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he is able to do what is fitting; for instance, being pierced by a certain pain in the expectation of the things threatened. We are required to pay the necessary debt of love for God, which for the soul that lacks it is the most unbearable of all evils. For alienation and turning away from God is more unbearable and heavier for the one who suffers it than the expected punishments in Gehenna, just as the deprivation of light is for the eye, even if no pain is present. The fear of the Lord overcomes all sorts of achievements of the soul. This is love for God, to always stretch the soul beyond its power. Just as in an ox and a donkey, from the beneficence of the one who feeds it, love for him is spontaneously engendered, so also for us, if we receive his benefits with sensitivity and gratitude. How shall we not love God, the benefactor of so many and so great things, by nature, so to speak, this disposition being untaughtly engendered in a healthy soul? The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, like a first swaddling-cloth; and wisdom, having surpassed fear and having elevated us to love, makes us friends and sons of God instead of slaves. It is good both to withdraw a little, as that Moses of old did, and Jeremiah later, and to run readily to the one calling, as did both Aaron and Isaiah, only both piously: the one because of his own weakness, the other because of the power of the one calling. A word will not be able to accomplish as much as fear accomplishes. What is more grievous than Gehenna? But nothing is more useful than the fear of it. For the fear of Gehenna brings us the crown of the kingdom. Just as in the house of a soldier continuously armed, no robber, no housebreaker, no one else of those who commit such evil deeds will dare to appear nearby; so when fear possesses our souls, none of the slavish passions enters us easily, but they run away and are put to flight, being driven out from all sides by the tyranny of fear. And this is not the only thing we reap from fear, but also another 95.1093 much greater. For it not only drives away our evil passions, but it also introduces all virtue with great ease. For nothing so consumes sins and makes virtue grow and flourish as the nature of continuous fear. For this reason it is impossible for one who does not live with fear to act rightly, just as it is impossible for one living in fear to sin. Fear is nothing other than a wall, and security, and an unconquerable tower. The fear of the impassible God is impassible; for one fears not God, but falling away from God. And he who fears this, to fall in with evils, fears and is afraid of evils; and he who fears the fall, wishes to be incorruptible and impassible himself. It is not possible for one who truly fears God to have cowardice, as it is said: But fear no other but Him. He who fears God does all things according to God. God is said to be fearsome; but not in the way one has fear of a deadly beast or a cruel man. For God is light, and so on. How then should we fear light, or life, or truth, or resurrection? just as if someone lives on a high mountain, and is said to fear it; he does not fear the mountain, but fears falling from it. Therefore we too fear God, fearing to fall from the light, and from life, and from truth, and from knowledge.

Title 5. —Concerning contradiction against God; and that one must not contradict, or justify oneself before God. Iniquity will be reckoned to us, when we speak many words before the Lord. You are not

a man like me, with whom I shall be judged, that we might come together to judgment. Why am I still judged, being admonished and reproved by the Lord, hearing such things, being nothing? And what answer shall I give? I will put my hand on my mouth; I have spoken once, and I will not add a second time. Far be it from me to act impiously before the Lord, or to pervert justice before the Almighty. Do not be hasty with your mouth, and let not your heart be swift to bring forth a word before the face of God. Will the thing formed say to the

