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ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 • · 
 
 ON 
 
 HOLY IMAGES 
 
 (προς τους διαβάΧΧοντας τάς άγιας εικόνας) 
 
 FOLLOWED BY 
 
 • Φ "Ψ Μ · φ 
 
 THREE SERMONS ON THE ASSUMPTION 
 
 (κοίμησή) 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK 
 
 BY 
 
 MARY H. ALLIES 
 
 Xonfcon 
 
 THOMAS BAKER 
 
 i SOHO SQUARE, W. 
 
 1898 
 
 BOSTON COLLEGE LIBRARY 
 CHESTN UT HILL, MASS. 
 
3X 
 
 . H 
 
 Aw 
 
 90811 
 
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE 
 
 A Treatise on Images will not be out of place 
 in a public, which is confusing the making of 
 images with the making of idols. A great 
 Christian of the eighth century found himself 
 called upon to face an imperial Iconoclast. He 
 would willingly have remained silent, but he 
 would not bury his talent of eloquence. He 
 brought it forth and witnessed to the teaching 
 of the Church in language which present 
 ‘ exciting scenes ’ in Anglican churches brings 
 home in the most forcible way. Our English 
 image breakers are in the camp of Leo the 
 Isaurian, who in the eighth century waged war 
 against holy images, on the plausible pretext 
 that they withdrew honour from God. The 
 seventh General Council condemned his as¬ 
 sault, and it determined the different kinds of 
 worship, using the Greek terms of latreia and 
 douleia. The special champion of holy Images 
 is St John Damascene, whose treatise is now 
 
Vlll 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 published for the first time in English. Every 
 article in the creed has its special defender. 
 St John Damascene proclaims the Communion 
 of Saints and the honour of God through His 
 chosen and favoured servants. No part of 
 Catholic belief is a vain word, nor can the true 
 children of the Church say with their lips what 
 they do not hold in their hearts. I believe in 
 the Communion of Saints follows upon I 
 believe in God, so that the enemies of the 
 Saints are the enemies of God. This is the 
 doctrine which St John Damascene traces back 
 to the eternal ages before time was, in the 
 divine ξίκων of the Father in the Person of the 
 Son. God, the Son, is the Image by essence, 
 and then He becomes a visible image or form 
 in time, clothed in flesh and blood, showing us 
 by His own example that our worship of God 
 is through corporeal things. Again and again 
 the Saint repeats that as we must not make an 
 image of the Invisible God, so neither must we 
 refuse to look upon the Son, His Image, first 
 in eternity, and then Incarnate. 
 
 What are the consequences of rejecting 
 divinely appointed images ? Hopeless and 
 heart-destroying doubt caused by the undue 
 
PREFACE 
 
 IX 
 
 exaltation of humanity : in other words, creature, 
 instead of divine, worship. We are so con¬ 
 stituted that images we must have : our minds 
 cannot reach God’s throne without the help of 
 corporeal things. Agnosticism has said it. We 
 cannot love what we do not know, and is not 
 God unknowable ? Halting formularies say it 
 w’hen they point to matter, which God has 
 glorified, as inglorious. And halting formularies 
 lead to halting souls, and to the proclamation 
 of the strange device that religious truth is of 
 no consequence so long as men lead good lives. 
 
 The sermons on the Assumption were 
 preached by the Saint in or about a.d. 727. 
 According to Alban Butler, he had special 
 reasons for honouring the Mother of God. 
 By her intercession he regained the use of his 
 strong right hand. It was a practical demon¬ 
 stration of Catholic teaching, We reach God 
 most surely through those who love Him best, 
 and thus the Protestant phrase, which ex¬ 
 presses a purely Catholic thought ‘ straight to 
 God,’ is exemplified in the Communion of 
 Saints. St John’s language about the θεοτοκη 
 will astonish those who stigmatise the love of 
 her as a ‘ Roman corruption.’ The crowning 
 
X 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 triumph of the Assumption follows justly on 
 the divine maternity. Her body was all pure, 
 because her all holy (παναγία) soul made it the 
 resting-place of our Lord. The Mother is so 
 identified with the Son that her life is part of 
 His. The tomb is not for her, and thus the 
 writer of the eighth century bears full testimony 
 to Catholic tradition. 
 
 All believers are at one in wishing to reach 
 God ; the question is one of detail. Which is 
 the shortest road? St John Damascene speaks 
 with the Church when he says it is through the 
 glorification of matter in the Person of the 
 Eternal Word. Either give matter its proper 
 place, or take away matter which the Lord 
 Himself has exalted, and we are no longer 
 composite beings, but spirits ill at ease in a 
 material world. Take away the King’s army, 
 and you uncrown the King Himself. Forget 
 His Mother, and with her the connecting link 
 between earth and heaven. Then we may be 
 heathens once more, groping after the unknown 
 God, and our latter state will be more appalling 
 than the heathendom of old, before the light 
 had appeared to illumine earth’s dark places. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PART I. APOLOGIA OF ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 AGAINST THOSE WHO DECRY HOLY 
 
 IMAGES .... I 
 
 . „ II. THE SAME . . . *55 
 
 „ III. THE SAME . . . .87 
 
 SERMON I. ON THE ASSUMPTION . . . 147 
 
 „ II. THE SAME . . . 171 
 
 „ III. THE SAME .... 201 
 
 XI 
 
PART I. 
 
 APOLOGIA OF ST JOHN DAMASCENE AGAINST 
 THOSE WHO DECRY HOLY IMAGES. 
 
 With the ever-present conviction of my own 
 unworthiness, I ought to have kept silence and 
 confessed my shortcomings before God, but all 
 things are good at the right time. I see the 
 Church which God founded on the Apostles 
 and Prophets, its corner-stone being Christ His 
 Son, tossed on an angry sea, beaten by rushing 
 waves, shaken and troubled by the assaults of 
 evil spirits. I see rents in the seamless robe of 
 Christ, which impious men have sought to part 
 asunder, and His body cut into pieces, that is, 
 the word of God and the ancient tradition of 
 the Church. Therefore I have judged it un¬ 
 reasonable to keep silence and to hold my 
 tongue, bearing in mind the Scripture warn¬ 
 ing:—‘If thou withdrawest thyself, my soul 
 shall not delight in thee,’ and ‘ If thou seest 
 
2 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 the sword coming and dost not warn thy 
 brother, I shall require his blood at thy hand.’ 
 Fear, then, compelled me to speak ; the truth 
 was stronger than the majesty of kings. 4 I 
 bore testimony to Thee before kings,’ I heard 
 the royal # David saying, 4 and I was ’ not 
 ashamed. No, I was the more incited to 
 speak. The King’s command is all powerful 
 over his subjects. For few men have hitherto 
 been found who, whilst recognising the power 
 of the earthly king to come from above, have 
 resisted his unlawful demands. 
 
 In the first place, grasping as a kind of 
 pillar, or foundation, the teaching of the Church, 
 which is our salvation, I have opened out its 
 meaning, giving, as it were, the reins to a well- 
 caparisoned charger.t For I look upon it as a 
 great calamity that the Church, adorned with 
 her great privileges and the holiest examples of 
 saints in the past, should go back to the first 
 rudiments, and fear where there is no fear. It 
 is disastrous to suppose that the Church does 
 not know God as He is, that she degenerates 
 into idolatry, for if she declines from perfection 
 
 * θ€οττατω Ρ) not easily rendered in English. 
 
 f Καί τούτον ώσπερ 'ίππον εύχάλινον , τη s αφετηρίας παρώρμησα. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 3 
 
 in a single iota, it is as an enduring mark on a 
 comely face, destroying by its unsightliness the 
 beauty of the whole. A small thing is not 
 small when it leads to something great, nor 
 indeed is it a thing of no matter to give up the 
 ancient tradition of the Church held by our 
 forefathers, whose conduct we should observe, 
 and whose faith we should imitate. 
 
 In the first place, then, before speaking to 
 you, I beseech Almighty God, to whom all 
 things lie open, who knows my small capacity 
 and my genuine intention, to bless the words 
 of my mouth, and to enable me to bridle my 
 mind and direct it to Him, to walk in His 
 presence straightly, not declining to a plausible 
 right hand, nor knowing the left. Then I ask 
 all Gods people, the chosen ones of His royal 
 priesthood, with the holy shepherd of Christ’s 
 orthodox flock, who represents in his own 
 person Christ’s priesthood, to receive my 
 treatise with kindness. They must not dwell 
 on my unworthiness, nor seek for eloquence, 
 for I am only too conscious of my shortcom¬ 
 ings. They must consider the thoughts them¬ 
 selves. The kingdom of heaven is not in word 
 but in deed. Conquest is not my object. I 
 
4 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 raise a hand which is fighting for the truth—a 
 willing hand under the divine guidance. Rely¬ 
 ing, then, upon substantial truth as my auxiliary, 
 I will enter on my subject matter. 
 
 I have taken heed to the words of Truth 
 Himself:—‘The Lord thy God is one.’ And 
 ‘ Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shalt 
 serve Him only, and thou shalt not have 
 strange gods.’ Again, ‘Thou shalt not make 
 to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of 
 anything that is in heaven above, or in the 
 earth beneath ’; and ‘ Let them be all con¬ 
 founded that adore graven things.’ Again, 
 
 ‘ The gods that have not made heaven and 
 earth, let them perish,’ In this way God spoke 
 of old to the patriarchs through the prophets, 
 and lastly, through His only-begotten Son, on 
 whose account He made the ages. He says, 
 
 ‘ This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, 
 the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom 
 Thou didst send.’ I believe in one God, the 
 source of all things, without beginning, un¬ 
 created, immortal, everlasting, incomprehen¬ 
 sible, bodiless, invisible, uncircumscribed,*' with¬ 
 out form. I believe in one supersubstantial 
 * απερίγραπτοι, i.e., not in place. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 5 
 
 being, one divine Godhead in three entities, 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
 and I adore Him alone with the worship 
 of latreia. I adore one God, one Godhead 
 but three Persons, God the Father, God the 
 Son made flesh, and God the Holy Ghost, one 
 God. I do not adore creation more than the 
 Creator, but I adore the creature created as I 
 am, adopting creation freely and spontaneously 
 that He might elevate our nature and make us 
 partakers of His divine nature. Together with 
 my Lord and King I worship Him clothed in 
 the flesh, not as if it were a garment or He 
 constituted a fourth person of the Trinity— 
 God forbid. That flesh is divine, and endures 
 after its assumption. Human nature was not 
 lost in the Godhead, but just as the Word 
 made flesh remained the Word, so flesh became 
 the Word remaining flesh, becoming, rather, 
 one with the Word through union (καθ' W οσ- 
 τασ -il·). Therefore I venture to draw an image 
 of the invisible God, not as invisible, but as 
 having become visible for our sakes through 
 flesh and blood. I do not draw an image of 
 the immortal Godhead. I paint the visible 
 flesh of God, for it is impossible to represent 
 
6 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 a spirit {ψυχή), how much more God who gives 
 breath to the spirit. 
 
 Now adversaries say : God’s commands to 
 Moses the law-giver were, ‘ Thou shalt adore 
 the Lord thy God, and thou shalt worship him 
 alone, and thou shalt not make to thyself a 
 graven thing that is in heaven above, or in the 
 earth beneath.’ 
 
 They err truly, not knowing the Scriptures, 
 for the letter kills whilst the spirit quickens— 
 not finding in the letter the hidden meaning. 
 I could say to these people, with justice, He 
 who taught you this would teach you the 
 following. Listen to the law-giver’s interpreta¬ 
 tion in Deuteronomy : ‘ And the Lord spoke 
 to you from the midst of the fire. You heard 
 the voice of His words, but you saw not any 
 form at all.’ And shortly afterwards : ‘ Keep 
 your souls carefully. You saw not any simili¬ 
 tude in the day that the Lord God spoke to 
 you in Horeb from the midst of the fire, lest 
 perhaps being deceived you might make you a 
 graven similitude, or image of male and female, 
 the similitude of any beasts that are upon the 
 earth, or of birds that fly under heaven.’ And 
 again, ‘ Lest, perhaps, lifting up thy eyes to 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 7 
 
 heaven, thou see the sun and the moon, and 
 all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by 
 error thou adore and serve them.’ 
 
 You see the one thing to be aimed at is not 
 to adore a created thing more than the Creator, 
 nor to give the worship of latreia except to 
 Him alone. By worship, consequently, He 
 always understands the worship of latreia. 
 For, again, He says : ‘ Thou shalt not have 
 strange gods other than Me. Thou shalt not 
 make to thyself a graven thing, nor any 
 similitude. Thou shalt not adore them, and 
 thou shalt not serve them, for I am the Lord 
 thy God.’ And again, ‘ Overthrow their altars, 
 and break down their statues ; burn their groves 
 with fire, and break their idols in pieces. For 
 thou shalt not adore a strange god.’ And 
 a little further on : ‘ Thou shalt not make to 
 thyself gods of metal.’ 
 
 You see that He forbids image-making on 
 account of idolatry, and that it is impossible to 
 make an image of the immeasurable, un¬ 
 circumscribed, invisible God. You have not 
 seen the likeness of Him, the Scripture says, 
 and this was St Paul’s testimony as he stood in 
 the midst of the Areopagus : ‘ Being, therefore, 
 
8 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 the offspring of God, we must not suppose the 
 divinity to be like unto gold, or silver, or stone, 
 the graving of art, and device of man.’ 
 
 These injunctions were given to the Jews on 
 account of their proneness to idolatry. Now 
 we, on the contrary, are no longer in leading 
 strings. Speaking theologically, it is given to 
 us to avoid superstitious error, to be with God 
 in the knowledge of the truth, to worship God 
 alone, to enjoy the fulness of His knowledge. 
 We have passed the stage of infancy, and 
 reached the perfection of manhood. We receive 
 our habit of mind from God, and know what 
 may be imaged and what may not. The 
 Scripture says, ‘ You have not seen the likeness 
 of Him.’ What wisdom in the law-giver. How 
 depict the invisible? How picture the in¬ 
 conceivable ? How give expression to the 
 limitless, the immeasurable, the invisible ? 
 How give a form to immensity? How paint 
 immortality? How localise mystery? It is 
 clear that when you contemplate God, who is 
 a pure spirit, becoming man for your sake, 
 you will be able to clothe Him with the human 
 form. When the Invisible One becomes visible 
 to flesh, you may then draw a likeness of His 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 9 
 
 form. When He who is a pure spirit, without 
 form or limit, immeasurable in the boundless¬ 
 ness of His own nature, existing as God, takes 
 upon Himself the form of a servant in substance 
 and in stature, and a body of flesh, then you 
 may draw His likeness, and show it to anyone 
 willing to contemplate it. Depict His ineffable 
 condescension, His virginal birth, His baptism 
 in the Jordan, His transfiguration on Thabor, 
 His all-powerful sufferings, His death and 
 miracles, the proofs of His Godhead, the deeds 
 which He worked in the flesh through divine 
 power, His saving Cross, His Sepulchre, and 
 resurrection, and ascent into heaven. Give to 
 it all the endurance of engraving and colour. 
 Have no fear or anxiety ; worship is not all of 
 the same kind. Abraham worshipped the sons 
 of Emmor, impious men in ignorance of God, 
 when he bought the double cave for a tomb. 
 Jacob worshipped his brother Esau and Pharao, 
 the Egyptian, but on the point of his staff.* 
 He worshipped, he did not adore. Josue and 
 Daniel worshipped an angel of God ; they did 
 not adore him. The worship of latreia is one 
 thing, and the worship which is given to merit 
 
 * άλλα μην καί (ττί τό άκρον τής ράβδον. 
 
ΙΟ 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 another. Now, as we are talking of images 
 and worship, let us analyse the exact meaning 
 of each. An image is a likeness of the original 
 with a certain difference, for it is not an exact 
 reproduction of the original. Thus, the Son is 
 the living, substantial, unchangeable Image of 
 the invisible God, bearing in Himself the whole 
 Father, being in all things equal to Him, differ¬ 
 ing only in being begotten by the Father, who 
 is the Begetter ; the Son is begotten. The 
 Father does not proceed from the Son, but the 
 Son from the Father. It is through the Son, 
 though not after Him, that He is what He 
 is, the Father who generates. In God, too, 
 there are representations and images of His 
 future acts,—that is to say, His counsel from 
 all eternity, which is ever unchangeable. That 
 which is divine is immutable ; there is no 
 change in Him, nor shadowy of change. 
 Blessed Denis (the Carthusian) who has made 
 divine things in God’s presence his study, says 
 that these representations and images are 
 . marked out beforehand. In His counsels, God 
 has noted and settled all that He would do, the 
 unchanging future events before they came to 
 pass. In the same way, a man who wished to 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 I I 
 
 build a house, would first make and think out 
 a plan. Again, visible things are images of 
 invisible and intangible things, on which they 
 throw a faint light. Holy Scripture clothes in 
 figure God and the angels, and the same holy 
 man (Blessed Denis) explains why. When 
 sensible things sufficiently render what is 
 beyond sense, and give a form to what is 
 intangible, a medium would be reckoned 
 imperfect according to our standard, if it did 
 not fully represent material vision, or if it 
 required effort of mind. If, therefore, Holy 
 Scripture, providing for our need, ever putting 
 before us what is intangible, clothes it in flesh, 
 does it not make an image of what is thus 
 invested with our nature, and brought to the 
 level of our desires, yet invisible ? A certain 
 conception through the senses thus takes place 
 in the brain, which was not there before, and is 
 transmitted to the judicial faculty, and added to 
 the mental store. Gregory, who is so eloquent 
 about God, says that the mind which is set 
 upon getting beyond corporeal things, is in¬ 
 capable of doing it. For the invisible things of 
 God since the creation of the world are made 
 visible through images. We see images in 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 I 2 
 
 creation which remind us faintly of God, as 
 when, for instance, we speak of the holy and 
 adorable Trinity, imaged by the sun, or light, 
 or burning rays, or by a running fountain, or a 
 full river, or by the mind, speech, or the spirit 
 within us, or by a rose tree, or a sprouting 
 flower, or a sweet fragrance. 
 
 Again, an image is expressive of something 
 in the future, mystically shadowing forth what 
 is to happen. For instance, the ark represents 
 the image of Our Lady, Mother of God,* so 
 does the staff and the earthen jar. The serpent 
 brings before us Him who vanquished on the 
 Cross the bite of the original serpent; the sea, 
 water, and the cloud the grace of baptism. 
 
 Again, things which have taken place are 
 expressed by images for the remembrance 
 either of a wonder, or an honour, or dishonour, 
 or good or evil, to help those who look upon 
 it in after times that we may avoid evils and 
 imitate goodness. It is of two kinds, the 
 written image in books, as when God had the 
 law inscribed on tablets, and when He enjoined 
 that the lives of holy men should be recorded 
 and sensible memorials be preserved in re- 
 
 * Την ay ιαν παρθένον καί Θεοτόκον. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 13 
 
 membrance ; as, for instance, the earthen jar 
 and the staff in the ark. So now we preserve 
 in writing the images and the good deeds of 
 the past. Either, therefore, take away images 
 altogether and be out of harmony with God 
 who made these regulations, or receive them 
 with the language and in the manner which 
 befits them. In speaking of the manner let us 
 go into the question of worship. 
 
 Worship is the symbol of veneration and of 
 honour. Let us understand that there are 
 different degrees of worship. First of all the 
 worship of latreia, which we show to God, who 
 alone by nature is worthy of worship. Then, 
 for the sake of God who is worshipful by 
 nature, we honour His saints and servants, as 
 Josue and Daniel worshipped an angel, and 
 David His holy places, when he says, ‘ Let 
 us go to the place where His feet have stood.’ 
 Again, in His tabernacles, as when all the 
 people of Israel adored in the tent, and stand¬ 
 ing round the temple in Jerusalem, fixing their 
 gaze upon it from all sides, and worshipping 
 from that day to this, or in the rulers estab¬ 
 lished by Him, as Jacob rendered homage to 
 Esau, his elder brother, and to Pharao, the 
 
14 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 divinely established ruler. Joseph was wor¬ 
 shipped by his brothers. I am aware that 
 worship was based on honour, as in the case 
 of Abraham and the sons of Emmor. Either, 
 then, do away with worship, or receive it alto¬ 
 gether according to its proper measure. 
 
 Answer me this question. Is there only one 
 God? You answer, ‘Yes, there is only one 
 Law-giver.’ Why, then, does He command 
 contrary things? The cherubim are not out¬ 
 side of creation; why, then, does He allow 
 cherubim carved by the hand of man to over¬ 
 shadow the mercy-seat? Is it not evident that 
 as it is impossible to make an image of God, 
 who is uncircumscribed and impassible, or of 
 one like to God, creation should not be 
 worshipped as God. He allows the image of 
 the cherubim who are circumscribed,* and 
 prostrate in adoration before the divine throne, 
 to be made, and thus prostrate to overshadow 
 the mercy-seat. It was fitting that the image 
 of the heavenly choirs should overshadow the 
 divine mysteries. Would you say that the ark 
 and staff and mercy-seat were not made ? Are 
 
 * A reference to the question treated by St Thomas 
 after St John Damascene : nirum angelus sit in loco. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 15 
 
 they not produced by the hand of man ? Are 
 they not due to what you call contemptible 
 matter? What was the tabernacle itself? 
 Was it not an image? Was it not a type 
 and a figure? Hence the holy Apostle’s words 
 concerning the observances of the law, ‘ Who 
 serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly 
 things.’ As it was answered to Moses, when 
 he was to finish the tabernacle: ‘See’ (He 
 says), ‘ that thou make all things according to 
 the pattern which was shown thee on the 
 Mount.’ But the law was not an image. It 
 shrouded the image. In the words of the same 
 Apostle, the law contains the shadow of the 
 goods to come, not the image of those things. 
 For if the law should forbid images, and yet be 
 itself a forerunner of images, what should we 
 say? If the tabernacle was a figure, and the 
 type of a type, why does the law not prohibit 
 image-making ? But this is not in the least 
 the case. There is a time for everything. 
 
 Of old, God the incorporeal and uncircum¬ 
 scribed was never depicted. Now, however, 
 when God is seen clothed in flesh, and con¬ 
 versing with men, I make an image of the 
 God whom I see. I do not worship matter, I 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 16 
 
 worship the God of matter, who became 
 matter for my sake, and deigned to inhabit 
 matter, who worked out my salvation through 
 matter. I will not cease from honouring that 
 matter which works my salvation. I venerate 
 it, though not as God. How could God be 
 born out of lifeless things ? And if God’s body 
 is God by union (καθ' υπόστασιν), it is immutable. 
 The nature of God remains the same as before, 
 the flesh created in time is quickened by a 
 logical and reasoning soul. I honour all matter 
 besides, and venerate it. Through it, filled, as 
 it were, with a divine power and grace, my 
 salvation has come to me. Was not the thrice 
 happy and thrice blessed wood of the Cross 
 matter ? Was not the sacred and holy mountain 
 of Calvary matter ? What of the life-giving 
 rock, the Holy Sepulchre, the source of our 
 resurrection: was it not matter? Is not the 
 most holy book of the Gospels matter? Is not 
 the blessed table matter which gives us the 
 Bread of Life ? Are not the gold and silver 
 matter, out of which crosses and altar-plate and 
 chalices are made ? And before all these 
 things, is not the body and blood of our Lord 
 matter ? Either do away with the veneration 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 I 7 
 
 and worship due to all these things, or submit 
 to the tradition of the Church in the worship of 
 images, honouring God and His friends, and 
 following in this the grace of the Holy Spirit. 
 Do not despise matter, for it is not despicable. 
 Nothing is that which God has made. This is 
 the Manichean heresy. That alone is despic¬ 
 able which does not come from God, but is 
 our own invention, the spontaneous choice of 
 will to disregard the natural law,—that is to 
 say, sin. If, therefore, you dishonour and give 
 up images, because they are produced by 
 matter, consider what the Scripture says : And 
 the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘ Behold 
 I have called by name Beseleel, the son of Uri, 
 the son of Hur, of the tribe of Juda. And I have 
 filled him with the spirit of God, with wisdom 
 and understanding, and knowledge in all 
 manner of work. To devise whatsoever may 
 be artificially made of gold, and silver, and 
 brass, of marble and precious stones, and 
 variety of wood. And I have given him for 
 his companion, Ooliab, the son of Achisamech, 
 of the tribe of Dan. And I have put wisdom 
 in the heart of every skilful man, that they may 
 make all things which I have commanded thee.’ 
 
 B 
 
ι8 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 And again : ‘ Moses said to all the assembly of 
 the children of Israel: This is the word the 
 Lord hath commanded, saying : Set aside with 
 you first fruits to the Lord. Let every one 
 that is willing and hath a ready heart, offer 
 them to the Lord, gold, and silver, and brass, 
 violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and 
 fine linen, goat’s hair, and ram’s skins died red 
 and violet, coloured skins, selim-wood, and oil 
 to maintain lights and to make ointment, and 
 most sweet incense, onyx stones, and precious 
 stones for the adorning of the ephod and the 
 rational. Whosoever of you is wise, let him 
 come, and make that which the Lord hath 
 commanded.’ See you here the glorification 
 of matter which you make inglorious. What 
 is more insignificant than goat’s hair or colours ? 
 Are not scarlet and purple and hyacinth colours ? 
 Now, consider the handiwork of man becoming 
 the likeness of the cherubim. How, then, can 
 you make the law a pretence for giving up 
 what it orders? If you invoke it against 
 images, you should keep the Sabbath, and 
 practise circumcision. It is certain that ‘if 
 you observe the law, Christ will not profit 
 you. You who are justified in the law, you 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 19 
 
 are fallen from grace.’ Israel of old did not see 
 God, but we see the Lord’s glory face to face. 
 
 We proclaim Him also by our senses on all 
 sides, and we sanctify the noblest sense, which 
 is that of sight. The image is a memorial, just 
 what words are to a listening ear. What a 
 book is to the literate, that an image is to the 
 illiterate. The image speaks to the sight as 
 words to the ear ; it brings us understanding. 
 Hence God ordered the ark to be made of 
 imperishable wood, and to be gilded outside 
 and in, and the tablets to be put in it, and the 
 staff and the golden urn containing the manna, 
 for a remembrance of the past and a type of the 
 future. Who can say these were not images 
 and far-sounding heralds ? And they did not 
 hang on the walls of the tabernacle ; but in 
 sight of all the people who looked towards 
 them, they were brought forward for the 
 worship and adoration of God, who made 
 use of them. It is evident that they were not 
 worshipped for themselves, but that the people 
 were led through them to remember past signs, 
 and to worship the God of wonders. They 
 were images to serve as recollections, not divine, 
 but leading to divine things by divine power. 
 
20 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 And God ordered twelve stones to be taken 
 out of the Jordan, and specified why. For he 
 says : ‘ When your son asks you the meaning 
 of these stones, tell him how the water left the 
 Jordan by the divine command, and how the 
 ark was saved and the whole people.’ How, 
 then, shall we not record on image the saving 
 pains and wonders of Christ our Lord, so that 
 when my child asks me, ‘ What is this ? ’ I 
 may say, that God the Word became man, and 
 that for His sake not Israel alone passed 
 through the Jordan, but all the human race 
 gained their original happiness. Through 
 Him human nature rose from the lowest 
 depths of the earth higher than the skies, and 
 in His Person sat down on the throne His 
 Father had prepared for Him. 
 
 But the adversary says : ‘ Make an image of 
 Christ or of His mother who bore Him (rf/? 
 Θεοτόκου), and let that be sufficient.' O what 
 folly this is ! On your own showing, you are 
 absolutely against the saints. For if you make 
 an image of Christ and not of the saints, it is 
 evident that you do not disown images, but 
 the honour of the saints. You make statues 
 indeed of Christ as of one glorified, whilst you 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 2 I 
 
 reject the saints as unworthy of honour, and 
 call truth a falsehood. ‘ I live/ says the Lord, 
 ‘and I will glorify those who glorify Me.’ 
 And the divine Apostle : therefore now he is 
 not a servant, but a son. ‘ And if a son, an 
 heir also through God.’ Again, ‘ If we suffer 
 with Him, that we also may be glorified:’ 
 you are not waging war against images, but 
 against the saints. St John, who rested on 
 His breast, says, that we shall be like to Him : 
 just as a man by contact with fire becomes 
 fire, not by nature, but by contact and by 
 burning and by participation, so is it, I appre¬ 
 hend, with the flesh of the Crucified Son of 
 God. That flesh, by participation through 
 union (καθ’ υπόστασιν) with the divine nature, 
 was unchangeably God, not in virtue of grace 
 from God as was the case with each of the 
 prophets, but by the presence of the Fountain 
 Head Himself. God, the Scripture says, 
 stood in the synagogue of the gods, so that the 
 saints, too, are gods. Holy Gregory takes the 
 words, ‘God stands in the midst of the gods,’ 
 to mean that He discriminates their several 
 merits. The saints in their lifetime were 
 filled with the Holy Spirit, and when they are 
 
22 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 no more, His grace abides with their spirits 
 and with their bodies in their tombs, and also 
 with their likenesses and holy images, not by 
 nature, but by grace and divine power. 
 
 God charged David to build Him a temple 
 through his son, and to prepare a place of rest. 
 Solomon, in building the temple, made the 
 cherubim, as the book of Kings says. And he 
 encompassed the cherubim with gold, and all 
 the walls in a circle, and he had the cherubim 
 carved, and palms inside and out, in a circle, 
 not from the sides, be it observed. And there 
 were bulls and lions and pomegranates. Is it 
 not more seemly to decorate all the walls of 
 the Lord’s house with holy forms and images 
 rather than with beasts and plants ? Where is 
 the law declaring ‘ thou shalt not make any 
 graven image ’ ? But Solomon receiving the 
 gift of wisdom, imaging heaven, made the 
 cherubim, and the likenesses of bulls and lions, 
 which the law forbade. Now if we make a 
 statue of Christ, and likenesses of the saints, 
 does not their being filled with the Holy Ghost 
 increase the piety of our homage ? As then 
 the people and the temple were purified in 
 blood and in burnt offerings, so now the Blood 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 23 
 
 of Christ giving testimony under Pontius 
 Pilate, and being Himself the first fruits of 
 the martyrs, the Church is built up on the 
 blood of the saints. Then the signs and 
 forms of lifeless animals figured forth the 
 human tabernacle, the martyrs themselves 
 whom they were preparing for God’s abode. 
 
 We depict Christ as our King and Lord, 
 and do not deprive Him of His army. The 
 saints constitute the Lord’s army. Let the 
 earthly king dismiss his army before he gives 
 up his King and Lord. Let him put off the 
 purple before he takes honour away from his 
 most valiant men who have conquered their 
 passions. For if the saints are heirs of God, 
 and co-heirs of Christ, they will be also par¬ 
 takers of the divine glory of sovereignty. If 
 the friends of God have had a part in the 
 sufferings of Christ, how shall they not receive 
 a share of His glory even on earth? ‘I call 
 you not servants,’ our Lord says, ‘you are my 
 friends.’ Should we then deprive them of the 
 honour given to them by the Church ? What 
 audacity ! What boldness of mind, to fight God 
 and His commands! You, who refuse to 
 worship images, would not worship the Son of 
 
24 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 God, the Living Image of the invisible God, 
 and His unchanging form. I worship the 
 image of Christ as the Incarnate God ; that 
 of Our Lady (της θεοτοκου), the Mother of us 
 all, as the Mother of God’s Son ; that of the 
 saints as the friends of God. They have with¬ 
 stood sin unto blood, and followed Christ in 
 shedding their blood for Him, who shed His 
 blood for them. I put on record the excel¬ 
 lencies and the sufferings of those who have 
 walked in His footsteps, that I may sanctify 
 myself, and be fired with the zeal of imitation. 
 St Basil says, ‘ Honouring the image leads to 
 the prototype.’ If you raise churches to the 
 saints of God, raise also their trophies. The 
 temple of old was not built in the name of 
 any man. The death of the just was a cause 
 of tears, not of feasting. A man who touched 
 a corpse was considered unclean, even if the 
 corpse was Moses himself. But now the 
 memories of the saints are kept with rejoicings. 
 The dead body of Jacob was wept over, whilst 
 there is joy over the death of Stephen. There¬ 
 fore, either give up the solemn commemora¬ 
 tions of the saints, which are not according 
 to the old law, or accept images which are 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 25 
 
 also against it, as you say. But it is impossible 
 not to keep with rejoicing the memories of the 
 saints. The Holy Apostles and Fathers are at 
 one in enjoining them. From the time that 
 God the Word became flesh He is as we are 
 in everything except sin, and of our nature, 
 without confusion. He has deified our flesh 
 for ever, and we are in very deed sanctified 
 through His Godhead and the union of His 
 flesh with it. And from the time that God, 
 the Son of God, impassible by reason of His 
 Godhead, chose to suffer voluntarily He wiped 
 out our debt, also paying for us a most full 
 and noble ransom. We are truly free through 
 the sacred blood of the Son pleading for us 
 with the Father. And we are indeed delivered 
 from corruption since He descended into hell 
 to the souls detained there through centuries 
 and gave the captives their freedom, sight to 
 the blind, and chaining the strong one.* He 
 rose in the plenitude of His power, keeping the 
 flesh of immortality which He had taken for 
 us. And since we have been born again of 
 water and the Spirit, we are truly sons and 
 heirs of God. Hence St Paul calls the faithful 
 
 * δτ/σαϊ rbv ίσ·χνρ6ν. 
 
