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18

You should fear. For by fearing the Lord you will master the devil, because there is no power in him. But where there is no power, there is no fear; but where there is glorious power, there is also fear in it. For everyone who has power has fear; but he who has no power is despised by all. But fear the works of the devil, because they are evil. Therefore, by fearing the Lord you will fear the works of the devil and will not do them, but will abstain from them. There are therefore two kinds of fear. For if you wish to do evil, fear the Lord and you will not do it; and if you wish again to do good, fear the Lord and you will do it. So the fear of the Lord is strong and great and glorious. Fear the Lord, therefore, and you will live to him; and whoever fears him and keeps his commandments, they will live to God. Why, I said, Lord, did you say of those who keep his commandments, "They will live to God"? Because, he said, all creation fears the Lord, but does not keep his commandments. Therefore, for those who fear him and keep his commandments, their life is with God; but for those not keeping his commandments, there is no life in them. Commandment 8 I told you, he said, that the creatures of God are twofold; for self-control is also twofold. For in some things one must exercise self-control, and in others one must not. Make known to me, I said, Lord, in what things one must exercise self-control, and in what things one must not. Listen, he said. Refrain from evil, and do not do it; but do not refrain from good, but do it. For if you refrain from doing good, you commit a great sin; but if you refrain from doing evil, you perform a great righteousness. Refrain therefore from all wickedness by doing good. What, I said, Lord, are the wickednesses from which we must refrain? Listen, he said: from adultery and fornication, from lawless drunkenness, from wicked luxury, from many foods and the extravagance of wealth and boasting and haughtiness and pride, and from lying and slander and hypocrisy, malice and all blasphemy. These works are the most wicked of all in the life of men. From these works, therefore, the servant of God must refrain. For he who does not refrain from these cannot live to God. Hear, therefore, also what follows these. Are there, I said, Lord, still more evil works? And indeed there are many, he said, from which the servant of God must refrain: theft, falsehood, robbery, false witness, covetousness, evil desire, deceit, vainglory, arrogance, and whatever is like these. Do not these seem evil to you? And very evil, I said, for the servants of God. From all these he who serves God must refrain. Refrain therefore from all these things, that you may live to God and be enrolled with those who refrain from them. These, then, are the things from which you must refrain. But listen, he said, to the things from which you must not refrain, but do. Do not refrain from good, but do it. And of the good things, I said, Lord, show me the power, that I may walk in them and serve them, so that by doing them I may be able to be saved. Listen, he said, also to the works of good, which you must do and not refrain from. First of all faith, fear of the Lord, love, concord, words of righteousness, truth, patience; nothing is better than these in the life of men. If anyone keeps these and does not refrain from them, he becomes blessed in his life. Then what follows these

