus — ‘They shall bless the true God’ (Isaiah lxv. 16), declaring the incomprehensibility and the inscrutability of His ineffable nature — proclaiming in unwavering certainty that He is invisible, uncircumscribable, and in all respects immutable — contemplating ‘His eternal power and Godhead’ (Rom. i. 20), as according to the most holy Apostle Paul they may be understood by the things which are made from the beginning of the world. Thus have we been accounted worthy to serve the living and the true God — thus have we been honoured and glorified ‘with the liberty with which Christ has made us free’ (Gal. v. 1). For we have been set free from all idolatrous errors and impieties, of which it was a leading characteristic to say, ‘To the stone thou hast begotten me, and to the wood thou hast brought me forth’ (Jerem. ii. 27); and not as the Prophet Isaiah cries aloud to look to the heaven and to enquire, ‘Who hath displayed all these things who bringeth out the worlds by number — who calleth them all by their names from His great glory in the multitude of His strength’ (Isaiah l. 26) Or, as another of the Prophets hath said, ‘Whose hands have made the whole army of heaven?’ Or to consider in their minds and analogously to conclude, when they beheld the harmonious order of all creation, that the Word is the great original of all, and by Him to worship the Father, who is verily the true God, as the blessed Athanasius in his treatise against idolatry most clearly teaches.

“Since, therefore, there is no communion between light and darkness — no agreement between Christ and Belial (2 Cor. vi. 14, 15) so there can be nothing in common between Christians who worship One God dwelling in unapproachable glory and splendour, and those who make gods for themselves, and therefore accounted wretched by the Prophet, as it is written ‘Their heart is ashes’ (Isaiah xliv. 20). Of whom some imagined that when, by their own craft, they had made an idol they had now a new Deity made of that which was not one before; and, in consequence, if any mischance should happen to their idol and it be destroyed thereby, they would firmly maintain that they had no God at all, unless in the same way they manufactured another for themselves. This the divine Scripture clearly teaches in the account therein given of the calf made in the wilderness by the Israelites; for they came in a rebellious manner to Aaron, saying, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us’ (Exod. xxxii. 1) — thereby manifesting that they thought that they had no God at all, whether true or false, unless the idol which they sought should be made for them; to which, after it was made, they ascribed their deliverance from Egypt thus displaying the excess of their absurdity and of their impiety. And when afterwards others would introduce the abomination of heathen idolatry and were desirous to establish the same under the name of the deities worshipped by them, they laboured much in the preparation of statues, whether of Jupiter whom they called Father and Governor, and above all whether gods or men, or of the rest whose names are not unknown to most of us: whose solemnities and rites at their appointed sacrifices were fornication, licentiousness, and a display of all kinds of impurity. It were, indeed, little to speak of their lewd and profane conversation, when even human sacrifices were offered by them in honour of their deities, and an open glorying in the display of obscenity was accounted acceptable to those who were worshipped; for, as they themselves had done such things, they might be supposed to take pleasure in those who did the same.