20 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 holy ; hence we do not grieve but rejoice over 
 the death of the saints. We are then no 
 longer under grace, being justified through 
 faith, and knowing the one true God. The 
 just man is not bound by the law. We are 
 not held by the letter of the law, nor do we 
 serve as children, but grown into the perfect 
 estate of man we are fed on solid food, not 
 on that which conduces to idolatry. The law 
 is good as a light shining in a dark place 
 until the day breaks. Your hearts have already 
 been illuminated, the living water of God's 
 knowledge has run over the tempestuous seas 
 of heathendom, and we may all know God. 
 The old creation has passed away, and all 
 things are renovated. The holy Apostle Paul 
 said to St Peter, the chief of the Apostles : * 
 ‘ If you, being a Jew, live as a heathen and 
 not a Jew, how will you persuade heathens 
 to do as Jews do?’ And to the Galatians: 
 ‘ I will bear witness to every circumcised man 
 that it is salutary to fulfil the whole law.’ 
 
 Of old they who did not know God, wor¬ 
 shipped false gods. But now, knowing God, 
 or rather being known by Him, how can we 
 
 * την κορυφαίαν ακρότητα tuiv άπόστολων. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 27 
 
 return to bare and naked rudiments ? I have 
 looked upon the human form of God, and my 
 soul has been saved. I gaze upon the image 
 of God, as Jacob did, though in a different 
 way. Jacob sounded the note of the future, 
 seeing with immaterial sight, whilst the image 
 of Him who is visible to flesh is burnt into my 
 soul. The shadow and winding sheet and relics 
 of the apostles cured sickness, and put demons 
 to flight. How, then, shall not the shadow 
 and the statues of the saints be glorified ? 
 Either do away with the worship of all matter, 
 or be not an innovator. Do not disturb the 
 boundaries of centuries, put up by your fathers. 
 
 It is not in writing only that they have be¬ 
 queathed to us the tradition of the Church, but 
 also in certain unwritten examples. In the 
 twenty-seventh book of his work, in thirty 
 chapters addressed to Amphilochios concern¬ 
 ing the Holy Spirit, St Basil says, ‘ In the 
 cherished teaching and dogmas of the Church, 
 we hold some things by written documents ; 
 others we have received in mystery from the 
 apostolical tradition.’ Both are of equal value 
 for the soul’s growth. No one will dispute 
 this who has considered even a little the dis- 
 
28 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 cipline of the Church. For if we neglect un¬ 
 written customs, as not having much weight, 
 we bury in oblivion the most pertinent facts 
 connected with the Gospel. These are the 
 great Basil’s words. How do we know the 
 Holy place of Calvary, or the Holy Sepulchre? 
 Does it not rest on a tradition handed down 
 from father to son? It is written that our 
 Lord was crucified on Calvary, and buried in 
 a tomb, which Joseph hewed out of the rock ; 
 but it is unwritten tradition which identifies 
 these spots, and does more things of the same 
 kind. Whence come the three immersions 
 at baptism, praying with face turned towards 
 the east, and the tradition of the mysteries ? * 
 Hence St Paul says, Therefore, brethren, stand 
 fast, and hold the traditions which you have 
 learned either by word, or by our epistle. As, 
 then, so much has been handed down in the 
 Church, and is observed down to the present 
 day, why disparage images ? 
 
 If you bring forward certain practices, they 
 do not inculpate our worship of images, but 
 the worship of heathens who make them 
 idols. Because heathens do it foolishly, this 
 
 * τα θ(ΐα μυστήρια — the Mass. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 29 
 
 is no reason for objecting to our pious practice. 
 If the same magicians and sorcerers use sup¬ 
 plication, so does the Church with catechumens ; 
 the former invoke devils, but the Church calls 
 upon God against devils. Heathens have 
 raised up images to demons, whom they call 
 gods. Now we have raised them to the one 
 Incarnate God, to His servants and friends, 
 who are proof against the diabolical hosts. 
 
 If, again, you object that the great Epipha- 
 nius thoroughly rejected images, I would say 
 in the first place the work in question is ficti¬ 
 tious and unauthentic. It bears the name of 
 some one who did not write it, which used to 
 be commonly done. Secondly, we know that 
 blessed Athanasius objected to the bodies of 
 saints being put into chests, and that he 
 preferred their burial in the ground, wishing 
 to set at nought the strange custom of the 
 Egyptians, who did not bury their dead under 
 ground, but set them upon beds and couches. 
 Thus, supposing that he really wrote this work, 
 the great Epiphanius, wishing to correct some¬ 
 thing of the same kind, ordered that images 
 should not be used. The proof that he did 
 not object to images, is to be found in his 
 
30 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 own church, which is adorned with images 
 to this day. Thirdly, the exception is not a 
 law to the Church, neither does one swallow 
 make summer, as it seems to Gregory the 
 theologian, and to the truth. Neither can one 
 expression overturn the tradition of the whole 
 Church which is spread throughout the world. 
 
 Accept, therefore, the teaching of Scripture 
 and spiritual writers. If the Scripture does call 
 the idols of heathens silver and gold, and the 
 works of man’s hand, it does not forbid the 
 adoration of inanimate things, or man’s handi¬ 
 work, but the adoration of demons. 
 
 We have seen that prophets worshipped 
 angels, and men, and kings, and the impious, 
 and even a staff. David says, ‘ And you 
 adore His footstool.’ Isaias, speaking in God’s 
 name, says, ‘ The heavens are my throne, and 
 the earth my footstool.’ Now, it is evident to 
 every one that the heavens and the earth are 
 created things. Moses, too, and Aaron with 
 all the people adored the work of hands. St 
 Paul, the golden grasshopper * of the Church, 
 says in his Epistle to the Hebrews, ‘ But 
 Christ being come, a high priest of the good 
 
 * tctti£. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 31 
 
 things to come, by a greater and more perfect 
 tabernacle not made by hand,’ that is ‘ not of 
 this creation.’ And, again, ‘ For Jesus is not 
 entered into the Holies made by hands, the 
 patterns of the true ; but into heaven itself.’ 
 Thus the former holy things, the tabernacle, 
 and everything within it, were made by hands, 
 and no one denies that they were adored. 
 
 Authentic Testimony of Ancient Fathers 
 
 IN FAVOUR OF IMAGES. 
 
 St Denis the Areopagite. From his Letter 
 
 to Bishop Titus. 
 
 Instead of attaching the common conception 
 to images, we should look upon what they 
 symbolise, and not despise the divine mark and 
 character which they portray, as sensible images 
 of mysterious and heavenly visions. 
 
 Commentary. —Mark that he cautions us not 
 to despise sacred images. 
 
 The Same , ‘ On the Names of God.' 
 
 We have taken the same line. On the one 
 side, through the veiled language of Scripture 
 and the help of oral tradition, intellectual things 
 are understood through sensible ones, and the 
 
32 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 things above nature by the things that are. 
 Forms are given to what is intangible and 
 without shape, and immaterial perfection is 
 clothed and multiplied in a variety of different 
 symbols. 
 
 Commentary .—If it be a good work to clothe 
 with shape and form, according to our standard, 
 that which is formless, shapeless, and without 
 consistency, how shall we not make images to 
 ourselves in the same way of things perceived 
 through form and shape, so that we may bear 
 them in mind, and be moved to imitate what 
 they represent. 
 
 The Same , on the ‘ Ecclesiastical Hierarchyl 
 
 Now, if the substances (oiWat) and orders 
 above us, of which we have already made 
 reverent mention, are without bodies, their 
 hierarchy is intellectual and above sense. 
 
 We supply by the variety of sensible symbols 
 the visible order, which is according to our 
 own measure. Those sensible symbols lead us 
 naturally to intellectual conception, to God and 
 His divine attributes. Spiritual minds form 
 their own spiritual conceptions, but we are led 
 to the divine vision by sensible images. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 Commentary .—If, then, it be rational that 
 we are led to the divine vision by sensible 
 images, and if Divine Providence mercifully 
 clothes in form and image that which is without 
 either for our benefit, what is there unseemly 
 about imaging, according to our capacity, Him 
 who graciously disguised Himself for us in 
 shape and form ? 
 
 A tradition has come down to us that Angaros, 
 King of Edessa, was drawn vehemently to 
 divine love by hearing of our Lord,* and that 
 he sent envoys to ask for His likeness. If this 
 were refused, they were ordered to have a like¬ 
 ness painted. Then He, who is all-knowing 
 and all-powerful, is said to have taken a strip of 
 cloth, and pressing it to His face, to have left 
 His likeness upon the cloth, which it retains to 
 this day. 
 
 St Basils Sermon on the Martyr St Barla?n, 
 beginning, ‘ In the first place the death of 
 the saints.' 
 
 Arise, you renowned painters of brave deeds, 
 who set forth by your art a faint image of the 
 General. My praise of the laurel-crowned 
 victor is faint compared to the colours of your 
 
 * τι 7 τού κυρίου irpos Odov έκπυρσευθέντα Ζρωτα aKorj. 
 
 C 
 
34 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 brush. I will give up writing on the excellencies 
 of the martyr whom you have crowned. I 
 rejoice at the victory won to-day by your 
 strength. I contemplate the hand put out to 
 the flames, more powerfully dealt with by you. 
 I see the struggle more clearly depicted on your 
 statue. Let demons be enraged even now, 
 overcome by the martyr’s excellencies which 
 you reveal. Let the powerful hand be again 
 outstretched to victory. May Christ our Lord, 
 the supreme Judge of the warfare, appear in 
 picture. To Him be glory for ever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 From the same , from the Thirty Chapters 
 to Amphilochios, on the Holy Ghost .— 
 Chap, xvHi. 
 
 The image of the king is also called the 
 king, and there are not two kings in con¬ 
 sequence. Neither is power divided, nor is 
 glory distributed. Just as the reigning power 
 over us is one, so is our homage one, not 
 many, and the honour given to the image 
 reaches back to the original. What the image 
 is in the one case as a representation, that the 
 Son is by His humanity, and as in art like- 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 35 
 
 ness is according to form, so in the divine and 
 incommensurable nature (ασ-υνθβτος) union is 
 effected in the indwelling Godhead. 
 
 Commentary .—If the image of the king is 
 the king, the image of Christ is Christ, and 
 the image of a saint the saint, and if power 
 is not divided nor glory distributed, honouring 
 the image becomes honouring the one who is 
 set forth in image. Devils have feared the 
 saints, and have fled from their shadow. The 
 shadow is an image, and I make an image 
 that I may scare demons. If you say that 
 only intellectual worship befits God, take away 
 all corporeal things, light, and fragrance, prayer 
 itself through the physical voice, the very divine 
 mysteries which are offered through matter, 
 bread, and wine, the oil of chrism, the sign of 
 the Cross, for all this is matter. Take away 
 the Cross, and the sponge of the Crucifixion, 
 and the spear which pierced the life-giving 
 side. Either give up honouring these things 
 as impossible, or do not reject the veneration 
 of images. Matter is endued with a divine 
 power through prayer made to those who are 
 depicted in image. Purple by itself is simple, 
 and so is silk, and the cloak which is made of 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 3 6 
 
 both. But if the king put it on, the cloak 
 receives honour from the honour due to the 
 wearer. So is it with matter. By itself it is of 
 no account, but if the one presented in image be 
 full of grace, men become partakers of his grace 
 according to their faith. The apostles knew 
 our Lord with their bodily eyes ; others knew 
 the apostles, others the martyrs. I, too, desire 
 to see them in the spirit and in the flesh, and 
 to possess a saving remedy as I am a com¬ 
 posite being. I see with my eyes, and revere 
 that which represents what I honour, though I 
 do not worship it as God. Now you, perhaps, 
 are superior to me, and are lifted up above 
 bodily things, and being, as it were, not of 
 flesh, you make light of what is visible, but 
 as I am human and clothed with a body, I 
 desire to see and to be corporeally with the 
 saints. Condescend to my humble wish that 
 you may be secure on your heights. God 
 accepts my longing for Him and for His saints. 
 For He rejoices at the praises of His servant, 
 according to the great St Basil in his pane¬ 
 gyric of the Forty Martyrs. Listen to the 
 words which he uttered in honour of the martvr 
 
 J 
 
 St Gordion. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 37 
 
 From St Basils Sermon on St Gordiou. 
 
 The mere memory of just deeds is a source 
 of spiritual joy to the whole world ; people are 
 moved to imitate the holiness of which they 
 hear. The life of holy men is as a light 
 illuminating the way for those who would see 
 it. And again, when we recount the story of 
 holy lives we glorify in the first place the Lord 
 of those servants, and we give praise to the 
 servants on account of their testimony, which 
 is known to us. We rejoice the world through 
 good report. 
 
 Commentary. —The remembrance of the saints 
 is thus, you see, a glory to God, praise of the 
 saints, joy and salvation to the whole world. 
 Why, then, would you destroy it ? This re¬ 
 membrance is kept by preaching and by images, 
 says the same great St Basil. 
 
 The same , on the Martyr St Gordion. 
 
 Just as burning follows naturally on fire, and 
 fragrance on sweet ointment, so must good 
 arise from holy actions. For it is no small 
 thing to represent past events according to life. 
 Is it a dim memory of the man’s wrestlings 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 38 
 
 which has come down to us, and does not the 
 painter’s picture tally with our present conflict ? 
 Now, as painters draw images from images, 
 they frequently depart from the original as 
 much as the image itself does, and as we did 
 not see what they represent, there is no little 
 fear that we may injure the truth. 
 
 The same , at the end. 
 
 The sun fills us with perpetual wonder, 
 though always before us, so the memory of 
 this man is ever fresh. 
 
 Commentary. —It is evident that it is fresh 
 through sermon and image. 
 
 Testimony of the same , from his Sermon on the 
 
 Forty Martyrs. 
 
 Can the lover of the martyrs have too much 
 of their memory? For the honour shown to 
 the just, our fellow-men, is a testimony to the 
 o*oodness of our common Lord. 
 
 o 
 
 And again :— 
 
 Recognise the blessedness of the martyr 
 heartily, that you may be a martyr in will; 
 thus, without persecutor, or fire, or blows, 
 found worthy of the same reward. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 39 
 
 Commentary. —How, then, would you dissuade 
 me from honouring the saints, and be envious 
 of my salvation ? Listen to what he says a 
 little further on to show that he united the 
 painter’s art to oratory. 
 
 St Basil. 
 
 See, then, that setting them before us in 
 representation, we are making them helpful to 
 the living, exhibiting their holiness to us all 
 as if in a picture. 
 
 Commentary .—Do you understand that both 
 image and sermon teach one lesson? He 
 says : ‘ Let us show them forth in a sermon 
 as if in a picture.’ And again : Writers and 
 painters point out the struggles of war; the first 
 by the art of style, the second with their brush, 
 and each induce many to be brave. That 
 which a spoken account presents to the hear¬ 
 ing, a silent picture portrays for imitation. 
 
 Commentary .—What better proof have we 
 that images are the books of the illiterate, the 
 ever-speaking heralds of honouring the saints, 
 teaching those who gaze upon them without 
 words, and sanctifying the spectacle. I have 
 not many books nor time for study, and I go 
 
40 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 into a church, the common refuge of souls, my 
 mind wearied with conflicting thoughts. I see 
 before me a beautiful picture and the sight 
 refreshes me, and induces me to glorify God. 
 I marvel at the martyr’s endurance, at his 
 reward, and fired with burning zeal, I fall 
 down to adore God through His martyr, and 
 receive a grace of salvation. Have you not 
 heard the same holy father in his homily on 
 the beginning of the Psalms, say that the Holy 
 Spirit, knowing the human race were obstinate 
 and hard to lead, mixed honey with the psalm¬ 
 singing ? What do you say to this ? Shall 
 I not perpetuate the martyr’s testimony both 
 by word and paint brush ? Shall I not em¬ 
 brace with my eyes that which is a wonder 
 to the angels and to the whole world, formid¬ 
 able to the devil, a terror to demons, as the 
 same great Father says? Again, towards the 
 end of his homily on the forty martyrs, he 
 exclaims, Ό sainted band ! O sacred fraternitv ! 
 O invincible army! protectors of the human 
 race, solace of the troubled, hope of your 
 petitioners, most powerful intercessors, light 
 of the world, bloom both intellectual and 
 material of the Churches! The earth has 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 41 
 
 not hidden you from sight, heaven has re¬ 
 ceived you. May its gates be opened to you. 
 The spectacle is worthy of angels and patri¬ 
 archs, prophets, and just.’ 
 
 Commentary. —How shall I not desire to 
 see what the angels desire ? St Basil’s brother, 
 who is one with him in thought, St Gregory 
 of Nyssa, shares his sentiments. 
 
 St Gregory of Nyssa , from the ‘ Structure of 
 
 Man .’ 
 
 Supplementary. —Just as in human fashion 
 the image makers of the powerful grasp the 
 character of the form and set forth the royal 
 dignity with the insignia of the purple, and 
 their handiwork is called image or king, so is 
 it with human nature. As it was created to 
 rule over other creations, it was made as an 
 animated type or image, partaking of the 
 original in dignity and name. 
 
 The same, Fifth Chapter. 
 
 The divine beauty is not set forth either in 
 form or comeliness of design or colouring, but 
 is contemplated in speechless blessedness, 
 according to its virtue. So do painters 
 
42 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 transfer human forms to canvas through 
 certain colours, laying on suitable and har¬ 
 monious tints to the picture, so as to transfer 
 the beauty of the original to the likeness. 
 
 Coimnentary. —You see that the divine 
 beauty is not set forth in form or shape, and on 
 this account it cannot be conveyed by an image 
 (ovk βίκονίξεται) : it is the human form which 
 is transferred to canvas by the artist’s brush. 
 If, therefore, the Son of God became man, 
 taking the form of a servant, and appearing in 
 man’s nature, a perfect man, why should His 
 image not be made? If, in common parlance, 
 the king’s image is called the king, and the 
 honour shown to the image redounds to the 
 original, as holy Basil says, why should the 
 image not be honoured and worshipped, not as 
 God, but as the image of God Incarnate? 
 
 The same, from his Sermon at Constantinople 
 on the Godhead of the Son and of the 
 Spirit , and on Abraham. 
 
 Then the father proceeds to bind his son. 
 I have often seen paintings of this touching 
 scene, and could not look at it with dry eyes, 
 art setting it forth so vividly. Isaac is lying 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 43 
 
 before the altar, his legs bound, his hands tied 
 behind his back. The father approaching the 
 victim, clasping his hair with the left hand, 
 stoops over the face so piteously turned to¬ 
 wards him, and holds in his right hand the 
 sword, ready to strike. Already the point of 
 the sword is on the body when the divine voice 
 is heard, forbidding the consummation. 
 
 Leo * Bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus. From 
 his book against the Jews , on the Adoration 
 of the Cross , and the Statues of the Saints , 
 and on Relics. 
 
 If you, O Jew, reproach me saying that 
 I adore the wood of the Cross as God, why 
 do you not reproach Jacob, who worshipped 
 On the point of his staff (ex \ το άκρον της ράβδον )? 
 Now it is evident that he was not worshipping 
 wood. So with us ; we are worshipping Christ 
 through the Cross, not the wood of the Cross. 
 
 Commentary. —If we adore the Cross, made 
 of whatever wood it may be, how shall we not 
 adore the image of the Crucified ? 
 
 * A short passage from St John Chrysostom, which 
 follows, is omitted on account of Editor’s note : locus 
 hie mihi non occurrit apud Chrysostomum in Epistolam ad 
 Hebrceos. 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 44 
 
 From the same. 
 
 Abraham worshipped the impious men who 
 sold him the cave, and bent his knee to the 
 ground, yet did not worship them as gods. 
 Jacob praised Pharao, an impious idolator, yet 
 not as God, and he fell down at the feet of 
 Esau, yet did not worship him as God. And 
 again, How does God order us to worship 
 the earth and mountains? ‘Exalt the Lord 
 your God and worship Him upon His holy 
 mountain, and adore His footstool,’ that is, 
 the earth. For heaven is My throne, He 
 says, and the earth My footstool. How was 
 it that Moses worshipped Jothor, an idolator, 
 and Daniel, Nabuchodonosor ? How can you 
 reproach me because I honour those who 
 honour God and show Him service? Tell 
 me, is it not fitting to worship the saints, 
 rather than to throw stones at them as you 
 do? Is it not right to worship them, rather 
 than to attack them, and to fling your bene¬ 
 factors into the mire ? If you loved God, 
 you would be ready to honour His servants 
 also. And if the bones of the just are 
 unclean, why were the bones of Jacob and 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 45 
 
 Joseph brought with all honour from Egypt? 
 How was it that a dead man arose again on 
 touching the bones of Eliseus ? If God works 
 wonders through bones, it is evident that He 
 can work them through images, and stones, 
 and many other things, as in the case of 
 Eliseus, who gave his staff to his servant, 
 saying, ‘ With this go and raise from the dead 
 the son of the Sunamitess.’ With his staff 
 Moses chastised Pharao, parted the waters, 
 struck the rock, and drew forth the stream. 
 And Solomon said, ‘ Blessed is the wood by 
 which justice cometh.’ Eliseus took iron out 
 of the Jordan with a piece of wood. And 
 again, the wood is the wood of life, and the 
 wood of Sabec, that is, of remission. Moses 
 humbled the serpent with wood and saved the 
 people. The blossoming rod in the tabernacle 
 confirmed the priesthood of Aaron. Perhaps, 
 O Jew, you will tell me that God prescribed 
 to Moses beforehand all the things of the 
 testimony in the tabernacle. Now, I say to 
 you that Solomon made a great variety of 
 things in the temple in carvings and sculpture, 
 which God had not ordered him to do. Nor 
 did the tabernacle of the testimony contain 
 
46 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 them, nor the temple which God showed to 
 Ezechiel, nor was Solomon to be blamed in 
 this. He had had these sculptured images 
 made for the glory of God as we do. You, 
 too, had many and varied images and signs 
 in the Old Testament to serve as a reminder 
 of God, if you had not lost them through 
 ingratitude. For instance, the rod of Moses, 
 the tablets of the law, the burning bush, the 
 rock giving forth water, the ark containing 
 the manna, the altar set on fire from above 
 (πυρβνθβον), the lamina bearing the divine 
 name, the ephod, the tabernacle overshadowed 
 by God. If you had prepared all these things 
 by day and by night, saying, ‘ Glory be to 
 Thee, O Almighty God, who hast done 
 wonders in Israel through all these things ’; 
 if through all these ordinances of the law*, 
 carried out of old, you had fallen on your 
 knees to adore God, you would see that 
 worship is given to Him by images. 
 
 And further on :— 
 
 He who truly loves a friend or the king, 
 and especially his benefactor, if he sees that 
 benefactor's son, or his staff, or his chair, or 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 47 
 
 his crown, or his house, or his servant, he 
 holds them fast in his embrace, and if he 
 honours his benefactor, the king, how much 
 more God. Again I repeat it, would that 
 you had made images according to the law 
 of Moses and the prophets, and that day by 
 day you had worshipped the God of images. 
 Whenever, then, you see Christians adoring 
 the Cross, know that they are adoring the 
 Crucified Christ, not the mere wood.* If, 
 indeed, they honoured wood as wood, they 
 would be bound to worship trees of whatever 
 kind, as you, O Israel, worshipped them of 
 old, saying to the tree and to the stone, 
 ‘Thou art my God and didst bring me forth.’ 
 We do not speak either to the Cross or to 
 the representations of the saints in this way. 
 They are not our gods, but books which lie 
 open and are venerated in churches in order 
 to remind us of God and to lead us to 
 worship Him. He who honours the martyr 
 * Compare— 
 
 Ce n’est ni la pierre ni le bois 
 Que le catholique adore ; 
 
 Mais c’est le Roi qui.mort en croix 
 De Son Sang la croix honore. 
 
 — Vie de St Francois de Sales, par M. Hamond. 
 
4 8 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 honours God, to whom the martyr bore 
 testimony. He who worships the apostle 
 of Christ worships Him who sent the apostle. 
 He who falls at the feet of Christs mother 
 most certainly shows honour to her Son. 
 There is no God but one, He who is known 
 and adored in the Trinity. 
 
 Commentary. — Who is the faithful inter¬ 
 preter of blessed Epiphanius—Leontius, whose 
 teaching adorned the island of Cyprus, or 
 those who spoke according to their own con¬ 
 ceits ? Listen to the testimony of Severianus, 
 Bishop of the Gabali. 
 
 Severianus , Bishop of the Gabali , on the De¬ 
 dication of the Cross. 
 
 How was it that the image of the enemy 
 gave life to our progenitors ? . . . 
 
 How was it that the image of the serpent 
 worked salvation to the people in distress ? 
 Would it not have been more reasonable to 
 say, ‘ If any of you be bitten, let him look up to 
 heaven, to God, and he shall be saved, or let 
 him look towards the tabernacle of God ’ ? 
 Passing over this, he set up the image of the 
 Cross alone. Why did Moses do this, who 
 
 
Treatise on images 49 
 
 said to the people, ‘ Thou shalt not make to 
 thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any¬ 
 thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth 
 beneath, nor of those things that are in the 
 waters under the earth’? However, why do 
 I speak to unworthy people ? Tell me, devout 
 servant of God, will you do what is forbidden, 
 and disregard what you are told to do? He 
 who said, ‘ Thou shalt not make to thyself a 
 graven thing,’ condemned the golden calf, and 
 you make a brazen serpent, and this not 
 secretly, but most openly, so that it is known to 
 all. Moses answers, I laid down that com¬ 
 mandment in order to root out impiety, and to 
 withdraw the people from all apostasy and 
 idolatry; now, I have the serpent cast for a 
 good purpose—as a figure of the truth. And 
 just as I have put up a tabernacle, and every¬ 
 thing in it, and cherubim, the likeness of the 
 invisible powers, over the holy of holies, as a 
 sign and figure of the future, so I have set 
 up a serpent for the salvation of the people, to 
 serve as a preliminary to the image of the 
 Cross, and the redemption contained in it. As 
 a confirmation of this, listen to the Lord saying, 
 
 ‘ As Moses exalted the serpent in the desert, so 
 
 D 
 
50 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 must you exalt the Son of Man, that every one 
 believing in Him may not be lost, but may 
 have eternal life.’ 
 
 Commentary .—Notice that His command¬ 
 ment not to make any graven thing was given 
 to draw the people from idolatry, to which they 
 were prone, and that the brazen serpent was an 
 image of our Lord’s suffering. 
 
 Listen to what I am going to say as a proof 
 that images are no new invention. It is an 
 ancient practice well known to the best and 
 foremost of the fathers. Elladios, the disciple 
 of blessed Basil and his successor, says in his 
 Life of Basil that the holy man was standing by 
 the image of Our Lady, on which was painted 
 also the likeness of Mercurius, the renowned 
 martyr. He was standing by it asking for the 
 removal of the impious apostate Julian, and he 
 received this revelation from the statue. He 
 saw the martyr vanish for a time, and then 
 reappear, holding a bloody spear. 
 
 Taken word for word from the Life of St John 
 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 Blessed John loved the epistles of St Paul 
 exceedingly. ... He had an image of the 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 51 
 
 apostle in a place where he was wont to retire 
 now and then on account of his physical weak¬ 
 ness, for he outdid nature in watchings and 
 vigils. As he read through St Paul’s epistles, 
 he had the image before him, and spoke to the 
 apostle as if he had been present, praising him, 
 and directing all his thoughts to him. . . . 
 
 When Proclus had finished speaking, gazing 
 intently at the image of the apostle, and re¬ 
 cognising the likeness to the man he had seen, 
 saluting John, he said, pointing to the image: 
 ‘ Forgive me, father ; the man I saw talking to 
 you is very like this statue. In fact, I should 
 say he is the same.’ 
 
 In the life of St Eupraxia we are told that her 
 Superior showed her the likeness of our Lord. 
 
 We read in the life of St Mary of Egypt 
 that she prayed before the statue of Our Lady 
 and besought her intercession, and so obtained 
 leave to enter the Church.* 
 
 In all the past array of Christian priests and 
 kings, w r ise and pious, conspicuous by teaching 
 and example, in so many councils of holy and 
 inspired fathers, how is it that no one has 
 
 * A testimony quoted from Sophronius is here sup¬ 
 pressed. 
 
52 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 pointed out these things? We are not advo¬ 
 cating a new faith. The law shall come out of 
 Sion, the Holy Ghost said prophetically, and 
 the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. We do 
 not advocate one thing at one time, and another 
 at another, nor that the faith should become a 
 laughing-stock to those outside. We will not 
 allow the king’s commands to overturn the 
 tradition handed down from the fathers. It is 
 not for pious kings to overturn ecclesiastical 
 boundaries. These are not patristic ways. 
 Things done by force are impositions, and do 
 not carry persuasion. A proof of this was given 
 in the 2nd Council of Ephesus, when a decree, 
 which has never been recognised as valid, was 
 enforced by the emperors hand, and blessed 
 Flavian was put to death. Councils do not 
 belong to kings, as the Lord says : ‘ Wherever 
 one or two are gathered together in My name, 
 there I am in the midst of them.’ Christ did 
 not give to kings the power to bind and to 
 loose, but to the apostles, and to their suc¬ 
 cessors and pastors and teachers. ‘ If an angel 
 were to teach you a different gospel to what 
 you have received,’ St Paul says—but we will 
 be silent about what follows, in the hope of 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 53 
 
 their conversion. And if we find the warning 
 disregarded, which may God avert, we will 
 then add the rest. Let us hope it will not be 
 needed. 
 
 If any one should enter a house and should 
 see on the walls a history in painting of Moses 
 and Aaron, perchance he might ask about the 
 people who are walking across the sea as if 
 it were dry land. ‘ Who are they ? ’ he asks. 
 What would you say ? ‘ Are they not the sons 
 
 of Israel ? ’ ‘ Who is dividing the sea with his 
 
 rod ? ’ Would you not say ‘ Moses ’ ? So if a 
 man makes an image of Christ crucified, and 
 you are asked who he is, you reply, ‘It is 
 Christ our Lord, who became incarnate for us.’ 
 Yes, O Lord, we adore all that belongs to 
 Thee, and we take to our hearts Thy Godhead, 
 Thy power and goodness, Thy mercy towards 
 us, Thy condescension and Thy Incarnation. 
 And as men fear touching red-hot iron, not 
 because of the iron but because of the heat, 
 so do we worship Thy flesh, not for the nature 
 of flesh, but through the Godhead united to 
 that flesh according to substance. We worship 
 Thy sufferings. Who has ever known death 
 worshipped, or suffering venerated? Yet we 
 
54 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 truly worship the physical death of our God 
 and His saving sufferings. We adore Thy 
 image and all that is Thine; Thy servants, 
 Thy friends, and most of all Thy Mother, the 
 Mother of God. 
 
 We beseech, therefore, the people of God, 
 the faithful flock, to hold fast to the ecclesi¬ 
 astical traditions. The gradual taking away 
 of what has been handed down to us would 
 be undermining the foundation stones, and 
 would in no short time overthrow the whole 
 structure. May we prove steadfast, unflinch¬ 
 ing, immovable, founded on the solid Rock 
 which is Christ, to whom be praise, glory, and 
 worship, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
 now and for ever. Amen. 
 
PART II. 
 
 I crave your indulgence, my readers (Secnrorai 
 μου), and ask you to receive the true statement 
 of one who is an unprofitable servant, the least 
 of all, in the Church of God. I have not been 
 moved to speak by motives of vainglory, God 
 is my witness, but by zeal for the truth. In 
 this alone is my hope of salvation, and with it 
 I trust and pray to go out to meet Christ our 
 Lord, asking that it may be an expiation for 
 my sins. The man who received five talents 
 from his lord, brought other five which he had 
 gained, and the man with two, other two. 
 The man who received one, and buried it, 
 gave it back without interest, and being pro¬ 
 nounced a wicked servant, was banished into 
 external darkness. Lest I should suffer in the 
 same way, I obey God’s commands, and with 
 the talent of eloquence, which is His gift, I put 
 before the wise among you a treasure table, so 
 
56 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 that when the Lord comes He may find me 
 rich in souls, a faithful servant, whom He may 
 take into that ineffable joy of His, which is my 
 desire. Give me listening ears and willing 
 hearts. Receive my treatise, and ponder well 
 the force of the arguments. This is the second 
 part of my work on images. Certain children 
 of the Church have urged me to do it because 
 the first part was not sufficiently clear to all. 
 Be indulgent with me on this account, for my 
 obedience. 
 