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καθῆκον δύναται· οἷον ὀδύνῃ τινὶ τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν ἀπειληθέντων συμπεπαρμένος. Ἀναγκαῖον ὄφλημα τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπην ἀπαιτούμεθα, ὃ τῇ ἐλλιπούσῃ ψυχῇ πάντων κακῶν ἐστιν ἀφορητότατον. Θεοῦ γὰρ ἀλλοτρίωσις καὶ ἀποστροφὴ, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ προσδοκωμένων κολάσεων ἀφορητότερόν ἐστι καὶ βαρύτερον τῷ παθόντι, ὡς ὀφθαλμῷ φωτὸς στέρησις, κἂν μὴ ὀδύνη προσῇ. Φόβος Κυρίου παντοίων κατορθωμάτων τῆς ψυχῆς περιγίνεται. Ἡ εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπη αὕτη ἐστὶν, τὸ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἀεὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπεκτεῖναι. Ὥσπερ τῷ βοῒ καὶ τῷ ὄνῳ ἐκ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ τρέφοντος εὐεργεσίας, ἡ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγάπη αὐτομάτως ἐγγίνεται, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἐὰν εὐαισθήτως καὶ εὐγνωμόνως τὰς εὐεργεσίας δεξώμεθα. Τὸν τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων εὐεργέτην Θεὸν πῶς οὐκ ἀγαπήσομεν κατὰ φύσιν, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, ἀδιδάκτως τῆς τοιαύτης διαθέσεως τῇ ὑγιανούσῃ ψυχῇ ἐγγινομένης; Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, οἷόν τι πρῶτον σπάργανον· καὶ σοφία τὸν φόβον ὑπερβᾶσα, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην ἀναβιβάσασα, Θεοῦ φίλους ἡμᾶς καὶ υἱοὺς ἀντὶ δούλων ἐργάζεται. Ἀγαθὸν καὶ ὑποχωρῆσαί τι μικρὸν, ὡς Μωϋσῆς ἐκεῖνος τὸ παλαιὸν, καὶ Ἱερεμίας ὕστερον, καὶ προσδραμεῖν ἑτοίμως τῷ καλοῦντι, ὡς Ἀαρών τε καὶ Ἡσαΐας, μόνον εὐσεβῶς ἀμφότερα· τὸ μὲν διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὴν τοῦ καλοῦντος δύναμιν. Οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐργάζεσθαι δυνήσεται λόγος, ὅσον ἐργάζεται φόβος. Τί γεέννης χαλεπώτερον; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοῦ ταύτης χρησιμώτερον φόβου. Ὁ γὰρ τῆς γεέννης φόβος τὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἡμῖν κομίζει στέφανον. Καθάπερ ἐν οἰκίᾳ στρατιώτου διηνεκῶς ὡπλισμένου, οὐ λῃστὴς, οὐ τοιχωρύχος, οὐκ ἄλλος τις τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα κακουργούντων, τολμήσει φανῆναι πλησίον· οὕτω φόβου κατέχοντος τὰς ψυχὰς, οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνελευθέρων παθῶν ἐπεισέρχεται ῥᾳδίως ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ δραπετεύει καὶ φυγαδεύεται, τῇ τυραννίδι τοῦ φόβου πάντοθεν ἐξελαυνόμενα. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ καρπούμεθα ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον 95.1093 πολλῷ μεῖζον. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον τὰ πονηρὰ ἡμῶν ἀπελαύνει πάθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν εἰσάγει μετὰ πολλῆς εὐκολίας τὴν ἀρετήν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω κατεσθίει μὲν ἁμαρτήματα, ἀρετὴν δὲ αὔξεσθαι ποιεῖ καὶ θάλλειν, ὡς διηνεκοῦς φόβου φύσις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὸν μὴ συζῶντα φόβῳ ἀμήχανον κατορθῶσαι, ὡσπεροῦν τὸν ἐν φόβῳ ζῶντα ἀμήχανον διαμαρτεῖν. Φόβος οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἢ τεῖχος, καὶ ἀσφάλεια, καὶ πύργος ἀκαταγώνιστος. Ὁ τοῦ ἀπαθοῦς Θεοῦ φόβος ἀπαθής· φοβεῖται γάρ τις, οὐ τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀποπεσεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ δὲ τοῦτο δεδιὼς, τὸ τοῖς κακοῖς συμπεσεῖν, φοβεῖται καὶ δέδιεν τὰ κακά· ὁ δεδιὼς δὲ τὸ πτῶμα, ἄφθαρτον ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀπαθῆ εἶναι βούλεται. Οὐ δυνατὸν τὸν ἀληθῶς φοβούμενον τὸν Θεὸν δειλίαν ἔχειν, εἰρημένου τοῦ· Πλὴν αὐτὸν μὴ φοβοῦ ἄλλον. Ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Θεὸν, κατὰ Θεὸν πάντα πράττει. Λέγεται ὁ Θεὸς φοβερὸς εἶναι· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς θανασίμου θηρίου ἢ ἀνθρώπου ὠμοῦ φόβον ἔχειν. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Πῶς οὖν φοβηθῶμεν φῶς, ἢ ζωὴν, ἢ ἀλήθειαν, ἢ ἀνάστασιν; ὡς ἐάν τις ᾗ ἐπὶ ὑψηλὸν ὄρος οἰκῶν, καὶ λέγεται φοβεῖσθαι αὐτό· οὐ τὸ ὄρος φοβεῖται, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὴ ἐκπεσεῖν αὐτοῦ. Τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς φοβούμεθα τὸν Θεὸν, φοβούμενοι ἐκπεσεῖν τοῦ φωτὸς, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τῆς γνώσεως.

Τίτλ. Εʹ. -Περὶ ἀντιλογίας πρὸς Θεόν· καὶ ὅτι οὐ δεῖ ἀντιλέγειν, ἣ

δικαιολογεῖσθαι πρὸς Θεόν. Ἀνομία ἡμῖν λογισθήσεται, πολλὰ λαλούντων ῥήματα ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. Οὐκ

εἶ ἄνθρωπος κατ' ἐμὲ, ᾧ ἀντικρινοῦμαι, ἵνα ἔλθωμεν ὁμοθυμαδὸν εἰς κρίσιν. Τί ἔτι ἐγὼ κρίνομαι νουθετούμενος καὶ ἐλεγχόμενος παρὰ Κυρίου, ἀκούων τοιαῦτα οὐθὲν ὤν; Ἐγὼ δὲ τίνα ἀπόκρισιν δώσω; Χεῖρα θήσω ἐπὶ στόματί μου· ἅπαξ λελάληκα, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ δευτέρῳ οὐ προσθήσω. Μή μοι εἴη ἐναντίον Κυρίου ἀσεβῆσαι, ἢ ἐναντίον παντοκράτορος ταράξαι τὸ δίκαιον. Μὴ σπεῦδε ἐπὶ στόματί σου, καὶ ἡ καρδία σου μὴ ταχύνηται τοῦ ἐξενεγκεῖν λόγον πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Μὴ ἐρεῖ πλάσμα τῷ