Apologia Against Those Who Decry Holy Icons — PART III

St. John of Damascus

Author: St. John of Damascus

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

manifestation 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

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,” (Rom. 13.7) 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 icons 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.” (Mt. 22.17-21) As the

coin bears the likeness of Caesar, it is his, 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.” (Mt. 13.16-17) 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 icons 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 divi