 The wicked serpent of old, Beloved, I mean 
 the devil—is wont to wage war in many ways 
 against man, who is made after God’s image, 
 and to work his destruction through opposition. 
 In the very beginning he inspired man with the 
 hope and desire of becoming a god, and through 
 that desire he dragged man down to share the 
 death of the brute creation. He has enticed 
 man also by shameful and brutal pleasures. 
 What a contrast between becoming a god and 
 feeling brutal lust. And again, he led man 
 into infidelity, as the royal (θεοπατωρ) David 
 says : ‘ The fool said in his heart there is no 
 Cod.’ At one time he has brought man to 
 worship too many gods, at another not even 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 57 
 
 the true God, sometimes demons, and again, 
 the heavens and the earth, the sun and moon 
 and stars, and the rest of creation, wild beasts 
 and reptiles. It is as bad to refuse due honour 
 where honour is due, as to give it where it is 
 not due. Again, he has taught some to call 
 the uncreated god evil, and has deceived others 
 by making them recognise God, who is good 
 by nature, as the author of evil. Some he has 
 deceived by the misconception of one nature 
 and one substance of the Godhead ; some he 
 has induced to honour three natures and three 
 substances ; some one substance in our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy 
 Trinity ; some two natures and two substances. 
 
 But the truth, taking a middle course, 
 sweeps away these misconceptions and teaches 
 us to acknowledge one God, one nature in 
 three persons ( υποστάσβσι ), the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost. Evil is not a 
 being, # but an accident, a certain conception, 
 word, or deed against the law of God, taking 
 
 See St Augustine, de Civitate Dei: Nemo igitur 
 quaerat efficientem causam malae voluntatis ; non enim 
 est efficiens, sed deficiens, quia nec ilia effectio sed de- 
 fectio (xii. c. vii). 
 
58 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 its origin in this conception, speech, or doing, 
 and ending with it. The truth proclaims 
 also that in Christ, the second person of the 
 Holy Trinity, there are two natures and one 
 person. Now, the devil, the enemy of the 
 truth and of man’s salvation, in suggesting 
 that images of corruptible man, and of birds 
 and beasts and reptiles, should be made and 
 worshipped as gods, has often led astray not 
 only heathens but the children of Israel. In 
 these days he is eager to trouble the peace 
 of Christ’s Church through false and lying 
 tongues, using divine words in favour of what 
 is evil, and striving to disguise his wicked 
 intent, and drawing the unstable away from 
 true and patristic custom. Some have risen 
 up and said that it was wrong to represent 
 and set forth publicly for adoration the saving 
 wounds of Christ, and the combats of the 
 saints against the devil. Who with a know¬ 
 ledge of divine things and a spiritual sense 
 does not perceive in this a deception of the 
 devil ? He is unwilling that his shame 
 should be known and that the glory of God 
 and of His saints should be published. 
 
 If we made an image of the invisible God, 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 59 
 
 we should in truth do wrong. For it is 
 impossible to make a statue of one who is 
 without body, invisible, boundless, and form¬ 
 less. Again, if we made statues of men, and 
 held them to be gods, worshipping them as 
 such, we should be most impious. But we 
 do neither. For in making the image of God, 
 who became incarnate and visible on earth, 
 a man amongst men through His unspeakable 
 goodness, taking upon Him shape and form 
 and flesh, we are not misled. We long to see 
 what He was like. As the divine apostle 
 says, We see now in a glass, darkly. The 
 image, too, is a dark glass, according to the 
 denseness of our bodies. The mind, in much 
 travail, cannot rid itself of bodily things. 
 Shame upon you, wicked devil, for grudging 
 us the sight of our Lord’s likeness and our 
 sanctification through it. You would not have 
 us gaze at His saving sufferings nor wonder 
 at His condescension, neither contemplate His 
 miracles nor praise His almighty power. You 
 grudge the saints the honour God gives to 
 them. You would not have us see their glory 
 put on record, nor allow us to become imitators 
 of their fortitude and faith. We will not 
 
6o 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 obey your suggestions, wicked and man-hating 
 devil. Listen to me, people of all nations, 
 men, women, and children, all of you who bear 
 the Christian name : If any one preach to 
 you something contrary to what the Catholic 
 Church has received from the holy apostles 
 and fathers and councils, and has kept down 
 to the present day, do not heed him. Do not 
 receive the serpent’s counsel, as Eve did, to 
 whom it was death. If an angel or an 
 emperor teaches you anything contrary to 
 what you have received, shut your ears. I 
 have refrained so far from saying, as the holy 
 apostle said, ‘ Let him be anathema,’ in the 
 hope of amendment. 
 
 But say those who do not enter into the 
 mind of Scripture, God said, through Moses 
 the law-giver : ‘ Thou shalt not make to 
 thyself the likeness of any thing that is in 
 heaven above, or in the earth beneath ’; and 
 through the prophet David : ‘ Let them be all 
 confounded that adore graven things, and 
 that glory in their idols,’ and many similar 
 passages. Whatever they have quoted from 
 Holy Scripture and the fathers is to the same 
 intent. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 6 1 
 
 Now, what shall we say to these things ? 
 What, if not that which God spoke to the 
 Jews, ‘ Search the Scriptures.’ 
 
 It is good to examine the Scriptures, but 
 let your mind be enlightened from the search. 
 It is impossible, Beloved, that God should not 
 speak truth. There is one God, one Law¬ 
 giver of the old and new dispensation, who 
 spoke of old in many ways to the patriarchs 
 through the prophets, and in these latter times 
 through His only begotten Son. Apply your 
 mind with discernment. It is not I who am 
 speaking. The Holy Ghost declared by the 
 holy apostle St Paul that God spoke of old 
 in many different ways to the patriarchs 
 through the prophets. Note, in many different 
 ways. A skilful doctor does not invariably 
 prescribe for all alike, but for each according 
 to his state, taking into consideration climate 
 and complaint, season and age, giving one 
 remedy to a child, another to a grown man, 
 according to his age; one thing to a weak 
 patient, another to a strong; and to each 
 sufferer the right thing for his state and 
 malady : one thing in the summer, another in 
 the winter, another in the spring or autumn, 
 
62 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 and in each place according to its requirements. 
 So in the same way the good Physician of 
 souls prescribed for those who were still 
 children and inclined to the sickness of idolatry, 
 holding idols to be gods, and worshipping 
 them as such, neglecting the worship of God, 
 and preferring the creature to His glory. 
 He charged them not to do this. 
 
 it is impossible to make an image of God, 
 who is a pure spirit, invisible, boundless, having 
 neither form nor circumscription. How can 
 we make an image of what is invisible? ‘ No 
 man hath seen God at any time; the only- 
 begotten Son who is in the bosom of the 
 Father, He hath declared Him.’ And again, 
 
 ‘ No one shall see My face and live, saith the 
 Lord.’ 
 
 That they did worship idols there is no 
 doubt from what the Scripture says about the 
 going out of the children of Israel, when Moses 
 went up to Mount Sinai, and persevered in 
 prayer to God. Whilst receiving the law, the 
 ungrateful people rose against Aaron, the 
 priest of God, saying: ‘ Make us gods who 
 may go before us. For as to Moses, we know T 
 not what has befallen him.' Then, when they 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 6 3 
 
 had looked over the trinkets of their wives, and 
 brought them together, they ate and drank, 
 and were inebriated with wine and madness, 
 and began to make merry, saying in their 
 foolishness, ‘These are thy gods, O Israel’ 
 Do you see that they made gods of idols who 
 were demons, and that they worshipped the 
 creature instead of the Creator ? As the holy 
 apostle says : ‘ They changed the glory of the 
 incorruptible God into the likeness of the 
 image of a corruptible man and of birds, and 
 of four-footed beasts, and of creeping things, 
 and served the creature rather than the 
 Creator.’ On this account God forbade them to 
 make any graven image, as Moses says in 
 Deuteronomy : ‘ And the Lord spoke to you 
 from the midst of the fire ; you heard the voice 
 of His words, but you saw not any form at 
 all.’ And a little further on : ‘ Keep therefore 
 your souls carefully ; you saw not any simili¬ 
 tude in the day that the Lord God spoke to 
 you in Horeb, from the midst of the fire, lest 
 perhaps being deceived you might make you 
 a graven similitude or image of male or female, 
 the similitude of any beasts that are upon the 
 earth, or of birds that fly under heaven.’ And 
 
64 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 again : ‘ Lest perhaps lifting up thy eyes to 
 heaven, thou see the sun and the moon, and 
 all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by 
 error, thou adore and serve them.’ You see 
 the one object in view is that the creature 
 should not be worshipped instead of the 
 Creator, and that the worship of latreia should 
 be given to God alone. Thus in every case 
 when he speaks of worship he means latreia. 
 Again : ‘ Thou shalt not have strange gods in 
 my sight; thou shalt not make to thyself a 
 graven thing nor any likeness.’ Again : ‘ Thou 
 shalt not make to thyself gods of metal.’ 
 You see that He forbids image-making on 
 account of idolatry, and that it is impossible 
 to make an image of God, who is a Spirit, 
 invisible, and uncircumscribed. ‘You have 
 not seen His likeness,’ He says ; and St Paul, 
 standing in the midst of the Areopagus, says: 
 ‘ Being therefore the offspring of God, we must 
 not suppose the divinity to be like unto gold, 
 or silver, or stone, the graving of art, a device 
 of man.’ 
 
 Listen again that it is so. Thou shalt not 
 make to thyself any brazen thing nor any 
 likeness. These things, he says, they made 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 65 
 
 by God’s commandment a hanging of violet, 
 purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen in the 
 entrance of the tabernacle, and the cherubim 
 in woven work. And they made also the 
 propitiatory, that is, the oracle of the purest 
 gold, and the two cherubim. What will you 
 say to this, O Moses? You say, thou shalt 
 not make to thyself any graven thing nor any 
 likeness, and you yourself fashion cherubim of 
 woven work, and two cherubim of pure gold. 
 Listen to the answer of Gods servant Moses : 
 ‘You blind and foolish people, mark the force 
 of what is said, and keep your souls carefully. 
 I said that you had seen no likeness on the 
 day when the Lord spoke to you on Mount 
 Horeb, in the midst of the fire, lest you should 
 sin against the law and make for yourselves a 
 brazen likeness: thou shalt not make any 
 image or gods of metal. I never said thou 
 shalt not make the image of cherubim in 
 adoration before the propitiatory. What I 
 said was: Thou shalt not make to thyself 
 gods of metal, and thou shalt not make any 
 likeness as of God, nor shalt thou adore 
 the creature instead of the Creator, nor 
 any creature whatsoever as God, nor have 
 
 E 
 
66 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 I served the creature rather than the Crea¬ 
 tor.’ 
 
 Note how the object of Scripture becomes 
 clear to those who really search it. You must 
 know, Beloved, that in every business truth and 
 falsehood are distinguished, and the object of 
 the doer, whether it be good or bad. In the 
 gospel we find all things good and evil. God, 
 the angels, man, the heavens, the earth, water 
 and fire and air, the sun and moon and stars, 
 light and darkness, Satan and the devils, the 
 serpent and scorpions, death and hell, virtues 
 and vices. And because everything told about 
 them is true, and the object in view is the glory 
 of God and the saints whom He has honoured, 
 our salvation, and the shame of the devil, we 
 worship and embrace and love these utterances, 
 and receive them with our whole heart as we 
 do the whole of the old and new dispensation, 
 and all the spoken testimony of the holy 
 fathers. Now, we reject the evil, abominable 
 writings of heathens and Manicheans, and all 
 other heretics, as containing foolishness and 
 lies, promoting the advantage of Satan and his 
 demons, and giving them pleasure, although 
 they contain the name of God. So with regard 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 6 7 
 
 to images we must manifest the truth, and take 
 into account the intention of those who make 
 them. If it be in very deed for the glory of 
 God and of His saints to promote goodness, 
 to avoid evil, and save souls, we should receive 
 and honour and worship them as images, and 
 remembrances, likenesses, and the books of the 
 illiterate. We should love and embrace them 
 with hand and heart as reminders of the 
 incarnate God, or His Mother, or of the saints, 
 the participators in the sufferings and the glory 
 of Christ, the conquerors and overthrowers of 
 Satan, and diabolical fraud. If any one should 
 dare to make an image of Almighty God, who 
 is pure Spirit, invisible, uncircumscribed, we 
 reject it as a falsehood. If any one make 
 images for the honour and worship of the 
 Devil and his angels, we abhor them and 
 deliver them to the flames. Or if any one give 
 divine honours to the statues of men, or birds, 
 or reptiles, or any other created thing, we 
 anathematise him. As our forefathers in the 
 faith pulled down the temples of demons, and 
 erected on the same spot churches dedicated 
 to saints whom we honour, so they overturned 
 the statues of demons, and set up instead the 
 
68 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 images of Christ, of His holy Mother, and the 
 saints. Even in the old dispensation, Israel 
 neither raised temples to human beings, nor 
 held sacred the memory of man. At that time 
 Adam’s race was under a curse, and death was 
 a penalty, therefore a mourning. A corpse 
 was looked upon as unclean, and the man who 
 touched it as contaminated. But since the 
 Godhead has taken to Himself our nature, it 
 has become glorified as a vivifying and effica¬ 
 cious remedy, and has been transformed unto 
 immortality. Thus the death of the saints is a 
 rejoicing, and churches are raised to them, and 
 their images are set up. Be assured that any 
 one wishing to pull down an image erected out 
 of pure zeal for the glory and enduring memory 
 of Christ, or of His holy Mother, or any of the 
 saints, to put the devil and his satellites to 
 shame,—anyone, I say, refusing to honour and 
 worship this image as sacred—it is not to be 
 worshipped as God—is an enemy of Christ, of 
 His blessed Mother, and of the saints, and is an 
 advocate of the devil and his crew, showing 
 grief by his conduct that the saints are honoured 
 and glorified, and the devil put to shame. The 
 image is a hymn of praise, a manifestation, a 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 69 
 
 lasting token of those who have fought and con¬ 
 quered, and of demons humbled and put to flight. 
 
 Kings have no call to make laws in the 
 Church. What does the holy apostle say ? 
 ‘ And God, indeed, hath set some in the church, 
 first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly doctors 
 and shepherds ’ for the training of the Church. 
 He does not say ‘kings.’ And again : ‘ Obey 
 your prelates, and be subject to them. For 
 they watch as being to render an account of 
 your souls.’ Again: ‘ Remember your prelates 
 who have spoken the word of God to you, 
 whose faith follow, considering the end of your 
 conversation.’ Kings have not spoken the 
 word to you, but apostles and prophets, 
 pastors and doctors. When God was speaking 
 to David about building a house for Him, He 
 said : ‘ Thou shalt not build me a house, for 
 thou art a man of blood.’ ‘ Render, therefore, 
 to all men their dues,’ St Paul exclaimed; 
 
 ‘ tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to 
 whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to 
 whom honour.’ The political prosperity is the 
 king’s business : * the ecclesiastical organisation 
 
 * βασιλέων έστίν η πολίτικη εύπραξία ; η oe έκκλησιαστικη κατάστασή, 
 ποιμένων καί διδασκάλων, ληστρική έφοδος έστιν αΰτη. 
 
7 ο 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 belongs to pastors and doctors, and to take it 
 out of their hands is to commit an act of 
 robbery. Saul rent Samuel’s cloak, and what 
 was the consequence ? God took from him his 
 royalty, and gave it to the meek David. 
 Jezabel pursued Elias, pigs and dogs licked up 
 her blood, and harlots were bathed in it. 
 Herod removed John, and was consumed by 
 worms. And now holy Germanus, shining by 
 word and example, has been punished and 
 become an exile, and many more bishops and 
 fathers, whose names are unknown to us. Is 
 not this a persecution ? When the Pharisees 
 and the learned surrounded our Lord, ostensibly 
 to listen to His teaching, and when they asked 
 Him if it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar, 
 He answered them : ‘ Bring me a coin.’ And 
 when they had brought it, He said : ‘ Whose 
 image is this?’ Upon their reply, ‘Caesar’s,’ 
 He said, ‘Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s 
 and to God that which is God’s.' We are 
 obedient to you, O King, in things concerning 
 our daily life, in tributes, taxes, and payments, 
 which are your due; but in ecclesiastical 
 government we have our pastors, preachers of 
 the word, and exponents of ecclesiastical law. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 7 I 
 
 We do not change the boundaries marked out 
 by our fathers : we keep the tradition we have 
 received. If we begin to lay down the law to 
 the Church, even in the smallest thing, the 
 whole edifice will fall to the ground in no 
 short time. 
 
 You look down upon matter and call it con¬ 
 temptible. This is what the Manicheans did, 
 but holy Scripture pronounces it to be good ; 
 for it says, ‘ And God saw all that He had 
 made, and it was very good.’ I say matter is 
 God’s creation and a good thing. Now, if you 
 say it is bad, you say either that it is not from 
 God, or you make Him a cause of evil. Listen 
 to the words of Scripture concerning matter, 
 which you despise : ‘ And Moses said to all the 
 assembly of the children of Israel : This is 
 the word the Lord hath commanded, saying : 
 Set aside with you first fruits to the Lord ; 
 let every one that is willing and hath a ready 
 heart, offer them to the Lord : gold, and silver, 
 and brass, violet and purple, and scarlet twice 
 dyed, and fine linen, goat’s hair, and ram’s 
 skins dyed red, and violet, and coloured skins, 
 selimwood, and oil to maintain lights, and to 
 make ointment, and most sweet incense, onyx 
 
72 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 stones and precious stones for the adorning of 
 the ephod and the rational: Whosoever of you is 
 wise let him come and make that which the Lord 
 hath commanded : to wit, the tabernacle,’ etc. 
 
 Behold, then, matter is honoured, and you 
 dishonour it. What is more insignificant than 
 goat’s hair, or colours, and are not violet and 
 purple and scarlet colours ? And the likeness 
 of the cherubim are the work of man’s hand, 
 and the tabernacle itself from first to last was 
 an image. ‘ Look,’ said God to Moses, ‘ and 
 make it according to the pattern that was 
 shown thee in the Mount,’ and it was adored by 
 the people of Israel in a circle. And, as to the 
 cherubim, were they not in sight of the people ? 
 And did not the people look at the ark, and 
 the lamps, and the table, the golden urn and 
 the staff, and adore ? It is not matter which I 
 adore ; it is the Lord of matter, becoming 
 matter for my sake, taking up His abode in 
 matter and working out my salvation through 
 matter. For the Word was made Flesh, and 
 dwelt amongst us. It is evident to all that 
 flesh is matter, and that it is created. I 
 reverence and honour matter, and worship that 
 which has brought about my salvation. I 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 73 
 
 honour it, not as God, but as a channel of 
 divine strength and grace. Was not the thrice 
 blessed wood of the Cross matter ? and the 
 sacred and holy mountain of Calvary ? Was 
 not the holy sepulchre matter, the life-giving 
 stone the source of our resurrection ? Was not 
 the book of the Gospels matter, and the holy table 
 which gives us the bread of life ? Are not gold 
 and silver matter, of which crosses, and holy 
 pictures, and chalices are made ? And above 
 all, is not the Lord’s Body and Blood composed 
 of matter ? Either reject the honour and 
 worship of all these things, or conform to 
 ecclesiastical tradition, sanctifying the worship 
 of images in the name of God and of God’s 
 friends, and so obeying the grace of the Divine 
 Spirit. If you give up images on account of 
 the law, you should also keep the Sabbath and 
 be circumcised, for these are severely inculcated 
 by it. You should observe all the law, and not 
 celebrate the Lord’s Passover out of Jerusalem. 
 But you must know that if you observe the 
 law, Christ will profit you nothing. You are 
 ordered to marry your brother’s wife, and so 
 carry on his name, and not to sing the song of 
 the Lord in a strange land. Enough of this ! 
 
74 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 Those who have been justified by the law have 
 fallen from grace. 
 
 Let us set forth Christ, our King and Lord, 
 not depriving Him of His army. The saints 
 are His army. Let the earthly king strip 
 himself of his army, and then of his own 
 dignity. Let him put off the purple and the 
 diadem before he take honour away from his 
 most valiant men who have conquered their 
 passions. # For if the friends of Christ are 
 heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ, and are to 
 be partakers of the divine glory and kingdom, 
 is not even earthly glory due to them ? I call 
 you not servants, our Lord says ; you are my 
 friends. Shall we, then, withhold from them 
 the honour which the Church gives them ? 
 You are a bold and venturesome man to fight 
 against God and His ordinances. If you do 
 not worship images, you do not worship the 
 Son of God, who is the living image of the 
 invisible God, and the immutable figure of His 
 substance. The temple which Solomon built 
 was consecrated by the blood of animals, and 
 
 * "γυμνώσατω (αυτόν του οικείου στρατεύματος ό επίγειος βασιλεύς, καί 
 τότε τόν έαυτου βασιλέα καί κύριον. ’ Αττοθέσθω την αλουρ"γίδα καί το 
 διάδημά καί τότε των κατά του τυράννου άριστευσάντων, καί βασΐλέυσαντων 
 των παθών σέβας περιαιρείτω. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 75 
 
 decorated by images of lions, oxen, and the 
 palms and pomegranates. Now, the Church 
 is consecrated by the blood of Christ and of 
 His saints, and it is adorned with the image of 
 Christ and of His saints. Either take away 
 the worship of images altogether, or be not an 
 innovator, and pass not beyond the ancient 
 boundaries which thy fathers have set. I am 
 not speaking of boundaries prior to the incar¬ 
 nation of Christ our Lord, but since His 
 coming. God spoke to them, depreciating the 
 traditions of the old law, saying, ‘ I also gave 
 them statutes that were not good,’ on account 
 of their hardness of heart. Consequently on 
 the change of priesthood the law of necessity 
 was also changed. 
 
 The eye-witnesses and ministers of the word 
 handed down the teaching of the Church, not 
 only by writing, but also by unwritten tradition. 
 Whence comes our knowledge of the sacred 
 spot, Mount Calvary, of the holy sepulchre ? 
 Has it not been handed down to us from father 
 to son? It is written that our Lord was cruci¬ 
 fied on Calvary, and buried in the tomb which 
 Joseph hewed out of the rock, but it is un¬ 
 written tradition that teaches us we are adoring 
 
76 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 the right places, and many other things of the 
 same kind. Why do we believe in three 
 baptisms, that is, in three immersions ? Why 
 do we adore the Cross ? Is it not through 
 tradition ? Therefore the holy apostle says : 
 ‘ Brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions 
 which you have learned, whether by word, or 
 by our epistle.’ Many things, therefore, being 
 handed down to the Church by unwritten 
 tradition and kept up to the present day, why 
 do you speak slightingly of images ? The 
 Manicheans followed a gospel according to 
 Thomas, and you will follow that of Leo. I 
 do not admit an emperor’s tyrannical action 
 in domineering over the Church. The emperor 
 has not received the power to bind and loose. 
 I know of the Emperor Valens, a Christian in 
 name, who persecuted the true faith, Zeno 
 and Anastasius, Heraclius and Constantine of 
 Sicily, and Bardaniskus, called Philip (φιλιππι 
 κον). I am not to be persuaded that the 
 Church is set in order by imperial edicts, but 
 by patristic traditions, written and unwritten. 
 As the written Gospel has been preached in 
 the whole world, so has it been an unwritten 
 tradition in the whole world to represent in 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 77 
 
 image Christ, the incarnate God, and the saints, 
 to adore the Cross, and to pray towards the east. 
 
 The customs which you bring forward do 
 not incriminate our worship of images, but that 
 of the heathens who make idols of them. The 
 pious practice of the Church is not to be re¬ 
 jected because of heathen abuse. Sorcerers 
 and magicians exorcise ; the Church exorcises 
 catechumens. The former invoke demons, 
 the Church calls upon God against demons. 
 Heathens sacrificed to demons ; Israel offered 
 to God both holocausts and victims. The 
 Church, too, offers an unbloody sacrifice to 
 God. Heathens set up images to demons, 
 and Israel made idols of them in the words, 
 ‘ These are thy gods, O Israel, who brought 
 thee out of Egypt.’ Now we have set up 
 images to the true God incarnate, to His 
 servants and friends, who have put the demon 
 host to flight. If you say to this that blessed 
 Epiphanius clearly rejected our use of images, 
 you must know that the work in question is 
 spurious and written by some one else in the 
 name of Epiphanius, as often happens. A 
 father does not fight his own children. All 
 have become participators in the one Spirit. 
 
78 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 The Church is a witness of this in adorning 
 images, until some men rose up against her 
 and disturbed the peace of Christs fold, putting 
 poisoned food before the people of God. 
 
 If I venerate and worship, as the instru¬ 
 ments of salvation, the Cross and lance, and 
 reed and sponge, by means of which the Jews 
 (i θβοκτονοι ) scorned and put to death my Lord, 
 shall I not also worship images that Christians 
 make with a good intention for the glory and 
 remembrance of Christ ? If I worship the 
 image of the Cross, made of whatever wood 
 it may be, shall I not worship the image which 
 shows me the Crucified and my salvation 
 through the Cross ? Oh, inhumanity of man ! 
 It is evident that I do not worship matter, for 
 supposing the Cross, if it be made of wood, 
 should fall to pieces, I should throw them into 
 the fire, and the same with images. 
 
 Receive the united testimony of Scripture 
 and the fathers to show you that images and 
 their worship are no new invention, but the 
 ancient tradition of the Church. In the holy 
 Gospel of St Matthew our Lord called His 
 disciples blessed, and with them all those who 
 followed their example and walked in their foot- 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 79 
 
 steps in these words : ‘ Blessed are your eyes, 
 because they see, and your ears, because they 
 hear. For, amen I say to you, many prophets 
 and just men have desired to see the things 
 that you see, and have not seen them, and to 
 hear the things that you hear, and have not 
 heard them.’ We also desire to see as much 
 as we may. ‘ We see now in a glass, darkly,’ 
 and in image, and are blessed. God Himself 
 first made an image, and showed forth images. 
 For He made the first man after His own 
 image. And Abraham, Moses, and Isaias, and 
 all the prophets saw images of God, not the 
 substance of God. The burning bush was an 
 image of God’s Mother, and as Moses was 
 about to approach it, God said : ‘ Put off the 
 shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou 
 standest is holy ground.’ Now if the spot on 
 which Moses saw an image of Our Lady was 
 holy, how much more the image itself? And 
 not only is it holy, but I venture to say it is 
 the holy of holies ( άγιων άγια). When the 
 Pharisees asked our Lord why Moses had 
 allowed a bill of divorce, He answered : ‘ On 
 account of the hardness of your hearts Moses 
 allowed you to divorce your wife, but in the 
 
8o 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 beginning it was not so/ And I say to you 
 that Moses, through the children of Israel's 
 hardness of heart, and knowing their proclivity 
 to idolatry, forbade them to make images. We 
 are not in the same case. We have taken a 
 firm footing on the rock of faith, being en¬ 
 riched with the light of Gods friendship. 
 
 Listen to our Lord’s words: ‘Ye foolish and 
 blind, whosoever shall swear by the temple, 
 sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth in 
 it; and he that sweareth by heaven sweareth 
 by the throne of God, and by Him that sitteth 
 thereon/ And he who swears by an image 
 swears by the one whom it represents. It has 
 been sufficiently proved that the tabernacle, 
 and the veil, the ark and the table, and every¬ 
 thing within the tabernacle, were images and 
 types, and the works of man’s hand, which 
 were worshipped by all Israel, and also that 
 the cherubim in carving were made by God’s 
 order. For God said to Moses, ‘ See that 
 thou doest all things according to the pattern 
 shown to thee on the mount.’ Listen, too, to 
 the apostle’s testimony that Israel worshipped 
 images and the handiwork of man in obedi¬ 
 ence to God : ‘If, then, he were on earth he 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 81 
 
 would not be a priest; seeing that there would 
 be others to offer gifts according to the law, 
 who serve unto the example and shadow of 
 heavenly things, as it was answered to Moses, 
 when he was to finish the tabernacle: See 
 (says he) that thou make all things according 
 to the pattern which was shown thee on the 
 mount. But now he hath obtained a better 
 ministry, by how much also he is a mediator 
 of a better testament, which is established on 
 better promises. For if that former had been 
 faultless, there should not indeed a place 
 have been sought for a second. For finding 
 fault with them, he saith : ‘ Behold the day 
 shall come, saith the Lord : and I will per¬ 
 fect unto the house of Israel, and unto the 
 house of Juda, a New Testament: not accord¬ 
 ing to the Testament which I made to their 
 fathers, on the day when I took them by the 
 hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt.’ 
 And a little further on: ‘ Now in saying a New, 
 he hath made the former Old. And that 
 which decayeth and groweth old, is near its 
 end. For there was a tabernacle made the 
 first, wherein were the candlesticks, and the 
 
 table, and the setting forth of loaves, which 
 
 F 
 
82 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 is called the Holy. And after the second veil, 
 the tabernacle, which is called the Holy of 
 Holies ; having a golden censer, and the ark 
 of the testament covered about on every part 
 with gold, in which was a golden pot that had 
 manna, and the rod of Aaron that had blos¬ 
 somed, and the tables of the testament. And 
 over it were the cherubims of glory over¬ 
 shadowing the propitiatory.’ And again : ‘For 
 Jesus is not entered into the Holies made 
 with hands, the patterns of the true ; but into 
 heaven itself.’ And again : c For the law having 
 a shadow of the good things to come, not the 
 very image of the things.’ 
 
 You see that the law and everything it or¬ 
 dained and all our own worship consist in the 
 consecration of what is made by hands, leading 
 us through matter to the invisible God. Now 
 the law and all its ordinances were a fore¬ 
 shadowing of the image in the future, that is, 
 of our worship. And our worship is an image 
 of the eternal reward. As to the thing itself, 
 the heavenly Jerusalem, it is invisible and 
 immaterial, as the same divine apostle says : 
 ‘We have not here an abiding city, but we 
 seek for the one above, the heavenly Jeru- 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 83 
 
 salem, of which God is Lord and Architect.’ 
 All ordinances of the law and of our worship 
 have been directed for that heavenly city. To 
 God be praise for ever. Amen. 
 
 Testimony of Ancient and Learned 
 Fathers to Images.* 
 
 St John Chrysostom. From His ‘ Commentary 
 on the Parable of the Sower.' 
 
 If you despise the royal garment, do you 
 not despise the king himself? Do you not 
 see that if you despise the image of the king, 
 you despise the original ? Do you not know 
 that if a man shows contempt for an image 
 of wood or a statue of metal, he is not judged 
 as if he had vented himself on lifeless matter, 
 but as showing contempt for the king ? 
 Dishonour shown to an image of the king is 
 dishonour shown to the king. 
 
 The same , from his Sermon to St Meletius , 
 Bishop of Antioch , and on the zeal of 
 his hearers , beginnings ‘ Casting his eyes 
 everywhere on this holy flock.' 
 
 What took place was most edifying, and 
 
 * The first quotations are only repetitions, and are 
 consequently omitted. 
 
8 4 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 we ought always to bear this consolation in 
 mind, and to have this saint before our eyes, 
 whose name was invoked against every bad 
 passion and specious argument. This was 
 so much the case that streets, market-place, 
 fields, every nook and corner rang with his 
 name. Not only have you longed to invoke 
 him, but to look upon his bodily form. As 
 with his name so with his image. Many 
 people have put it on their rings and goblets 
 and cups and on their bedroom walls, so as 
 not only to hear his history but to look upon 
 his physical likeness, and to have a double 
 consolation in his loss.* 
 
 vS t Maximus , Philosopher and Confessor. From 
 his ‘Acts ’ and those of Bishop Theodosius. 
 
 And after this all rose with tears of devotion, 
 and kneeling down, prayed. And every one 
 kissed the holy Gospels, and the sacred Cross, 
 and the image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ, and of Our Lady, His Immaculate 
 Mother (παναγίας Θεοτόκον ), putting their hands 
 to it in confirmation of what had been said. 
 
 Two slight omissions, viz., St Chrysostom and St 
 Ambrose. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 85 
 
 Blessed Anastasius, Archbishop of Theopolis , 
 on the Sabbath , to Simeon , Bishop of 
 Bostris. 
 
 As in the king’s absence his image is 
 honoured instead of himself, so in his presence 
 it would be unseemly to leave the original for 
 the image. This is not to say that what is 
 passed over in his presence should be dis¬ 
 honoured. . . . As the man who shows dis¬ 
 respect to the king’s image is punished as if 
 he had shown it to the king in very deed, 
 although the image is composed merely of 
 wood and paint moulded together, so one 
 who shows disrespect to the likeness of a man 
 means it for the original of the likeness. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PART III* 
 
 Every one must recognise that a man who 
 attempts to dishonour an image which has 
 been set up for the glory and remembrance of 
 Christ, of His holy Mother, or one of his saints, 
 is an enemy of Christ, of His holy Mother, and 
 the saints. It is also set up to shame the 
 devil and his crew, out of love and zeal for 
 God. The man who refuses to give this image 
 due, though not divine, honour, is an upholder 
 of the devil and his demon host, showing by 
 his act grief that God and the saints are 
 honoured and glorified, and the devil put to 
 shame. The image is a canticle and manifesta¬ 
 tion and monument to the memory of those 
 who have fought bravely and won the victory 
 to the shame and confusion of the vanquished. 
 I have often seen lovers gazing at the loved 
 * A repetition up to < (χ), where the translation begins. 
 
88 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 one's garment, and embracing it with eyes and 
 mouth as if it was himself. We must give his 
 due to every man. St Paul says : ‘ Honour to 
 whom honour : to the king as excelling : or to 
 governors as sent by him/ to each according to 
 the measure of his dignity. 
 
