know this to proceed from the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in her-decree with all certainty and accuracy, that, like as the figure of the holy and lifegiving cross, so also the venerable and holy images, whether (painted) in colours, or (formed) of stones or any other fitting substance, shall be placed in the holy churches of God, (being described) on the sacred vessels, and garments, on walls and tables, in houses and on the highways; (namely), of the image of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and of our undefiled Lady the Holy Mother of God, and of the honourable angels, and all saints, and holy men. For, accordingly as they are constantly seen by means of image-representation, so also are they who behold them raised to the remembrance and desire of the prototypes; and to pay to these (images) salutation and respectful worship: not, indeed, that true worship of faith which is due to God alone: but to make in

ἐν αὐτῇ οἰκήσαντος ἁγίου πνεύματος εἶναι ταύτην γινώσκομεν ὁρίζομεν σὺν ἀκριβείᾳ πάσῃ καὶ ἐμμελείᾳ παραπλησίως τῷ τύπῳ τοῦ τιμίου καὶ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ ἀνατίθεσθαι τὰς σεπτὰς καὶ ἁγίας εἰκόνας, τὰς ἐκ χρωμάτων καὶ ψηφῖδος καὶ ἑτέρας ὕλης ἐπιτηδείως ἐχούσης, ἐν ταῖς ἁγίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαις, ἐν ἱεροῖς σκεύεσι καὶ ἐσθῆσι, τοίχοις τε καὶ σανίσιν, οἴκοις τε καὶ ὁδοῖς· τῆς τε τοῦ κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰκόνος, καὶ τῆς ἀχράντ του δεσποίνης ἡμῶν τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου, τιμίων τε ἀγγέλων, καὶ πάντων ἁγίων καὶ ὁσίων ἀνδρῶν· ὅσῳ γὰρ συνεχῶς δι' εἰκονικῆς ἀνατυπώσεως ὁρῶνται, τοσοῦτον καὶ οἱ ταύτας θεώμενοι διανίστανται πρὸς τὴν τῶν πρωτοτύπων μνήμην τε καὶ ἐπιπόθησιν, καὶ ταύταις ἀσπασμὸν καὶ τιμητικὴν προσκύνησιν ἀπονέμειν, οὐ μὴν τὴν κατὰ πίστιν ἡμῶν ἀληθινὴν λατρείαν, ἣ πρέπει μόνῃ τῇ θείᾳ φύσει, ἀλλ'

honour of them, in the same manner as to the figure of the holy and life-giving cross, and to the holy gospels, and to the other sacred instruments, the presentation of frankincense and lights, as has been piously ordained by the ancients. For the honour rendered to the image is transmitted to the prototype: and he who worships the figure worships the substance of that which is represented by it; for thus the instruction of our holy Fathers is established, to wit, the tradition of the Catholic Church, which, from one end of the earth to the other has embraced the Gospel.

ὃν τρόπον τῷ τύπῳ τοῦ τιμίου καὶ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις εὐαγγελίοις καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἱεροῖς ἀναθήμασι, καὶ θυμιασμάτων κα φώτων προσαγωγὴν πρὸς τὴν τούτων τιμὴν ποιεῖσθαι, καθὼς κα τοῖς ἀρχαίοις εὐσεβῶς εἴθισται. ἡ γὰρ τῆς εἰκόνος τιμὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον διαβαίνει· καὶ ὁ προσκυνῶν τὴν εἰκόνα, προσκυνεῖ ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ ἐγγραφομένου τὴν ὑπόστασιν. οὕτω γὰρ κρατύνεται ἡ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων ἡμῶν διδασκαλία, εἴτουν παράδοσις τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας, τῆς ἀπὸ περάτων εἰς πέρατα δεξαμένης εὐαγγέλιον.Conc. vii. 556.

FROM THE 7TH ACTION.

From the Synodical Epistle to Irene and Constantine.

(On Image Worship.)

It is decreed by all means to receive the venerable images of our Lord Jesus Christ, inasmuch as He was a perfect man, and according to all the historical account which is described in the Gospel narration; and of our undefiled Lady, the holy Mother of God, and of the holy angels; (who) appeared as men to those who were worthy of their manifestation; and of all the saints; and (the representations of) their agonistic contests; on tablets and on walls, and on the sacred vessels and vestments, as of old time the holy Catholic Church of God has received, and as has been ordained as well by the holy chief masters of our doctrine, as also by their divine successors, our fathers; and to worship or to salute

ὥστε κατὰ πάντα ἀποδέχεσθαι τὰς σεπτὰς εἰκόνας τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καθὸ τέλειος ἄνθρωπος γέγονε, καὶ ὅσα ἱστορικῶς κατὰ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν διήγησιν διαγράφονται τῆς τε ἀχράντου δεσποίνης ἡμῶν τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου, ἁγίων τε ἀγγέλων· ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἐνεφανίσθησαν τοῖς ἀξίοις γενομένοις τῆς αὐτῶν ἐμφανείας καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων· καὶ τοὺς ἀγωνιστικοὺς αὐτῶν ἄθλους ἔν τε σανίσι καὶ ἐν τοίχοις, ἱεροῖς τε σκεύεσι καὶ ἐσθῆσι, καθὼς ἐκ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν χρόνων ἡ ἁγία τοῦ Θεοῦ καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία παρέλαβε, καὶ ἐθεσμοθετήθη παρά τε τῶν ἁγίων πρωτάρχων τῆς ἡμῶν διδασ‐ καλίας, καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν διαδόχων θεσπεσίων πατέρων ἡμῶν· καὶ

