Refutatio et Eversio 1 part 13/21

For he who beholds the image of someone — how does he not immediately raise his mind up to the prototype, and, beholding the one who is absent as though present, suppose so, not remaining upon mere remembrance alone? And the great Basil will again confirm these things, saying that: "What the account sets forth through the narrative, this the silent painting shows through imitation," and that both possess the same power.

Moreover, the divine John also, in the words which the foolish ones have adduced to their own accusation (not their advocacy), speaking as follows:

"For if someone, having set up a lifeless image of a child, a friend, or a relative, supposes that departed one to be present, and through the lifeless image imagines him."

So that the arguments which the unholy man puts forward concerning the saints are brought forth by him as fabricated and contrived.

For how does he not show himself plainly to be greatly vexed even at the very remembrance of the saints? For they are most burdensome to this accursed man, both when brought to remembrance and when appearing in images.

Since these things, then, are so numerous and manifestly received in the piety of the Christians, what does the deranged man add to what he has already presented, raving madly against the honors due the saints? But it is quite clear that such a notion is vain and a device of diabolical scheming.

Having nowhere received as tradition that the forms of the saints be shaped from material colors, he insists that this is a discovery of diabolical scheming.

From what tradition, then, does he possess this? Who would place a man uttering such things among the ranks of Christians? Or is this not even more to be shunned than Jewish unbelief? For it would have been necessary for him also to subject the books that proclaim to us the feats and valorous deeds of the saints to the same condemnations, since they convey to us the same report, and there will appear to be no difference whatsoever between the two kinds of writing, as far as subject-matter is concerned.

For if the term "as it were living," applied to speech, has been derived by transference from the designation of lifeless images, and has thereby obtained such a name, how would he not dare to call this too a discovery of the very same diabolical scheming, so that they might now share not only in the name but also in the reproach? For the very same blame directed at this would fly there no less.

For he steals away his hearers, tinting himself with words, so that in deeds he might tear down the holy things.

This has been set before us as something recent, close at hand.

And already, having also both done and discussed other things similar to these, they never even attempted to disparage the art of painting, but rather they even accept it and often set it forth in words of praise, as has already been demonstrated.

What, then, do I say? If such a notion is vain, and the things in which the saints are beheld, and through which their remembrance comes to be in us, are indeed a discovery of diabolical scheming, as the accursed one declares, then the saints would truly run the very greatest risk of being reduced to reproach and disgrace.

For if the glory of the saints is not sufficient to glorify and honor together with itself also the things in which they themselves are beheld, they would be lacking in glory, so that they themselves too would no longer be considered ever to have obtained a share of it.

But it is here that one may truly say that his execrable and impure soul was indeed full of diabolical scheming, and that abominable mind of his was a workshop of Satanic energy and a lodging-place for every demonic and wicked device.

For that, at the time when he uttered these things, he was borne along by the utterly wicked and people-deceiving spirit, no one guided by the divine Spirit and knowing that the saints speak mysteries in the Spirit of God would dispute.

In all these respects the adversary of truth has been shown to be set in opposition to them.

For indeed this too is the device of the evil one.

For just as the saints, with much sweat and toil, nobly contended even unto blood against every stratagem and device of the wicked power, having shaken all the strength of the devil and mightily overthrown all the error of the idols by which he was worshipped, so too he, through these accursed and fervent servants of his, devises countermeasures and arrays himself against the saints, contriving, as it were, a retaliation to destroy in turn their venerable likenesses, unable to bear that even now, through sight itself, their valorous deeds and their boldness against him should be clearly displayed.

And so much for these matters.

It was necessary, having shown that the things put forward by these senseless men are spurious and foreign to our piety, to conclude the discourse at this point and take respite from the rest.

But since the wretches also bring forward other irrational and outlandish citations, we must not shrink from examining these as well, in order to bring to light the falsehoods and fabrications they contain.

For to the earlier citations they add one which they have concocted, attributing it to a certain Basil, high priest of Seleucia, uttering the same empty words against the saints as those of the fabricated Theodotus.

What is put forward runs as follows:

"Those, then, who have lived in virtue ought not be honored through the artful skill in colors — which is a fabrication of Greek myth-making — but rather, through the contemplation of the written word, be drawn to remembrance and their zeal imitated."

"For what benefit could come to men from the base craftsmanship of such forms? Or what that is dear to God and honorable could the vain preoccupation with lifeless likenesses possess?" These things, even if they are found under different names, are in wording and thought spoken by one and the same voice, inspired by the contrary spirit — one exposed as an enemy of the sacred images and of the saints themselves;

Anyone who examines their words more closely will surely come to know this.