 Where do you find in the Old Testament or 
 in the Gospel the Trinity, or consubstantiality, 
 or one Godhead, or three persons,* or the 
 one substance of Christ, or His two natures, 
 expressed in so many words ? Still, as they 
 are contained in what Scripture does say, and 
 defined by the holy fathers, we receive them 
 and anathematise those who do not. I prove 
 to you that in the old law God commanded 
 images to be made, first of all the tabernacle and 
 everything in it. Then in the gospel our 
 Lord Himself said to those who asked Him, 
 tempting, whether it was lawful to give tribute 
 to Caesar, ‘ Bring me a coin, and they showed 
 Him a penny. And He asked them whose 
 likeness it was, and they said to Him, Caesar’s; 
 and He said, ‘ Give to Caesar that which is 
 Caesar’s, and to God that which is God’s.’ As 
 the coin bears the likeness of Caesar, it is his, 
 
 τρεις υποστάσεις. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 89 
 
 and you should give it to Caesar. So the 
 image bears the likeness of Christ, and you 
 should give it Him, for it is His. 
 
 Our Lord called His disciples blessed, 
 saying, ‘ Many kings and prophets have desired 
 to see what you see, and have not seen it, and 
 to hear what you hear and have not heard it. 
 Blessed are your eyes which see and your ears 
 which hear.’ The apostles saw Christ with 
 their bodily eyes, and His sufferings and 
 wonders, and they listened to His words. We, 
 too, desire to see, and to hear, and to be 
 blessed. They saw Him face to face, as He 
 was present in the body. Now, since he is 
 not present in the body to us, we hear His 
 words from books and are sanctified in spirit by 
 the hearing, and are blessed, and we adore, 
 honouring the books which tell us of His 
 words. So, through the representation of 
 images, we look upon His bodily form, and 
 upon His miracles and His sufferings, and are 
 sanctified and satiated, gladdened and blessed. 
 Reverently we worship His bodily form, and 
 contemplating it, we form some notion of 
 His divine glory. For, as we are composed of 
 
90 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 soul and body, and our soul does not stand 
 alone, but is, as it were, shrouded by a veil, it 
 is impossible for us to arrive at intellectual 
 conceptions without corporeal things. Just as 
 we listen with our bodily ears to physical words 
 and understand spiritual things, so, through 
 corporeal vision, we come to the spiritual. On 
 this account Christ took a body and a soul, as 
 man has both one and the other. And 
 baptism likewise is double, of water and the 
 spirit. So is communion and prayer and 
 psalmody ; everything has a double signifi¬ 
 cation, a corporeal and a spiritual. Thus 
 again, with lights and incense. The devil has 
 tolerated all these things, raising a storm 
 against images alone. His great jealousy of 
 them may be learnt by what St Sophronius, 
 Patriarch of Jerusalem, recounts in his ‘ Spiritual 
 Garden.’ Abbot Theodore H£liotes told of a 
 holy hermit on the Mount of Olives, who was 
 much troubled by the demon of fornication. 
 One day when he was sorely tempted, the old 
 man began to complain bitterly. 4 When will 
 you let me alone ? ’ he said to the devil : 
 4 begone from me ! you and I have grown old 
 together.’ The devil appeared to him, saying, 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 91 
 
 ‘ Swear to me that you will keep what I am 
 about to tell you to yourself, and I will not 
 trouble you any longer.’ And the old man 
 swore it. Then the devil said to him, ‘ Do not 
 worship this image, and I will not harass you.’ 
 The image in question represented Our Lady, 
 the holy Mother of God, bearing in her arms 
 our Lord Jesus Christ. You see what those 
 who forbid the worship of images hate in 
 reality, and whose instruments they are. The 
 demon of fornication strove to prevent the 
 worship of Our Lady’s image rather than to 
 tempt the old man to impurity. He knew that 
 the former evil was greater than fornication. 
 
 As we are treating of images and their 
 worship, let us draw out the meaning more 
 accurately and say in the first place what an 
 image is ; (2) Why the image was made ; (3) 
 How many kinds of images there are ; (4) 
 What may be expressed by an image, and 
 what may not ; (5) Who first made images. 
 Again, as to worship : (1) What is worship; 
 
 (2) How many kinds of worship there are ; 
 
 (3) What are the things worshipped in 
 Scripture ; (4) That all worship is for God, 
 who is worshipful by nature; (5) That horn 
 
92 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 our shown to the image is given to the 
 original. 
 
 i st Point .—What is an Image ? 
 
 An image is a likeness and representation 
 of some one, containing in itself the person 
 who is imaged. The image is not wont to 
 be an exact reproduction of the original. The 
 image is one thing, the person represented 
 another ; a difference is generally perceptible, 
 because the subject of each is the same. For 
 instance, the image of a man may give his 
 bodily form, but not his mental powers. It 
 has no life, nor does it speak or feel or move. 
 A son being the natural image of his father is 
 somewhat different from him, for he is a son, 
 not a father. 
 
 2nd Pomt .—For what purpose the Image 
 is made. 
 
 Every image is a revelation and representa¬ 
 tion of something hidden. For instance, man 
 has not a clear knowledge of what is invisible, 
 the spirit being veiled to the body, nor of 
 future things, nor of things apart and distant, 
 because he is circumscribed by place and time. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 93 
 
 The image was devised for greater knowledge, 
 and for the manifestation and popularising of 
 secret things, as a pure benefit and help to 
 salvation, so that by showing things and 
 making them known, we may arrive at the 
 hidden ones, desire and emulate what is good, 
 shun and hate what is evil. 
 
 $rd Point .—How many kinds of Images 
 there are. 
 
 Images are of various kinds. First there 
 is the natural image. In everything the 
 natural conception must be the first, then we 
 come to institution according to imitation. 
 The Son is the first natural and unchangeable 
 image of the invisible God, the Father, showing 
 the Father in Himself. ‘ For no man has seen 
 God.’ Again, ‘ Not that any one has seen the 
 Father.’ The apostle says that the Son is 
 the image of the Father, ‘ Who is the image 
 of the invisible God,’ and to the Hebrews, 
 'Who being the brightness of His glory, and 
 the figure of His substance.’ In the Gospel 
 of St John we find that He does show the 
 Father in Himself. When Philip said to Him, 
 1 Show us the Father and it is enough for us,’ 
 
94 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 our Lord replied, ‘ Have I been so long with 
 you and have you not known Me, Philip ? He 
 who sees Me, sees the Father.’ For the Son 
 is the natural image of the Father, unchange¬ 
 able, in everything like to the Father, except 
 that He is begotten, and that He is not the 
 Father. The Father begets, being unbegotten. 
 The Son is begotten, and is not the Father, 
 and the Holy Spirit is the image of the Son. 
 For no one can say the Lord Jesus, except in 
 the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit 
 we know Christ, the Son of God and God, 
 and in the Son we look upon the Father. 
 For in things that are conceived by nature,* 
 language is the interpreter, and spirit is the 
 interpreter of language. The Holy Spirit is 
 the perfect and unchangeable image of the 
 Son, differing only in His procession. The 
 Son is begotten, but does not proceed. And 
 the son of any father is his natural image. 
 Thus, the natural is the first kind of image. 
 
 The second kind of image is that fore¬ 
 knowledge which is in God’s mind concerning 
 future events, His eternal and unchanging 
 counsel. God is immutable and His counsel 
 
 * φύσα, yap νοούμενα. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 95 
 
 without beginning, and as it has been de¬ 
 termined from all eternity, it is carried out at 
 the time preordained by Him. Images and 
 figures of what He is to do in the future, the 
 distinct determination of each, are called pre¬ 
 determinations by holy Dionysius. In His 
 counsels the things predetermined by Him 
 were characterised and imaged and immutably 
 fixed before they took place. 
 
 The third sort of image is that by imitation 
 (κατα μίμησ-ιν) which God made, that is, man. 
 For how can what is created be of the same 
 nature as what is uncreated, except by imita¬ 
 tion ? As mind, the Father, the Word, the 
 Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God, so 
 mind and word and spirit are one man, 
 according to God’s will and sovereign rule. 
 
 For God says : 4 Let us make man according 
 to our own image and likeness,’ and He adds, 
 ‘ and let him have dominion over the fishes 
 of the sea and the birds of the air, and the 
 whole earth, and rule over it.’ 
 
 The fourth kind of image are the figures 
 and types set forth by Scripture of invisible 
 and immaterial things in bodily form, for a 
 clearer apprehension of God and the angels, 
 
96 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 through our incapacity of perceiving immaterial 
 things unless clothed in analogical material 
 form, as Dionysius the Areopagite says, a man 
 skilled in divine things. Anyone would say 
 that our incapacity for reaching the con¬ 
 templation of intellectual things, and our need 
 of familiar and cognate mediums, make it 
 necessary that immaterial things should be 
 clothed in form and shape. If, then, holy 
 Scripture adapts itself to us in seeking to 
 elevate us above sense, does it not make 
 images of what it clothes in our own medium, 
 and bring within our reach that which we 
 desire but are unable to see? The spiritual* 
 writer, Gregory, says that the mind striving to 
 banish corporeal images reduces itself to in¬ 
 capability. But from the creation of the 
 world the invisible things of God are made 
 clear by the visible creation. We see images 
 in created things, which remind us faintly of 
 divine tokens. For instance, sun and light 
 and brightness, the running waters of a per¬ 
 ennial fountain, our own mind and language and 
 spirit, the sweet fragrance of a flowering rose- 
 tree, are images of the Holy and Eternal Trinity. 
 
 * θ(ορρ-ήμωι>. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 97 
 
 The fifth kind of image is that which is 
 typical of the future, as the bush and the fleece, 
 the rod and the urn, foreshadowing the Vir¬ 
 ginal Mother of God, and the serpent healing 
 through the Cross those bitten by the serpent 
 of old. Thus, again, the sea, and water and 
 the cloud foreshadow the grace of baptism. 
 
 The sixth kind of image is for a remem¬ 
 brance of past events, of a miracle or a good 
 deed, for the honour and glory and abiding 
 memory of the most virtuous, or for the shame 
 and terror of the wicked, for the benefit of 
 succeeding generations who contemplate it, so 
 that we may shun evil and do good. This 
 image is of two kinds, either through the written 
 word in books, for the word represents the 
 thing, as when God ordered the law to be 
 written on tablets, and the lives of God-fearing 
 men to be recorded, or through a visible 
 object, as when He commanded the urn and 
 rod to be placed in the ark for a lasting 
 memory, and the names of the tribes to be 
 engraved on the stones of the humeral. And 
 also He commanded the twelve stones to be 
 taken from the Jordan as a sacred token. 
 
 Consider the prodigy, the greatest which befel 
 
 G 
 
9 8 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 the faithful people, the taking of the ark, and 
 the parting of the waters. So now we set up 
 the images of valiant men for an example and 
 a remembrance to ourselves. Therefore, either 
 reject all images, and be in opposition to Him 
 who ordered these things, or receive each and 
 all with becoming greeting and manner. 
 
 Fourth Chapter. What an Image is , what it 
 is not; and how each Image is to be set 
 forth. 
 
 Bodies as having form and shape and colour, 
 may properly be represented in image. Now 
 if nothing physical or material may be attri¬ 
 buted to an angel, a spirit, and a devil, yet 
 they may be depicted and circumscribed after 
 their own nature. Being intellectual beings, 
 they are believed to be present and to energise 
 in places known to us intellectually. They 
 are represented materially as Moses made an 
 image of the cherubim who were looked upon 
 by those worthy of the honour, the material 
 image offering them an immaterial and intel¬ 
 lectual sight. Only the divine nature is uncir¬ 
 cumscribed and incapable of being represented 
 in form or shape, and incomprehensible. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 99 
 
 If Holy Scripture clothes God in figures 
 which are apparently material, and can even 
 be seen, they are still immaterial. They were 
 seen by the prophets and those to whom they 
 were revealed, not with bodily but with intel¬ 
 lectual eyes. They were not seen by all. In 
 a word it may be said that we can make 
 images of all the forms which we see. We 
 apprehend these as if they were seen. If at 
 times we understand types from reasoning, 
 and also from what we see, and arrive at 
 their comprehension in this way, so with every 
 sense, from what we have smelt, or tasted, or 
 touched, we arrive at apprehension by bringing 
 our reason to bear upon our experience. 
 
 We know that it is impossible to look upon 
 God, or a spirit, or a demon, as they are. 
 They are seen in a certain form, divine pro¬ 
 vidence clothing in x type and figure what is 
 without substance or material being, for our in¬ 
 struction, and more intimate knowledge, lest we 
 should be in too great ignorance of God, and 
 of the spirit world. For God is a pure Spirit 
 by His nature. The angel, and a soul, and a 
 demon, compared to God, who alone is incom¬ 
 parable, are bodies ; but compared to material 
 
ΙΟΟ 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 bodies, they are bodiless. God therefore, not 
 wishing that we should be in ignorance of 
 spirits, clothed them in type and figure, and 
 in images akin to our nature, material forms 
 visible to the mind in mental vision. These we 
 put into form and shape, for how were the cheru¬ 
 bim represented and described in image ? But 
 Scripture offers forms and images even of God. 
 
 Who first made an Image. 
 
 In the beginning God begot His only be¬ 
 gotten Son, His w T ord, the living image of 
 Himself, the natural and unchangeable image 
 of His eternity. And He made man after 
 His own image and likeness. And Adam saw 
 God, and heard the sound of His feet as He 
 walked at even, and he hid in paradise. And 
 Jacob saw and struggled w r ith God. It is 
 evident that God appeared to him in the form 
 of a man. And Moses saw Him, and Isaias 
 saw as it were the back of a man, and as a 
 man seated on a throne. And Daniel saw the 
 likeness of a man, and as the Son of Man 
 coming to the ancient of days. No one saw 
 the nature of God, but the type and image of 
 what was to be. For the Son and Word of 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 IOI 
 
 the invisible God, was to become man in truth, 
 that He might be united to our nature, and 
 be seen upon earth. Now all who looked upon 
 the type and image of the future, worshipped 
 it, as St Paul says in his epistle to the 
 Hebrews : ‘ All these died according to faith, 
 not having received the promises, but behold¬ 
 ing them afar off, and saluting them.’ Shall 
 I not make an image of Him who took the 
 nature of flesh for me ? Shall I not reverence 
 and worship Him, through the honour and 
 worship of His image? Abraham saw not 
 the nature of God, for no man ever saw God, 
 but the image of God, and falling down he 
 adored. Josue saw the image of an angel, not 
 as he is, for an angel is not visible to bodily eyes, 
 and falling down he adored, and so did Daniel. 
 Yet an angel is a creature, and servant, and 
 minister of God, not God. And he wor¬ 
 shipped the angel not as God, but as God’s 
 ministering spirit. And shall not I make 
 images of Christ’s friends ? And shall I not 
 worship them as the images of God’s friends, 
 not as gods ? Neither Josue nor Daniel wor¬ 
 shipped the angels they saw as gods. Neither 
 do I worship the image as God, but through 
 
102 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 the image of the saints too, show my worship 
 to God, because I honour His friends, and do 
 them reverence. God did not unite Himself 
 to the angelic nature, but to the human. He 
 did not become an angel: He became a man 
 in nature, and in truth. It is indeed Abraham’s 
 seed which He embraces, not the angel’s. 
 
 The Son of God in person did not take the 
 nature of the angels : He took the nature of 
 man. The angels did not participate in the 
 divine nature, but in working and in grace. 
 Now, men do participate, and become par¬ 
 takers of the divine nature when they receive 
 the holy Body of Christ and drink His Blood. 
 For He is united in person to the Godhead,* 
 and two natures in the Body of Christ shared 
 by us are united indissolubly in person, and we 
 partake of the two natures, of the body bodily, 
 and of the Godhead in spirit, or, rather, of each 
 in both. We are made one, not in person, 
 for first we have a person and then we are 
 
 * θεότητι yap καθ' νπόστασιν ηνωται, καί δύο φύσεις εν τψ μεταλαμ- 
 βανομενιρ νφ ’ -ημών σώμα τι του χριστού, ήνωμεναι καθ' ΰττόστασιν είσιν 
 άδιασιτάστως, καί των δύο φύσεων μετέχομεν , τού σώματος, σωματικώς, 
 της θεότητος, πνευματικώς"μάλλον δη άμφοΊν κατ' άμφω’ού καθ' ΰττόστασιν 
 ταυτιζόμενοι ' νφιστάμεθα yap ττροτον, καί τότε ένούμεθα' άλλα κατα 
 συνανάκρασιν τού σώματος καί αίματος. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 103 
 
 united by blending together the body and the 
 blood. How are we not greater than the 
 angels, if through fidelity to the command¬ 
 ments we keep this perfect union ? In itself 
 our nature is far removed from the angels, 
 on account of death and the heaviness of the 
 body, but through God’s goodness and its 
 union with Him it has become higher than the 
 angels. For angels stand by that nature with 
 fear and trembling, as, in the person of Christ, 
 it sits upon a throne of glory, and they will 
 stand by in trembling at the judgment. Ac¬ 
 cording to Scripture they are not partakers of 
 the divine glory. For they are all ministering 
 spirits, being sent to minister because of those 
 who are to be heirs of salvation, not that they 
 shall reign together, nor that they shall be 
 together glorified, nor that they shall sit at the 
 table of the Father. The saints, on the contrary, 
 are the children of God, the children of the 
 kingdom, heirs of God, and co-heirs of Christ. 
 Therefore, I honour the saints, and glorify the 
 servants and friends and co-heirs of Christ : 
 servants by nature, friends by their choice: 
 friends and co-heirs by divine grace, as our 
 Lord said in speaking to the Father. 
 
104 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 As we are speaking of images, let us speak 
 of worship also, and in the first place determine 
 what it is. 
 
 On Adoration. What is Adoration? 
 
 Adoration is a token of subjection,—that is, 
 of submission and humiliation. There are 
 many kinds of adoration. 
 
 On the kinds of Adoration. 
 
 The first kind is the worship of latreia, 
 which we give to God, who alone is adorable 
 by nature, and this worship is shown in several 
 ways, and first by the worship of servants. All 
 created things worship Him, as servants their 
 master. All things serve Thee, the psalm says. 
 Some serve willingly, others unwillingly ; some 
 with full knowledge, willingly, as in the case of 
 the devout, others knowing, but not willing, 
 against their will, as the devil’s. Others, again, 
 not knowing the true God, worship in spite of 
 themselves Him whom they do not know. 
 
 The second kind is the worship of admiration 
 and desire which we give to God on account of 
 His essential glory. He alone is worthy of 
 praise, who receives it from no one, being 
 Himself the cause of all glory and all good, 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 105 
 
 He is light, incomprehensible sweetness, in¬ 
 comparable, immeasurable perfection, an ocean 
 of goodness, boundless wisdom, and power, 
 who alone is worthy of Himself to excite 
 admiration, to be worshipped, glorified, and 
 desired. 
 
 The third kind of worship is that of thanks¬ 
 giving for the goods we have received. We 
 must thank God for all created things, and 
 show Him perpetual worship, as from Him and 
 through Him all creation takes its being and 
 subsists. He gives lavishly of His gifts to all, 
 and without being asked. He wishes all to be 
 saved, and to partake of His goodness. He is 
 long-suffering with us sinners. He allows His 
 sun to shine upon the just and unjust, and His 
 rain to fall upon the wicked and the good alike. 
 And being the Son of God, He became one of 
 us for our sakes, and made us partakers of His 
 divine nature, so that we shall be like unto 
 Him, as St John says in his Catholic 
 epistle. 
 
 The fourth kind is suggested by the need 
 and hope of benefits. Recognising that without 
 Him we can neither do nor possess anything 
 good, we worship Him, asking Him to satisfy 
 
ιο6 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 our needs and desires, that we may be preserved 
 from evil and arrive at good. 
 
 The fifth kind is the worship of contrition 
 and confession. As sinners we worship God, 
 and prostrate ourselves before Him, needing 
 His forgiveness, as it becomes servants. This 
 happens in three ways. A man may be sorry 
 out of love, or lest he should lose God’s benefits, 
 or for fear of chastisement. The first is 
 prompted by goodness and desire for God 
 himself, and the condition of a son : the second 
 is interested, the third is slavish. 
 
 What we find worshipped in Scripture , and 
 in how many ways we show worship to 
 creatures. 
 
 First, those places in which God, who alone 
 is holy, has rested, and His resting-place in the 
 saints, as in the holy Mother of God and in all 
 the saints. These are they who are made like 
 to God as far as possible, of their own free 
 will, and by God’s indwelling, and by T His 
 abiding grace. They are truly called gods, 
 not by nature, but by participation ; just as 
 red-hot iron is called fire, not by nature, but 
 by participation in the fire’s action. He says : 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 107 
 
 ‘ Be ye holy because I am holy.’ The first 
 thing is the free choice of the will. Then, in 
 the case of a good choice, God helps it on 
 and confirms it. ‘ I will take up my abode in 
 them,’ He says. ‘We are the temples of God, 
 and the Spirit of God dwells in us.’ Again, 
 He gave them power over unclean spirits, to 
 cast them out, and to heal all manner of dis¬ 
 eases, and all manner of infirmities. And again, 
 ‘ That which I do you shall do, and greater 
 things.’ Again : ‘ As I live,’ God says, ‘ who¬ 
 soever shall glorify Me, him will I glorify.’ 
 Again : If we suffer with Him that we may 
 be also glorified with Him. And ‘God stood’ 
 in the synagogue of the gods ; in the midst 
 of it He points out the gods. As, then, they 
 are truly gods, not by nature, but as partakers 
 of God’s nature, so they are to be worshipped, 
 not as worshipful on their own account, but as 
 possessing in themselves Him who is worship¬ 
 ful by nature. Just in the same way iron when 
 ignited is not by nature hot and burning to the 
 touch, it is the fire which makes it so. They 
 are worshipped as exalted by God, as through 
 Him inspiring fear to His enemies, and be¬ 
 coming benefactors to the faithful. It is love 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 108 
 
 of God which gives them their free access to 
 Him, not as gods or benefactors by nature, 
 but as servants and ministers of God. We 
 worship them, then, as the king is honoured 
 through the honour given to a loved servant. 
 He is honoured as a minister in attendance upon 
 his master—as a valued friend, not as king. 
 The prayers of those who approach with faith 
 are heard, whether through the servant’s inter¬ 
 cession with the king, or whether through the 
 king’s acceptance of the honour and faith 
 shown by the servant’s petitioner, for it was 
 in his name that the petition was made. Thus, 
 those who approached through the apostles 
 obtained their cures. Thus the shadow, and 
 winding - sheets, and girdles of the apostles 
 worked healings. Those who perversely and 
 profanely wish them to be adored as gods are 
 themselves damnable, and deserve eternal fire. 
 And those who in the false pride of their 
 hearts disdain to worship God’s servants are 
 convicted of impiety towards God. The children 
 who derided and laughed to scorn Elisseus 
 bear witness to this, inasmuch as they were 
 devoured by bears. 
 
 Secondly, we worship creatures by honour- 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 109 
 
 ing those places or persons whom God has 
 associated with the work of our salvation, 
 whether before our Lord’s coming or since 
 the dispensation of His incarnation. For in¬ 
 stance, I venerate Mount Sinai, Nazareth, the 
 stable at Bethlehem, and the cave, the sacred 
 mount of Golgotha, the wood of the Cross, 
 the nails and sponge and reed, the sacred 
 and saving lance, the dress and tunic, the 
 linen cloths, the swathing clothes, the holy 
 tomb, the source of our resurrection, the 
 sepulchre, the holy mountain of Sion and the 
 mountain of Olives, the Pool of Bethsaida and 
 the sacred garden of Gethsemane, and all 
 similar spots. I cherish them and every holy 
 temple of God, and everything connected with 
 God’s name, not on their own account, but 
 because they show forth the divine power, and 
 through them and in them it pleased God to 
 bring about our salvation. I venerate and 
 worship angels and men, and all matter partici¬ 
 pating in divine power and ministering to our 
 salvation through it. I do not worship the 
 Jews. They are not participators in divine 
 power, nor have they contributed to my salva¬ 
 tion. They crucified my God, the King of 
 
I ΙΟ 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 Glory, moved rather by envy and hatred against 
 God their Benefactor. ‘ Lord, I have loved 
 the beauty of Thy house,’ says David, ‘we 
 will adore in the place where His feet stood. 
 And adore at His holy mountain.’ The holy 
 Mother of God is the living holy mountain of 
 God. The apostles are the teaching moun¬ 
 tains of God. ‘ The mountains skipped like 
 rams, and the hills like the lambs of the 
 flock.’ 
 
 The third kind of worship is directed to 
 objects dedicated to God, as, for instance, the 
 holy Gospels and other sacred books. They 
 were written for our instruction who live in 
 these latter days. Sacred vessels, again, 
 chalices, thuribles, candelabra, and altars ( rpaire 
 ξαι) belong to this category. It is evident 
 that respect is due to them all. Consider how 
 Baltassar made the people use the sacred 
 vessels, and how God took away his kingdom 
 from him. 
 
 The fourth kind of worship is that of images 
 seen by the prophets. They saw God in sen¬ 
 sible vision, and images of future things, as 
 Aaron’s rod, the figure of Our Lady’s virginity, 
 the urn, and the table. And Jacob worshipped 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 I I I 
 
 on the point (eVi το άκρον) of his rod. He was 
 a type of our Lord. Images of past events 
 recall their remembrance. The tabernacle was 
 an image of the whole world. ‘ See,’ God said 
 to Moses, ‘ the type which was shown to thee 
 on the mountain, and the golden cherubim, the 
 work of sculpturers, and the cherubim within 
 the veil of woven work.’ Thus we adore the 
 sacred figure of the Cross, the likeness of our 
 God’s bodily features, the likeness of her who 
 bore Him, and all belonging to Him. 
 
 The fifth manner is in the worship of each 
 other as having upon us the mark of God and 
 being made after His image, humbling our¬ 
 selves mutually, and so fulfilling the law of 
 charity. 
 
 The sixth manner is the worship of those in 
 power who have authority. ‘ Give to all men 
 their dues,’ the apostle says; ‘give honour 
 where it is due.’ This Jacob did in worship¬ 
 ping Esau as his elder brother, and Pharao 
 the ruler established by God. 
 
 In the seventh place, the worship of servants 
 towards their masters and benefactors, and 
 of petitioners towards those who grant their 
 favours, as in the case of Abraham when he 
 
I I 2 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 bought the double cave from the sons of 
 Emmor. 
 
 It is needless to say that fear, desire, and 
 honour are tokens of worship, as also submis¬ 
 sion and humiliation. No one should be wor¬ 
 shipped as God except the one true God. 
 Whatever is due to all the rest is for God’s 
 sake. 
 
 You see what great strength and divine zeal 
 are given to those who venerate the images of 
 the saints with faith and a pure conscience. 
 Therefore, brethren, let us take our stand on 
 the rock of the faith, and on the tradition of the 
 Church, neither removing the boundaries laid 
 down by our holy fathers of old, nor listening 
 to those who would introduce innovation and 
 destroy the economy of the holy Catholic and 
 Apostolic Church of God. If any man is to 
 have his foolish way, in a short time the whole 
 organisation of the Church will be reduced to 
 nothing. Brethren and beloved children of the 
 Church do not put your mother to shame, do 
 not rend her to pieces. Receive her teaching 
 through me. Listen to what God says of her : 
 
 ‘ Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not 
 a spot in thee.’ Let us worship and adore our 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES I I 3 
 
 God and Creator as alone worthy of worship 
 by nature, and let us worship the holy Mother 
 of God, not as God, but as God’s Mother 
 according to the flesh. Let us worship the 
 saints also, as the chosen friends of God, and 
 as possessing access to Him. If men worship 
 kings subject to corruption, who are often bad 
 and impious, and those ruling or deputed in 
 their name, as the holy apostle says, ‘ Be 
 subject to princes and powers,’ and again, 
 
 ‘ Give to all their due, to one honour, to 
 another fear,’ and our Lord, 1 Give to Caesar 
 that which is Caesar’s, and to God that which 
 is God’s,’ how much more should we worship 
 the King of Kings? He alone is God by 
 nature ; and we should worship His servants 
 and friends who reign over their passions and 
 are constituted rulers of the whole earth. 
 
 ‘ Thou shalt make them princes over all the 
 earth,’ says David. They receive power 
 against demons and against disease, and with 
 Christ they reign over an incorruptible and 
 unchangeable kingdom. Their shadow alone 
 has put forth disease and demons. Should we 
 not deem a shadow a slighter and weaker thing 
 than an image ? Yet it is a true outline of the 
 
 H 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 II4 
 
 original. Brethren, the Christian is faith.* He 
 who walks by faith gains many things. The 
 doubter, on the contrary, is as a wave of the 
 sea torn and tossed ; he profits nothing. All 
 the saints pleased God by faith. Let us then 
 receive the teaching of the Church in simplicity 
 of heart without questioning. God made man 
 sane and sound. It was man who was over 
 curious. Let us not seek to learn a new faith, 
 destructive of ancient tradition, St Paul says, 
 ‘If a man teach any other Gospel than 
 what he has been taught, let him be anathema.’ 
 Thus, we worship images, and it is not a 
 worship of matter, but of those whom matter 
 represents. The honour given to the image is 
 referred to the original, as holy Basil rightly 
 says. 
 
 And may Christ fill you with the joy of His 
 resurrection, most holy flock of Christ, 
 Christian people, chosen race, body of the 
 Church, and make you worthy to walk in the 
 footsteps of the saints, of the shepherds and 
 teachers of the Church, leading you to enjoy 
 His glory in the brightness of the saints. May 
 you gain His glory for eternity, with the 
 
 * ΆδβλφοΙ , 6 χριστιανός, πίστα έστίν. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 I 15 
 
 Uncreated Father, to whom be praise for ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 Speaking on the distinction between images 
 and idols, and defining what images are, it is 
 time to give proofs in question, according to our 
 promise.* 
 
 * A few Testimonies have been suppressed as un¬ 
 suitable or irrelevant, viz. :— 
 
 1. St Basil on St Barlaam (in order) 2. 
 
 2. St Gregory of Nyssa. On Isaac and Abraham (5) 
 Repetition. 
 
 3. Severianus on the Cross (7) Repetition. 
 
 4. From Life of St Chrysostom (8) Repetition. 
 
 5. Eusebius on the Woman with an Issue of Blood (22). 
 
 6. Eusebius on Constantine (23). 
 
 7. St Gregory Nazianzen, from his Discourse to Julian 
 the Apostle (2 lines) (24). 
 
 8. St Chrysostom, Commentary on Job (25). 
 
 9. St Chrysostom on Constantine, four quotations (26). 
 
 10. Theodoret of Syrus on Ezechiel (27) 
 
 11. From the Acts of St Placid (28). 
 
 12. Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret (35). 
 
 13. St Athanasius of Mount Sinai (36). 
 
 14. Arcadius, Abp. of Cyprus, on Simeon the Wonder¬ 
 worker (37). 
 
 15. St Chrysostom, Homily (38). 
 
 16. Theodoret, Ecclesiastical History: six short quota¬ 
 tions (39). 
 
 17. St Chrysostom on St Flavian and Homily (40). 
 
 18. St Basil on Forty Martyrs, Repetition (41). 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 I 16 
 
 Testimony of Ancient and Learned 
 Fathers concerning Images. 
 
 St Denis , Bishop of Athens, from his letter to 
 St John the Apostle and Evangelist. 
 
 Sensible images do indeed show forth in¬ 
 visible things. 
 
 The same, from his Homily on the Eccle¬ 
 siastical Hierarchy. 
 
 The substances and orders to which we have 
 already alluded with reverence, are spirits, and 
 they are set forth in spiritual and immaterial 
 array. We can see it when brought down to 
 
 19. St Gregory Nazianzen, ex Carminibus (42). 
 
 20. St Chrysostom, Commentary on St Paul (43). 
 
 21. From the Sixth General Council (44). 
 
 22. St Clement, Stromata (45) 
 
 23. St Theodore, Bishop of Pentapolis (46). 
 
 24. St Basil to St Flavian (51). 
 
 25. St Gregory Nazianzen on Baptism (52). 
 
 26. St Isidore the Deacon, Chronography (57). 
 
 27. From the Fifth General Council (62). 
 
 28. Theodore, Ecclesiastical History (63). 
 
 29. Abbot Maximus. Repetition (64). 
 
 30. St Sophronius, Acts of SS. Cyrus and John (65). 
 
 31. From the Life of St Eupraxia (69). 
 
 32. On the Fifth General Council (70). 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 II 7 
 
 our medium, symbolised in various forms, by 
 which we are led up to the mental contempla¬ 
 tion of God and divine goodness. Spirits 
 think of Him as spirits according to their 
 nature, but we are led as far as may be by 
 sensible images to the divine contemplation. 
 
 Commentary . —If, then, we are led by the 
 medium of sensible images to divine contem¬ 
 plation, what unseemliness is there in making 
 an image of Him Who was seen in the form, 
 and habit, and nature of man for our sakes ? 
 
 St Basil , from his Homily on the Forty 
 
 Martyrs . 
 
 The fortunes of war are wont to supply 
 matter both for orators and painters. Orators 
 describe them in glowing language, painters 
 depict them on their canvas, and both have led 
 many on to deeds of fortitude. That which 
 words are to the ear, that the silent picture 
 points out for imitation. 
 
