Letter 385: Theodore Studite, Letter 385; Greek heading: Θεοφίλῳ τῆς Ἐφέσου.

I have received your sacred letter as a book written by God, and I have welcomed your blessing along with it as a kindling of longing. And who am I, the wretched one, to be so praised by your holy mouth, I who am not even worthy to loose the strap of your sandal? Behold the marks of a humility that imitates God! You, O most blessed forefather [Theophilus, bishop of Ephesus, addressed as a venerable predecessor], great and renowned, magnified and praised in East and West alike, who have adorned the throne of the greatest apostle, evangelist, and theologian [John the Theologian, traditionally bishop of Ephesus] in a manner worthy of it through the things by which you have contended and still contend, making your life radiant by the blood of your holy flesh, and confessing that Christ may be depicted as one embodied, but not denying him as the impious do, since they do not accept him as represented in an icon [eikon, image]. For what is not represented in an icon is also not embodied. I forbear to say that even an angel, though bodiless, has been handed down by the theologians to be inscribed in perceptible icons. But these men have denied that the embodied Master and the bodiless servant, and besides them the Mother of God together with all the servants of the Lord, are to be inscribed, plainly denying along with the icons the prototypes [the originals which the images represent], not even considering this very thing: that by the acceptance of one's proper likeness they hold their power, and that, this likeness being taken away or dishonored, plainly their power too is taken away and dishonored. But all the same they do not wish to understand so as to do good. For those men, then, it is to kick against the goads; but as for you, may the mighty hand keep you safe for the glory of his own Church, as a pillar, as a foundation, as a champion. And may we, the humble, see you either returning thence to the land of Asia, as the men of old once saw the sun of the Gospel returning from his imprisonment on Patmos [as John the Evangelist returned from exile on Patmos], or glorified in a hierarchical manner in the heavens above ten cities.