The First Session

Certain bishops who had been led astray by the iconoclasts came asking to be received back. The first of them was Basil of Ancyra. [a]

Bishop Basil of Ancyra read the following from a book: “Church law has been handed down according to the canons from times past, from the very beginning: from the holy apostles and from their successors, who were our holy fathers and teachers, and also from the six holy and ecumenical synods and from the local synods gathered in the cause of orthodoxy. It lays down that those returning from any heresy whatever to the orthodox faith and to the tradition of the catholic church should deny their own heresy and confess the orthodox faith.” “Therefore I, Basil, bishop of the city of Ancyra, wishing to be united to the catholic church, to Hadrian the most holy pope of Old Rome, to Tarasius the most blessed patriarch, to the most holy apostolic sees, namely Alexandria, Antioch and the Holy City, and to all orthodox high priests and priests, make this written confession of my faith. I offer it to you as to those who have received power by apostolic authority. In this also I ask pardon of your holiness, gathered by God, for my slowness in this matter. It was not right that I should have lagged behind in confessing orthodoxy; it came from my complete lack of knowledge and from a lazy and careless mind in the matter. So I ask your blessedness all the more to grant me forgiveness in God’s sight.” [b]

“I believe, therefore, and make my confession in one God, the Father Almighty, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, his only Son, and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life. The Trinity, one in essence and one in majesty, must be worshiped and glorified in one Godhead, power and authority. I confess all that concerns the incarnation of one of the Holy Trinity, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, as the saints and the six ecumenical synods have handed it down. And I reject and anathematize every heretical babbling, as they too rejected them. I ask the intercessions of our spotless Lady, the holy Mother of God, and those of the holy and heavenly powers, and those of all the saints.” [c] “And receiving their holy and honored relics with all honor, I salute and venerate them with honor, hoping to have a share in their holiness. In the same way I salute and venerate the venerable images of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the humanity he took on for our salvation; and of our spotless Lady, the holy Mother of God; and of the angels, who are like God; and of the holy apostles, prophets and martyrs, and of all the saints. The sacred images of all these I salute and venerate.” “And with my whole soul and mind I reject and anathematize the synod that was gathered out of stubbornness and madness and called itself the Seventh Synod. Those who think accurately have lawfully and canonically called it a false synod, since it was contrary to all truth and piety. It boldly and rashly went against the church law handed down by God; it even impiously yelped at and scoffed at the holy and venerable images and ordered them to be taken out of the holy churches of God. Over that assembly presided Theodosius, under the false name of Ephesius; Sisinnius of Perga, surnamed Pastillas; and Basil of Pisidia, falsely called Tricaccabus. With them the wretched Constantine, then patriarch, was led astray.” [d] “These things I confess, and to these I assent; and so, in simplicity of heart and uprightness of mind, in the presence of God, I have made the anathemas that follow.”

“Anathema to those who slander the Christians, that is, to the image breakers.” “Anathema to those who apply to the venerable images the words of Holy Scripture that were spoken against idols.” “Anathema to those who do not salute the holy and venerable images.” “Anathema to those who say that Christians turn to the images as to gods.” “Anathema to those who call the sacred images idols.” “Anathema to those who knowingly hold communion with those who revile and dishonor the venerable images.” “Anathema to those who say that anyone other than Christ our Lord has delivered us from idols.” “Anathema to those who scorn the teachings of the holy fathers and the tradition of the catholic church, taking as their pretext and making their own the arguments of Arius, Nestorius, Eutyches and Dioscorus: that unless we were plainly taught by the Old and New Testaments, we should not follow the teachings of the holy fathers and of the holy ecumenical synods, and the tradition of the catholic church.” “Anathema to those who dare to say that the catholic church has at any time approved of idols.” “Anathema to those who say that the making of images is an invention of the devil and not a tradition of our holy fathers.”

“This is my confession of faith, and to these statements I give my assent. I declare it with my whole heart and soul and mind.” “And if at any time, through the deceit of the devil (which God forbid!), I should, willingly or unwillingly, oppose what I have now professed, may I be anathema from the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and a stranger to the catholic church and to every rank of the hierarchy.” “I will keep myself from ever accepting a bribe and from shameful gain, in keeping with the divine canons of the holy apostles and of the approved fathers.”