 The same , on the Thirty Chapters on the 
 
 Holy Ghost to Amphilochios, 1 8th Answer. 
 
 The image of the king is also called the king, 
 and there are not two kings. Neither power 
 
1 18 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 is broken, nor is glory divided. As we are ruled 
 by one government and authority, so our 
 homage is one, not many. Thus the honour 
 given to the image is referred to the original. 
 That which the image represents by imitation 
 on earth, that the Son is by nature in Heaven. 
 
 Commentary. —Just, then, as he who does 
 not honour the Son does not honour the Father 
 who sent Him, as our Lord says, so he who 
 does not honour the image does not honour 
 the original. Still some one says, ‘ We cannot 
 refuse to honour the image of Christ, but we 
 will not have the saints.’ What folly ! Listen 
 to what our Lord says to His disciples : ‘ He 
 who receives you receives Me,’ so that the man 
 who does not honour the saints does not 
 honour Christ either. 
 
 St John Chrysostom , from his ‘ Commentary on 
 the Epistle to the Hebrews .’ 
 
 How can what precedes be an image of what 
 follows, as, for instance, Melchisedech of Christ ? 
 Just in the same way as a sketch would be an 
 outline of the picture. On this account the 
 old law is called a shadow, and the new—the 
 truth and what is to come—certainties. Thus 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 I 19 
 
 Melchisedech, who represents the law, is a 
 foreshadowing of the picture. The new dis¬ 
 pensation is the truth ; the picture fully com¬ 
 pleted shows forth eternity. We might call 
 the old dispensation a type of a type, and the 
 new a type of the things themselves. 
 
 From the Spiritual History of Theodore, Bishop 
 of Cyrus. From the ‘ Life of St Simon 
 Sty lites l 
 
 It is superfluous to speak of Italy. They say 
 that this man became so well known in the 
 great city of Rome, that small statues were 
 erected to him in all the porticos of workshops, 
 as a certain protection to them, and a guarantee 
 of security. 
 
 St Basil , from his ‘ Commentary on Isaiasl 
 
 When the devil saw man made after God's 
 image and likeness, as he could not fight against 
 God, he vented his wickedness on the image of 
 God. In the same way an angry man might 
 stone the King’s image, because he cannot 
 stone the King, striking the wood which bears 
 his likeness. 
 
 Commentary. —Thus, every man who honours 
 the image must necessarily honour the original. 
 
 Boston college lisrar* 
 CHESTN °T hill, mass 
 
I 20 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 The same. 
 
 Just as the man who shows contempt for the 
 royal image is held to show it for the King 
 himself, so is he convicted of sin who shows 
 contempt for man made after an image. 
 
 St Athanasius , from the Hundred Chapters 
 addressed to A ntiochus , the Prefect , accord¬ 
 ing to Question and Answer .— Chap, 
 xxxviii. 
 
 Answer. —We, who are of the faithful, do 
 not worship images as gods, as the heathens 
 did, God forbid, but we mark our loving 
 desire alone to see the face of the person 
 represented in image. Hence, w T hen it is 
 obliterated, we are wont to throw the image 
 as so much wood into the fire. Jacob, when 
 he was about to die, worshipped on the point 
 of Joseph’s staff, not honouring the staff but its 
 owner. Just in the same way do we greet 
 images as we should embrace our children and 
 parents to signify our affection. Thus the Jew, 
 too, worshipped the tablets of the law, and the 
 two golden cherubim in carved work, not 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 T 2 I 
 
 because he honoured gold or stone for itself, 
 but the Lord who had ordered them to be 
 made. 
 
 St John Chrysostom , on the ‘ Third Psalm , on 
 David , and Absalom.' 
 
 Kings put victorious trophies before their 
 conquering generals ; rulers erect proud monu¬ 
 ments to their charioteers, and brave men, and 
 with the epitaph as a crown, use matter for 
 their triumph. Others, again, write the praises 
 of conquerors in books, wishing to show that 
 their own gift in praising is greater than those 
 praised. And orators and painters, sculpturers 
 and people, rulers, and cities, and places acclaim 
 the victorious. No one eve^ v |^|^,^a^s of the 
 deserter or the coward^ 
 
 St Cyril of A lexan^^tt^^tffJd'P ‘^TTct&ss to 
 the Empe^^y 
 
 If images represent the ihey should 
 
 call forth the same reverence. 
 
 The same, from his ‘ Treasuresl 
 
 Images are ever the likenesses of their 
 originals. 
 
12 2 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 The same , from his Poem , on the ‘ Revelation 
 of Christ being signified through all the 
 Teaching of Moses. On Abraham and 
 Melchisedech. ’— Chap. vi. 
 
 Images should be made after their originals. 
 
 St Gregory of Nazianzen, from His Sermon 
 
 on the ‘ Son' ii. 
 
 An image is essentially a representation of 
 its original. 
 
 St Chrysostom, from his Third ‘ Commentary on 
 
 the Colossiansl 
 
 The image of what is invisible, were it also 
 invisible, would cease to be an image. An 
 image, as far as it is an image, should be kept 
 inviolably by us, owing to the likeness it 
 represents. 
 
 The same , from his ‘ Commentary on the 
 Hebrews .’— Chap. xvii. 
 
 As in images the image presents the form of 
 a man, though not his strength, so the original 
 and the likeness have much in common, for the 
 likeness is the man. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 T ο ί 
 1 Δ O 
 
 Eusebius Pamphilius , from the Fifth Book 
 of his Gospel Proofs , on ‘ 6W appeared to 
 Abraham by the Oak of Mambre .’ 
 
 Hence, even now the inhabitants cherish the 
 place where visions appeared to Abraham, as 
 divinely consecrated. The turpentine tree is 
 still to be seen, and those who received 
 Abraham’s hospitality are painted in picture, 
 one on each side, and the stranger of greatest 
 dignity in the middle. He would be an image 
 of our Lord and Saviour, whom even rude men 
 reverence, Whose divine words they believe. 
 It was He who, through Abraham, sowed the 
 seeds of piety in men. In the likeness and 
 habit of an ordinary man He presented himself 
 to Abraham,* and gave him knowledge of His 
 Father. 
 
 John of Antioch , also called Malala , from his 
 Chronography concerning the ‘ Woman 
 with the Issue of Blood , who erected a 
 Monument to Christ! 
 
 From that time John the Baptist became 
 known to men, and Herod, toparcha of the 
 
 * θεωφίλει. προπάτορι.. 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 124 
 
 Trachonitis region beheaded him in the city 
 of Sebaste, on the eighth day of the kalends 
 of June, Flaccus and Ruffinus being consuls. 
 King Herod, Philip’s son, in grief at this event, 
 left Judea. A rich woman, Berenice by name, 
 who was also living at Paneada, sought him 
 out wishing as she had been cured by Jesus, 
 to erect a monument to Him. Not daring to 
 do it without the king’s consent, she presented 
 a petition to King Herod, asking to be allowed 
 to erect a golden monument in that city to our 
 Lord. The petition ran thus :— 
 
 To the august Herod, toparcha, law-giver 
 of Jews and Greeks, King of Trachonitis, a 
 suppliant petition from Berenice, an inhabitant 
 of Paneada. You are crowned with justice 
 and mercy and all other virtues. Knowing 
 this and in good hope of success, I am writing 
 to you. If you read my beginning you will 
 soon be instructed as to facts. From child¬ 
 hood I suffered with an issue of blood, and 
 spent my time and my substance on doctors, 
 and was not cured. Hearing of the wonder¬ 
 working Christ, how He raised the dead 
 to life again, put forth devils, and cured the 
 sick by one word, I also went to Him as to 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 125 
 
 God. And approaching the crowd which 
 surrounded Him fearing lest He should turn 
 me away in anger on account of my complaint, 
 and that I should feel it more, I said to myself, 
 
 ‘ If I could only touch the border of His gar¬ 
 ment, I should be cured.’ I had no sooner 
 touched it than the haemorrhage stopped, and 
 I was cured on the spot. And He, as if He 
 had read my heart’s desire, said aloud, ‘ Who 
 has touched Me ? Power has gone out of Me! ’ 
 And I pale and trembling, thinking to throw 
 off my sickness the sooner, prostrated myself 
 at His feet, bathing the ground with my tears, 
 and confessed my action. He in His goodness 
 compassionating me, assured me of my cure, 
 saying : ‘ Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith 
 has healed thee. Go in peace! ’ Do you now, 
 august ruler, grant my righteous petition. 
 King Herod receiving this petition, was struck 
 with wonder and in awe at the cure, replied : 
 
 ‘ The cure wrought for you, O woman, deserves 
 a splendid monument. Go then and put up 
 any memorial you like to Him, in praise of 
 the Healer.’ And immediately Berenice the 
 sick woman of yore, set up in the midst of 
 her own city of Paneada a monument in bronze, 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 I 26 
 
 adorned with gold and silver. It is still stand¬ 
 ing in the city of Paneada. Not long ago it 
 was taken from the place where it stood to 
 the middle of the city, and placed in a house 
 of prayer. One, Batho, a converted Jew, 
 found it mentioned in a book which contained 
 an account of all those who had reigned over 
 Judea. 
 
 From the ‘ Ecclesiastical History of Socrates ,’ 
 Book I. Chap. xviii ., on the Emperor Con¬ 
 stantine. 
 
 After this the Emperor Constantine, being 
 most zealous for the Christian religion, de¬ 
 stroyed heathen observances, and prohibited 
 single combats, whilst he set up his images 
 in the temples. 
 
 Stephen Bostrenus, against the Jews .— 
 
 Chap. iv. 
 
 We have made the images of the saints 
 for a remembrance of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 
 Moses, and Elias and Zachary, and of other 
 prophets and holy martyrs, who gave their 
 life for Him. Every one who looks at their 
 images may thus be reminded of them and 
 glorify Him who glorifies them. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 127 
 
 The same . 
 
 As to images let us take courage that every 
 work done in God’s name is good and holy. 
 Now as to idols and statues, beware, they are 
 all bad, both the things and their makers. An 
 image of a holy prophet is one thing, a statue 
 or carved figure of Saturn or Venus, the sun 
 or the moon, quite another. As man was made 
 after God’s image, he is worshipped ; but the 
 serpent as the image of the devil, is unclean 
 and execrable. Tell me, O Jew, if you reject 
 man’s handiwork, what is left on earth to be 
 worshipped which is not the work of his hand ? 
 Was not the ark made by hands, and the altar, 
 the propitiatory and the cherubim, the golden 
 urn containing the manna, the table and the 
 inner tabernacle, and all that God ordered to 
 be put in the holy of Holies ? Were not the 
 cherubim the images of angels made by 
 hands ? Do you call them idols ? What do 
 you say to Moses who worshipped them and 
 to Israel? Worship is symbolical of honour, 
 and we sinners worship God, and glorify Him 
 by the divine worship of latreia which is due 
 to Him, and we tremble before Him as our 
 
I 28 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 Creator. We worship the angels and servants 
 of God for His sake, as creatures and servants 
 of God. An image is a name and likeness of 
 him it represents. Thus both by writing and 
 by engraving we are ever mindful of our Lord s 
 sufferings, and of the holy prophets in the old 
 law and in the new. 
 
 St Leontius of Naples , in Cyprus , against the 
 
 Jews—Book v . 
 
 Enter then heartily into our apology for the 
 making of sacred images, so that the mouths 
 of foolish people speaking injustice may be 
 closed. This tradition comes from the old 
 law, not from us. Listen to Gods command 
 to Moses that he should make two cherubim 
 wrought in metal to overshadow the pro¬ 
 pitiatory. And again, God showed the temple 
 to Ezechiel, with its carved faces of lions, 
 forms of palms and men from floor to ceiling. 
 The command is truly awe-inspiring. God, 
 who enjoins Israel not to make any graven 
 thing, likeness or image of anything in heaven 
 or on earth, also orders Moses to make 
 carved cherubim. God shows the temple to 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES I 29 
 
 Ezechiel, full of images and sculptured like¬ 
 nesses of lions, palms, and men. And 
 Solomon, in conformity to the law, filled the 
 temple with metal figures of oxen, palms, and 
 men, and God did not reproach him for it. 
 Now, if you wish to reproach me concerning 
 images, you condemn God, who ordered these 
 things to be made that they might remind us 
 of Himself. 
 
 The same , from the $rd Book. 
 
 Again, atheists mock at us concerning the 
 Holy Cross and the worship of divine images, 
 calling us idolators and worshippers of wooden 
 gods. Now, if I am a worshipper of wood, 
 as you say, I am a worshipper of many, and, 
 if so, I should swear by many, and say, ‘ By 
 the gods,’ just as you at the sight of one calf 
 said, ‘These are thy gods, O Israel.’ You 
 could not maintain that Christian lips had 
 used the expression, but the adulterous and 
 unbelieving synagogue is wont ever to cast 
 infamy upon the all-wise Church of Christ. 
 
 The same. 
 
 We do not adore as gods the figures and 
 
 1 
 
130 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 images of the saints. For if it was the mere 
 wood of the image that we adored as God, 
 we should likewise adore all wood, and not, as 
 often happens, when the form grows faint, 
 throw the image into the fire. And again, 
 as long as the wood remains in the form of a 
 cross, I adore it on account of Christ who 
 was crucified upon it. When it falls to pieces, 
 I throw them into the fire. Just as the man 
 who receives the sealed orders of the king 
 and embraces the seal, looks upon the dust 
 and paper and wax as honourable in their 
 reference to the king’s service, so we Christians, 
 in worshipping the Cross, do not worship the 
 wood for itself, but seeing in it the impress 
 and seal and figure of Christ Himself, crucified 
 through it and on it, we fall down and adore. 
 
 The same . 
 
 On this account I depict Christ and His 
 sufferings in churches, and houses, and public 
 places, and images, on clothes, and store-houses, 
 and in every available place, so that ever 
 before me, I may bear them in lasting memory, 
 and not be unmindful, as you are, of my 
 Lord God. In worshipping the book of the 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 131 
 
 law, you are not worshipping parchment or 
 colour, but God’s words contained in it. So 
 do I worship the image of Christ, neither wood 
 nor colouring for themselves. Adoring an 
 inanimate figure of Christ through the Cross, 
 
 I seem to possess and to adore Christ. Jacob 
 received Joseph’s cloak of many colours from 
 his brothers who had sold him, and he caressed 
 it with tears as he gazed at it. He did not 
 weep over the cloak, but considered it a way 
 of showing his love for Joseph and of 
 embracing him. Thus do we Christians 
 embrace with our lips the image of Christ, 
 or the apostles, or the martyrs, whilst in 
 spirit we deem that we are embracing Christ 
 Himself or His martyr. As I have often 
 said, the end in view must always be con¬ 
 sidered in all greeting and worship. If you 
 upbraid me because I worship the wood of 
 the Cross, why do you not upbraid Jacob 
 for worshipping on the point of Joseph’s 
 staff? (e7r) το ακρον της ράβδου). It is evident 
 that it was not the wood he honoured by 
 his worship, but Joseph, as we adore Christ 
 through the Cross. Abraham worshipped im¬ 
 pious men who sold him the cave, and bent 
 
132 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 his knee to the ground, yet he did not worship 
 them as gods. And again, Jacob magnified 
 impious Pharao and idolatrous Esau seven 
 times, yet not as God. How many salutations 
 and worshippings I have put before you, both 
 natural and scriptural, which are not to be 
 condemned, and you no sooner see any one 
 worshipping the image of Christ or His 
 Immaculate ( παναγίας ) Mother or a saint than 
 you are angry and blaspheme and call me 
 an idolator. Have you no shame, seeing me 
 as you do day by day pulling down the 
 temples of idols in the whole world and raising 
 churches to martyrs ? If I worship idols, 
 why do I honour martyrs, their destroyers ? 
 If I glorify wood, as you say, why do I honour 
 the saints who have pulled down the wooden 
 statues of demons? If I glorify stones, how 
 can I glorify the apostles who broke the stone 
 idols? If I honour the images of false gods, 
 how can I praise and glorify and keep the 
 feast of the three children at Babylon who 
 would not worship the golden statue ? How 
 greatly foolish people err, and how blind they 
 are! What shamelessness is yours, O Jew! 
 what impiety! You sin indeed against the 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 1 33 
 
 truth. Arise, O God, and justify Thy cause. 
 Judge and justify us from people, not all 
 people, but from senseless and hostile people 
 who constantly provoke Thee. 
 
 The same . 
 
 If, as I have often said, I worshipped wood 
 and stone as God, I, too, should say to each, 
 ‘Thou hast brought me forth.’ If I worship 
 the images of the saints, or rather the saints, 
 and worship and reverence the combats of the 
 holy martyrs, how can you call these idols, 
 senseless man? For idols are likenesses of 
 false gods and adulterers, murderers and luxu¬ 
 rious men, not of prophets or apostles. Listen 
 whilst I take a telling and most true example 
 of Christian and heathen images. The Chal¬ 
 deans in Babylon had all sorts of musical in¬ 
 struments for the worship of idols who were 
 devils, and the children of Israel had brought 
 musical instruments from Jerusalem, which they 
 hung upon the willow trees, and the instru¬ 
 ments of both lutes and stringed instruments 
 and flutes gave forth their music, these for the 
 glory of God, the others for the service of 
 devils. So must you look upon images and 
 
134 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 idols of heathens and Christians. Heathen 
 idols were for the glory and remembrance of 
 the devil; Christian images are for the glory 
 of Christ, and of His apostles and martyrs and 
 saints. 
 
 The same. 
 
 When, then, you see a Christian worshipping 
 the Cross, know that his adoration is not given 
 to the wood, but to Christ Crucified. We 
 might as well worship all wood, as Israel 
 worshipped woods and trees, saying, ‘ Thou 
 art my God, and Thou hast brought me forth.’ 
 It is not so with us. We keep in churches 
 and in our houses a remembrance and a repre¬ 
 sentation of our Lord’s sufferings and of those 
 who fought for Him, doing everything for our 
 Lord’s sake. 
 
 Once more. Tell me, O Jew, what law 
 authorised Moses to worship Jethor, his 
 brother-in-law, and an idolator? Or Jacob to 
 worship Pharao, and Abraham the sons of 
 Emmor? They were just men and prophets. 
 Again, Daniel worshipped the impious Nabu- 
 chodonosor. For if they so acted on account 
 of life in this world, why do you reproach 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 135 
 
 me for worshipping the holy memories of the 
 saints, whether in books or pictures, their 
 combats and sufferings, which are a daily 
 source of good to me, and will help me to 
 lasting and eternal life ? 
 
 Saint Athanasius against the Arians .— 
 
 Book in. 
 
 The Son being of the same substance as the 
 Father, He can justly say that He has what 
 the Father has. Hence it was fitting and 
 proper that after the words ‘ I and the Father 
 are one,’ he should add, ‘that you may know 
 that I am in the Father and the Father in 
 Me.’ He had already said the same thing. 
 ‘ He who sees Me sees the Father.’ There 
 is one and the same mind in these three 
 sayings. To know that the Father and the 
 Son are one is to know that he is in the 
 Father and the Father in the Son. The God¬ 
 head of the Son is the Godhead of the Father. 
 The man who receives this understands ‘ that 
 he who sees the Son sees the Father.’ For 
 the Godhead of the Father is seen in the 
 Son. This will be easier to understand from 
 the example of the king’s image which shows 
 
136 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 forth his form and likeness. The king is the 
 likeness of his image. The likeness of the 
 king is indelibly impressed upon the image, 
 so that any one looking at the image sees the 
 king, and again, any one looking at the king 
 recognises that the image is his likeness. Be¬ 
 ing an indelible likeness, the image might 
 answer a man, who expressed the wish to see 
 the king after contemplating it, by saying, 
 ‘ The king and I are one. I am in him and 
 he is in me. That which you see in me you 
 see in him, and the man who looks upon him 
 looks at the same in me.’ He who worships 
 the image worships the king in it. The image 
 is his form and likeness. 
 
 The same , to Antiochus the Ruler. 
 
 What do our adversaries say to these things, 
 they who maintain that we should not worship 
 the effigies of the saints, which are preserved 
 amongst us for a remembrance of them. 
 
 St A mbrose of Milan , to the Emperor Gratian 
 concerning the Incarnation of God the 
 Word. 
 
 God before flesh was made, and God in the 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 137 
 
 flesh. There is a fear lest, abstracting the 
 double principle of action and wisdom from 
 Christ, we should glorify a mutilated Christ. 
 Now, is it possible to divide Christ whilst we 
 adore His Godhead and His flesh? Do we 
 divide Him when we adore at once the image 
 of God and the Cross ? God forbid. 
 
 St Cyril of Jerusalem , twelfth Instruction. 
 
 If you seek the cause of Christ’s presence, 
 go back to the first chapter of Scripture. God 
 made the world in six days, but the world w r as 
 made for man. The most brilliant sun glow¬ 
 ing with light was made for man. And all 
 living things were created for our service, trees 
 and flowers for our enjoyment. All created 
 things were beautiful, yet only man was the 
 image of God. The sun arose by command 
 alone : man was moulded by the Divine Hand. 
 
 ‘ Let us make man to our image and likeness.’ 
 The wooden image of an earthly king is 
 honoured, how much more the rational image 
 of God ? 
 
 St John Chrysostom , on the Machabees. 
 
 The royal effigies are shown forth not only on 
 
138 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 gold and silver, and the most costly materials, 
 but the royal form itself, even on copper. The 
 difference of matter does not affect the dignity 
 of the character impressed, nor does a viler 
 material diminish the honour of what is great. 
 The royal figure is always a consecration ; not 
 lessened by matter, it exalts matter. 
 
 The same, against Julian the Apostate.—ist 
 
 Book. 
 
 What does this new Nabuchodonosor want? 
 He has not shown himself kinder to us than 
 Nabuchodonosor of old, whose furnace still 
 pierces us through, although we have escaped 
 from its flames. Do not the shrines of saints 
 in churches, inviting the worship of the faithful, 
 show forth the destruction of the body ? * 
 
 The same, on the Piscina. 
 
 Just as when the royal effigy and image is 
 sent or carried into the city, rulers and people 
 go out to meet it with respect and reverence, 
 not honouring the wooden receptacle, or the 
 waxen representation, but the person of the 
 king ; so is it with created things. 
 
 * ούχΐ και τα αναθήματα των ayiuv ίπ' έκκλησίαις κείμενα els προσκΰνησιν 
 των πιστών, δηλοΰσι την λώβην του σώματος. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 139 
 
 Severianus of the Gabali , on the Cross. 
 
 Fourth Homily .—‘ Moses struck the rock 
 twice . 5 Why twice ? If he was obeying God’s 
 commands, what need was there of striking 
 a second time? If without, not two, or ten, or 
 a hundred strikings would have unlocked 
 nature : if it was simply God’s work without 
 the mystery of the Cross, one striking, or nod, 
 or word would have sufficed. But it is meant 
 to be an image of the Cross. Moses, the 
 Scripture says, struck once and then again, in 
 the sign of the Cross, not for actual necessity, 
 so that inanimate nature might reverence the 
 symbol. If in the king’s absence his image 
 supplies his place, rulers worship, and festivals 
 are held, and princes go out to meet it, and 
 people prostrate themselves, not looking at 
 the material, but at the figure of the king 
 shown forth in representation not seen in nature, 
 how much more shall the image of the Eternal 
 King break open the heavens and the whole 
 universe, not the rock alone. 
 
140 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 J'erome, Priest of Jerusalem, on the Holy 
 
 Trinity . 
 
 As the Scripture nowhere enjoins you to 
 worship the Cross, what makes you adore it ? 
 Tell us, Jews and heathens, and all inquiring 
 people. 
 
 Answer. —On this account, O slow and 
 foolish of heart, God allowed the people, who 
 revered Him, to worship what was on earth, 
 the handiwork of man, so that they should 
 not be able to reproach Christians concerning 
 the Cross and the worship of images. Now 
 just as the Jew adored the ark of the covenant, 
 and the two carved cherubim of gold, and the 
 two tablets of Moses, although there is no¬ 
 where an order from God to worship or revere 
 them, so is it with Christians. We do not 
 revere the Cross as God ; we show through it 
 what we truly feel about the Crucified One. 
 
 Simeon of Mount Thaumastus on Images. 
 
 Possibly a contentious unbeliever will main¬ 
 tain that we worshipping images in our churches 
 are convicted of praying to lifeless idols. Far 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 1 4 I 
 
 be it from us to do this. Faith * makes Chris¬ 
 tians, and God, who cannot deceive, works 
 miracles. We do not rest contented with 
 mere colouring. With the material picture 
 before our eyes we see the invisible God 
 through the visible representation, and glorify 
 Him as if present, not as a God without 
 reality, but as God who is the essence of 
 being. Nor are the saints whom we glorify 
 fictitious. They are in being, and are living 
 with God ; and their spirits being holy, they 
 help, by the power of God, those who deserve 
 and need their assistance. 
 
 Athanasius , Archbishop of Antioch, to Simeon , 
 Bishop of the Bostri , on the Sabbath . 
 
 Just as in the king’s absence his image is 
 worshipped, so in his presence it is extrava¬ 
 gant to leave the original to pay homage to 
 the image. It is disregarded, because the 
 original on whose account it is honoured is 
 present, but that is no reason for dishonour¬ 
 ing it. It is much the same, I think, with 
 the shadow or letter of the law. The apostle 
 
 * τα yap των χριστιανών πιστίς έστί, καί 6 άψενδης ημών debs ivepye t 
 ταϊ δυνάμει*. 
 
142 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 calls it a figure. In so far as grace anticipated 
 the reign of truth, the saints were types, con¬ 
 templating the truth as in a glass. When the 
 promises were fulfilled, it was no longer de¬ 
 sirable to live according to types, nor to follow 
 them. In the presence of the realisation the 
 type vanishes into insignificance. Still they 
 did not dishonour nor deride types ; they 
 honoured them, and judged those who treated 
 them with contumely impious, and deserving of 
 death and severe chastisement. 
 
 The same. —3 rd Homily. 
 
 A man worships the king’s image for the 
 honour due to the king, the image itself being 
 mere wax and paint. 
 
 St Athanasius of Mount Sinai on the New 
 Sabbath , and on St Thomas the Apostle. 
 
 Those who saw Christ in the flesh looked 
 upon Him as a prophet. We, who have not 
 seen Him, have confessed Him from our child¬ 
 hood to be the great and Almighty God Him¬ 
 self, the Creator of eternity, and splendour 
 of the Father. We listen with faith to His 
 Gospel, as if we saw Christ Himself speaking. 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 143 
 
 And receiving the pure treasure of His body, 
 we believe that Christ Himself is acting in us. 
 And if we see only the image of His divine 
 form, as if looking down upon us from heaven, 
 we prostrate and adore. Great is now the 
 faith of Christ. 
 
 From the Life of the Abbot Daniel\ on Eulogins 
 
 the Quarryman. 
 
 Then he went away dejected, and threw 
 himself before an image of Our Lady, and 
 crying out, he said : ‘ Lord, enable me to pay 
 what I promised this man.’ 
 
 From the Life of St Mary of Egypt . 
 
 As I was weeping, I lifted up my eyes and 
 saw the image of Our Lady, and I said to 
 her :— 
 
 ‘ O Virgin, Mother of God ( θεδτοκε δέσποινα), 
 who didst give birth to God the Word, I know 
 that it is neither fitting nor seemly that one so 
 defiled and so covered with guilt as I should 
 look up to thy image, O ever Virgin. It is 
 fitting that I should be hated and shunned by 
 thy purity. Yet as He who was born of thee 
 became man on purpose to call sinners to re- 
 
144 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 pentance, help me, for I have no other succour. 
 Let me also find an entrance. Do not refuse 
 me a sight of the wood on which God the 
 Word, thy Son, suffered according to the flesh, 
 who shed His own precious blood for me. 
 Grant, O Oueen, that I may be admitted to 
 worship the sacred Cross, and I will promise 
 thee as surety to the God whom thou didst 
 bring forth that I will keep myself ever un¬ 
 defiled. When I see the Cross of thy Son, I 
 will at once renounce the world and the things 
 of the world, and forthwith follow wherever 
 thou shalt lead.’ 
 
 Saying this, taking faith’s token as a con¬ 
 viction, encouraged by Our Lady’s clemency, 
 I left that place where I had made my petition, 
 and returned again to join those who were 
 entering the edifice. No one thrust me aside, 
 and no one prevented me from going into the 
 church. Then I was seized with horror and 
 fear and trembling in all my limbs. Throwing 
 myself on the ground, and worshipping that 
 holy floor, I came out, and went to her who 
 had promised to be my security. When I 
 came to the place in which the agreement had 
 been signed, I knelt down before the ever 
 
TREATISE ON IMAGES 
 
 145 
 
 blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and addressed 
 her in these words :— 
 
 ‘ O loving Oueen ( φιΧάγαθβ Sgctivoivol), thou 
 hast shown me thy goodness ; thou didst not 
 despise the petition of my unworthiness. I 
 have seen glory which sinners do not see. 
 Praise be to God who receives the repentance 
 of sinners through thee.’ 
 
 St Methodius , Bishop of the Patari ( παταρων ), 
 
 on the Resurrection. 
 
 The images of earthly kings, even if they 
 are not made of finest gold and silver, com¬ 
 mand at once honour from all. As men are 
 not honouring matter, they do not choose the 
 most precious from the less precious; they 
 honour the image, whether made of putty or 
 of copper. A derider of either, whether he 
 shows contempt to the image of plaster or of 
 gold, will be held to show contempt to his lord 
 and king. We make golden images of His 
 angels, principalities, or powers, for His honour 
 and glory. 
 
 κ 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SERMON I 
 
 ON THE ASSUMPTION (κοίμη(ηή· 
 
 The memory of the just takes place with 
 rejoicing, said Solomon, the wisest of men ; for 
 precious in Gods sight is the death of His 
 saints, according to the royal * David. If, then, 
 the memory of all the just is a subject of 
 rejoicing, who will not offer praise to justice 
 in its source, and holiness in its treasure-house ? 
 It is not mere praise; it is praising with the 
 intention of gaining eternal glory. Gods 
 dwelling-place does not need our praise, that 
 city of God, concerning which great things 
 were spoken, as holy. + David addresses it in 
 these words : ‘ Glorious things are said of thee, 
 thou city of God.’ What sort of city shall we 
 choose for the invisible and uncircumscribed 
 God, who holds all things in His hand, if not 
 
 * Οεοπάτωρ. 
 
 t 0€LOS. 
 
148 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 that city which alone is above nature, giving 
 shelter without circumscription # to the super- 
 substantial Word of God ? Glorious things 
 have been spoken of that city by God himself. 
 For what is more exalted than being made 
 the recipient of God’s counsel, which is from 
 all eternity ? 
 
 Neither human tongue nor angelic mind is 
 able worthily to praise her through whom it is 
 given to us to look clearly upon the Lord’s 
 glory. What then ? Shall we be silent through 
 fear of our insufficiency ? Certainly not. Shall 
 we be trespassers beyond our own boundaries, 
 and freely handle ineffable mysteries, putting off 
 all restraint ? By no means. Mingling, rather, 
 fear with desire, and weaving them into one 
 crown, with reverent hand and longing soul, 
 let us show forth the poor first-fruits of our 
 intelligence, in gratitude to our Queen and 
 Mother, the benefactress of all creation, as a 
 repayment of our debt. A story is told of 
 some rustics who were ploughing up the soil 
 when a king chanced to pass, in the splendour 
 of his royal robes and crown, and surrounded 
 by countless gift bearers, standing in a circle. 
 
 * άπερίΎράπτως. 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 149 
 
 As there was no gift to offer at that moment, 
 one of them was collecting water in his hands, 
 as there happened to be a copious stream near 
 by. Of this he prepared a gift for the king, 
 who addressed him in these words : ‘ What is 
 this, my boy ? ’ And he answered boldly : ‘ I 
 made the best of what I had, thinking it was 
 better to show my willingness, than to offer 
 nothing. You do not need our gifts, nor do 
 you wish for anything from us save our good 
 will. The need is on our side, and the reward 
 is in the doing. I know that glory often comes 
 to the grateful.’ 
 
 The king in wonder praised the boy’s clever¬ 
 ness, graciously acknowledged his willingness, 
 and made him many rich gifts in return. Now, 
 if that proud monarch so generously rewarded 
 good intentions, will not Our Lady (ή όντως αγαθή 
 δέσποινα), the Mother of God, accept our good 
 will, not judging us by what we accomplish ? 
 Our Lady is the Mother of God, who alone is 
 good and infinite in His condescension, who 
 preferred the two mites to many splendid gifts. 
 She will indeed receive us, who are paying off 
 our debt, and make us a return out of all propor¬ 
 tion to what we offer. Since prayer is absolutely 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 150 
 
 necessary for our needs, let us direct our 
 attention to it. 
 