“But the images of holy men in use among Christians, whether of those who, as the Apostle declares, ‘resisted unto blood’ (Heb. xii. 4), or those who ministered in the word of truth — I mean the Prophets and Apostles or of those who by the piety of their lives and rectitude of their conduct have been proved to be true servants of God, are nothing else but the exemplification of their fortitude, the delineation of their sanctified conversation and virtues, and a stimulation and an excitement to glorify God, to whom in this life they became well-pleasing. The discourse which treats about the actions of good men profits those who hear and often provokes them to zealous imitation: right reason would infer that similar results should follow on the contemplation of images: ‘for what things history unfolds to the ear the same does the silent picture by its imitative powers illustrate,’ cries aloud the great Basil; who says, further: That by both the one and the other they who give heed thereto may be excited to deeds of virtue. For there is in the image (as one may say) a short and summary narration of things which have been done by him who is pourtrayed therein, and a resemblance to him becomes imitable by us who gaze thereupon; even as in the idolatrous representations of their falsely named deities, their evil deeds do also appear. Contemplations like these compel him who has already been made acquainted with holy men and their deeds to recall to mind that which he has heard, and disposes him who is ignorant to make enquiry, and when he has learned the history of any Saint, it powerfully excites him to lively affection for the Saint and to give glory to God; so that in either case they who see the good works of the Saints may, as the Gospel teaches, ‘glorify our Father which is in heaven’ (St. Matt. v. 16; Num. xv. 38, 39). Again, if the law of Moses enjoins the people to put a ribband of blue in the fringes on the border of their garments [that they might remember to observe the commandment given], how much more are we bound by means of the pictures and images of holy men ‘to consider the end of their conversation, and to follow their faith according to the Apostolic doctrine?’ (Heb. xiii. 7). Moreover, the pourtraying of the form of our Lord according to the flesh, in pictures, may serve for the confutation of the heretics, who have vainly taught that He became man in appearance only and not in reality; and furthermore, as a manual of instruction for those who, not being able to attain to the sublimity of pure spiritual contemplation, need some corporeal object for the confirmation of that which they have heard: since as it is most useful in itself, so is it to be sought with greater earnestness. For the mystery which veils even the heavens with majesty, ‘which was hidden from eyes and generations in God the Creator of all’ (Ephes. iii. 9), did not obtain credence only by hearing, according to the words of the Apostle — ‘Faith cometh by hearing’ (Rom. x. 17) — but also was impressed by actual vision on the minds of those who beheld, and did most powerfully proclaim, that ‘God manifest in the flesh, believed on in the world’ (1 Tim. iii. 16), was of all things most conducive to holiness and salvation. Wherefore, that which was written in the evangelical record, concerning His conversation according to the flesh with men upon earth, was that it might never be obliterated from the memories of men furthermore described in pictures, that the worship due to His majesty, for the goodness shown to us, might be more clearly taught, more duly celebrated. Now, it is not the composition of wood and of colours that is worshipped by us, but the invisible God who is in the bosom of the Father: it is He who receives the worship that is in spirit and in truth, who by Himself procures for us access to the Father and who is worshipped together with Him. Thus Jacob is said ‘to have worshipped upon the top of the staff’ of Joseph (Heb. i. 21); not thereby offering any reverence to the wood, but thus showing his regard to him that possessed it. In the same manner it is that the image of the holy and all-glorious Mother of the Lord has been regarded and worshipped by all Christian people. Thus it is that these things have been handed down to us by the Presidents of the most holy Churches even from the beginning, and never before did they encounter any objection. For, from the time that the persecutions ceased and the faith was everywhere professed in all confidence, General Councils have been held even to our own times which made Canons of many points of far inferior moment to that of images: they surely would never have left this point without discussion as being an undisputed matter — if, according to the suspicion of certain persons, this our custom, held by us from ancient times, was in any way connected with idols and other abominations denounced in holy Scripture; or if, like such things, it tended to seduce our hearts from God. For He who said to the Apostles that He would be with them ‘even to the end of time’ (Matt. xxvii. 20), made the promise evidently to those also who, after them, should have the oversight of the Church; for He was not about to remain with them in the body till the period spoken of; and as, moreover, He declares, ‘Where two or three are met together in my name, there am I in the midst of you’ (Matt. xvii. 20), He never would have left so many multitudes united in zeal for the piety which is in Him so destitute of divine inspiration and guidance as to overlook anything necessary for the perfection of that Church which we believe that He formed for Himself, ‘not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing’ (Ephes. v. 27). For it is not in some few places, and those of no note, that this custom hath prevailed; but, as we might almost say in every place and certainly in all the most flourishing and renowned Churches. That the custom is ancient, frequently to describe the events recorded in Scripture in pictures, the discourse of St. Gregory of Nyssa, which is entitled ‘On Abraham,’ evidently proves, in which he teaches us that the history of the sacrifice of Isaac was set forth in a picture. Now, if this was done in respect of the sacrifice spoken of, how much more ought the miracles and sufferings relative to our Lord’s dispensation, as also the fortitude of the holy Martyrs in their conflicts, which excite the beholders to zeal for goodness to meet with a similar testimonial? For this was manifestly shown to have been the case in the conflicts of that illustrious and admirable Martyr for the truth — Anastasius