Tarasius, the most holy patriarch, said: “This whole sacred gathering gives glory and thanks to God for this confession of yours, which you have made to the catholic church.” The holy synod said: “Glory to God, who makes one what was divided.”

Theodore, bishop of Myra, then read the same confession and was received. The next bishop who asked to be received read the following (Labbe and Cossart, column 60): [f] “Theodosius, the humble Christian, to the holy and ecumenical synod. I confess, I agree to, I receive, I salute and I venerate first of all the spotless image of our Lord Jesus Christ, our true God, and the holy image of her who bore him without seed, the holy Mother of God. Her help, her protection and her intercessions I call to my aid, sinner that I am, every day and night, since she has confidence before Christ our God, because he was born of her.” “In the same way I receive and venerate the images of the holy and most praiseworthy apostles, prophets and martyrs, and of the fathers and cultivators of the desert. I ask all these with my whole heart, not indeed as gods (God forbid!), to pray for me to God, that through their intercessions he may grant me to find mercy at his hands on the day of judgment. In this I am only showing more clearly the affection and love of my soul that I have borne them from the first.” “In the same way I venerate, honor and salute the relics of the saints, as of those who fought for Christ and who have received grace from him for healing diseases, curing sicknesses and casting out demons, as the Christian church has received from the holy apostles and fathers down to us today.” [g]

“Moreover, I am well pleased that there should be images in the churches of the faithful, especially the image of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the holy Mother of God, in every kind of material, both gold and silver, and in every color, so that his incarnation may be set forth to all people. Likewise the lives of the saints and prophets and martyrs may be painted, so that their struggles and agonies may be set forth in brief, to stir up and teach the people, especially the unlearned.” “For if the people go out with lights and incense to meet the laurata and images of the emperors when these are sent to cities or country districts, it is surely not the wax-covered panel that they honor, but the emperor himself. How much more necessary is it, then, that in the churches of Christ our God the image of God our Savior, and of his spotless Mother, and of all the holy and blessed fathers and ascetics should be painted?” “As Saint Basil also says, ‘Writers and painters set forth the great deeds of war, the one with words, the other with their brushes, and each stirs many to courage.’ And again the same author: ‘How much trouble have you ever taken to find one of the saints who would be willing to be your persistent intercessor with the Lord?’ And Chrysostom says, ‘The love of the saints is not lessened by their death, nor does it come to an end with their departure from life; after their death they are still more powerful than when they were alive.’ And there are countless other such sayings.” [h]

“Therefore I ask you, O saints! I cry out to you: I have sinned against heaven and before you. Receive me as God received the prodigal, and the prostitute, and the thief. Seek me out, as Christ sought out the lost sheep, which he carried on his shoulders, so that there may be joy before God and his angels over my salvation and repentance, through your intervention, O all-holy lords!” “Let those who do not venerate the holy and venerable images be anathema! Anathema to those who blaspheme against the honored and venerable images! To those who dare to attack and blaspheme the venerable images and call them idols, anathema! To the slanderers of Christianity, that is, the iconoclasts, anathema! To those who do not diligently teach all the Christ-loving people to venerate and salute the venerable, sacred and honored images of all the saints who pleased God in their several generations, anathema! To those who are of doubtful mind and do not confess with their whole hearts that they venerate the sacred images, anathema!”

Sabbas, the most reverend abbot of the monastery of the Studium, said: “According to the apostolic precepts and the ecumenical synods, he is worthy to be received back.” [j] Tarasius, the most holy patriarch, said: “Those who were once the slanderers of orthodoxy have now become advocates of the truth.”

Near the end of this session (Labbe and Cossart, column 77): John, the most reverend bishop and legate of the Eastern high priests, said: “This heresy is the worst of all heresies. Woe to the iconoclasts! It is the worst of heresies, because it overturns the incarnation of our Savior.” [k]