 What shall we say, O Queen ? What words 
 shall we use ? What praise shall we pour upon 
 thy sacred and glorified head, thou giver of 
 good gifts and of riches, the pride of the human 
 race, the glory of all creation, through whom it 
 is truly blessed. He whom nature did not 
 contain in the beginning, was born of thee. 
 The Invisible One is contemplated face to 
 face. O Word of God, do Thou open my 
 slow lips, and give their utterances Thy 
 richest blessing; inflame us with the grace of 
 Thy Spirit, through whom fishermen became 
 orators, and ignorant men spoke supernatural 
 wisdom, so that our feeble voices may contribute 
 to thy loved Mother’s praises, even though 
 greatness should be extolled by misery. She, 
 the chosen one of an ancient race, by a pre¬ 
 determined counsel and the good pleasure of 
 God the Father, who had begotten Thee in 
 eternity immaterially, brought Thee forth in 
 the latter times, Thou who art propitiation 
 and salvation, justice and redemption, life of 
 life, light of light, and true God of true God. 
 
 The birth of her, whose Child was mar- 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 151 
 
 vellous, was above nature and understanding, 
 and it was salvation to the world ; her death 
 was glorious, and truly a sacred feast. The 
 Father predestined her, the prophets foretold 
 her through the Holy Ghost. His sanctifying 
 power overshadowed her, cleansed* and made 
 her holy, and, as it were, predestined her. 
 Then Thou, Word of the Father, not dwelling 
 in place,f didst invite the lowliness of our 
 nature to be united to the immeasurable great¬ 
 ness of Thy inscrutable Godhead. Thou, who 
 didst take flesh of the Blessed Virgin, vivified 
 by a reasoning soul, having first abided in her 
 undefiled and immaculate womb, creating 
 Thyself, and causing her to exist in Thee, didst 
 become perfect man,, not ceasing to be perfect 
 God, equal to Thy Father, but taking upon 
 Thyself our weakness through ineffable good¬ 
 ness. Through it Thou art one Christ, one 
 Lord, one Son of God, and man at the same 
 time, perfect God and perfect man, wholly God 
 and wholly man, one substance ( υπόστασις ) from 
 two perfect natures, the Godhead and the 
 manhood. And in two perfect natures, the 
 divine and the human, God is not pure God, 
 
 * έκάθηρε re /ecu ήγίασβ. f aTrept-ypairrus κατώκησας. 
 
*5* 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 nor the man only man, but the Son of God and 
 the Incarnate God are one and the same God 
 and man without confusion or division, uniting 
 in Himself substantially the attributes of both 
 natures. Thus, He is at once uncreated and 
 created, mortal and immortal, visible and 
 invisible, in place and not in place. He has a 
 divine will and a human will, a divine action 
 and a human also, two powers of choosing 
 (i αυτεξούσια ) divine and human. He shows 
 forth divine wonders and human affections,— 
 natural, I mean, and pure. Thou hast taken 
 upon Thyself, Lord, of Thy great mercy, the 
 state of Adam as he was before the fall, body, 
 soul, and mind, and all that they involve physi¬ 
 cally, so as to give me a perfect salvation. It 
 is true indeed that what was not assumed was 
 not healed. # Having thus become the medi¬ 
 ator between God and man, Thou didst destroy 
 enmity, and lead back to Thy Father those 
 who had deserted Him, wanderers to their 
 home, and those in darkness to the light. 
 Thou didst bring pardon to the contrite, and 
 didst change mortality into immortality. Thou 
 didst deliver the world from the aberration of 
 
 * όντως yap τό άπρόσληπτον άθβράπευτον. 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 153 
 
 many gods, and didst make men the children of 
 God, partakers of Thy divine glory. Thou didst 
 raise the human race, which was condemned to 
 hell, above all power and majesty, and in Thy 
 person it is seated on the King’s eternal throne. 
 Who was the instrument of these infinite 
 benefits exceeding all mind and comprehension, 
 if not the Mother ever Virgin who bore Thee ? 
 
 Realise, Beloved in the Lord, the grace of 
 to-day, and its wondrous solemnity. Its mys¬ 
 teries are not terrible, nor do they inspire 
 awe. Blessed are they who have eyes to see. 
 Blessed are they who see with spiritual eyes. 
 This night shines as the day. What countless 
 angels acclaim the death of the life-giving 
 Mother! How the eloquence of apostles 
 blesses the departure of this body which was 
 the receptacle of God. How the Word of God, 
 who deigned in His mercy to become her Son, 
 ministering with His divine hands to this 
 immaculate and divine being, # as His mother, 
 receives her holy soul. O wondrous Law-giver, 
 fulfilling the law which He had Himself laid 
 down, not being bound by it, for it was He 
 who enjoined children to show reverence to 
 
 * , . . τχι xavayiq. ταύτη καί θαοτάττ). 
 
T 54 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 their parents. ‘ Honour thy father and thy 
 mother/ He says. The truth of this is 
 apparent to every one, calling to mind even 
 dimly the words of holy Scripture. If according 
 to it the souls of the just are in the hands of 
 God, how much more is her soul in the hands 
 of her Son and her God. This is indisputable. 
 Let us consider who she is and whence she 
 came, how she, the greatest and dearest of all 
 God’s gifts, was given to this world. Let us 
 examine what her life was, and the mysteries in 
 which she took part. Heathens in the use of 
 funeral orations most carefully brought forward 
 anything which could be turned to praise of the 
 deceased, and at the same time encourage the 
 living to virtue, drawing generally upon fable 
 and fiction, not having fact to go upon. How 
 then, shall we not deserve scorn if we bury in 
 silence that which is most true and sacred, and 
 in very deed the source of praise and salvation 
 to all ? Shall we not receive the same punish¬ 
 ment as the man who hid his master’s talent ? 
 Let us adapt our subject to the needs of those 
 who listen, as food is suited to the body. 
 
 Joachim and Anne were the parents of 
 Mary. Joachim kept as strict a watch over 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 155 
 
 his thoughts as a shepherd over his flock, 
 having them entirely under his control. For 
 the Lord God led him as a sheep, and he 
 wanted for none of the best things. When 
 I say best, let no one think I mean what is com¬ 
 monly acceptable to the multitude, that upon 
 which greedy minds are fixed, the pleasures 
 of life that can neither endure nor make their 
 possessors better, nor confer real strength. 
 They follow the downward course of human 
 life and cease all in a moment, even if they 
 abounded before. Far be it from us to cherish 
 these things, nor is this the portion of those 
 who fear God. But the good things which 
 are a matter of desire to those who possess 
 true knowledge, delighting God, and fruitful 
 to their possessors, namely, virtues, bearing 
 fruit in due season, that is, in eternity, will 
 reward with eternal life those who have 
 laboured worthily and have persevered in their 
 acquisition as far as possible. The labour 
 goes before, eternal happiness follows. 
 Joachim ever shepherded his thoughts. In 
 the place of pastures, dwelling by contempla¬ 
 tion on the words of sacred Scripture, made 
 glad on the restful waters of divine grace, 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 T 5 6 
 
 withdrawn from foolishness, he walked in the 
 path of justice. And Anne, whose name 
 means grace, was no less a companion in her 
 life than a wife, blessed with all good gifts, 
 though afflicted for a mystical reason with 
 sterility. Grace in very truth remained sterile, 
 not being able to produce fruit in the souls of 
 men. Therefore, men declined from good and 
 degenerated ; there was not one of under¬ 
 standing nor one who sought after God. 
 Then His divine goodness, taking pity on the 
 work of His hands, and wishing to save it, put 
 an end to that mystical barrenness, that of 
 holy ( θεόφρονος ) Anne, I mean, and she gave 
 birth to a child, whose equal had never been 
 created and never can be. The end of 
 barrenness proved clearly that the world’s 
 sterility would cease and that the withered 
 trunk would be crowned with vigorous and 
 mystical life. 
 
 Hence the Mother of our Lord is announced. 
 An angel foretells her birth. It was fitting 
 that in this, too, she, who was to be the 
 human Mother of the one true and living 
 God, should be marked out above every one 
 else. Then she was offered in God’s holy 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 157 
 
 temple, and remained there, showing to all 
 a great example of zeal and holiness, with¬ 
 drawn from frivolous society. When, however, 
 she reached full age and the law required 
 that she should leave the temple, she was 
 entrusted by the priests to Joseph, her bride¬ 
 groom, as the guardian of her virginity, a 
 steadfast observer of the law from his youth. 
 Mary, the holy and undefiled (πανάμωμος), 
 went to Joseph, contenting herself with her 
 household matters, and knowing nothing be¬ 
 yond her four walls. 
 
 In the fulness of time, as the divine apostle 
 says, the angel Gabriel was sent to this true 
 child of God, and saluted her in the words, 
 
 ‘ Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.’ 
 Beautiful is the angel’s salutation to her who 
 is greater than an angel. He is the bearer of 
 joy to the whole world. She was troubled at his 
 words, not being used to speak with men, for 
 she had resolved to keep her virginity un¬ 
 sullied. She pondered in herself what this 
 greeting might be. Then the angel said to 
 her : ‘ Fear not, Mary. Thou hast found grace 
 before God.’ In very deed, she who was 
 worthy of grace had found it. She found 
 
ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 158 
 
 grace who had done the deeds of grace, and 
 had reaped its fulness. She found grace who 
 brought forth the source of grace, and was a 
 rich harvest of grace. She found an abyss of 
 grace who kept undefiled her double virginity, 
 her virginal soul no less spotless than her body ; 
 hence her perfect virginity. ‘ Thou shalt bring 
 forth a Son,’ he said, ‘and shalt call His name 
 Jesus’ (Jesus is interpreted Saviour). ‘He 
 shall save His people from their sins.’ What 
 did she, who is true wisdom, reply ? She does 
 not imitate our first mother Eve, but rather 
 improves upon her incautiousness, and calling in 
 nature to support her, thus answers the angel : 
 ‘How is this to be, since I know not man? 
 What you say is impossible, for it goes beyond 
 the natural laws laid down by the Creator. I 
 will not be called a second Eve and disobey 
 the will of my God. If you are not speaking 
 godless things, explain the mystery by saying 
 how it is to be accomplished.’ Then the 
 messenger of truth answered her : ‘The Holy 
 Spirit shall come to thee, and the power of 
 the Most High shall overshadow thee. There¬ 
 fore He who is born to thee shall be called 
 the Son of God.’ That which is foretold is 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 159 
 
 not subservient to the laws of nature. For 
 God, the Creator of nature, can alter its laws. 
 And she, listening in holy reverence to that 
 sacred name, which she had ever desired, signi¬ 
 fied her obedience in words full of humility 
 and joy : ‘ Behold the handmaid of the Lord. 
 Be it done unto me according to thy word.’ 
 
 ‘ O the depth of the riches, of the wisdom, 
 and of the knowledge of God,’ I will exclaim 
 in the apostle’s words. ‘ How incomprehen¬ 
 sible are His judgments, and how unsearchable 
 His ways.’ O inexhaustible goodness of God! 
 O boundless goodness! He who called what 
 was not into being, and filled heaven and earth, 
 whose throne is heaven, and whose footstool 
 is the earth, a spacious dwelling-place, made 
 the womb of His own servant, and in it the 
 mystery of mysteries is accomplished (το πάντων 
 καινών καινότβρον αποτελεί μυστήριον ). Being God 
 He becomes man, and is marvellously brought 
 forth without detriment to the virginity of His 
 Mother. And He is lifted up as a baby in 
 earthly arms, who is the brightness of eternal 
 glory, the form of the Father’s substance, by 
 the word of whose mouth all created things 
 exist. O truly divine wonder! O mystery 
 
ιόο 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 transcending all nature and understanding! O 
 marvellous virginity! What, O holy Mother 
 and Virgin, is this great mystery accomplished 
 in thee ? Blessed art thou amongst women, 
 and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Thou 
 art blessed from generation to generation, thou 
 who alone art worthy of being blessed. Behold 
 all generations shall call thee blessed as thou 
 hast said. The daughters of Jerusalem, I 
 mean, of the Church, saw thee. Queens have 
 blessed thee, that is, the spirits of the just, 
 and they shall praise thee for ever. Thou art 
 the royal throne which angels surround, seeing 
 upon it their very King and Lord. Thou art 
 a spiritual Eden, holier and diviner than Eden 
 of old. That Eden was the abode of the 
 mortal Adam, whilst the Lord came from 
 heaven to dwell in thee. The ark foreshadowed 
 thee who hast kept the seed of the new world. 
 Thou didst bring forth Christ, the salvation of 
 the world, who destroyed sin and its angry 
 waves. The burning bush was a figure of 
 thee, and the tablets of the law, and the ark 
 of the testament. The golden urn and candel¬ 
 abra, the table and the flowering rod of Aaron 
 were significant types of thee. From thee arose 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 161 
 
 the splendour of the Godhead, the eternal 
 Word of the Father, the most sweet and 
 heavenly Manna, the sacred Name above every 
 name, the Light which was from the begin¬ 
 ning. The heavenly Bread of Life, the Fruit 
 without seed, took flesh of thee. Did not that 
 flame foreshadow thee with its burning fire an 
 image of the divine fire within thee ? And 
 Abraham’s tent most clearly pointed to thee. 
 By the Word of God dwelling in thee human 
 nature produced the bread made of ashes, its 
 first fruits, from thy most pure womb, the first 
 fruits kneaded into bread and cooked by divine 
 fire, becoming His divine person, and His true 
 substance of a living body quickened by a 
 reasoning and intelligent soul. # I had nearly 
 forgotten Jacob’s ladder. Is it not evident to 
 every one that it prefigured thee, and is not 
 the type easily recognised? Just as Jacob saw 
 the ladder bringing together heaven and earth, 
 and on it angels coming down and going up, 
 and the truly strong and invulnerable God 
 
 * τιρ yap θεφ λόγφ έν rrj yaarpL σου σκηνώσαντι άνθρωπεία φύσι s τόν 
 ϊγκρυφίαν άρτον, την έαυτης απαρχήν εκ των σων ayvQv αιμάτων 
 πpoσ'f|yayev, όπτωμενην πως καί άρτοποίονμενην νπο του θείου πυρός, 
 
 etc. 
 
 L 
 
102 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 wrestling mystically with himself, so art thou 
 placed between us, and art become the ladder 
 of God’s intercourse with us, of Him who took 
 upon Himself our weakness, uniting us to 
 Himself, and enabling man to see God. 
 Thou hast brought together what was parted. 
 Hence angels descended to Him, ministering 
 to Him as their God and Lord, and men, adopt¬ 
 ing the life of angels, are carried up to heaven. 
 
 How shall I understand the prediction of 
 prophets ? Shall I not refer them to thee, as 
 we can prove them to be true ? What is the 
 fleece of David which receives the Son of the 
 Almighty God, co-eternal and co-equal with 
 H is Father, as rain falls upon the soil? Does 
 it not signify thee in thy bright shining ? Who 
 is the virgin foretold by Isaias who should 
 conceive and bear a Son, God ever present 
 with us, that is, who being born a man should 
 remain God ? What is Daniel’s mountain from 
 which arose Christ, the Corner-Stone, not made 
 by the hand of man? Is it not thee, con¬ 
 ceiving without man and still remaining a 
 virgin ? Let the inspired Ezechiel come forth 
 and show us the closed gate, sealed by the 
 Lord, and not yielding, according to his 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 163 
 
 prophecy—let him point to its fulfilment in 
 thee. The Lord of all came to thee, and 
 taking flesh did not open the door of thy 
 virginity. The seal remains intact. The 
 prophets, then, foretell thee. Angels and 
 apostles minister to thee, O Mother of God, 
 ever Virgin, and John the virgin apostle. 
 Angels and the spirits of the just, patriarchs 
 and prophets surround thee to-day in thy de¬ 
 parture to thy Son. Apostles watched over 
 the countless host of the just who were 
 gathered together from every corner of the 
 earth by the divine commands, as a cloud 
 around the divine and living Jerusalem, sing¬ 
 ing hymns of praise to thee, the author of 
 our Lord’s life-giving body. 
 
 O how does the source of life pass through 
 death to life ? O how can she obey the law 
 of nature, who, in conceiving, surpasses the 
 boundaries of nature? How is her spotless 
 body made subject to death? In order to be 
 clothed with immortality she must first put off 
 mortality, since the Lord of nature did not 
 reject the penalty of death. She dies accord¬ 
 ing to the flesh, destroys death by death, and 
 through corruption gains incorruption ( φθορά 
 
1 64 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 τψ αφθαρσίαν χαρίζεται), and makes her death the 
 source of resurrection. O how does Almighty 
 God receive with His own hands the holy dis¬ 
 embodied soul of our Lord’s Mother! He 
 honours her truly, whom being His servant by 
 nature, He made His Mother, in His inscrutable 
 abyss of mercy, when He became incarnate in 
 very truth. We may well believe that the 
 angelic choirs waited to receive thy departing 
 soul. O what a blessed departure this going 
 to God of thine. If God vouchsafes it to all 
 His servants—and we know that He does—· 
 what an immense difference there is between 
 His servants and His Mother. What, then, 
 shall we call this mystery of thine ? Death ? 
 Thy blessed soul is naturally parted from thy 
 blissful and undefiled body, and the body is 
 delivered to the grave, yet it does not endure in 
 death, nor is it the prey of corruption. The 
 body of her, whose virginity remained un¬ 
 spotted in child-birth, was preserved in its 
 incorruption, and was taken to a better, diviner 
 place, where death is not, but eternal life. Just 
 as the glorious sun may be hidden momentarily 
 by the opaque moon, it shows still though 
 covered, and its rays illumine the darkness 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 1 65 
 
 since light belongs to its essence. It has in 
 itself a perpetual source of light, or rather 
 it is the source of light as God created it. 
 So art thou the perennial source of true light, 
 the treasury of life itself, the richness of grace, 
 the cause and medium of all our goods. And 
 if for a time thou art hidden by the death of the 
 body, without speaking, thou art our light, 
 life-giving ambrosia, true happiness, a sea of 
 grace, a fountain of healing and of perpetual 
 blessing. Thou art as a fruitful tree in the 
 forest, and thy fruit is sweet in the mouth of 
 the faithful. Therefore I will not call thy 
 sacred transformation death, but rest or going 
 home, and it is more truly a going home. 
 Putting off corporeal things, thou dwellest in 
 a happier state. 
 
 Angels with archangels bear thee up. Im¬ 
 pure spirits trembled at thy departure. The 
 air raises a hymn of praise at thy passage, and 
 the atmosphere is purified. Heaven receives 
 thy soul with joy. The heavenly powers greet 
 thee with sacred canticles and with joyous 
 praise, saying : ‘ Who is this most pure 
 
 creature ascending, shining as the dawn, 
 beautiful as the moon, conspicuous as the 
 
1 66 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 sun? How sweet and lovely thou art, the 
 lily of the field, the rose among thorns; 
 therefore the young maidens loved thee. 
 We are drawn after the odour of thy ointments. 
 The King introduced thee into His chamber. 
 There Powers protect thee, Principalities praise 
 thee, Thrones proclaim thee, Cherubim are 
 hushed in joy, and Seraphim magnify the 
 true Mother by nature and by grace of their 
 very Lord. Thou wert not taken into heaven 
 as Elias was, nor didst thou penetrate to the 
 third heaven with Paul, but thou didst reach 
 the royal throne itself of thy Son, seeing it 
 with thy own eyes, standing by it in joy and 
 unspeakable familiarity. O gladness of angels 
 and of all heavenly powers, sweetness of 
 patriarchs and of the just, perpetual exultation 
 of prophets, rejoicing the world and sanctifying 
 all things, refreshment of the weary, comfort of 
 the sorrowful, remission of sins, health of the 
 sick, harbour of the storm-tossed, lasting 
 strength of mourners, and perpetual succour 
 of all who invoke thee.’ 
 
 O wonder surpassing nature and creating 
 wonder! Death, which of old was feared and 
 hated, is a matter of praise and blessing.- Of old 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 167 
 
 it was the harbinger of grief, dejection, tears, 
 and sadness, and now it is shown forth as the 
 cause of joy and rejoicing. In the case of all 
 Gods servants, whose death is extolled, His 
 good pleasure is surmised from their holy end, 
 and therefore their death is blessed. It shows 
 them to be perfect, blessed and immoveable in 
 goodness, as the proverb says : ‘ Praise no man 
 before his death.’ This, however, we do not 
 apply to thee. Thy blessedness was not death, 
 nor was dying thy perfection, nor, again, did 
 thy departure hence help thee to security. 
 Thou art the beginning, middle, and end of 
 all goods transcending mind, for thy Son in His 
 conception and divine dwelling in thee is made 
 our sure and true security. Thus thy words 
 were true : from the moment of His conception, 
 not from thy death, thou didst say all genera¬ 
 tions should call thee blessed. It was thou 
 who didst break the force of death, paying its 
 penalty, and making it gracious. Hence, when 
 thy holy and sinless body was taken to the 
 tomb, the choirs of angels bore it, and were 
 all around, leaving nothing undone for the 
 honour of our Lord’s Mother, whilst apostles 
 and all the assembly of the Church burst into 
 
1 68 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 prophetic song, saying: ‘ We shall be filled 
 with the good things of Thy house, holy is 
 Thy temple, wonderful in justice.’ And again : 
 ‘ The Most High has sanctified His tabernacle. 
 The mountain of God is a fertile mountain, the 
 mountain in which it pleased God to dwell.’ 
 The apostolic band lifting the true ark of the 
 Lord God on their shoulders, as the priests of 
 old the typical ark, and placing thy body in the 
 tomb, made it, as if another Jordan, the way to 
 the true land of the gospel, the heavenly 
 Jerusalem, the mother of all the faithful, God 
 being its Lord and architect. Thy soul did 
 not descend to Limbo, neither did thy flesh see 
 corruption. Thy pure and spotless body was 
 not left in the earth, but the abode of the 
 Queen, of God’s true Mother, was fixed in the 
 heavenly kingdom alone. 
 
 O how did heaven receive her who is greater 
 than heaven? How did she, who had received 
 God, descend into the grave ? This truly 
 happened, and she was held by the tomb. It 
 was not after bodily wise that she surpassed 
 heaven. For how can a body measuring three 
 cubits, and continually losing flesh, be compared 
 with the dimensions of heaven ? It was rather 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 169 
 
 by grace that she surpassed all height and 
 depth, for that which is divine is incomparable. 
 O sacred and wonderful, holy and worshipful 
 body, ministered to now by angels, standing by 
 in lowly reverence. Demons tremble: men 
 approach with faith, honouring and worshipping 
 her, greeting her with eyes and lips, and draw¬ 
 ing down upon themselves abundant blessings. 
 Just as a rich scent sprinkled upon clothes or 
 places, leaves its fragrance even after it has 
 been withdrawn, so now that holy, undefiled, 
 and divine body, filled with heavenly fra¬ 
 grance, the rich source of grace, is laid in the 
 tomb that it may be translated to a higher 
 and better place. Nor did she leave the grave 
 empty ; her body imparted to it a divine fra¬ 
 grance, a source of healing, and of all good for 
 those who approach it with faith. 
 
 We, too, approach thee to-day, O Queen; 
 and again, I say, O Queen, O Virgin Mother 
 of God, staying our souls with our trust in 
 thee, as with a strong anchor. Lifting up 
 mind, soul and body, and all ourselves to thee, 
 rejoicing in psalms and hymns and spiritual 
 canticles, we reach through thee One who is 
 beyond our reach on account of His Majesty. 
 If, as the divine Word made flesh taught us» 
 
170 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 honour shown to servants is honour shown to 
 our common Lord, how can honour shown to 
 thee, His Mother, be slighted? How is it not 
 most desirable ? Art thou not honoured as the 
 very breath of life? Thus shall we best show 
 our service to our Lord Himself. What do I 
 say to our Lord? It is sufficient that those 
 who think of Thee should recall the memory 
 of Thy most precious gift as the cause of our 
 lasting joy. How it fills us with gladness! 
 How the mind that dwells on this holy treasury 
 of Thy grace enriches itself. 
 
 This is our thank-offering to thee, the first 
 fruits of our discourses, the best homage of 
 my poor mind, whilst I am moved by desire 
 of thee, and full of my own misery. But do 
 thou graciously receive my desire, knowing 
 that it exceeds my power. Watch over us, 
 O Queen, the dwelling - place of our Lord. 
 Lead and govern all our ways as thou wilt. 
 Save us from our sins. Lead us into the calm 
 harbour of the divine will. Make us worthy 
 of future happiness through the sweet and face- 
 to-face vision of the Word made flesh through 
 thee. With Him, glory, praise, power, and 
 majesty be to the Father and to the holy and 
 life-giving Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. 
 
SERMON II 
 
 ON THE ASSUMPTION (κοίμησις). 
 
 There is no one in existence who is able to 
 praise worthily the holy death of God’s Mother, 
 even if he should have a thousand tongues 
 and a thousand mouths. Not if all the most 
 eloquent tongues could be united would their 
 praises be sufficient. She is greater than all 
 praise. Since, however, God is pleased with 
 the efforts of a loving zeal, and the Mother 
 of God with what concerns the service of her 
 Son, suffer me now to revert again to her 
 praises. This is in obedience to your orders, 
 most excellent pastors, so dear to God, and we 
 call upon the Word made flesh of her to come 
 to our assistance. He gives speech to every 
 mouth which is opened for Him. He is her 
 sole pleasure and adornment. We know that 
 in celebrating her praises we pay off our debt, 
 
172 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 and that in so doing we are again debtors, so 
 that the debt is ever beginning afresh. It is 
 fitting that we should exalt her who is above 
 all created things, governing them as Mother 
 of the God who is their Creator, Lord, and 
 Master. Bear with me you who hang upon 
 the divine words, and receive my good will. 
 Strengthen my desire, and be patient with the 
 weakness of my words. It is as if a man were 
 to bring a violet of royal purple out of season, 
 or a fragrant rose with buds of different hues, 
 or some rich fruit of autumn to a mighty 
 potentate who is divinely appointed to rule 
 over men. Every day he sits at a table laden 
 with every conceivable dish in the perfumed 
 courts of his palace. He does not look at 
 the smallness of the offering, or at its novelty 
 so much as he admires the good intention, and 
 with reason. This he would reward with an 
 abundance of gifts and favours. So we, in our 
 winter of poverty,* bring garlands to our Queen, 
 
 * οΰτω καί ημείς εν χειμωνι των επών τα άνθη τη βασιλίδι προσάγοντες, 
 καί γεγηρακδτα \6yov προς τούς αγώνας των εγκωμίων όπλίζοντες, καί 
 τού πόθου Tip νιρ λίθον οία σιδηριρ προςτρίφαντες, τ) ως βόρθρην άωρον 
 εκθλίφαντες , την μυθοτόκον διάνοιαν , άμυδρόν τινα σπινθήρα κα'ι τρούφα 
 λόγου τοΐς φιλολόγοις ύμίν καί φιλακροάμοσι νεμοντες, μάλλον καί μάλλον 
 άποδειχθείημεν. 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 I 73 
 
 and prepare a flower of oratory for the feast of 
 praise. We break our mind’s stony desire 
 with iron, pressing, as it were, the unripe 
 grapes. And may you receive with more and 
 more favour the words which fall upon your 
 eager and listening ears. 
 
 What shall we offer the Mother of the Word 
 if not our words ? Like rejoices in like and in 
 what it loves. Thus, then, making a start and 
 loosening the reins of my discourse, I may 
 send it forth as a charger ready equipped for 
 the race. But do Thou, O Word of God, be 
 my helper and auxiliary, and speak wisdom to 
 my unwisdom. By Thy word make my path 
 clear, and direct my course according to Thy 
 good pleasure, which is the end of all wisdom 
 and discernment. 
 
 To-day the holy Virgin of Virgins is presented 
 in the heavenly temple. Virginity in her was 
 so strong as to be a consuming fire. It is 
 forfeited in every case by child-birth. But she 
 is ever a virgin, before the event, in the birth 
 itself, and afterwards. To-day the sacred and 
 living ark of the living God, who conceived her 
 Creator Himself, takes up her abode in the 
 temple of God, not made by hands. David, her 
 
174 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 forefather,* rejoices. Angels and Archangels 
 are in jubilation, Powers exult, Principalities 
 and Dominations, Virtues and Thrones are in 
 gladness: Cherubim and Seraphim magnify 
 God. Not the least of their praise is it to refer 
 praise to the Mother of glory. To-day the holy 
 dove, the pure and guileless soul, sanctified by 
 the Holy Spirit, putting off the ark of her body, 
 the life-giving receptacle of Our Lord, found 
 rest to the soles of her feet, taking her flight to 
 the spiritual world, and dwelling securely in the 
 sinless country above. To-day the Eden of 
 the new Adam receives the true paradise, in 
 which sin is remitted and the tree of life grows, 
 and our nakedness is covered. For we are no 
 longer naked and uncovered, and unable to 
 bear the splendour of the divine likeness. 
 Strengthened with the abundant grace of the 
 Spirit, we shall no longer betray our nakedness 
 in the words : ‘ I have put off my garment, how 
 shall I put it on ? ’ The serpent, by whose 
 deceitful promise we were likened to brute 
 beasts, did not enter into this paradise. He, 
 the only begotten Son of God, God himself, of 
 the same substance as the Father, took His 
 
 * θεοπάτωρ. 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 175 
 
 human nature of the pure Virgin. Being con¬ 
 stituted a man, He made mortality immortal, 
 and was clothed as a man. Putting aside 
 corruption, He was indued with the incor¬ 
 ruptibility of the Godhead. 
 
 To-day the spotless Virgin, untouched by 
 earthly affections, and all heavenly in her 
 thoughts, was not dissolved in earth, but 
 truly entering heaven, dwells in the heavenly 
 tabernacles. Who would be wrong to call her 
 heaven, unless indeed he truly said that she is 
 greater than heaven in surpassing dignity ? 
 The Lord and Creator of heaven, the Architect 
 of all things beneath the earth and above, of 
 creation, visible and invisible, Who is not 
 circumvented by place (if that which surrounds 
 things is rightly termed place), created Himself, 
 without human co-operation, an Infant in her. 
 He made her a rich treasure-house of His all- 
 pervading and alone uncircumscribed Godhead, 
 subsisting entirely in her without passion, 
 remaining entire in His universality and 
 Himself uncircumscribed. To-day the life- 
 giving treasury and abyss of charity (I know 
 not how to trust my lips to speak of it) is 
 hidden in immortal death. She meets it 
 
ij6 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 without fear, who conceived death’s destroyer, 
 if indeed we may call her holy and vivifying 
 departure by the name of death. For how 
 could she, who brought life to all, be under the 
 dominion of death ? But she obeys the law of 
 her own Son, and inherits this chastisement as 
 a daughter of the first Adam, since her Son, who 
 is the life, did not refuse it. As the Mother of 
 the living God, she goes through death to Him. 
 For if God said : ‘ Unless the first man put out 
 his hand to take and taste of the tree of life, he 
 shall live for ever,’ how shall she, who received 
 the Life Himself, without beginning or end, or 
 finite vicissitudes, not live for ever. 
 
 Of old the Lord God banished from the 
 garden of Eden our first parents after their dis¬ 
 obedience, when they had dulled the eye of 
 their heart through their sin, and weakened 
 their mind’s discernment, and had fallen into 
 death-like apathy. But, now, shall not paradise 
 receive her, who broke the bondage of all 
 passion, sowed the seed of obedience to God 
 and the Father, and was the beginning of life 
 to the whole human race ? Will not heaven 
 open its gates to her with rejoicing? Yes, 
 indeed. Eve listened to the serpent, adopted 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 1 71 
 
 his suggestion, was caught by the lure of false 
 and deceptive pleasure, and was condemned to 
 pain and sorrow, and to bear children in suffer¬ 
 ing. With Adam she received the sentence of 
 death, and was placed in the recesses of Limbo. 
 How can death claim as its prey this truly 
 blessed one, who listened to God’s word in 
 humility, and was filled with the Spirit, con¬ 
 ceiving the Father’s gift through the archangel, 
 bearing without concupiscence or the co-opera¬ 
 tion of man the Person of the Divine Word, who 
 fills all things, bringing Him forth without the 
 pains of childbirth, being wholly united to God ? 
 How could Limbo open its gates to her ? How 
 could corruption touch the life-giving body ? 
 These are things quite foreign to the soul and 
 body of God’s Mother. Death trembled before 
 her. In approaching her Son, death had learnt 
 experience from His sufferings, and had grown 
 wiser. The gloomy descent to hell was not for 
 her, but a joyous, easy, and sweet passage to 
 heaven. If, as Christ, the Life and the Truth 
 says : ‘ Wherever I am, there is also my 
 
 minister,’ how much more shall not His mother 
 be with Him? She brought Him forth with¬ 
 out pain, and her death, also, was painless. 
 
 M 
 
I 78 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 The death of sinners is terrible, for in it, sin, 
 the cause of death, is sacrificed. What shall 
 we say of her if not that she is the beginning 
 of perpetual life. Precious indeed is the death 
 of His saints to the Lord God of powers. More 
 than precious is the passing away of God’s 
 Mother. Now let the heavens and the angels 
 rejoice : let the earth and men be full of glad¬ 
 ness. Let the air resound with song and 
 canticle, and dark night put off its gloom, and 
 emulate the brightness of day through the 
 scintillating stars. The living city of the Lord 
 God is assumed from God’s temple, the visible 
 Sion, and kings bring forth His most precious 
 gift, their mother, to the heavenly Jerusalem,— 
 that is to say, the apostles constituted princes 
 by Christ, over all the earth, accompany the 
 ever virginal Mother of God. 
 