But we, having sufficiently triumphed over these things as outlandish follies foreign to the church, stitched together as they are, shall make manifest the genuine opinion which the true Basil holds concerning holy things, needing nothing further.

For let him himself come forward into our midst, repelling the falsely-named error, and let him grant the victory to the church; and let him set forth what opinion he held concerning the icon of the holy protomartyr Thecla, and let him also attribute to it the many words he wove in praise of the fair martyr.

For he writes to the emperor Leo as follows:

"I have dared, O most divine one, regarding the holy apostle and fair virgin—"

"And so that it might not be doubtful to those who hear that this true icon is indeed of the holy apostle herself, we deemed it right to relate what we have learned from our forefathers."

"In Seleucia, after her contests of martyrdom, having been entrusted with the apostolic mission by the apostle Paul, her teacher and teacher of the world, she found all who were in Seleucia, the metropolis of the Isaurians, to be Greeks and lawless in those times."

"And hastening to teach the word of God, having had the city entrusted to her, being of noble birth, she hastened to dwell in solitary places;"

"Hence she dwelt in a cave at Myrsineon, where now the spring is."

"On the Lord's day she would go out gathering herbs, and these she would eat throughout the week."

"Now it happened at that time that the priest of the Greeks, who resided at the Capitolium in the city of the Seleucians (which is now the Apostoleion), was exercising, as it were in a secluded spot, at the very place where the saint, moving about, was gathering the herbs."

"And seeing her, being on horseback, he spurred his horse and came near her, supposing her to be some idle girl of the common sort;"

"But the holy apostle Thecla turned and, sending forth power from herself, cast him down from his horse."

"And he was rendered speechless for three nights, so that in that time the whole region of the Isaurians gathered around him in that condition, astonished at what had happened;"

"for the priest was renowned and eminent in those times."

"But when at some point he recovered, he conceived the notion that it was, as it were, one of his own gods who had grown angry with him, and that from this he had endured this crisis."

"He therefore orders a painter to be brought, and says to him:"

"'Go and paint for me a small-faced girl of about eighteen years, more or less, whose beauty I am unable to describe, wearing double-pearled earrings and an ornament about her neck, so that you may grasp it in your mind;'"

"for such was the saint as she appeared to the priest, when she also caused him to fall from his horse."

"And when the painter set about painting, being guided by the cooperation of her power, he painted the true image."

"And when the image was brought to him and the priest saw it, he recognized that it was she."

"And being strengthened, and rising up, he embraced the icon and confessed that it was she;"

"which the priest also stored away in his own house, having believed the preaching of the apostle."

"This icon was handed down by succession from him to a certain illustrious man, Achaeus, a learned philosopher and Christian man, and after his death this icon was seen when the same Achaeus was being buried."

"And the sacristan of the martyrium of the holy protomartyr Thecla at that time, having copied this icon, likewise gave it to be copied by those who wished to have it."

"Let these things be recorded as written by the true Basil, thinking and glorifying in accord with the rest of the holy fathers."

After these things, they set forth words of Amphilochius of Iconium, taken from the encomium composed by him on the great Basil, in which the following is said:

"The saints have no further need of our encomiums through letters, being already inscribed in the book of the living, whose righteousness is preserved with God;"

"but we ourselves have need of letters written in ink, so that our mind may inscribe the memory of them for common benefit, and that we may become hearers of them, whenever through reading we convey it to our hearing."

"For just as from a great treasury we receive benefits for our stewardship, so we fill up our deficiencies through their manner of life;"

"for the ear is not satisfied, having a desire to hear the fullness of their perfection."

"But it is not our concern to depict with colors on panels their fleshly faces, because we have no need of these;"

"but by imitating their contest, we also repeat their good deeds, and inscribe our love toward God, and become imitators of their good deeds, setting down in writing the memory of them after their death for those who hear, so that they may know their manner of life in the world."

Such, then, is the citation, and thus it stands.

And let it not, all at once, disturb us to be met with something difficult; nor let those who read these things judge from the first impression and encounter, but rather, with careful investigation and secure examination, let them diligently scrutinize the whole mind of the author;

and gathering the aim from the preface which he has taken up, let them easily grasp the force of what is said.

For this reason it seemed good also to include this preface here, so that they might recognize from it that these things were not spoken for the destruction of the sacred images, since it is not right for those who are sound-minded and sober to praise in words while dishonoring in images those who are being praised.