18

φοβηθῇς· φοβούμενος γὰρ τὸν κύριον κατακυριεύσεις τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι δύναμις ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν. ἐν ᾧ δὲ δύναμις οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ φόβος· ἐν ᾧ δὲ δύναμις ἡ ἔνδοξος, καὶ φόβος ἐν αὐτῷ. πᾶς γὰρ ὁ δύναμιν ἔχων φόβον ἔχει· ὁ δὲ μὴ ἔχων δύναμιν ὑπὸ πάντων καταφρονεῖται. φοβήθητι δὲ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι πονηρά ἐστι. φοβούμενος οὖν τὸν κύριον φοβηθήσῃ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ οὐκ ἐργάσῃ αὐτά, ἀλλ' ἀφέξῃ ἀπ' αὐτῶν. δισσοὶ οὖν εἰσιν οἱ φόβοι· ἐὰν γὰρ θέλῃς τὸ πονηρὸν ἐργάσασθαι, φοβοῦ τὸν κύριον καὶ οὐκ ἐργάσῃ αὐτό· ἐὰν δὲ θέλῃς πάλιν τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐργάσασθαι, φοβοῦ τὸν κύριον καὶ ἐργάσῃ αὐτό. ὥστε ὁ φόβος τοῦ κυρίου ἰσχυρός ἐστι καὶ μέγας καὶ ἔνδοξος. φοβήθητι οὖν τὸν κύριον, καὶ ζήσῃ αὐτῷ· καὶ ὅσοι ἂν φοβηθῶσιν αὐτὸν τῶν φυλασσόντων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ζήσονται τῷ θεῷ. ∆ιατί, φημί, κύριε, εἶπας περὶ τῶν τηρούντων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ· Ζήσονται τῷ θεῷ; Ὅτι, φησίν, πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις φοβεῖται τὸν κύριον, τὰς δὲ ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ οὐ φυλάσσει. τῶν οὖν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν καὶ φυλασσόν των τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἐκείνων ἡ ζωή ἐστι παρὰ τῷ θεῷ· τῶν δὲ μὴ φυλασσόντων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ ζωὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἐντολὴ η Eἶπόν σοι, φησίν, ὅτι τὰ κτίσματα τοῦ θεοῦ διπλᾶ ἐστι· καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἐγκρά τεια διπλῆ ἐστιν. ἐπί τινων γὰρ δεῖ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι, ἐπί τινων δὲ οὐ δεῖ. Γνώρισόν μοι, φημί, κύριε, ἐπὶ τίνων δεῖ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι, ἐπὶ τίνων δὲ οὐ δεῖ. Ἄκουε, φησί. τὸ πονηρὸν ἐγκρατεύου, καὶ μὴ ποίει αὐτό· τὸ δὲ ἀγαθὸν μὴ ἐγκρατεύου, ἀλλὰ ποίει αὐτό. ἐὰν γὰρ ἐγκρατεύσῃ τὸ ἀγαθὸν μὴ ποιεῖν, ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην ἐργάζῃ· ἐὰν δὲ ἐγκρατεύσῃ τὸ πονηρὸν μὴ ποιεῖν, δικαιοσύνην μεγάλην ἐργάζῃ. ἐγκράτευσαι οὖν ἀπὸ πονηρίας πάσης ἐργαζόμενος τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ποταπαί, φημί, κύριε, εἰσὶν αἱ πονηρίαι ἀφ' ὧν δεῖ ἡμᾶς ἐγκρατεύεσθαι; Ἄκουε, φησίν· ἀπὸ μοιχείας καὶ πορνείας, ἀπὸ μεθύσματος ἀνομίας, ἀπὸ τρυφῆς πονηρᾶς, ἀπὸ ἐδεσμάτων πολλῶν καὶ πολυτελείας πλούτου καὶ καυχήσεως καὶ ὑψηλοφροσύνης καὶ ὑπερη φανίας, καὶ ἀπὸ ψεύσματος καὶ καταλαλιᾶς καὶ ὑποκρίσεως, μνησικακίας καὶ πάσης βλασφημίας. ταῦτα τὰ ἔργα πάντων πονηρότατά εἰσιν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἀπὸ τούτων οὖν τῶν ἔργων δεῖ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐγκρατευόμενος ἀπὸ τούτων οὐ δύναται ζῆσαι τῷ θεῷ. ἄκουε οὖν καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα τούτων. Ἔτι γάρ, φημί, κύριε, πονηρὰ ἔργα ἐστί; Καί γε πολλά, φησίν, ἔστιν ἀφ' ὧν δεῖ τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγκρατεύ εσθαι· κλέμμα, ψεῦδος, ἀποστέρησις, ψευδομαρτυρία, πλεονεξία, ἐπιθυμία πονηρά, ἀπάτη, κενοδοξία, ἀλαζονεία, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ὅμοιά εἰσιν. οὐ δοκεῖ σοι ταῦτα πονηρὰ εἶναι; Καὶ λίαν πονηρά, φημί, τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ. Τούτων πάντων δεῖ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι τὸν δουλεύοντα τῷ θεῷ. ἐγκράτευσαι οὖν ἀπὸ πάντων τούτων, ἵνα ζήσῃ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐγγραφήσῃ μετὰ τῶν ἐγκρα τευομένων αὐτά. ὧν μὲν οὖν δεῖ σε ἐγκρατεύεσθαι, ταῦτά ἐστιν. ἃ δὲ δεῖ σε μὴ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι, φησίν, ἀλλὰ ποιεῖν, ἄκουε. τὸ ἀγαθὸν μὴ ἐγκρα τεύου, ἀλλὰ ποίει αὐτό. Καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν μοι, φημί, κύριε, δήλωσον τὴν δύναμιν, ἵνα πορευθῶ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ δουλεύσω αὐτοῖς, ἵνα ἐργασάμενος αὐτὰ δυνηθῶ σωθῆναι. Ἄκουε, φησί, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὰ ἔργα, ἅ σε δεῖ ἐργά ζεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι. πρῶτον πάντων πίστις, φόβος κυρίου, ἀγάπη, ὁμόνοια, ·»ματα δικαιοσύνης, ἀλήθεια, ὑπομονή· τούτων ἀγαθώτερον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ταῦτα ἐάν τις φυλάσσῃ καὶ μὴ ἐγκρα τεύηται ἀπ' αὐτῶν, μακάριος γίνεται ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ. εἶτα τούτων τὰ ἀκό