 It seems to me not superfluous to bring 
 forward and insist on the past types of this 
 holy one, the Mother of God. These types 
 succinctly announced the Divine Child whom 
 we have received. I look upon His Mother 
 as the saint of saints, the holiest of all, the 
 fragrant urn for the manna, or rather, to speak 
 more truly, the fountain taking its rise in the 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 179 
 
 divine and far-famed city of David, in Sion 
 the glorious ; in it the law is fulfilled and the 
 spiritual law is portrayed. In Sion, Christ 
 the Law-giver consummated the typical pasch, 
 and God, the Author of the old and the new 
 dispensation, gave us the true pasch. In it 
 the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins 
 of the world, initiated His disciples unto His 
 mystical feast, and gave them Himself slain as 
 a victim, and the grape pressed in the true 
 vine. In Sion, Christ is seen by His apostles, 
 risen from the dead, and Thomas is told, and 
 through Thomas the world, that He is Lord 
 and God, having in Himself two natures after 
 His resurrection, and consequently two opera¬ 
 tions, independent wills, enduring for all ages. 
 Sion is the crown of churches, the resting-place 
 of disciples. In it the echo of the Holy Spirit, 
 the gift of tongues, His fiery descent are 
 transmitted to the apostles. In it St John, 
 taking the Mother of God, ministered to her 
 wants. Sion is the mother of churches in the 
 whole world, who offered a resting-place to the 
 Mother of God after her Son’s resurrection 
 from the dead. In it, lastly, the Blessed Virgin 
 was stretched on a small bed. 
 
ι8ο 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 When I had reached this point of my dis¬ 
 course, I was obliged to give vent to my own 
 feelings, and burning with loving desire, to 
 shed reverent yet joyful tears, embracing, as it 
 were, the bed so happy and blest and wondrous, 
 which received the life-giving tabernacle and 
 rejoiced in the contact of holiness. I seemed 
 to take into my arms that holy and sacred 
 body itself, worthy of God, and pressing my 
 eyes, lips, and forehead, head, and cheeks to 
 hers, I felt as if she was really there, though I 
 was unable to see with my eyes what I desired. 
 H ow, then, was she assumed to the heavenly 
 courts ? In this way. What were the 
 honours then conferred upon her by God who 
 commands us to honour our parents ? The 
 cloud which enclosed Jerusalem as with a net, 
 by the divine commands, brought together 
 eagles from the ends of the earth, those who 
 are spread over the world, fishing for men in 
 the various and numerous tongues of the 
 spirit. By the net of the word they are saving 
 men from the abyss of doubt and bringing 
 them to the spiritual and heavenly table of 
 the sacred and mystical banquet, the perfect 
 marriage feast of the Divine Bridegroom, 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 181 
 
 which the Father celebrates with His Son, 
 who is equal to Himself and of the same 
 nature. ‘Where the spirit is,’ says Christ the 
 Truth, ‘ there shall the eagles be gathered 
 together.’ If we have already spoken con¬ 
 cerning the second great and splendid coming 
 of Him who spoke these words, it will not be 
 out of place here by way of condiment. 
 
 Eye-witnesses, then, and ministers of the 
 word were there, duly ministering to His 
 Mother, and drawing from her a rich in¬ 
 heritance, as it were, and a full measure of 
 praise. For is it a matter of doubt to any one 
 that she is the source of blessing and the 
 fountain of all good ? Their followers and 
 successors also were there, joining in their 
 ministry and in their praise. A common 
 labour produces common fruits. A chosen 
 band from Jerusalem were there. It was fitting 
 that the foremost men and prophets of the old 
 law, they who had foretold God the Word’s 
 saving birth of her in time, should be there 
 as a guard of honour. Nor did the angelic 
 choirs fail. They who obeyed the king 
 heartily (κατα γνώμην), and consequently were 
 honoured by standing near Him, had the right 
 
182 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 to serve as a body-guard to His Mother, 
 according to the flesh, the truly blessed and 
 blissful one, surpassing all generations and all 
 creation. All those were with her who are the 
 brightness and the shining of the spirit, with 
 spiritual eyes fixed upon her in reverence, and 
 fear, and pure desire. 
 
 We hear divine and inspired words, and 
 spiritual canticles appropriate to the parting 
 hour. On this account it was meet to praise His 
 boundless goodness, His immeasurable great¬ 
 ness, His omnipotence, the generosity surpass¬ 
 ing all measure in His dealings with us, the 
 overflowing riches of His mercy, the abyss of 
 His tenderness ; how, putting aside His great¬ 
 ness, He descended to our littleness with the 
 co-operation of the Father and the Holy Spirit. 
 Again, the supersubstantial One is supersub- 
 stantially created in the virginal womb. Being 
 God He became man, and remains according 
 to this union perfect God and perfect man, not 
 giving up the substance of His Godhead nor 
 ceasing to be of the same flesh and blood as 
 we are. He, who fills all things and governs 
 the universe with one word, took up His abode 
 in a narrow place, and the material body of 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 183 
 
 this blessed one received the burning fire of 
 the Godhead, and as genuine gold it remained 
 intact. This has taken place because God 
 willed it, since His good pleasure makes things 
 possible which could not happen without it. 
 Then followed a strife of praise, not as if each 
 was seeking to outdo the other—for this is 
 vainglorious and far from pleasing to God— 
 but as if they would leave nothing undone for 
 the glory of God and the honour of God’s 
 Mother. 
 
 Then Adam and Eve, our first parents, 
 opened their lips to exclaim, ‘ Thou blessed 
 daughter of ours, who hast removed the 
 penalty of our disobedience ! Thou, inheriting 
 from us a mortal body, hast won us immor¬ 
 tality. Thou, taking thy being from us, hast 
 given us back the being in grace. Thou hast 
 conquered pain and loosened the bondage of 
 death. Thou hast restored us to our former 
 state. We had shut the door of paradise ; 
 thou didst find entrance to the tree of life. 
 Through us sorrow came out of good ; through 
 thee good from sorrow, blow canst thou who 
 art all fair taste of death? Thou art the gate 
 of life and the ladder to heaven. Death is 
 
184 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 become the passage to immortality. O thou 
 truly blessed one! who that is not the Word 
 could have borne what thou hast borne ? ’ * 
 
 All the company of the saints exclaimed, 
 ‘ Thou hast fulfilled our predictions. Thou 
 hast purchased our present joy for us. Through 
 thee we have broken the chains of death. 
 Come to us, divine and life-giving receptacle. 
 Come, our desire, thou who hast gained us our 
 desire.’ 
 
 And the saints standing by added their no 
 less burning words : ‘ Remain with us, our 
 comfort, our sole joy in this world. O Mother 
 leave us not orphans who have suffered on 
 thy Son’s account. May we have thee as a 
 refuge and refreshment in our labours and 
 weariness. Thou canst remain if thou so 
 wiliest, even as thou canst depart hence. If 
 thou departest, O dwelling-place of God, let 
 us go too, if we are thine through thy Son. 
 Thou art our sole consolation on earth. We 
 live as long as thou livest, and it is bliss to 
 die with thee. Why do we speak of death ? 
 Death is life to thee, and better than life— 
 
 * όντως μακαρία σύ, παμμακάριστε. Ίίς yap , d μήτ^ε b \6yos rj 
 προσενηνεκται τούτο πασχών, 0 πράττειν ύπείληπται. 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 1 85 
 
 incomparably exceeding this life. How is our 
 life—life, if we are deprived of thee ? ’ 
 
 The apostles and all the assembly of the 
 Church may well have addressed some such 
 words to the blessed Virgin. When they saw 
 the Mother of God near her end and longing 
 for it, they were moved by divine grace to 
 sing farewell hymns, and wrapt out of the flesh, 
 they sighed to accompany the dying Mother 
 of God, and anticipated death through intensity 
 of will. When they had all satisfied their duty 
 of loving reverence and had woven her a rich 
 crown of hymns, they spoke a parting blessing 
 over her, as a God-given treasure, and the last 
 words. These, I should think, were significant 
 of this life’s fleetingness, and of its leading to 
 the hidden mysteries of future goods. 
 
 This, it appears to me, is what they did at 
 once and unanimously. The King was there 
 to receive with divine embrace * the holy, un¬ 
 defiled, and stainless soul of His Mother on 
 her going home. And she, as we may well 
 conjecture, said, ‘ Into Thy hands, O my Son, 
 I commend my spirit. Receive my soul, dear 
 
 * χερσί θείαις καί άκηράτοπ. Obscure when applied to our 
 Lord. 
 
1 86 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 to Thee, which Thou didst keep spotless. I 
 give my body to Thee, not to the earth. 
 Guard that which Thou wert pleased to in¬ 
 habit and to preserve in virginity. Take me 
 to Thyself, that wherever Thou art, the fruit 
 of my womb, there I too may be. I am im¬ 
 pelled to Thee who didst descend to me. Do 
 Thou be the consolation of my most cherished 
 children, whom Thou didst vouchsafe to call 
 Thy brethren, when my death leaves them in 
 loneliness. Bless them afresh through my 
 hands.’ Then stretching out her hands, as 
 we may believe, she blessed all those present, 
 and then she heard the words: ‘ Come, my 
 beloved Mother, to thy rest. Arise and come, 
 most dear amongst women, the winter is past 
 and gone, the harvest time is at hand.* Thou 
 art fair, my beloved, and there is no stain in 
 thee. Thy fragrance is sweeter than all oint¬ 
 ments.’ With these words in her ear, that 
 holy one gave up her spirit into the hands of 
 her Son. 
 
 What happens? Nature, I conjecture, is 
 stirred to its depths, strange sounds and voices 
 are heard, and the swelling hymns of angels 
 
 * 6 Kcupos tt}s τομής 'έφθασς. 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 187 
 
 who precede, accompany, and follow her. 
 Some constitute the guard of honour to that 
 undefiled and immaculate ( παναγία ) soul on its 
 way to heaven until the queen reaches the divine 
 throne. Others surrounding the sacred and 
 divine body proclaim God’s Mother in angelic 
 harmony. What of those who watched by 
 the most holy and immaculate ( τταναγίω ) body ? 
 I11 loving reverence and with tears of joy 
 they gathered round the blessed and divine 
 tabernacle, embracing every member, and were 
 filled with holiness and thanksgiving. Then 
 illnesses were cured, and demons were put to 
 flight and banished to the regions of darkness. 
 The air and atmosphere and heavens were 
 sanctified by her passage through them, the 
 earth by the burial of her body. Nor was 
 water deprived of a blessing. She was washed 
 in pure water. It did not cleanse her, but was 
 rather itself sanctified. Then, hearing was 
 given to the deaf, the lame recovered their 
 feet, and the blind their sight. Sinners who 
 approached with faith blotted out the hand¬ 
 writing against them. Then the holy body is 
 wrapped in a snow-white winding-sheet, and 
 the queen is again laid upon her bed. Then 
 
188 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 follow lights and incense and hymns, and 
 angels singing as befits the solemnity ; apostles 
 and patriarchs acclaiming her in inspired 
 song. 
 
 When the Ark of God, departing from 
 Mount Sion for the heavenly country, was 
 borne on the shoulders of the Apostles, it was 
 placed on the way in the tomb. First it was 
 taken through the city, as a bride dazzling 
 with spiritual radiance, and then carried to the 
 sacred place of Gethsemane, angels over¬ 
 shadowing it with their wings, going before, 
 accompanying, and following it, together with 
 the whole assembly of the Church. King 
 Solomon compelled all the elders of Israel in 
 Sion to bear the ark of the covenant of the 
 Lord from the city of David, that is Sion, to 
 rest in the temple of the Lord, which he had 
 built, and the priests took the ark and the 
 tabernacle of the testimony, and the priests 
 and levites raised it. And the king and all 
 the people sacrificed numberless oxen and 
 sheep before the ark. And the priests carried 
 in the ark of the testimony of God into its 
 place, into the Holy of Holies, beneath the 
 wings of the cherubim. So is it now with the 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 189 
 
 dwelling-place of the true ark, no longer of the 
 testimony, but the very substance of God the 
 Word. The new Solomon, the Prince of 
 peace, the Creator of all things in the heavens 
 and on the earth, assembled together to-day 
 the supporters of the new covenant, that is 
 the Apostles, with all the people of the saints 
 in Jerusalem, brought in her soul through 
 angels to the true Holy of Holies, under the 
 wings of the four living creatures, and set her 
 on His throne within the veil, where Christ 
 Himself had preceded her. Her body the 
 while is borne by the Apostles’ hands, the 
 King of Kings covering her with the splen¬ 
 dour of His invisible Godhead, the whole 
 assembly of the saints preceding her, with 
 sacred song and sacrifice of praise until 
 through the tomb it was placed in the delights 
 of Eden, the heavenly tabernacles. 
 
 Perchance, Jews also were there, if any, not 
 too reprobate were to be found. It will not be 
 beside the mark to mention here a thing that 
 is asserted by many. It is said that when 
 those, who were carrying the blessed body of 
 God’s Mother, had reached the descent of the 
 opposite mountains, a certain Jew, the slave of 
 
190 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 sin, and pledged by his folly, imitated the 
 servant of Caiphas, who struck the divine Face 
 of Christ our Lord and Master, and made 
 himself the devil’s instrument. Full of wicked 
 passion and malice, he rushed at that most 
 divine tabernacle, which angels approached 
 with fear, and impiously dragged the bier with 
 both his hands to the ground. This was 
 prompted by the envy of the arch enemy, but 
 his labours were in vain, and he reaped a 
 severe and fitting reminder of his deed. It is 
 said that he lost the use of his hands, which 
 had perpetrated his malicious deed, until faith 
 moved him to repentance. The bearers were 
 standing near. The wretched man placed his 
 hands on the wondrous and life-giving taber¬ 
 nacle, and they again became sound. Circum¬ 
 stances had made him wise, as often happens. 
 But let us return to our subject. 
 
 Then they reached the most sacred Geth- 
 semane, and once more there were embracings 
 and prayers and panegyrics, hymns and tears, 
 poured forth by sorrowful and loving hearts. 
 They mingled a flood of weeping and sweat¬ 
 ing. ;X< And thus the immaculate ( πανάγιον ) 
 
 * καί Tjv ίδβιν ιδρώτας και δάκρυα τοίς χένμασιν άμι\\ώμ€να. 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 19 1 
 
 body was laid in the tomb. Then it was 
 assumed after three days to the heavenly 
 mansions. The bosom of the earth was no 
 fitting receptacle for the Lord’s dwelling-place, 
 the living source of cleansing water, the corn of 
 heavenly bread, the sacred vine of divine wine, 
 the evergreen and fruitful olive-branch of 
 God’s mercy. And just as the all holy body 
 of God’s Son, which was taken from her, rose 
 from the dead on the third day, it followed 
 that she should be snatched from the tomb, 
 that the mother should be united to her Son ; 
 and as He had come down to her, so she 
 should be raised up to Him, into the more 
 perfect dwelling-place, heaven itself. It was 
 meet that she, who had sheltered God the 
 Word in her own womb, should inhabit the 
 tabernacles of her Son. And as our Lord 
 said it behoved Him to be concerned with His 
 Father’s business, so it behoved His mother 
 that she should dwell in the courts of her Son, 
 in the house of the Lord, and in the courts of 
 the house of our God. If all those who rejoice 
 dwell in Him, where must the cause itself of joy 
 abide? It was fitting that the body of her, who 
 preserved her virginity unsullied in her mother- 
 
192 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 hood, should be kept from corruption even 
 after death. She who nursed her Creator as 
 an infant at her breast, had a right to be in the 
 divine tabernacles. The place of the bride 
 whom the Father had espoused, was in the 
 heavenly courts. It was fitting that she who 
 saw her Son die on the cross, and received in 
 her heart the sword of pain which she had not 
 felt in childbirth, should gaze upon Him 
 seated next to the Father. The Mother of 
 God had a right to the possession of her Son, 
 and as handmaid and Mother of God to the 
 worship of all creation. The inheritance of the 
 parents ever passes to the children. Now, 
 as a wise man said, the sources of sacred 
 waters are above. The Son made all creation 
 serve His Mother. 
 
 Let us then also keep solemn feast to-day to 
 honour the joyful departure of God’s Mother, 
 not with flutes nor corybants, nor the orgies 
 of Cybele, the mother of false gods, as they 
 say, whom foolish people talk of as a fruitful 
 mother of children, and truth as no mother at 
 all. These are demons and false imaginings. 
 They usurp what they are not by nature to 
 impose upon human folly. For how can what 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 193 
 
 is bodiless lead the wedded life # ? How can 
 that be god which, not being before, is present 
 only after birth ? That devils were bodiless is 
 apparent to all, even to those who are in¬ 
 tellectually blind. Homer somewhere testifies 
 to the condition of the gods he honours : 
 
 They eat not barley, and drink not ruddy wine, 
 
 So they are bloodless and are called immortal. 
 
 They eat not bread, he says, neither do they 
 drink fiery wine. On this account they are 
 anaemic, that is, without blood, and are called 
 immortals. He truly and appropriately says, 
 
 ‘ are called.’ They are called immortals 
 They are not that which they are called. 
 They died the death of wickedness. Now 
 we worship God, not God beginning His 
 being, but who always was and is above all 
 cause and argument or created mind or nature. 
 We honour and reverence the Mother of God, 
 not ascribing to her the eternal generation of 
 His Godhead. For the generation of God 
 the Word was not in time, and was co-eternal 
 with the Father. We acknowledge a second 
 generation in His spontaneous taking flesh, 
 and we see and know the cause of this. He 
 
 * yevvg. yap πως ii< συνδυασμόν τό άσώματον, και τίνα τρόπον μιχθήσβται. 
 
 Ν 
 
 
194 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 who is without beginning and without body 
 takes flesh for us as one of ourselves. And 
 taking flesh of this sacred Virgin, He is born 
 without man, remaining Himself perfect God, 
 and becoming perfect man, perfect God in His 
 flesh, and perfect Man in His Godhead. Thus, 
 recognising God’s Mother in this Virgin, we 
 celebrate her falling asleep, not proclaiming 
 her as God—far be from us these heathen 
 fables—since we are announcing her death, but 
 recognising her as the Mother of the Incarnate 
 God. 
 
 O people of Christ, let us acclaim her to-day 
 in sacred song, acknowledge our own good 
 fortune and proclaim it. Let us honour her 
 in nocturnal vigil ; let us delight in her purity 
 of soul and body, for she next to God surpasses 
 all in purity. It is natural for similar things 
 to glory in each other. Let us show our love 
 for her by compassion and kindness towards 
 the poor. For if mercy is the best worship 
 of God, who will refuse to show His Mother 
 devotion in the same way ? She opened to us 
 the unspeakable abyss of God’s love for us. 
 Through her the old enmity against the 
 Creator is destroyed. Through her our 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 195 
 
 reconciliation with Him is strengthened, peace 
 and grace are given to us, men are the 
 
 companions of angels, and we, who were in 
 dishonour, are made the children of God. 
 
 From her we have plucked the fruit of life. 
 From her we have received the seed of 
 
 immortality. She is the channel of all our 
 goods. In her God was man and man was 
 God. What more marvellous or more blessed ? 
 I approach the subject in fear and trembling. 
 With Mary, the prophetess, O youthful souls, 
 let us sound our musical instruments, mortify¬ 
 ing our members on earth, for this is spiritual 
 music. Let our souls rejoice in the Ark of 
 God, and the walls of Jericho will yield, I 
 mean the fortresses of the enemy. Let us 
 dance in spirit with David ; to-day the Ark 
 of God is at rest. With Gabriel, the great 
 archangel, let us exclaim, ‘ Hail, full of grace, 
 the Lord is with thee. Hail, inexhaustible 
 ocean of grace. Hail, sole refuge in grief. 
 Hail, cure of hearts. Hail, through whom 
 death is expelled and life is installed.’ 
 
 And you I will speak to as if living, most 
 sacred of tombs, after the life-giving tomb of our 
 Lord, which is the source of the resurrection. 
 
196 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 Where is the pure gold which apostolic hands 
 confided to you ? Where is the inexhaustible 
 treasure? Where the precious receptacle of 
 God ? Where is the living table ? Where the 
 new book in which the incomprehensible Word 
 of God is written without hands ? Where is 
 the abyss of grace and the ocean of healing ? 
 Where is the life-giving fountain ? Where is 
 the sweet and loved body of God’s Mother ? 
 
 Why * do you seek in the tomb one who 
 has been assumed to the heavenly courts ? 
 Why do you make me responsible for not 
 keeping her ? I was powerless to go against 
 the divine commands. That sacred and holy 
 body, leaving the winding-sheet behind, filled 
 me full of sweet fragrance, sanctified me by its 
 contact, and fulfilled the divine scheme, and 
 was then assumed, angels and archangels and 
 all the heavenly powers escorting it. Now 
 angels surround me, and divine grace abounds 
 in me. I am the physician of the sick. I 
 am a perpetual source of health, and the terror 
 of demons. I am a city of refuge for fugitives. 
 Approach with faith and you will receive a sea 
 of graces. Come, you of weak faith. All you 
 * The supposed answer of the tomb. 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 197 
 
 that thirst, come to the waters in obedience 
 to Isaias’ commands, and you who have no 
 money, come and buy for nothing. I call upon 
 all with the Gospel invitation. Let him who 
 longs for bodily or spiritual cure, forgiveness 
 of sins, deliverance from misfortune, the pos¬ 
 session of heaven, approach me with faith, and 
 draw hence a strong and rich stream of grace. 
 Just as the action of one and the same water 
 acts differently on the earth, air, and sun, 
 
 Λ 
 
 according to the nature of each, producing 
 wine in the vine and oil in the olive-tree, so 
 does one and the same grace profit each person 
 according to his needs. I do not possess 
 grace on my own account. A tomb given up to 
 corruption, an object of sorrow and dejection, 
 I receive a precious ointment, and am impreg¬ 
 nated with it, and this sweet fragrance alters 
 my condition whilst it lasts. Truly, divine 
 graces flow where they will. I have sheltered 
 the source of joy, and I have become rich in its 
 perennial fountain A 
 
 What shall we answer the tomb ? You have 
 indeed rich and abiding grace, but divine power 
 is not restricted by place, neither is the Mother 
 * An unauthentic paragraph omitted. 
 
198 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 * 
 
 of God’s working. If it were confined to the 
 tomb alone, few would be the richer. Now it 
 is freely distributed in all parts of the world. 
 Let us then make our memory serve as a store¬ 
 house of God’s Mother. How shall this be ? 
 She is a virgin and a lover of virginity. She 
 is pure and a lover of purity. If we purify our 
 mind with the body, we shall possess her grace. 
 She shuns all impurity and impure passions. 
 She has a horror of intemperance, and a special 
 hatred for fornication. She turns from its 
 allurements as from the progeny of serpents 
 . . . She looks upon all sin as death-inflicting, 
 rejoicing in all good. Contraries are cured by 
 contraries. She delights in fasting and con¬ 
 tinence and spiritual canticles, in purity, 
 virginity, and wisdom. With these she is ever 
 at peace, and takes them to her heart. She 
 embraces peace and a meek spirit, and love, 
 mercy, and humility as her children. In a 
 word, she grieves over every sin, and is glad 
 at all goodness as if it were her own. If we 
 turn away from our former sins in all earnest¬ 
 ness and love goodness with all our hearts, 
 and make it our constant companion, she will 
 frequently visit her servants, bringing all bless- 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 199 
 
 ings with her, Christ her Son, the King and 
 Lord who reigns in our hearts. To Him be 
 glory, praise, honour, power, and magnificence, 
 with the eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, 
 now and for ever. 
 

 tr 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 ON THE ASSUMPTION ( Κοίμησις ). 
 
 Lovers are wont to speak of what they love, 
 and to let their fancy run on it by day and 
 night. Let no one therefore blame me, if I 
 add a third tribute to the Mother of God, on 
 her triumphant departure. I am not profiting 
 her, but myself and you who are here present, 
 putting before you a spiritual seasoning and 
 refreshment in keeping with this holy night. 
 We are suffering, as you see, from scarcity of 
 eatables. Therefore I am extemporising a 
 repast, which, if not very costly nor worthy of 
 the occasion, will certainly be sufficient to still 
 hunger. She does not need our praise. It is 
 we who need her glory. How indeed can 
 glory be glorified, or the source of light be 
 enlightened ? We are weaving a crown for 
 ourselves in the doing. ‘ I live,’ the Lord says, 
 ‘and I will glorify those who glorify Me.’ 
 
202 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 Wine is truly pleasant to drink, and bread to 
 eat. The one rejoices, the other strengthens 
 the heart of man. But what is sweeter than 
 the Mother of my God ? She has taken my 
 mind captive, and held my tongue in bondage. 
 
 I think of her by day and night. She, the 
 Mother of the Word, supplies my words. The 
 fruit of sterility makes sterile minds fruitful. 
 We keep to-day the feast of her blessed and 
 divine transit from this world. Let us then 
 climb up the mystical mountain, where beyond 
 the reach of worldly things, passing through 
 the obscurity of storm, we stand in the divine 
 light and may give praise to Almighty power. 
 How does He, who dwells in the splendour of 
 His glory, descend into the Virgin’s womb 
 without leaving the bosom of the Father? 
 How is He conceived in the flesh, and does He 
 spontaneously suffer, and suffer unto death, in 
 that material body, gaining immortality 
 through corruptibility ? ( φθορά κτησάμενος το 
 
 άφθαρτον). And, again, ascending to the Father, 
 He drew His Mother, according to the flesh, to 
 H is own Father, assuming into the heavenly 
 country her who was heaven on earth. 
 
 To-day the living ladder, through whom the 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 203 
 
 Most High descended and was seen on earth, 
 and conversed with men, was assumed into 
 heaven by death. To-day the heavenly table, 
 she, who contained the bread of life, the fire 
 of the Godhead, without knowing man, was 
 assumed from earth to heaven, and the gates 
 of heaven opened wide to receive the gate of 
 God from the East. To-day the living city of 
 God is transferred from the earthly to the 
 heavenly Jerusalem, and she, who, conceived 
 her first-born and only Son, the first-born of 
 all creation, the only begotten of the Father, 
 rests in the Church of the first-born : the true 
 and living Ark of the Lord is taken to the peace 
 of her Son. The gates of heaven are opened 
 to receive the receptacle of God, who, bringing 
 forth the tree of life, destroyed Eves dis¬ 
 obedience and Adam’s penalty of death. And 
 Christ, the cause of all life, receives the chosen 
 mirror, the mountain from which the stone 
 without hands filled the whole earth. She, who 
 brought about the Word’s divine Incarnation, 
 rests in her glorious tomb as in a bridal- 
 chamber, whence she goes to the heavenly 
 bridals, to share in the kingdom of her Son 
 and God, leaving her tomb as a place of rest 
 
204 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 for those on earth. Is her tomb indeed a 
 resting-place? Yes, more famous than any 
 other, not shining with gold, or silver, or 
 precious stones, nor covered with silken, golden, 
 or purple adornments, but with the divine 
 radiance of the Holy Spirit. The angelic state 
 is not for lovers of this world, but the wondrous 
 life of the blessed is for the servants of the 
 Spirit, and passing to God is better and 
 sweeter than any other life. This tomb is 
 fairer than Eden. And that I may not speak 
 of the enemy’s deceit, in the one; of his, so to 
 say, clever counsel, his envy and covetousness, 
 of Eve’s weakness and pliability, the bait, sure 
 and tempting, which cheated her and her 
 husband, their disobedience, exile, and death, 
 not to speak of these things so as not to 
 turn our feast into sorrow, this grave gave up 
 the mortal body it contained to the heavenly 
 country. Eve became the mother of the human 
 family, and is not man made after the divine 
 image, convicted by her condemnation ; ‘ earth 
 thou art, and unto earth thou shalt return.’ 
 This tomb is more precious than the tabernacle 
 of old, receiving the real and life-giving re¬ 
 ceptacle of the Lord, the heavenly table, not 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 205 
 
 the loaves of proposition, but of heaven, not 
 material fire, but her who contained the pure 
 fire of the Godhead. This tomb is holier than 
 the ark of Moses, blessed not with types and 
 shadows, but the truth itself. It showed forth 
 the pure and golden urn, containing the heavenly 
 manna, the living tablet, receiving the Incarnate 
 Word of God from the impress of the Holy 
 Spirit, the golden censer of the supersubstantial 
 word. It showed forth her who conceived the 
 divine fire embalming all creation. 
 
 Let demons take to flight, and the thrice 
 miserable Nestorians perish as the Egyptians of 
 old, and their ruler Pharao, the younger, a cruel 
 devastator. They were swallowed up in the 
 abyss of blasphemy. Let us who are saved 
 with dry feet, crossing the bitter waters of 
 impiety, raise our voices to the Mother of God 
 at her departure. Let Mary, personifying the 
 Church, lead the joyful strain. Let the maidens 
 of the spiritual Jerusalem go out in singing 
 choirs. Let kings and judges, with rulers, 
 youths, and virgins, young and old, proclaim 
 the Mother of God, and all peoples and nations 
 in their different ways and tongues, sing a new 
 canticle. Let the air resound with praise and 
 
2 θ6 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 instrument, and the sun gladden this day of 
 salvation. Rejoice, O heavens, and may the 
 clouds rain justice. Be glad, O divine apostles, 
 the chosen ones of God’s flock, who seem to 
 reach the highest visions, as lofty mountain 
 tops. And you God’s sheep, and His holy 
 people, the flock of the Church, who look to 
 the high mountains of perfection, be sad, for 
 the fountain of life, God’s Mother, is dead. It 
 was necessary that what was made of earth 
 should return to earth, and thus be assumed to 
 heaven. It was fitting that the earthly tene¬ 
 ment should be cast off, as gold is purified, so 
 that the flesh in death might become pure and 
 immortal, and rise in shining immortality from 
 the tomb. 
 
 To-day she begins her second life through 
 Him who was the cause of her first being. 
 She gave a beginning, I mean, the life of the 
 body, to Him who had no beginning in time, 
 although the Father was the cause of His 
 divine existence. Rejoice holy and divine 
 Mount Sion, in which reposes the living divine 
 mountain, the new Bethel, with its grace, 
 human nature united with the Godhead. 
 From thee her Son ascended to heaven as 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 207 
 
 from the olives. Let the world-embracing 
 cloud be prepared and the winds gather the 
 apostles to Mount Sion from the ends of the 
 earth. Who are these who soar up as clouds 
 and eagles to the cause of all resurrection, 
 ministering to the Mother of God ? Who 
 is she who rises resplendent, all pure, and 
 bright as the sun ? Let the spiritual lyres 
 sing to her, the apostolic tongues. Let grave 
 theologians raise their voices in praise, 
 Hierotheus, the vessel of election, in whom 
 the Holy Spirit abides, knowing and teaching 
 divine things by the divine indwelling. Let 
 him be wrapt out of the body and join 
 willingly in the joyful hymn. Let all nations 
 clap their hands and praise the Mother of 
 God. Let angels minister to her body. 
 Follow your Queen, O daughters of Jerusalem, 
 and, together with her virgins in the spirit, 
 approach your Bridegroom in order to sit at 
 His right hand. Make haste, Lord, to give 
 Thy Mother the welcome which is her due. 
 Stretch out Thy divine hands. Receive Thy 
 Mother’s soul into the Father’s hands unto 
 which Thou didst commend Thy spirit on 
 the Cross. Speak sweet words to her : 
 
2 θ8 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 ‘ Come, my beloved, whose purity is more 
 dazzling than the sun, thou gavest me of thy 
 own, receive now what is mine. Come, my 
 Mother, to thy Son, reign with Him who was 
 poor with thee.’ Depart, O Oueen, depart, 
 not as .Moses did who went up to die. Die 
 rather that thou mayest ascend. Give up 
 thy soul into the hands of thy Son. Return 
 earth to the earth, it will be no obstacle. 
 Lift up your eyes, O people of God. See in 
 Sion the Ark of the Lord God of powers, and 
 the apostles standing by it, burying the life- 
 giving body which received our Lord. In¬ 
 visible angels are all around in lowly reverence 
 doing homage to the Mother of their Lord. 
 The Lord Himself is there, who is present 
 everywhere, and filling all things, the universal 
 Being, not in place. He is the Author and 
 Creator of all things. Behold the Virgin, the 
 daughter of Adam and Mother of God; 
 through Adam she gives her body to the 
 earth, her soul to her Son above in the 
 heavenly courts. Let the holy city be 
 sanctified, and rejoice in eternal praise. Let 
 angels precede the divine tabernacle on its 
 passage, and prepare the tomb. Let the 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 209 
 
 radiance of the spirit adorn it. Let sweet 
 ointment be made ready and poured over the 
 pure and undefiled body. Let a clear stream 
 of grace flow from grace in its source. Let 
 the earth be sanctified by contact with that 
 body. Let the air rejoice at the Assumption. 
 Let gentle breezes waft grace. Let all nature 
 keep the feast of the Mother of God’s 
 Assumption. May youthful bands applaud 
 and eloquent tongues acclaim her, and wise 
 hearts ponder on the wonder, priests hoary 
 with age gather strength at the sight. Let 
 all creation emulate heaven, even so the true 
 measure of rejoicing would not be reached. 
 