"The peoples of the cities do not disregard the offices of their short-lived rulers, and very often, after these rulers have departed to their own homes, they contrive that, through colors upon panels, their memorials should be brought forth;"

"In feminine form they portray the cities standing on the right and on the left, further exalting the rulers with praises and flattering them, and often, though knowing them to be unjust and inwardly condemning their deeds, nevertheless, as has been said, they take pains that their memorials should remain through painting, on account of the brief time allotted to them from the provinces which they governed."

"Likewise also, on account of valorous deeds performed in the wars of fleshly warfare, they impress the likenesses of the noble ones upon bronze columns, so that their memorials might remain for the generations to come."

"And if these men have become desirable to temporal men because of the arms with which they are girded — being formidable to their adversaries, though they conducted themselves in arrogance and deceit — how much more rightly ought we, out of love for God, to inscribe the spiritual soldiers with the praises of truth, and to record their victories and good ways of life — I mean the shepherds of the church, who piously shepherded the people of God, appearing blameless in his love, who, having pleased the heavenly King and lived nobly, escaped the snares of the devil? It is therefore more fitting to inscribe their memories together with the truth, as a model for us in the word of the Lord, so that they may become for us a token of good conduct, so that whenever, through sight, our mind receives their good memory, their good manner of life may be imprinted in us like an indelible seal."

The whole proposal and arrangement of the preface, then, as is evident both to the learned and to the simple, has begun from images and proceeds by way of images, and, bringing along with it the remembrance of the prototypes according to the true account, has directly set forth the common opinion held by all; and in no way — even in regard to base rulers — does he find fault with those who do these things;

from which it is shown that he approves altogether, with praise, those who act likewise in regard to the saints.

Since, then, his concern was with words of encomium for the saints, he applies himself more fully and richly to the discourse itself;

for it was not his purpose to discourse here for the sake of images, even though he began his discourse from images;

for if it had been, he would indeed have accorded to them also what is fitting and just.

Having therefore distinguished one art from another, or one science from another — or however one might prefer to call it, I mean that of writers and that of painters — and, granting that each has its own proper occasion and manner, and what pertains to it and what it is permitted to do, he then proceeds at once to his own proper and fitting science, that is, to discourse.

And clinging warmly to his own purpose, he all but declares this: that for us who serve the word, and who preside over this kind of teaching, and who have now chosen to honor the celebrated contests of the saints by this manner of ministry, it does not lie of necessity upon us to take pains in every way to depict their fleshly faces in colors upon panels;

he is thus disposed, and likewise, even if another pursues a different practice, he too seems, through what has been said, to hold himself in some way as though standing in the middle ground concerning this discourse on these sacred images;

for the phrase "it is not our concern" shows that he does not entirely abstain from such a work.

So that the discourse here indicates neither the destruction nor the rejection of these things, nor does he write off those who do them with diligence, nor does he profess to disparage such a practice — seeing that he does not even reprove ordinary people who do such things in regard to their own rulers — and he knows least of all how to do anything for the sake of insult and dishonor, which is what the foolish suppose.

For one ought not to believe, nor has it ever been heard, that someone should attempt to glorify with words, through encomiums, the one being praised, yet inflict outrage and dishonor upon his image, or should forbid those who wish to depict him;

for this is implausible, and characteristic of those who are out of their minds.

And it would follow that the same person both praises and blames the same person, which among the ancients is said not to be the mark of a good man;

for his disposition was so far from being of this sort, that not only for the sake of the divine Basil, but not even of any other of the saints whatsoever, could he be supposed to do anything inglorious.

It is worth inquiring, then, for what reason he speaks in this manner.

He said, at the beginning of the discourse, how the peoples of the cities honor their own rulers, expending the whole of their labor and goodwill on monuments to them, giving no thought whatsoever to honoring them through words, since it was not readily within their means to be concerned with virtue.

Standing apart, then, from the pettiness and lack of refinement of these men, he distances himself from that, and grants the greater portion to the word and to the spirit, just as those men grant it to the flesh and to colors;

for being wholly flesh, they are enslaved to the mind of the flesh, in no way partaking of spiritual gifts.

For their sake, then, he is not in haste to depict the fleshly faces of the saints, endeavoring, as one might say, to turn them away from love of the flesh, finding fault with them only in this respect.

Knowing, then, that the power which comes from the word possesses something superior, and making use of this, he prefers to honor the leaders of the church, so that those entrusted with worldly offices might also, from this, be surpassed in glory, inasmuch as the church leaders excel in virtue and in divine deeds of valor; at the same time also exalting, together with the discourse, the aim of his teaching set before him — namely, that his earnest concern, through what is said, is to train his hearers, to rouse them to the imitation of the saints' manner of life, and to reap therefrom the best and most beneficial things.

