What do you say, O seven-headed serpent of iconoclastic heresy, who rejects the holy icons? I can hear your venomous words. You spit forth from your abominable mouth, calling us, the Orthodox, idolaters, and denigrating the holy icons as mere idols. (Deceived you are by falsehood itself.) First, I will challenge you, venomous serpent: what is the distinction between an idol and a holy icon? Do you not understand this, you vile teacher in Israel? An image or icon represents and reflects a true entity that either exists, existed, or will come to be. For instance, if one depicts the Holy Trinity as three angels, so it truly was when the angels appeared to Abraham at the oak of Mamre (Gen. 18:1). If one chooses to illustrate God the Father as an honorable elder, this aligns with the encounter the prophets Daniel and Isaiah had: “the Ancient of Days sitting on a throne of high exaltation, with the seraphim around Him” (Dan. 7:9; Is. 6:1). Anyone who envisions God the Son—who was born, lived among people, “suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, and is coming again with glory to judge the living and the dead”—is capturing the essence of Christ, both in the past, present, and future. Similarly, if one portrays God the Holy Spirit as a dove, it reflects the reality when the Holy Spirit descended in that form. The same understanding applies to all other holy icons which consistently mirror their foundational images and are representations of genuine realities.
But what is an idol? How does it differ from an icon? An icon depicts a true being, while an idol suggests an empty façade. What do idols represent? They evoke deities such as Dia, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, and numerous other demonic entities. They symbolize the sun, the moon, Kupala, Lada, Perun. You may assert these represent gods. But here lies the question: are the pagan deities genuinely gods? Who among you would dare to call Bacchus—the leader of debauchery—a true God? Who would deem Artemis or Venus, renowned for impurity and abomination, as authentic divinities? All the gods of the nations are demons; “But our Lord made heaven and earth” (Psalm 95:5), as the Apostle Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians: “If there be any gods either in heaven or in earth, but to us there is one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him” (1 Cor. 8:5, 6). Furthermore, one Holy Spirit, by whom are all things, and we by Him. Here’s how it stands: observe how the idol, thought to represent divinity, is merely a hollow charm—a deception; for it embodies a non-existent god, a demon, not the Creator, but a created entity. In stark contrast, holy icons convey truth, as I previously noted. Thus, we recognize the substantial difference between reality and flawed perception. Who else would dare to equate holy icons with idols? Do you not hear the dreadful thunder that rolls from the seventh ecumenical council, which boldly declares: “To those who say that the holy icons are idols, anathema, anathema, anathema!” If holy icons are not idols, how could those who venerate holy icons be deemed idolaters? How dare you, iconoclastic serpent, spew your venom upon the holy icons and upon their worshippers?
I will respond, addressing you based on the Sacred Scriptures. Have you not read, you lawless iconoclasts, how the Lord commanded Moses to create two golden cherubim, placing them on the ark of the Lord? Those who revered the ark also honored the cherubim but were not idolaters; they remained God's chosen people. Have you not read in the Scriptures about the bronze serpent that Moses lifted on a tree, which healed those who gazed upon it? This serpent foreshadowed our Savior, who was crucified, as He Himself stated: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). Have you not heard of how Christ our Savior left an imprint of His pure face on a cloth, sending it to Abgar, the ill king yearning to see Him and be healed—this icon is known as the image of the Uncreated? Have you not read in Scripture, O treacherous heretics, that Christ, referring to Paul, is described as the image of “the eternal Father, who is the radiance of the Father's glory and the image of His essence” (Hebrews 1:3)? Furthermore, have you not noted that humanity is also referred to as the image of God, as stated: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26)? Why do you demean God’s images as idols? Is man—the very reflection of God—an idol? I shall make it clear: you are correct in your self-description, for it is improper to label you as images of God; rather, you are idols in truth. You are idols, O northern iconoclasts, because you have eyes yet fail to see God depicted in His holy icons. You remain blind to the miracles flowing from the holy icons of the Theotokos, illustrated by Saint Luke, which have wrought wonders. You possess ears yet do not heed Scripture's command: “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; for it is holy” (Psalm 98:5). The holy fathers interpret the footstool as the holy cross, to which you refuse to bow. You hear not what St. John of Damascus, along with the holy fathers and the whole council, teaches regarding images: the respect accorded to an image is directed towards its depiction; whoever honors the image, honors the one represented.