 Come, let us depart with her. Come, let us 
 
 descend to that tomb with all our heart’s desire. 
 
 Let us draw round that most sacred bed and 
 
 sing the sweet words, ‘ Hail, full of grace, the 
 
 Lord is with thee. Hail, predestined Mother 
 
 of God. Hail, thou chosen one in the design 
 
 of God from all eternity, most sacred hope of 
 
 earth, resting-place of divine fire, holiest delight 
 
 of the Spirit, fountain of living water, paradise 
 
 of the tree of life, divine vine-branch, bringing 
 
 forth soul - sustaining nectar and ambrosia. 
 
 Full river of spiritual graces, fertile land of the 
 
 o 
 
2 10 
 
 ST JOHN DAMASCENE 
 
 divine pastures, rose of purity, with the sweet 
 fragrance of grace, lily of the royal robe, pure 
 Mother of the Lamb of God who takes away 
 the sins of the world, token of our redemp¬ 
 tion, handmaid and Mother, surpassing angelic 
 powers.’ Come, let us stand round that pure 
 tomb and draw grace to our hearts. Let us 
 raise the ever-virginal body with spiritual arms, 
 and go with her into the grave to die with 
 her. Let us renounce our passions, and live 
 with her in purity, listening to the divine 
 canticles of angels in the heavenly courts. Let 
 us go in adoring, and learn the wondrous 
 mystery by which she is assumed to heaven, 
 to be with her Son, higher than all the angelic 
 choirs. No one stands between Son and 
 Mother. This, O Mother of God, is my third 
 sermon on thy departure, in lowly reverence to 
 the Holy Trinity to whom thou didst minister, 
 the goodness of the Father, the power of the 
 Spirit, receiving the Uncreated Word, the 
 Almighty Wisdom and Power of God. Accept, 
 then, my good-will, which is greater than my 
 capacity, and give us salvation. Heal our 
 passions, cure our diseases, help us out of 
 our difficulties, make our lives peaceful, send 
 
ON CROWNING OF OUR LADY 
 
 2 I I 
 
 us the illumination of the Spirit. Inflame us 
 with the desire of thy Son. Render us pleas¬ 
 ing to Him, so that we may enjoy happiness 
 with Him, seeing thee resplendent with thy 
 Son’s glory, rejoicing for ever, keeping feast 
 in the Church with those who worthily cele¬ 
 brate Him who worked our salvation through 
 thee, Christ the Son of God, and our God. 
 To Him be glory and majesty, with the un¬ 
 created Father and the all-holy and life-giving 
 Spirit, now and for ever, through the endless 
 ages of eternity. Amen. 
 

 
 
 
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 < III 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abraham and sons of Emmor, 9 ; image of God, 123. 
 Adam and Eve addressing Our Lady, 183. 
 
 Ambrose of Milan, St, on Incarnation, 136. 
 
 Amphilochius, addressed by St Basil, 34. 
 
 Angarus, King of Edessa, 33. 
 
 Angelic nature not taken by God, 102. 
 
 Anne, St, her name, 156. 
 
 Ark of God, the true, 168, 188 ; at rest, 195. 
 
 Assumption of Our Lady, 202, 207, 209, 210. 
 
 Athanasius, Archbishop of Antioch, 141. 
 
 Athanasius, St, his testimony, 120. 
 
 Augustine, St, de Civitate Dei , 57. 
 
 Babylon, three children in, 132. 
 
 Baltasar, impiety of, 110. 
 
 Basil, St, on Tradition, 28 ; on St Gordion, 37 ; on Forty 
 Martyrs, 117. 
 
 Berenice of Paneada, 124. 
 
 Body of Christ in Holy Eucharist, 102. 
 
 Brazen Serpent, image of the Cross, 50. 
 
 Burial of Our Lady, 190, 191, 208. 
 
 Burning bush, image of Our Lady, 79. 
 
 Cherubim, image of, 14. 
 
 Chrysostom, St John, his testimony, 83, 118, 121 ; on 
 the Machabees, 137 ; to Julian the Apostate, 138. 
 Church assailed by enemies, 1. 
 
 P 
 
214 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Constantine, zeal for images, 126. 
 
 Cross, veneration of, 78, 130, 134. 
 
 Cyril of Alexandria, St, 121. 
 
 Cyril of Jerusalem, 137 ; to Julian the Apostate, 138. 
 
 Daniel and David, worship of, 13. 
 
 Denis the Areopagite, 10 ; on images, 31, 96. 
 
 Denis, St, of Athens, 116. 
 
 Deuteronomy, testimony of, 6, 63. 
 
 Divine things clothed in form, 99 · 
 
 Egyptians, their burial, 29. 
 
 Elias taken to heaven, 166. 
 
 Eliseus, a wonder-worker, 45. 
 
 Epiphanius, St, on images, 29, 77. 
 
 Eupraxia, St, 51. 
 
 Ezechiel, his vision, 46, 128, 162. 
 
 Forty martyrs, 38, 40, 117. 
 
 Francis de Sales, St, on the Cross, 47. 
 
 Gabriel, St, sent to Mary, 157. 
 
 Godhead, not to be represented, 5, 8, 9, 14, 15, 62, 67, 98. 
 Gregory of Nazianzen, St, 122. 
 
 Gregory of Nyssa, St, 41. 
 
 Holy places, 109 ; things, no. 
 
 Homer, on the gods, 193. 
 
 Idolatry of Israelites, 80. 
 
 Idol worship of heathens, 77. 
 
 Images, dishonour shown to, 68, 86 ; worship of, 74, 75, 
 89 ; definition of, 92 ; kinds, 93, 94, 95, 97, 106, 133 ; 
 of saints, a fruitful worship, 112. 
 
 Invisible things through visible, n. 
 
 Isaias, his vision of God, 100; virgin foretold by, 162. 
 
 Jacob, his worship, 9, 13, 131 ; typical, 27 ; receiving 
 Joseph’s cloak, 132 ; ladder of, 161. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 2 15 
 
 Jews, their proneness to idolatry, 8. 
 
 Jezabel, punishment of, 70. 
 
 Joachim, St, 154. 
 
 Jordan, stones of, 20, 97. 
 
 Joseph, worshipped by brothers, 14. 
 
 Josue, worshipped an angel, 101. 
 
 King’s image, value of, 136 ; kings not legislators in the 
 Church, 52, 69, 76. 
 
 Latreia, worship of, 7 ; given to God alone, 64, 104, 107. 
 
 Law, image of the future, 82, 140; observances of, 18 ; 
 images of, 46, 49, 81, 88 ; superseded by grace, 73. 
 
 Leo of Neapolis, on the Cross, 43. 
 
 Matter not despicable, 17, 71, 72; consecrated, 127. 
 
 Mary of Egypt, St, praying to Our Lady, 51, 143, 145. 
 
 Maximus, St, his testimony, 84. 
 
 ■ X ^ 
 
 Methodius, St, on images, 145. 
 
 Moses, testimony of, 53, 60, 65 ; worships Jethor, 134. 
 
 Mother of God, 12 ; images of, 97; worship of, 54, 91; 
 death of, 164, 186 ; her Assumption, 166, 167, 173, 
 176 ; the city of God, 148 ; her praises, 150; her 
 birth, 150; her presentation, 156; her grace, 158; 
 her virginity, 159, 173; a spiritual Eden, 160; her 
 intercession, what, 169 ; the new Eden, 174 ; heaven, 
 175 ; her death, painless, 177 ; eye-witnesses of, 181 ; 
 saint of saints, 178 ; her right to worship of all, 192; 
 heavenly bridals of, 203; fountain of life, 206. 
 
 Our Lord’s human birth, 194. 
 
 Persecutors of saints punished, 70. 
 
 Peter, St, chief of apostles, 26. 
 
 Pharao worshipped by Jacob, 9. 
 
 Saints, why honoured, 21, 23, 24 ; their shadow, 113 ; our 
 worship of, 108. 
 
210 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Scripture, true interpretation of, 66. 
 
 Severianus, on the Cross, 139. 
 
 Simon Stylites, St, venerated in Rome, 119. 
 
 Sion, what, 179 
 
 Solomon and the temple, 22, 45, 129. 
 
 Spiritual conceptions through corporeal things, 90. 
 
 Tomb of Our Lady, 196, 197, 205, 210; fairer than Eden, 
 204. 
 
 Tradition, ancient, 114; unwritten, 75. 
 
 Types, honourable, 142. 
 
 Worship, false, 56, 57, 58; kinds of, 104, 105, 106, 108, 
 
 III. 
 
Catalogue of Books 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 THOMAS BAKER, 
 
 i, Soho Square, i, 
 LONDON. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 CARDINAL XIMINEZ 
 
 OR 
 
 The Church in Spain under Ferdinand and 
 Isabella (a.d. 1436-1517), 
 
 By Dr. VON HEFELE, of Tubingen. 
 
 Translated from the German by the Rev. Canon Dalton. 
 
 Thick 8vo, cloth. 3 s. 6d. net. 
 
 ‘‘A fine translation of the best life of this Great Cardinal, the Confessor 
 of Isabella, the Founder of Alcala, and Publisher of the Complutensian Bible. 
 A most fascinating biography.” 
 
 “ The book is remarkable for extent of research, clearness of method, 
 sagacity of observation, and elegance of style. We have, indeed, seldom met 
 with a biographical work which conveys, in so agreeable a form, such various 
 as well as such solid information.”— Dublin Review. 
 
 LIFE OF 
 
 Dom Bartholomew of the Martyrs 
 
 (O.P. and Archbishop of Braga in Portugal). 
 
 Translated from the Biographies of Fr. Louis, of Grenada, and others, by 
 
 Lady HERBERT. 
 
 In i thick volume, demy 8vo, cloth extra - - - 4 s. net. 
 
 “ Lady Herbert’s large Life of this wonderful servant of God—Dom 
 Bartholomew of the Martyrs—has become a standard work on the ecclesiastical 
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 “ It was during the sittings of the Council of Trent, and his occasional 
 interviews with the reigning Pontiffs throughout that period, that the character 
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 with the utmost boldness and frankness, and never minced his words, when he 
 had anything to say, that his conscience told him he ought to give expression 
 
 to.The volume now before us gives most interesting details 
 
 regarding the council, the more interesting because they are given for the most 
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 merits every commendation for her zeal and industry in producing this very 
 imposing volume.— Freeman's Journal. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 A NEW BOOK BY THE 
 
 REV. WILLIAM HUMPHREY, S.J. 
 
 “HIS DIVINE MAJESTY,” 
 
 OR 
 
 THE LIVING GOD. 
 
 Thick cr. 8vo, cloth - 6s. 6a. net. 
 
 HEADS OF CHAPTERS. 
 
 Man’s knowledge of God’s existence—Man’s knowledge of what God is— 
 The Essence and the Attributes of God—The absolute properties of the Divine 
 Essence—The negative properties of the Divine Essence—God’s knowledge— 
 God’s sincere will of man’s salvation—God the one Creator—God, as the author 
 of nature—God, as the author of the supernatural—The Paradise of God’s 
 Creation—The inner Life of God. 
 
 “ Father Humphrey’s numerous works make an almost complete library of 
 dogmatic, scriptural, moral, and ascetical theology. Some of them appeal to 
 Catholics exclusively, others are polemical, or at least apologetic, in the scientific 
 meaning of the term. His last volume claims the respectful attention of ever)’ 
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 Every detail of any truth which directly concerns his Divine Majesty, the only 
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 “ This is the title of a comprehensive treatise on the one true God (de Deo 
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 it may be called, is inherent in the subject, and is more than compensated by 
 the author’s depth and width of grasp. The book will prove valuable to the 
 clergy and to the educated laity who are eager to get an insight into some of 
 the most profound truths and mysteries of our holy faith.”— Messenger of Sac. 
 Heart , New York. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 AGOSTINO DA MONTEFELTRO 
 
 (O.S.F.) 
 
 Conferences at Rome, Florence and Milan. 
 
 1888-91. 
 
 Translated by 
 
 C. AUBREY ANSELL and H. DALBY GALLI. 
 Two volumes, crown 8vo, cloth extra, 5 s. net. 
 
 Only complete English edition. 
 
 Contents: 
 
 Volume I .—Existence of God—Who God is—True Conception of Man—The 
 Soul in Science and Art—The Immortality of the Soul—The End of Life 
 and Religion—St. Joseph—Sorrow—The True Religion—Sources of Un¬ 
 belief—The Working Classes—Mary. 
 
 Volume II .— Jesus Christ—Christ the God Man—Doctrine of Jesus Christ — 
 Purgatory—Love of Jesus—Our Faith—Hope—The Supernatural—Sunday 
 Rest—Faith and Science—The Eucharist—Confession and Penance— 
 Prejudice against Religion—The Passion, etc. 
 
 The only faithful and unemasculated edition in Englisn. It is neither 
 “ Adapted'' “Abridged," or “Selected." 
 
 With the special approbation of the late Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. 
 
 “The subjects chosen by the Preacher are of the simplest, consisting 
 chiefly of bold and forcible defence of the Christian Faith against Materialism, 
 eloquent and fervid appeals to the people for truthfulness and honesty in social 
 intercourse and earnest exhortations to purity of family life.” 
 
 The simplicity of his premises, the clear logic of his arguments and the 
 soundness of his conclusions, united with a certain magnetism of manner and 
 intense sympathy with the people , are the evident causes of his great success, 
 and have placed him high amongst the great preachers of the Century, He 
 has been already alluded to as ‘ The Italian Lacordaire.’ ” 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 ST. TERESA.—BOOK OF THE 
 
 FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Translated from the original Spanish by the Rev. JOHN DALTON, 
 
 And dedicated, by permission, to the Mother Abbess and Nuns of the 
 
 Franciscan Convent, Taunton. 
 
 Crown 8.. 2 s. 6d. net. 
 
 ST. TERESA.—THE INTERIOR 
 
 CASTLE; 
 
 OR, THE MANSIONS. 
 
 Translated from the Spanish by the Rev. JOHN DALTON, < 
 
 And dedicated, by permission, to the Right Rev. W. Ullathorne D.D., 
 
 O.S.B., Bishop of Birmingham. 
 
 Crown 8vo ------- 2 s 6d. net 
 
 ST. TERESA.—LETTERS. 
 
 Translated from the original Spanish by the Rev. JOHN DALTON. 
 Crown 8vo ------- 2 s. 6d. net. 
 
 A new edition of “The Way of Perfection” is in preparation. 
 
 The only current English Translations of the Works of this great 
 
 Spanish Saint and Mystic 
 
 “ The Holy Teresa is a prodigy of wisdom and sanctity; her works are 
 not sufficiently known.”— Ganganelli. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES 
 OF THE ANGLO-SAXON CHURCH, 
 
 Containing an Account of its Origin, Doctrines, Worship, Revenues, and 
 
 Clerical and Monastic Institutions, 
 
 By DR. JOHN LINGARD. 
 
 A New Edition , in 2 vols, crown 8vo, cloth extra ... 5s. net. 
 
 Heads of Contents : 
 
 The Conversion of the Britons and Saxons—Succession and Duties of Bishops 
 —Church Government—Anglo-Saxon Clergy—Anglo-Saxon Monks—Dona¬ 
 tions to the Church—Religious Worship—Religious Practices—Literature— 
 Decline of Piety and Learning—Reform by St. Dunstan—Foreign Missions— 
 
 Notes, &c., &c. 
 
 “ This valuable work opened the eyes of the public to the misrepresentations 
 of the ancient English Church by certain Protestant writers, and inaugurated 
 more truthful historical research.”— Gillow. 
 
 “ Whoever reads ‘Soames’ or ‘Sharon Turner’ should also read Lingard.” 
 
 A DIALOGUE OF COMFORT 
 
 AGAINST TRIBULATION, 
 
 By the BLESSED SIR THOMAS MORE, Knight, 
 
 Sometime Lord Chancellor of England, 
 
 Which he wrote while prisoner in the Tower of London, A.D. 1534. 
 Crown 8vo, cloth ...... 2 s. net. 
 
 “ There is in these books so witty, pithy, and substantial matter for the 
 easing, remedying, and patiently suffering of all manner of griefs and sorrows that 
 may possibly encumber any man .... and such golden consolations and 
 encouragements, and genuine philosophy, were inscribed ‘ with a coal,’ his 
 enemies having enhanced the pains of incarceration by depriving him of all 
 ordinary writing materials.” 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 Recollections of 
 Scottish Episcopalianism 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM HUMPHREY, S.J. 
 
 1896. 
 
 Royal 8vo, cloth extra, - - 2 s. 6d. net 
 
 PRESS OPINIONS. 
 
 “A very instructive and charming book.”— Dublin Review. 
 
 “It is simply and clearly written; and will be read with interest by 
 students of what may be called the psychology of religion.”— Scotsman. 
 
 “It is by no means strictly confined to Scottish Episcopalianism, and it 
 will be read with special interest in his native city of Aberdeen, and in 
 localities where—now a good many years ago—he ministered as a clergyman 
 of the Scottish Episcopal Church.” —Aberdeen Free Press. 
 
 “Father Humphrey’s ‘Recollections’ give in minute detail the reasons 
 which led him to adopt the Roman Catholic Religion. The record of the 
 spiritual changes through which a human being passes is always fascinating, 
 and in the present instance the evident sincerity of the narrator renders his 
 
 story doubly attractive.His enthusiastic description of the 
 
 fishermen and fisherwomen of Cove [by Aberdeen ), his brief outline of college 
 life at Glenalmond, and his short and not altogether enjoyable sojourn in 
 Dundee, contain many passages that will both amuse and edify.”— Dundee 
 Courier. 
 
 “ This is a record of the experiences of another of the earlier actors in 
 the High Church revival, and although Father Humphrey’s was a minor part, 
 it is a very interesting little chapter of personal history. The story is told, 
 
 moreover, with considerable artistic skill.Those who are 
 
 acquainted with the Bishop’s (Forbes, of Brechin) Theological Works will 
 read these pages with interest.”— Booksellmg. 
 
 “A most interesting account of the early clerical life of the author. 
 
 .Father Humphrey was bred to the law, and his name appears 
 
 in the list of Advocates in Aberdeen in i860. He soon, however, forsook the 
 law for theology, and after a sojourn at Cumbrae College and Trinity College, 
 Glenalmond, he took orders in the Scottish Episcopal Church, and from that 
 he,—verted to Rome. .... His ‘Recollections’ of the Rev. P. 
 Cheyne and Thomson of Banchory, the Rev. Fredk. Geo. Lee and Bishop 
 Forbes of Brechin, are extremely interesting, as also are his picturesque 
 anecdotes and sketches of Scottish Life.” 
 
THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE WORKS OF 
 
 ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS 
 
 Of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 
 
 Newly translated and corrected from the last Spanish edition (of 1885), and 
 with an entirely New Life of the Saint, by DAVID LEWIS, Esq. 
 
 Two thick volumes, demy 8vo, cloth extra - - - £1 Is. net. 
 
 Contents: 
 
 Life of the Author—The Ascent of Mount Carmel—The Dark Night of the 
 Soul—The Living Flame of Love—Letters—Spiritual Maxims, etc. 
 
 Extracts relating to St. John of the Cross and his Works. 
 
 1. Clement X in the Beatification of St. John of the Cross, 1675. 
 
 “ He not only left an example worthy of all praise in the guidance of his 
 own Order, but he even poured over the Universal Church the spiritual 
 fragrance which the Divine Goodness had so largely shed upon him.” 
 
 — Bull , Rom. Tom. vii. p. 287. 
 
 11. Benedict XIII., in the Canonization of the Saint, 1726. 
 
 “ In him Spain gave to the Catholic Church a man renowned for Christian 
 virtues and heavenly doctrine. . . . Like St. Teresa, he was divinely 
 
 taught to explain in his writings the secrets of mystical theology.” 
 
 Bull, Rom. Tom. xii. p. 175. 
 hi. The Roman Breviary. 
 
 Feast of St. John of the Cross, Nov. 2 \. 
 
 “His writings on Mystical Theology are full of heavenly wisdom.” 
 
 iv. The University of Alcala, 1618. 
 
 “ His writings contain almost everything that is useful for the direction of 
 souls. . . . 
 
 “ It is evident to anyone who reads his works, that they were written by 
 one chosen of God, and assisted by Him in an extraordinary manner to write 
 with so much ease and grace on such difficult subjects, and so aptly to elucidate 
 them by the authority of Holy Scripture. 
 
 ‘ We judge, therefore, from the soundness and fitness of his doctrine, that 
 those who have the cure of souls should keep his works always before their eyes.” 
 
 v. From Documents laid before the S. Congregation of Rites 
 to promote the Canonization of the Saint, 1725. 
 
 “ His writings on Mystical Theology, now spread through many kingdoms, 
 are full of Divine wisdom. 
 
 “ Their style is so lofty and wonderful that, in the judgment of every one, 
 the knowledge of B. John of the Cross could not have been acquired by the 
 power of the human intellect, but that it was revealed and infused from heaven.” 
 
 “ Their study is of great use in constraining souls to begin the way, and 
 embrace the life of perfection.” 
 
 vi. Bossuet. 
 
 “ The writings of St. John of the Cross possess the same authority in 
 Mystical Theology that the writings of St. Thomas and the Fathers possess in 
 Dogmatic Theology.”— Instruct, sur les etats d'oraison, liv. 1, No. 12. 
 
 “ Mr. Lewis’ life of the saint is full, in fact, of matter which will amply 
 repay thoughtful and careful study, and can be warmly recommended to all 
 persons who are Dot already cognisant of its purport. . . . The book is 
 
 capitally printed in clear type on good paper.”— Tablet. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE LIFE OF 
 
 ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS 
 
 Of the Order of Our Lady of Aft. Carmel , 
 
 Born 1542, Died 1591. 
 
 Compiled from all his Spanish Biographers and from 
 
 other sources. 
 
 Translated and Edited by DAVID LEWIS, M.A. 
 
 In i thick vol, cr. 8vo (over 300 pp.), cloth extra, 
 
 4 s. 6d. net. 
 
 “ Mr. Lewis’s Life of St. John of the Cross is no mere sketch, but a finished 
 picture from the hand of one who knew the Catholic Aspects of Spain in the 
 sixteenth century better than any other English writer.”— Dublin Review. 
 
 “ In this volume we have the gist of the best lives of St. John of the Cross, 
 from that of Fra Joseph of Jesus to that of Garnica, 1893. The deep human 
 interest of the life of the great mystic loses nothing in the hands of Mr. Lewis.” 
 — Cath. University Bulletin. 
 
 “ A very admirable work, which we warmly commend to our readers, and 
 which is well calculated to stimulate the study of Hagiography.”— Cath. Times . 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 CONSCIENCE AND LAW 
 
 OR 
 
 Principles of Human Conduct 
 
 By WILLIAM HUMPHREY, S.J. 
 
 I896. 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth extra - 4s. 6d. net. 
 
 CONTENTS: 
 
 Human Responsibility—Conscience—Law—Dispensations and Privileges— 
 
 Justice and Right—Restitution. 
 
 “ A book from Father Humphrey’s pen is sure to be not only well written but of 
 practical utility. Let the forward reformers and the lawgivers study these chapters on 
 Human Responsibility, Conscience, Law, Dispensations and Privileges, Justice, Right, 
 and Restitution ; they will find no vague verbiage, no merely plausible argumentation, 
 but only simple, direct logic, with every term well defined in advance, and every con¬ 
 clusion reached through legitimate forcing of common reason. To the theologian, 
 especially the priest who is to act as judge, whether in the confessional or in public 
 administration, we could recommend no better work.”— American Ecclesiastical Review. 
 
 “ We have here an English manual that furnishes a succinct and clear knowledge of 
 the principles of human conduct, in six chapters, entitled respectively : Human Responsi¬ 
 bility, Conscience, Law, Dispensations and Privileges, Justice and Right, Restitution. 
 How many guides of souls have wished for just such a book that might be safely put into 
 the hands of persons anxious or troubled or charged with the care of others ? . . . . 
 
 The two chapters on Conscience and Law are the backbone of the work,—conscience 
 being treated as the internal and law as the external rule of human conduct. They give 
 the title to the work, and are alone worth its price. What is conscience, how differing 
 from the natural law ? What is practical and speculative, doubt, opinion, suspicion ? 
 What is the rule of rightness? How are we to form our conscience, that is, to acquire a 
 practically certain conscience ? Then again, what is law and how does it differ from 
 precept, statute, counsel, permission ? How promulgated and interpreted ? What is 
 custom, and how does it become binding as law ? What are penal laws, local and 
 universal laws, and who are the subjects of laws? What is domicile and quasidomicile? 
 How do laws cease to exist, and who has the right to interpret them ? Here we have a 
 long series of questions that arise daily in human intercourse, and the correct answers to 
 which are neither more or less than the very basic principles of human conduct, private 
 and social. In similar manner the chapters on Dispensation and Privileges, Justice and 
 Right, and Restitution are expositions of practical everyday theology that need to be 
 conned and mastered by every Catholic.”— Catholic University Bulletin (Washington). 
 
 “ This is a book to be studied, not simply read. Within the small compass of aah 
 pages the learned author has compressed the pith and marrow of a whole volume of Moral 
 Theology. ... It will not only be found serviceable as a class-book in Colleges, but 
 ■may be read with great profit by all educated readers.”— Catholic Times. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE CHURCH UNDER 
 QUEEN ELIZABETH, 
 
 By FREDERICK GEORGE LEE, D.D., 
 
 Vicar of All Saints ', Lambeth. 
 
 A New and Revised Edition, with an Introduction on 
 “ The Present Position of the Established Church/' 
 
 Thick crown 8vo, cloth extra - 4 s. net. 
 
 “ He asks us to believe no fact for which he cannot bring unimpeachable 
 •witnesses. We need take nothing on trust; and the researches necessary to 
 disentangle a connected story from the copious authorities quoted by Dr, Lee 
 must have involved him in a work, of which it is difficult to exaggerate the 
 labour, and for which we, in the interests of Truth, cannot be too grateful.”— 
 Dublin Review. 
 
 “ A most fascinating book, dealing artfully and skilfully—with the art and 
 skill of a practised writer—with many burning questions, both of history, 
 •ecclesiasticism, and politics.”— Daily Post. 
 
 “In many respects a remarkable book.”— Church Union Gazette. 
 
 “ The work of an accomplished scholar and a painstaking reader. Here 
 and there are passages full of spirit and originality. . . . The product of 
 
 an able and fearless man, and deserves to be read carefully, for this reason if 
 for no other.”— Irish Morning Mail. 
 
 “ There is the same picturesqueness of detail, the same vigorous denuncia¬ 
 tion, the same graphic power, which made the earlier book pleasant reading 
 even to many who disagree heartily with its tone and object. . . . Dr. Lee’s 
 •strength lies in very graphic description.”— Notes and Queries. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 ARCHBP. FENELON’S 
 
 DIALOGUES OH PDLPIT ELOQUENCE 
 
 TRANSLATED AND ILLUSTRATED BY QUOTATIONS 
 FROM MODERN AUTHORS, 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 
 
 BY 
 
 SAMUEL J. EALES, D.C.L., etc.. 
 
 Editor of Dupanloup's “ Ministry of Preaching," < 5 rY. 
 
 In i vol., cr. 8vo, buckram, price 3 s. net. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Against the affectations of Wit and Brilliancy in Sermons—That the 
 object of Eloquence is to instruct men and render them better—Observations 
 on the method of Learning Sermons and Delivering them by heart, also on 
 divisions and sub-divisions—True Eloquence, in what it consists: how 
 admirable is that of Holy Scripture—The means of Training oneself for 
 preaching—What ought to be the chief matter of Instructions—On the 
 Eloquence of the Fathers and their style—On Panegyrics, etc. 
 
 PRESS NOTICES. 
 
 “ Young Preachers would do well to read these Dialogues. . . . The 
 
 Translator has done his work well, and the Introductory Essay strikes the note 
 of Fenelon’s Discourse. . . . Young men, especially if they have been 
 
 educated at a Scots University, imagine that a good Sermon must wrestle 
 with great problems, not so Fen£lon, ‘ The proper way to prove the truth of 
 religion is to state it clearly.’ Read this book.”— Scottish Guardian. 
 
 “ There is no royal road to eloquence, but there are roads, nevertheless, 
 and these pages contain many useful directions and precepts.”— The Christian. 
 
 “ Those who aspire to become great preachers will profit by the study of 
 these Dialogues.”— Christian Globe. 
 
 “Everybody has heard of the great and lovely Archbishop Fenelon, and 
 nearly all of his ‘ Pulpit Eloquence.’ There is nothing more needed than to 
 say ‘ here it is.’ The teachings of a devout soul as to how God’s Word should 
 be preached.”— Southern Churchman ( US. ). 
 
 “The twenty-thousand or more of Sermons which are preached every 
 Sunday morning would gain a good deal if his lessons were more taken to¬ 
 ll ear t. ” — Man Chester Guardian. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE ORTHODOX CONFESSION OF 
 THE CATHOLIC & APOSTOLIC 
 EASTERN CHURCH, 
 
 From the Version of PETER MOGILA. 
 
 Translated into English, with Preface by Dr. J. J. 
 Overbeck, and Introductory Notice by 
 J. N. W. B. Robertson. 
 
 1898. 
 
 8 vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d. net. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 
 
 ON EARTH, 
 
 By the REV. ROBERT BELANEY, 
 Revised by the REV. W. H. EYRE, S.J. 
 Crown 8vo, stiff covers - - Is. net. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter I.—The Blessed Virgin Mary. Chapter II.—The Angels. Chapter 
 III.—The Preaching of the Gospel. Chapter IV.—Prayer. Chapter V.— 
 
 The Pope and Rome. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAICER y S PUBLIC.AT/OKS. 
 
 Notes on 
 
 Mediceval Services in 
 
 England, 
 
 o 
 
 WITH AN 
 
 Index of Lincoln Ceremonies, 
 
 BY 
 
 CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, 
 
 Rector of St. Peter and St. Paul's , Marlborough , Prebendary of Lincoln r 
 and co-editor of “ Breviarium ad usum Sarum” etc. 
 
 Demy 8vo, buckram, gilt top (326 pp.), price 7s. 6d. nett* 
 
 Heads of Contents .—An Enquiry into the Time- 
 Table or Service Paper of Cathedral and other 
 Churches in the Olden Time—An Account of 
 some Old Lincoln Customs and Ceremonies—An 
 Alphabetical Index to the Kalendar of Lincoln 
 Use, etc. 
 
 “ There is scarcely a page in this valuable book which does not contain 
 information of interest to the learned Ritualist.”— Church Review. 
 
 “ Industry and learning have here combined to present a comprehensive 
 and detailed view of English Services in the olden time.”— St. James' Gazette. 
 
 “ The book is full of interest for those who would compare past with 
 present in the Ecclesiology of England.”— Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 “ Altogether Preby. Wordsworth’s book is a valuable contribution, made 
 by a true scholar and antiquarian, to our knowledge of the Church in our 
 fathers’ days.”— Scottish Guardian. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 ANCIENT ENGLISH 
 HOLY WEEK CEREMONIAL 
 
 BY 
 
 HENRY JOHN FEASEY. 
 
 8vo, buckram (over 200 pp.) - - price 7s. net 
 
 Headings : —The Lenten Array—The Rood Cloth—The Lent Cross—- 
 Palm Sunday—Tenebrae—Maundy Thursday—The Adoration, or “ Creeping 
 to the Cross ”—The Burial of the Cross and Host in the Easter Sepulchre— 
 The Great Paschal—Easter Eve. 
 
 “As a picture of the piety, the taste and the deep religious feeling of 
 English Catholics, it is a deeply interesting book. It is, moreover, a real 
 contribution to the study of ancient ecclesiastical vestments and furniture, and 
 should be in the collection of all who love such recondite but attractive 
 subjects.”— Cath. University Bulletin. 
 
 “ The book is written without a trace of theological bias, and will be of 
 immense value to the historical student of ritual.”— Nat. Observer. 
 
 “ This is a volume abounding with facts collected from many sources with 
 painstaking industry, and which throw light on many points connected with- 
 this interesting and but little studied subject.”— Scot. Guardian. 
 
MR. THOMAS BAKER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 S. ANSELM I (Archiep. Cantuar. y A.D. MCIX.). 
 
 CUR DEUS HOMO? 
 
 CUM PREPATIO. LOND., 1896. 
 
 i2mo, cloth ------- 2s. net. 
 
 The correctness of the Latin text of this edition is vouched for by the fact 
 that it was seen through the press by the late Dr. Littledale. 
 
 MEDITATIONS UPON THE LOVE 
 
 OF GOD. 
 
 Translated from the French of PERE GROU. 
 
 ('174 pp.) i8mo, cloth extra - - Is. 6d. net. 
 
 SPIRITUAL MAXIMS. 
 
 \ 
 
 Translated from the French of PERE GROU. 
 
 ^234 pp.) i8mo, cloth extra - - Is. 6d. net. 
 
 HOW TO PRAY. 
 
 % 
 
 Translated from the French of PERE GROU. 
 
 Edited by RICHARD F. CLARKE, S.J. 
 
 Cr. 8vo, cloth ------ 3 s. net. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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