“But perhaps some one may say this — that we ought to reverence the commands of holy Scripture; such as, Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing which is in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters which are under the earth: thou shalt not bow down to them, neither shalt thou worship them. (Exodus xx. 4,5): and again, ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain’ (Ibid. 7): and in Deuteronomy, ‘Ye shall not transgress, nor make to yourselves a graven image’ (Deut. v.16): and other passages like to these. But all these have one evident meaning — namely, that the divine nature must be considered as without form and incomprehensible; and that we should not being influenced by conjectures and fancies to carnal conceptions, account it to be like to any of those things which are seen: for, having said before, ‘Ye saw no manner of similitude in the day in which the Lord spake unto you from the midst of Horeb’ (Deut. iv. 15), he immediately adds, ‘Ye shall not transgress, nor make to yourselves a graven image’ (Ibid. 16), and that which follows. Thus, in the first place, reminding them of what had been done in the making of the calf, and then giving a caution lest they also, imitating the manners of the Egyptians with which they were acquainted , should fall into the same impiety of thinking the Deity to be like unto such things. This also the great Apostle taught in the public Assembly at Athens, saying, ‘Forasmuch, then, as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device’ (Acts xvii. 19). And to the same purpose we find this also, ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord our God in vain’ (Exodus xx. 7) — that is, Thou shalt not call or esteem as God that which is not so in truth, but has been vainly dignified with the idea and name of Deity. Now, to us, as says the great Apostle, ‘There is but one God the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things’ (1 Cor. viii. 6), and one Holy Ghost, in whom are all things; not bringing in any difference of nature by this change of prepositions — God forbid! For the three Persons, considered with each other, are one God, as the wise Gregory teaches us. Never therefore, even to this day, have the people of Christ applied either the name which is above every name, or their absolute worship or service, to any other than to this holy and life-giving Trinity God forbid! For the divine Scripture, having universally united our highest worship (τόλατρευειν) with these Divine Beings, marks our entire freedom from connection or participation with any errors of this kind, for the nature of idol worship is evident enough. As with us there is but one God who is to be worshipped — as our faith in Him is one — and as we have but one baptism to salvation, so by us is but one worship and service offered to Him, even such as has been delivered to us by the holy Apostles and ever since preserved — namely, ‘the sacrifice of praise (which the divine Apostle declares) to be offered by Christ to God (and the Father) — that is, the fruit of the lips of those who confess to His name’ (Hebrews xiii. 15); and the most sacred tradition of the life-giving mysteries of which the Prophet Malachi predicted, having spoken as in the person of God, that ‘From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, my name shall be glorified among the Gentiles, and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering’ (Malachi i . 11). ‘Never can there be, therefore, any agreement between the temple of God (that is , the Church) and idols’ — God forbid! For she, according to the Apostle, is ‘the pillar and ground of the truth’ (1 Tim. iii. 17); but ‘the names of the idols shall be destroyed from off the earth,’ exclaims the Prophet Zechariah: ‘for every place shall be opened for the house of David’ (Zech. xii . 2) that is, to the Church, ‘whose house we are’ (Heb. iii. 6), by the reception of the true faith. To these testimonies may be well added that which is written in the book styled ‘the Wisdom of Solomon,’ and also that is found in the sublimely eloquent Isaiah. In the first we read ‘The invention of idols is the beginning of fornication and the devising of them is the corruption of life: for neither were they from the beginning, neither shall they be forever: for by the vainglory of men they entered into the world, and therefore they shall come quickly to an end’ (Wisdom xiv. 12-14): and much more of the same kind. In the Prophet it is said, ‘All who make or carve out a God shall be ashamed, and all who originated them shall be consumed away: and the deaf have been made by men’ (Isaiah xliv. 9-10) And he declares that the things they had with them were only the invention of the carpenter, and the transformation of wood given for the service of men into the shape of a man, and as it were the publication of the folly of those who worshipped such things; to which he adds, ‘See, will ye not say there is a lie in my right hand’ (ibid. 20), which he intended for the subversion of the above-mentioned impiety.

