te monks. Persecuted, expelled from their house by Constantine
Copronymus, they were restored at his death in 775, but had dwindled,
it seems, to the number of twelve. A new era of power began for them
under their Archimandrite Sabbas, and this was increased by his
successor, Theodore, whose life covered the period of the greatest
theological importance in the history of Iconoclasm. When the
patriarchal see was held for seven-and-twenty years by Iconoclasts,
Theodore upheld the spirits of his brethren, and even in exile
contrived to be their indefatigable leader and support. His was never
a submissive, but always an active resistance to the imperial attempt
to dragoon the Church, and a typical audacity was the solemn procession
with all the monastery's icons, the monks singing the hymn "_Ten
achranton eikona sou proskunoumen_, _agathe_" which caused his
expulsion. His exile produced a series of impressive letters in which,
with every vigour and cogency of argument of which a logical Greek was
capable, he exhorted, encouraged, and consoled those who, like himself,
remained steadfast to their faith. The Studium gave, too, its actual
martyrs, James and Thaddeus, to the traditional belief; and Theodore in
exile, who would gladly have borne them company in their death,
commemorated their heroism and {163} implored their intercessions.
Theodore's whole life was one of resistance, active or passive, to the
attempt of the emperors to dictate the Church's Creed; and though he
did not live to see the conclusion of the conflict, its final result
was largely due to his persistent and strenuous efforts. For a while
after his death there is silence over the history of the Studites,
till, in 844, we find them bringing back his body in solemn triumph
from the island of Prinkipo. Till the middle of the ninth century they
remained a potent force; from that time up to the capture of
Constantinople by the Turks, if they retained their fame, their
activity was diminished.

[Sidenote: The rule of the Studium.]

Professor Marin[2] has collected interesting details from many sources
as to the rule of the house, its dress, liturgical customs, learning,
discipline. The liturgy was said at six on days when the fast lasted
till nine, at three on other days; and the monks were expected to
communicate daily. While the house was essentially a learned society,
a community of sacred scholars, Theodore stands out from its whole
annals as a g