Thus, those who oppose iconography, such as Stephen the Saint, endured great suffering for the holy icons. His hagiography recounts how he confronted the chief of the iconoclasts, Leo the Isaurian, who demanded Stephen trample the icon of the Savior. The holy man, instead, sought a gold currency and inquired of whose image it bore. When informed it was Caesar’s, he cast the coin to the ground, trampled it underfoot, and spat upon the image of Caesar. This act of disgrace enraged the king and his advisors. The bold martyr declared: “You are angry because I have trampled upon the image of your earthly king, who is but dust; how much greater the offense to the King of kings and Lord of lords, whose image you disrespect with your unholy feet? Have you not read the apostolic rule: ‘Do not do unto others what you do not want done to you’? You would not have your own images disrespected; why then do you, the brood of the impure Kopronymus, demean the icons representing our Savior and His holy ones?”
What will you respond, you lawless iconoclasts? Speak, slander, rage, beasts of the wood! We will listen and, if possible, respond. All your ungodly wisdom falls into two categories. First, you declare that those who worship icons are idolaters. To this assertion, I return to what I earlier stated: the distinction between icons and idols cannot be ignored. An icon is a legitimate representation, while an idol is a mere facade of nothingness. Understand, O cowardly Copronymus, how vastly different we are from idolaters. They venerated their deities as residing in their lifeless idols, but we worship our true God through the Savior’s icon, and we pray to the true Mother of God, the pure Virgin Mary, through her icon. Idolaters regard their idols as gods, yet we do not behold images as deities; we recognize one God, revered and honored in the Holy Trinity, and the icon serves solely to remind us of His presence.
Idolaters placed their hopes in lifeless idols, while we, the Orthodox, do not put our trust in icons themselves. We place our faith in the one depicted within the icon. Idolaters worship the idols constructed of wood and gold, yet we do not. When we honor the images, we venerate not the materials—wood, silver, gold, or colors—but we worship the original representations they depict. We venerate the Savior's image, always keeping in mind the Savior Himself, and likewise, we honor the Mother of God’s image, recalling the Mother of God in our hearts. In all we do, we, the Orthodox, never separate the image from the original but always worship both collectively and inseparably. I reiterate: we do not bow to mere images detached from their original representations; we honor them as one. Is this not what St. John of Damascus affirmed: “The honor given to the image ascends to the original image”?
You, contemptible Copronymists, also argue that by venerating our icons we violate God's commandment, for it is written in the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not make unto thee an idol of any likeness” (Deuteronomy 5:8). We hear you, supporters of Copronymus; our hearts overflow with faith and love, and we uphold the Ten Commandments of the Lord. Yet you are in error, lacking understanding of the Scriptures and the power of God. Let me clarify: we do not create or honor idols; one is an image reflecting truth, while the other is an empty image, as previously mentioned. Moreover, consider this: why did Moses, after receiving the Lord's commandments—including the one prohibiting the making of idols—create images of cherubim on the ark, and lift a serpent to symbolize Christ crucified? Was Moses justified in his actions or did he act deceitfully? If he acted rightly, why do you reproach us for similar practices?
Furthermore, recognize that God's commandment: “Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol of any likeness” applies to idols, not to icons. The Almighty was aware of the Jewish people’s propensity to idolatry, influenced by the nations around them; they constructed a golden calf, worshipping its likeness rather than the true God. Thus, the Almighty issued commandments through Moses, beginning with: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; you shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything, nor bow down to them” (Deuteronomy 5:6-8). I invite you to testify against yourselves. Do we not fulfill God's commandment? Is there any other deity besides the one who delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, and us from the bondage of sin? Do we fashion idols to whom we bestow the same honor reserved for God when we respect and venerate icons that are not idols?
Nevertheless, why waste words on the obstinate? “Let the defiled be defiled” (Rev. 22:11). Let your vile voices unleash all manner of venom; “The gates of hell shall not prevail against the holy Church.” “The Church is the pillar and bulwark of truth”; with Her, we, her children, alongside all the holy fathers—Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Athanasius, Cyril, and many others—gather against the iconoclasts. We all stand united and are prepared to affirm with our lives: “To Thy pure image we bow, O Blessed One!” Yet we declare cursed are you, O cowardly Copronymists, along with the entire Seventh Holy Ecumenical Council: “Anathema, anathema, anathema!”
THEOSIS