“But we who know and believe on the Son of God, who is the truth and the right hand of the Father, are evidently quite beyond the scope of the denunciations of the Prophet here mentioned. And here I may seasonably bring forward the words of the Prophet, ‘What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord?’ (Jerem. xxviii. 28.) For what comparison can be instituted between the unsubstantial vanities wafted by the spirits of wickedness, which belong to those who serve the creature more than the Creator, and the nourishing words of the true knowledge of God which is found in all the people of Christ? For they of whom Isaiah speaks, ‘sacrifice on the tops of the hills, and offer victims on the tops of the mountains’ (Isaiah lxv. 7); or, as another Prophet contemporary with Isaiah says, ‘Under the oak, the poplar, the wide-spreading tree, for the shadow thereof is good’ (Hosea vi. 14). But the people of Christ adore ‘the King of ages eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God’ (1 Tim. i. 17), in His own dwelling, ‘worshipping Him in spirit and in truth’ (John iv. 24); and continually offering all praise, honour, and glory, to the life-giving Trinity. The speedy destruction of idols spoken of in the Book of Wisdom — that is, their extinction and their not remaining for ever — was effected in no other way than by the appearing of ‘the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ’ (Titus ii. 13); which His Church, from one end of the world to the other, being bought with His blood, everywhere piously confesses and glorifies. The people of Christ, the true and genuine worshippers of the Trinity, do not bring upon themselves any of the above-mentioned denunciations against idols, because they have the images of holy men for a memorial of their virtue, any more than it brought any blame or censure against the blessed Paul, who had forbidden circumcision according to the flesh, and severely rebuked those who wished to be justified by the law; that Timothy was circumcised, or that he was shorn according to the law, or that he offered sacrifice in the temple. For we must not consider simply the things which are done, but in every case the intention of the agent should also be taken into consideration. For it is the cause of the action which on the one hand justifies, or on the other condemns, the doer of any action. And, indeed, if this distinction be not carefully borne in mind, it may be that the command of God will hardly escape the cavils of the unbelieving; for, though the law condemns images, whether graven or molten, yet the Cherubim of glory, as the Apostle terms them, which overshadowed the mercy, seat, were prepared in one or other of these ways. And that the Divine glory was borne up by these, we have not only the testimony of the Scripture but also of Saint Athanasius, who, in his interpretation of the words of the Psalm, ‘O thou that sittest between the Cherubim shew thyself’ (Psalm lxxx. 1), gives the following explanation: ‘And, indeed (he observes), the archetypes of the Cherubim, as to their nature, are altogether unknown to men, for they are spirit and fire, and entirely diverse from any corporeal form or nature; and all which is said in the Prophets, which seems to have any relation to body, has a symbolical and emblematical signification, and cannot be understood in any other way, in accordance to pious reasoning, and that which becomes incorporeal beings.’ It is necessary also to state this, that Christians never make images of their relations according to the flesh, or their acquaintances or friends, or worship or account them worthy of any honour: neither have they, in subservience to the commands of kings, contrived such things for the which they were justly blamed, ‘Who, declaring that they were wise, became fools; and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the image of corruptible man’ (Rom. i. 22, 23), as the Apostle speaks: who thus plainly shows how utterly inapplicable to us are any of those charges taken from Scripture. If, indeed, we could be proved from this our usage to have exchanged our religious conceptions of Deity for those of a carnal nature, or to have deserted that high reverence and supreme worship which we pay to God, or in the slightest degree to have declined from it, then, indeed, it would be right that those things which had made us backward to, or seduced us from, our reverence for and attendance on the one true God, should be utterly done away with. But now we see quite the contrary thing to take place; for when any one looks with understanding upon an image of any of the Saints he says (as it is proper), ‘Glory be to thee, O God of — adding the name of the Saint whoever it may be;’ and thus in this way is fulfilled that which we say in prayer, ‘May the all holy name of Christ be glorified by things visible and invisible.’ Neither are we allowed to call any one of the holy men ‘God,’ even though this name was given by Him who is rightly and truly God to those who had pleased Him, as we find it on record in the Book of Psalms. Nor do we, because we have these images, imagine ourselves to have attained such certainty in respect of religious knowledge as that we should on that account neglect the frequent attendance in the churches of God and to be present there both day and night — or, in the words of the Psalmist, ‘evening, morning, and at noon-day to bless God’ (Psalm lv. 17), and chiefly at the time of the sacred mysteries and liturgical services. But, as we are certainly assured that we can attain the hope of salvation in no other way than from the pious faith and confession of the one true God to be worshipped in Trinity — the one having its seat in the heart, the other manifested by the mouth, ‘for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation’ (Romans x. 10) — so all the people of Christ, evermore having the praises of the God who made them in their mouth, ‘and His glory in their hearts’ (Psalm cxlix. 6), are stirred up to the participation of His most holy body and blood, by which we celebrate the memorial of His death and resurrection, according to His own tradition, with a desire more ardent and a diligence more earnest than that ‘of the stag for the fountains of water’ (Psalm xli. 1). Nor let this be a cause of scandal to any, that tapers should be lighted or that sweet smelling incense is offered before the images of the Saints; for these things are designed symbolically to pay honour to those whose rest is with Christ, which honour redounds to Him, according to the learned Basil, who declares that ‘The honour paid to the good amongst our fellow servants gives a proof of right feeling towards our common Master.’ Moreover, the material lights are a symbol of the immaterial and divinely inspired illuminations, and the incense of sweet odours of the pure and complete inspiration and fulfilling of the Holy Spirit.

