Euthymius Protasecretis against Images

I came across this beautiful text from a Greek-speaking author with whom I'm not familiar.  It is interesting for a variety of reasons, including its opposition to the use of religious images:

Euthymius Protasecretis (10th century?), Encomium to St. Theodore Stratelates (d. 319) (Encomium in sanctum Theodorum stratelatem).

(7) "Do not be harsh on things you should not, O king, a man governed by understanding and reason. I have not fashioned gods but distributed gold and silver to those in need. For they were not created for worship, but to serve the restoration of necessities by God. It is full of simplicity to think that gods are made by men and that the creator is mortal while his creations are immortal. But will you say these are images of gods? Who has seen the form and character of God? It is not in the nature of the unseen, to be able to shape an image of God based on form. It is rare even for visible humans to be portrayed accurately. It is not worthy to honor materials used in life with the name of God, it is not worthy; nor would a slave be called by the name of the master, both being of similar nature; and yet, would such dishonor be attributed to the blessed nature so that the works of hands and inventions of arts share the same name? Woe to such folly; a man makes the head of a god and assembles it with mute and immobile limbs; and his own work becomes his fear and reverence? What could be more foolish than this madness? Those who make them, and those who trust in them, should become like them, I agree with the one who said so. Why, wretched ones, do you not rather worship the sculptor or the stone carver whose arts have made gods for you? But you consider the sources of your objects of worship as mortal, yet the products of them as immortal. Truly, blindness is folly, in which you are immersed, when not only do you worship human forms in the name of a superior nature, but also honor images of irrational animals as part of gods. You are completely dead to reason, descending to worship beasts, birds, sea creatures, and reptiles, by which it would have been fitting for you to be torn apart. But for me, God is the one to be worshipped, ineffable, unapproachable, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, always living, having neither beginning nor end or at all having one, who by His living and subsisting Word and the Spirit of truth conformed to it brought everything into existence from non-existence. This Word, to sum up more, assumed our form for regeneration into incorruptibility and transformed it into impassibility through His own suffering and resurrection, and ascending to heaven, He gathered us with the firstfruits of our nature, honoring our race, whom He will come again with indescribable power and glory, an undoubtable hope for us, to judge the world in righteousness and to give each according to his works. This confession I cherish, for which I am ready to die; for to die in this way is to live, since it is better among the wise to choose to die nobly rather than to live in disgrace. For me, to live is Christ, who is all in all, both now and forever; and to die is eternal, undying gain. Do what you think best in haste; for if you punish me, standing as an advocate of truth, you will unjustly use your authority, setting the justice of truth below base judgment. But for me, you will have done what I desire, sending me more quickly to God."

Original Greek:

(7)     «Οὐ δεῖ χαλεπαίνειν ἐφ’ οἷς οὐ δεῖ, βασιλεῦ, συνέσει καὶ λόγῳ κυβερνώμενον ἄνθρωπον. Οὐ θεοὺς ἐγὼ ἀλλὰ χρυσὸν λεπτοποιήσας καὶ ἄργυρον ἐνδεέσι διενειμάμην. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖσθαι, ἀλλ’ εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐπανόρθωσιν χρησιμεύειν παρήχθη παρὰ θεοῦ. Μεστὸν εὐηθείας θεοὺς πρὸς ἀνθρώπων οἴεσθαι γίνεσθαι καὶ τὸν μὲν ποιητὴν εἰδέναι θνητόν, ἀθάνατα δὲ τὰ πεποιημένα νομίζειν. Ἀλλ’ εἰκόνας ταῦτα θεῶν ἐρεῖς; Τίς ἑώρακεν εἶδος καὶ χαρακτῆρα θεοῦ; Οὐ φύσις τὸ ἀόρατον, ἵνα πίστιν δῶ πρὸς εἶδος δύνασθαι διαμορφοῦν εἰκόνα θεοῦ. Σπάνιον γὰρ καὶ ὁρωμένους ἀνθρώπους ὁμοιογραφεῖσθαι. Οὐκ ἄξιον ὕλας εἰς χρῆσιν γεγονυίας τῷ βίῳ θεοῦ προσηγορίᾳ τιμᾶν, οὐκ ἄξιον· ἀλλ’ ἀνδράποδον μὲν οὐκ ἂν προσαγορευθείη δεσπότου ὀνόματι, ὁμοιοπαθῶν ἑκατέρων ὄντων· τῇ δὲ μακαρίᾳ φύσει τοσοῦτον ἀτιμίας προσέσται ὥστε τῆς αὐτῆς μετέχειν προσηγορίας χειρῶν ἔργα καὶ τεχνῶν ἐπινοίας; Φεῦ τῆς φρενοβλαβείας· κεφαλήν τις ἐργάζεται θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος ὢν καὶ συντίθησιν ὡς ἂν ἐθέλοι μέλη κωφὰ καὶ ἀκίνητα· καὶ φόβος αὐτῷ γίνεται τὸ οἰκεῖον ἔργον καὶ σέβας; Τί ταύτης τῆς ἀνοίας ἀνοητότερον γένοιτ’ ἄν; Ὅμοιοι αὐτῶν γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτά, τῷ φήσαντι σύμφημι, καὶ οἱ ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς πεποιθότες. Τί δαί, σχέτλιοι, τὸν ἀνδριαντοποιὸν ἢ τὸν λιθογλύφον οὐ προσκυνεῖτε μᾶλλον, ὧν αἱ τέχναι θεοὺς ὑμῖν ἀπετέλεσαν; Ἀλλὰ τὰς μὲν πηγὰς τῶν σεβασμάτων ὑμῶν θνητὰς νενομίκατε, ἀθάνατα δὲ τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐκβεβηκότα. Ὄντως τυφλὸν ἡ ἄνοια, ἧς ὑμεῖς ἐντός, ὁπότε μὴ μόνον τὰς ἀνθρωπείας προσκυνεῖτε μορφὰς ὀνόματι τῆς κρείττω φύσεως ἀποχρώμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλόγων εἰκόνας ζῴων ἐν μέρει τιμᾶτε θεῶν. Τεθνήκατε, δείλαιοι, τελείως τοῖς λογισμοῖς, καὶ μέχρι θηρίων, πετεινῶν τε καὶ ἐναλίων καὶ ἑρπετῶν εἰς προσκύνησιν κατιόντες, ὑφ’ ὧν ἦν ὑμᾶς σπαράττεσθαι ἄξιον. Ἐμοὶ δὲ Θεὸς τὸ λατρευόμενον εἷς, ἄποιος, ἄποσος, ἀνίδεος, ἀόρατος, ἀναλλοίωτος ὢν ἀεὶ καὶ ζῶν, καὶ μήτε ἀρχὴν μήτε τέλος ἔχων ἢ ὅλως ἕξων, ὃς τῷ ζῶντι καὶ ὑφεστῶτι Λόγῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁμοφυεῖ Πνεύματι τὸ πᾶν παρῆξε μὴ ὄν. Οὗτος ὁ Λόγος, ἵνα τὰ πλείω συνελὼν εἴπω, εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν ἀναγεννήσων τὴν καθ’ ἡμᾶς ὑπέδυ μορφὴν καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου πάθους καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως εἰς ἀπαθίαν μετεστοιχείωσε, καὶ πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀνιὼν συνανήγαγε τῇ τοῦ ἐξ ἡμῶν προσλήμματος ἀπαρχῇ τιμήσας τὸ γένος, ὃν καὶ αὖθις ἥξειν μετὰ δυνάμεως ἀνεικάστου καὶ δόξης ἐλπὶς ἡμῖν ἀνενδοίαστος κρῖναι τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Ταύτης ἐγὼ τῆς ὁμολογίας ὀναίμην, ἧς καὶ ὑπεραποθανεῖν ἑτοίμως ἔχω· τὸ γὰρ οὕτως ἀποθανεῖν ζῆν ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ κρεῖττον παρά γε φρονίμοις μᾶλλον αἱρεῖσθαι τεθνάναι καλῶς ἢ ζῆν αἰσχρῶς. Ἐμοὶ γοῦν τὸ ζῆν Χριστός, ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι καὶ ὢν καὶ ἐσόμενος· τὸ δὲ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος αἰωνίως ἀθάνατον. Πρὸς ταῦτα ὅ σοι τάχος ποίει δοκοῦν· εἰ γὰρ ἀληθείας συνήγορον κολάζειν σοι παριστάμενον, ἀδίκως μὲν χρήσῃ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ, τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας παρὰ φαῦλον θέμενος δίκαιον. Ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ κατ’ ἐπιθυμίαν ἔσῃ πεποιηκώς, πρὸς Θεόν με θᾶττον παραπεμψάμενος.»