Placing, then, colors as inferior to the word, and having altogether preferred the teaching that comes through the word, he proceeds as one who does not take diligent pains about these matters, so that he might not seem to be condemned for ignorance concerning such a record, casting all his effort in the same manner as those to whom the usefulness of literary skill is of no concern whatsoever, being wholly bereft of learning.

Looking, then, to the mind and practice of those men, and as it were excusing their crassness and lack of education, he says these things, knowing that for those who are clothed with the priestly dignity and who minister teaching by word, it is fitting for the most part to contend by the tongue.

Therefore one must not suppose that “it is no concern” was said simply and without qualification, but must consider in what matters, and when, and on what occasions, and with regard to whom it is necessary.

For just as Asterius — whom those who are hateful to God foolishly bring forward in defense of impiety — in commanding “Do not paint Christ,” does not primarily enjoin that one should not paint him, but rather counsels those who gape after wealth and delight in silken garments to despise wealth and to look down upon splendid robes, and instead, by spending these on the benefaction and visitation of the poor, to be enriched with the better creation; and indeed, just as also the great John, the archbishop of the imperial city, in composing encomia for the saints, said: “We, through the writings, enjoy the presence of the saints, possessing not the images of their bodies, but of their souls” —

“they are images of their souls” — as the wise and shrewd would say — he does not reject the images of the saints, since indeed he also honored them through images.

As is shown here, according to the words spoken by each of these two, as has been examined — so too Amphilochius, for the sake of the rusticity and want of understanding of the common folk and citizens set before him, feigns the phrase “it is not my concern to depict in images.”

Let these matters, then, be examined thus; and as for what follows, of what sort it is, must be considered.

He writes, at any rate, that “we have no need of these.”

Of what “these”? Surely his statement is clearly not about the persons of the saints —

for it would be absurd and unworthy to suppose this — not only unworthy of Amphilochius alone, but indeed also of all who hold the saints in honor.

but that he has said that “we have no need of tablets and colors” — how, and in what manner? Because, he says, in that activity wherein we compose discourses concerning the saints, we would have the very least need of tablets and colors.

For indeed, in the undertaking of the discourse concerning the saints that is fitting for those who praise them, and for those whose purpose is to honor the saints by word, the word is pursued with greater zeal than is the care for such paintings.

So that, wishing to recount their prowess by word, “we do not,” he says, “have it as our concern to depict their fleshly faces, nor do we need colors and tablets and such material” —

in that wherein we treat and discourse concerning these matters, only there do we come to be in need.

For these belong to another art, and are the concern and labor of those who practice it.

Therefore, setting aside discourse concerning the working of colors, let us proceed to our own purpose and hold fast to our own proper work, and let us yield those matters to the painters and to their proper art.

Let others paint, at a more opportune time.

It is fitting for them to labor at these things and to be concerned with them, but this is not granted to us who are writers of discourse.

Moreover, the occasion does not permit it either, at the time when the discourse, flowing and falling upon the ears of the hearers, borne along in full stream, imparts its own proper power.

For how could it be possible to attend to the painting of an image in the midst of the discourses at hand? For he himself certainly also knew that there is a time for every matter, and in this respect he must not be condemned for negligence.

But indeed one art will not be overturned in favor of another art —

— in respect of which the difference is seen to be very great indeed, and the reasoning applying to each of them is distinctive, as one may observe here.

Nor indeed will the writing of discourse be turned into painting, or, conversely, will the two be merged into one —

— for of those who practice these arts, some know how to honor those who are praised by means of speech, having no need of the material of colors, while others make it their practice to dedicate their fame by means of these colors, not admitting the knowledge that comes through words.

And each, using the occasions and methods proper to them, accomplish what is useful in their own domain: the ones, by practicing the fluency of speech and the delight of eloquence and the variety and elegance of their conceits, possess persuasiveness; the others, by cultivating the blooming and vivid quality of manifold dyes — which pour forth their graces upon those things thereby adorned — possess an attractive power in the glowing forms and figures they produce.

Moreover, the subjects underlying these arts are different, and the undertaking of those who practice them, as well as the material and the instruments, are not the same, nor again is the result alike —

— but to speak minutely about these matters is not a task for the present occasion.

But if it should happen that they share something in common, whenever those who practice these arts turn about the same subject matter and aim, then one and the same thing that is signified is seen to emerge from both.

Indeed, not being ignorant of these things, Amphilochius said what he said.