“Thus much we have thought it our duty to write against these insidious objections — these contradictious reasonings — which carry the vain pretension of being taken from the Scripture: and we beseech you by all means to pursue a course for the future free from scandal and tumult, more especially when the Lord commands us not to despise even one of His little ones, and, furthermore, not to scandalize them; and He threatens intolerable and most awful judgments against those who shall presume to do this. But now whole cities and tribes of people have been on this account thrown into a state of the greatest confusion, of which we shall use our utmost endeavour to make it appear that we have not been the occasion. But, above all, we must guard against this — a thing which much agitates my own mind — that the enemies of the cross of Christ may not find cause of exultation from this cause, and say, even to the present time, Christians have been in an error; for they had never thus cast away their images made with hands unless they had been convinced that it were idolatrous to have them: and who but must confess how greatly this must have turned to the injury and subversion of the faith? For what is more likely than that they should say, As they have once been in error, we need pay no heed to them whatever, for the truth is not among them. And what more need I add; for our in all respects most pious and Christian Sovereigns having raised up that which is verily a monument of their own love for God (I mean the picture before the Royal palace in which were represented the forms of Apostles and Prophets, and in which were written their words concerning the Lord) did thereby proclaim the saving cross to be the glory of their confidence.

“But as the sum of all we have advanced is this (Heb. viii. 1), that God hath wrought miracles by divers images, concerning which many have been pleased to write at large — such as the healing of the diseased , of which we ourselves have had some experience; the dissolution of spells and charms; and the frequent apparition, in visions of the night, of those who in pictures have been made: and yet, most remarkable of all, and that which never met with any contradiction or suspicion, is the image of the immaculate Mother of God, formerly at Sozopolis in Pisidia, which poured forth a defluxion of ointment from its painted hand, of which miracle there are many witnesses. But if the image is not now seen to work similar miracles, we must not on this account disbelieve those which have been wrought formerly, any more than we are at liberty to refuse credit to the signs and divers gifts of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Gospel, which are on record in the Acts of the Apostles, because that no such miracles are now performed. For God, who loves man, by this kind condescension, caused that those who were weak should become strong in faith, which is concerning Himself, and at the same time hath displayed His own power thereby even as it was in the days of the Apostles. For at one time we read that their shadows, and at another that handkerchiefs, which had touched their garments, wrought cures in the diseased (Acts v. 12, 15, 19). As then, at that time, not every shadow but only that of St Peter healed the sick, and not the handkerchiefs which had touched any garment, but only those which had touched the garments of St. Paul, healed the sick — for the full assurance of faith in that God who was preached by them, and who displayed His peculiar grace even by things which had no life — so hath it pleased God that it should frequently be the case with images, for it is not every image or picture which can display this kind of benevolence to the faithful, but only the images of the Saints or of the Lord Himself: whence it may be perceived that it is not from any inherent power that images work such miracles, but only by the grace of our God. And I think it right not to leave unnoticed that to which Eusebius hath given a place in his ‘Ecclesiastical History,’ that in the city of Paneas (which in the Gospel is called Caesarea Philippi), is said to be the house of the woman who had the bloody flux, and who was healed by touching the hem of our Saviour’s garment as it is written in the Gospels; and that opposite the door of her house is placed (as they say) a brazen statue which bears the likeness of the Lord, and before it the image of a woman on her knees, with her hands stretched out after the manner of a suppliant; and that this she raised in memory of the miraculous cure wrought upon her; and that at the feet of this image, made in the name of the Lord, a certain herb of strange form and appearance sprang up which was a means of cure for all kinds of diseases: this Eusebius states that he saw with his own eyes. (Church History vii. 18) It is evident that the Saviour did this of His own grace in condescension to the faith of this woman, which proves that which we have said before, that it is not simply the thing which is done which is to be considered, but the intention of the agent must also be enquired into. And in the same place Eusebius states that he had seen the images of Peter and Paul, and of our Lord Himself, painted in colours. Now, we do not mention this as though we would commend the making of statues of brass; but only to show that though this were done according to a heathenish custom our Lord would not reject it, but was actually pleased for a long time together to display in it the wonders of His goodness; and, therefore, it cannot be right to revile the yet more holy custom which has been established amongst us. With this let the words of our memorial conclude; and may the God of truth — He who has led us into all truth and who disperses from our minds every occasion of difference — every ground of disquietude — count us, who with one accord in one spirit glorify Him, worthy of His heavenly kingdom.”