them; for both mean the same thing. For to worship (κυνεῖν), in the ancient language of Greece, signifies to salute and to love: and the addition of προς indicates an augmentation of affection ; as φέρω and προσφέρω, κυρῶ and προσκυρώ, κυνῶ and προσκυνῶ, which marks intensity in the salutation and affection. For what a man loves that he also worships, and what he worships that he assuredly loves; which our human carriage towards our friends testifies, and an embrace, which fulfils both. Nor do we learn this merely from ourselves, but we find it written by the ancients in the Holy Scripture. For in the History of Kings, it is written, “And David arose, and fell on his face to the ground, and worshipped Jonathan:" three times, " and kissed him." And what again doth our Lord in the Gospel say of the Pharisees? "They love the uppermost

ταύτας προσκυνεῖν, ἤτοι ἀσπάζεσθαι· ταυτὸν γὰρ ἀμφότερα· κυνεῖν γὰρ τῇ ἑλλαδικῇ ἀρχαίᾳ διαλέκτῳ τὸ ἀσπάζεσθαι καὶ τὸ φιλεῖν σημαίνει· καὶ τὸ τῆς πρὸς προθέσεως ἐπίτασίν τινα δηλοῖ τοῦ πόθου, ὥσπερ φέρω καὶ προσφέρω, κυρῶ καὶ προσκυρῶ, κυνῶ καὶ προσκυνῶ, ὃ ἐμφαίνει τὸν ἀσπασμὸν καὶ τὴν κατ ̓ ἐπέκτασιν φιλίαν. ὃ γάρ τις φιλεῖ, καὶ προσκυνεῖ· καὶ ὃ προσκυνεῖ, πάντως καὶ φιλεῖ, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη σχέσις ἡ παρ' ἡμῶν πρὸς τοὺς φίλους γινομένη, καὶ ἔντευξις τὰ δύο ἀποτελοῦσα· οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο παρ' ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ ἐγγεγραμμένον εὑρίσκομεν· ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἱστορίαις τῶν βασιλειῶν γέγραπται· καὶ Δαβὶδ ἀνέστη, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσεκύνησε τρὶς τὸν Ἰωνάθαν, καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν. τί δὲ πάλιν ὁ κύριος περὶ τῶν φαρισαίων εὐαγγελικῶς φησιν ; ἀγαπῶσι τὰς πρωτοκλισίας ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις, καὶ τοὺς ἀσπασ

..

rooms at feasts and salutations in the markets." Here it is plain that He speaks of worship as salutation . . . . . And although the word προσκύνησις be often found applied in the Holy Scripture, and by our holy and eloquent Fathers, with reference to the spiritual Aarpeia it is that being a word of many meanings, it has for one of its significations the worship of λατρεία. For there is also a worship of honour, and affection, and fear: as we worship your glorious and most serene empire. There is another worship of fear alone, as Jacob worshipped Esau. And there is another of thankfulness. As Abraham for the field which he bought of the sons of Heth for a burying place for Sarah his wife, worshipped them. And again they who look to receive some favour from their superiors, worship them, as Jacob worshipped Pharaoh. Hence also the Holy Scripture teaching us, "Thou shalt worship the Lord

μοὺς ἐν ταῖς αγοραῖς. δῆλον ἐνταῦθα ἀσπασμὸν τὴν προσκύνησιν λέγει . . . . . . εἰ δὲ καὶ πολλάκις εὕρηται ἡ προσκύνησις ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ καὶ τοῖς ἀστειολόγοις ἁγίοις πατράσιν ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐν πνέυματι λατρείας, ὡς πολύσημος οὖσα ἡ φωνὴ μίαν τῶν αὐτῆς σημαινομένων ἐμφαίνει τὴν κατὰ λατρείαν προσκύνησιν· ἔστι γὰρ προσκύνησις καὶ ἡ κατὰ τιμὴν καὶ πόθον καὶ φόβον· ὡς προσκυνοῦμεν ἡμεῖς τὴν καλλίνικον καὶ ἡμερωτάτην ὑμῶν βασιλείαν. ἔστιν ἑτέρα κατὰ φόβον μόνον· ὡς Ἰακὼβ προσεκύνησε τὸν Ἠσαῦ. ἔστι καὶ κατὰ χάριν· ὡς ̓Αβραὰμ ὑπὲρ ἀγροῦ, οὗ ἔλαβεν παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Χὲτ εἰς ταφὴν Σάῤῥας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, προσεκύνησεν αὐτούς· πάλιν δὲ προσδοκώντές τινες ἀντιλήψεως τυχεῖν παρὰ τῶν ὑπερεχόντων, προσκυνοῦσιν αὐτοὺς, ὡς Ἰακὼβ τὸν Φαραώ· ἔνθεν καὶ ἡ θεία γραφὴ διδάσκουσα ἡμᾶς· Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις, καὶ αὐτῷ