For all these things have escaped the notice of the senseless, who are darkened by the mist of apostasy.

And that they take courage in these things in vain — this too Amphilochius himself would say.

But how will this accord with his other fellow conspirators? They blaspheme unforgivably against God and the saints, and hurl at the Church the reproach of idol-worship, when the one group babble slanderously that Christians kindle reverence toward idols, while the other group vainly prattle that the sacred images are inventions of diabolical scheming.

But come now (for indeed it is worth saying this too, quite fittingly): let us observe what sort of things he accomplished — he who truly and brilliantly held fast to the love of the great Basil, I mean the great Gregory the Theologian, who was mingled together with that man's spirit —

— of whom it seemed that one soul existed in different bodies, and they were accounted a pair of no ignoble reputation.

This man, although he displayed the very greatest zeal by means of words so as to extol the greatness of that man's nature, then, as though he seemed to have been overcome by mere words, was led on to make an image of the one he praised, judging it more fitting to honor him by an image rather than by words — thereby doing likewise as that man himself did, since he knew, above all others, with how great and unmatched encomia that man had continually honored the martyrs, both hymning them with words of praise and also enjoining that their likenesses be set up and honored — thus procuring for the saints what was fitting also in this way.

Moreover, the golden-worded John, of blessed memory, having crowned the great Apostle with countless encomia, also saw fit to carry his image and to gaze upon it continually.

And not only this, but already very many other upright men, devoted to the fathers, do not fail to carry out such things most piously and worthily.

whose work, preserved even to this very day, cries out, and is seen also to occur among us, done by those who are wounded with love for our God-wise fathers.

For if we reap benefit from the mere remembrance of them alone, how much more will the sight of their orderly likenesses come to be for us a cause of compunction and of benefit? And who, and of what sort in wickedness and impiety, is he who will attempt to overthrow the opinions and practices of theologian men? Of these, I myself would not willingly say that the sacred Amphilochius fell short —

For I would be persuaded, simply and plainly, that even if he had been managing the matter himself, he would have cherished it, and would not have ceased honoring it; since otherwise, where would the bonds of his friendship and his encomia end up? For even if painting was not his concern, yet he would not have refused to honor those images set up through the care of others, if indeed, as we know, he attained to the utmost degree of goodwill toward the God-bearing man.

For indeed he was pleasing to him and beloved by him, in whatever way this was shown.

Witnesses to this are the letters exchanged between them for necessary purposes, through which their fellowship in doctrine, just as indeed also that of friendship itself, is made evident.

Furthermore, this is also confirmed by the unwritten tradition that has prevailed in the Church from the beginning, being in no way inferior to those things handed down in writings —

But if it is not permitted in every respect, nor are the same things possible or preferable for all, nor is the same struggle set before all — and for this reason Amphilochius, while composing his discourses concerning the saints, did not have the zeal and diligence to depict their fleshly faces also with colors at the same time — no argument on this account will injure the common good of the universal Church, nor will any blame in any way whatsoever be attached to the tradition of the divinely inspired fathers, nor are the contents of that writing therefore idle and inoperative.

But that to attempt the destruction of things that have been well and divinely made brings, quite justly, ruin upon both soul and body together — this he knows well.

What then would the enemies of the saints say to this? That Amphilochius declares that it is not our concern to depict their fleshly faces with colors on tablets.

And for this reason, having misconstrued the words of Amphilochius and having grasped them vainly and senselessly, and having embraced them in defense of your own impiety and depravity, you have been wickedly and godlessly disposed toward the fleshly images of the saints: having raged madly against their bodily form, and having zealously striven by every device to tear it down and remove it from the way, as if holding irreconcilable enmity against those very saints themselves and pouring out vengeance upon them — since the saints, even when beheld in images, are most burdensome and abhorrent to you.

But how were you going to spare the saints, you who dared to do such things against the God of the saints? Their venerable relics have been reckoned by you as abominable and unholy, and have been consigned to fire, being rendered profane along with the other sacred dedications —

— even the altar itself, at the hands of one who decrees things contrary to the ordinances established for Christians.

from which also, treating with contempt their intercessory petitions to God, you reject them, and you abhor and drive away those who make request to them, as though approaching beings who neither live nor have the power to aid those in need.

But “they live in God,” it is written, even though they seemed, in the eyes of the foolish, to have died.

And what will the contests and labors of the saints be reckoned by you? Nonsense and idle babble altogether, surely, and things vainly and emptily recorded in writing —

— in this way, then, also the bodies, which they used as instruments, by which they displayed the noble and unconquerable steadfastness of their souls.