Tarasius: “The guardians of the holy Catholic Church our holy fathers have shouted aloud: ‘They who keep watch on her intellectual battlements have repelled every assault, every argument of vanity: having preserved her entire, they have routed every phalanx of the enemy; and, together with the heresies of old, they have slain with the sword of the Spirit the heresy of this modern vanity of the Christianity-slanderers.’ Let us, therefore, all with one voice sing aloud, in the words of our master the divine Apostle Paul, ‘Christ is our peace who hath made both one’ (Ephes. ii. 14), to whom be glory, honour, and adoration, with the Father, and the all holy, the good, the life-giving Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.’”

The Holy Council shouted aloud: “The doctrine of our divine-voiced fathers hath set us right: drawing from this source we have drank in the truth — following these we have put to flight falsehood — taught by these we embrace holy images. The fathers preach: ‘We are the sons of obedience, and we glory in the face of our mother, in the tradition of the Catholic Church. Believing one God to be worshipped in Trinity we embrace holy images. Let those who hold not thus be anathema — let those who think not with us be driven far from the Church. We hold for the ancient legislation of the Catholic Church: we hold to the laws of the fathers: we anathematise those who add anything to, and those who take anything from, the Catholic Church: we anathematise this newly-adopted innovation of the Christianity-slanderers: we embrace venerable images: we lay beneath our anathema all who hold not with us. Anathema to the Christianity-slanderers — that is, the Iconoclasts. Anathema to those who apply passages of the holy Scripture which denounce idols to holy images. Anathema to those who do not salute holy and venerable images. Anathema to those who call holy and venerable images idols. Anathema to those who assert that Christians look on their images as gods. Anathema to those who consciously communicate with those who insult and abuse holy images. Anathema to those who ascribe deliverance from idolatry to any other than Christ our God. Anathema to those who presume to say that the Catholic Church did ever admit of idols!’”

After that the above-mentioned anathemas had been proclaimed according to the written form, the Holy Council, by the mouth of Euthymius Bishop of Sardis, made the following declaration:

“Fulfilling the command of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, our holy fathers have not hid under a bushel the candle (Matt. v. 15) of divine knowledge which has been entrusted to them by Him, but have placed on the candlestick of the most edifying doctrine that it may give light to all that are in the house — that is, the Catholic Church — in order that none of those who piously confess the Lord may at any time dash their foot against the stone (Psalm xci. 12) of heretical pravity; for they expel all heretical error, and the gangrened member (if by any means it prove incurable) they cut off. Having the fan they purge the floor (Matt. iii. 12); and the wheat, the nourishing word which confirms the heart of man, they shut up in the garner of the Catholic Church; but the chaff of heretical pravity, having cast out, they burn with fire unquenchable.

“Wherefore, this Holy and Ecumenical Council which by the grace of God and the goodwill of our pious and most faithful Sovereigns, Irene the new Helena, and the new Constantine, the God-preserved offspring of the same, assembled now for the second time in the illustrious metropolis of Nice — having by reading been fully made acquainted with the doctrines of the venerable and blessed fathers, gives glory to God Himself by whom that word was given to them which was written for our instruction and for the confirmation of the Catholic Church; but against those who think not with them, but are endeavouring to darken the truth by their novelties, they unite with the Psalmist in singing, ‘How have thine enemies done evil in the holy place, and have boasted, saying, There is not a teacher any more, and they shall not know that we handled the word of God deceitfully (Psalm lxxiv. 3-9). But we, in every particular, maintaining the decrees and ordinances of our God-bearing fathers, speak with one heart and one mouth, neither adding anything to or taking anything from that which has by them been landed down to us; but in these we are confirmed — in these we are fixed: thus we confess — thus we teach, even the six Ecumenical Councils have defined and ratified.

“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son and His Word, by whom all things are made; and in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life consubstantial and co-eternal with the Father and His co-original Son — a Trinity uncreate, undivided, incomprehensible, uncircumscribable; which altogether and alone is to be adored with latria, worshipped, and served. One Godhead, one Lordship, one Dominion, one Kingdom, and Power, which in hypostasis is individedly divided and in essence is dividedly united.

“And we confess that One of this same holy and consubstantial Trinity, even our Lord Jesus Christ the true God, did in these last days for our salvation become incarnate and was made man, and by the saving dispensation, both of His passion, His resurrection, and ascension into heaven, did save our race and deliver us from idolatrous error. And, as the Prophet declares, it was ‘not an ambassador, not an Angel, but the Lord Himself, who hath saved us’ (Isaiah lxiii. 9). So with him we agree, and his words we appropriate, loudly proclaiming it was not a Synod, not the power of Kings, not God-hated conspiracies which delivered the Church from idolatry, as that Jewish Conventicle which barked against venerable images has frivolously asserted; but it was He, the Lord of Glory, the God, who became man: He hath saved us — He hath delivered us from all idol errors: to Him, therefore, be glory, to Him be grace, to Him be giving of thanks, to Him be praise, to Him be greatness in word and work ever ascribed. Of Him comes redemption — of Him comes salvation, who alone is able to save for ever, and not of other men whose origin is of the dust. He hath fulfilled the predictions which were of old declared by His Prophets amongst us, on whom the ends of the world are come (1 Cor. x. 11), by His incarnate dispensation having dwelt among us and associated with us, and, having wiped out the names of the idols from the earth (Zech. xiii. 2), even as it had been written. We reverently embrace the words of our Lord, of His Apostles and Prophets, by which we have been taught to honour and magnify first of all the true and very Mother of God, who is higher than all the heavenly powers; the holy Angelic powers, the blessed and illustrious Apostles, the glorious Prophets, the victorious Martyrs who contended in behalf of Christ, the holy and God-bearing Doctors, and all the Saints; and we entreat their intercession as being able to commend us to God, the universal King of all — at least, while we keep His commandments and endeavour to live virtuously.

“We salute, moreover, the type of the venerable and life-giving Cross and the holy relics of the Saints, and we receive, embrace, and salute holy and venerable images, according to the ancient tradition of the holy Catholic Church of God and of our holy fathers, who both received them and determined that they should be in all the Churches of God, and in every place of His dominion. These holy and venerable images (as we said before) we honour and salute, and worship with the worship of reverence — namely, the image of the incarnation of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the immaculate and very Mother of God, of whom He was pleased to become incarnate, that he might save us and deliver us from all impious madness after idols; also the images of the holy and incorporeal Angels in that form in which they have appeared to righteous men of old; also the images and pictures of the divine and far-famed Apostles, the divinely eloquent Prophets, the crown-bearing Martyrs and all other Saints; that, by their pictures, we may possibly be led to the remembrance and memorial of the prototype, and in measure may be made partakers of their sanctification. These things we have been taught to hold, and have been confirmed in holding by our holy fathers. ‘Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift, that He hath not left us forever; nor hath He suffered the rod of the wicked to rest on the lot of the righteous lest the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness; and He hath done good to the upright in heart,’ as the Psalmist David has sung, with whom in that which follows let us also unite in singing, ‘But they who turn aside to their crooked ways the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, but peace shall be upon the Israel of God’” (1 Cor. ix. 15; Psalm xxiv. 3; ibid. 4; ibid. 5)

[Here follow the subscriptions of the one hundred and thirty-five Bishops and one hundred and thirty-two monks and abbots.]

Source: Mendham, John, trans. 1850. The Seventh General Council, the Second of Nicaea, Held A.D. 787, in Which the Worship of Images Was Established. London: William Edward Painter. Pages 122-255.