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Acts 10. Truly I understand that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation the one who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.

Proverbs 14. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life; and it makes one turn away from the snare of death.

Solomon 12. The end of the matter, hear the whole: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole man.

Sirach 40. Riches and strength lift up the heart; and above them both is the fear of the Lord.

Of Basil. For just as one who has bodily nails fixed in himself is rendered inactive, being possessed by pains; so one who is seized by the fear of God is not able to use his eye for what he ought not, nor move his hands to forbidden actions, nor do anything small or great at all contrary to what is proper, being pierced, as it were, by a kind of pain in the expectation of the things threatened.

Of the Theologian. We must not, beginning from contemplation, end in fear. For unbridled contemplation might perhaps even push one over a cliff; but being grounded and purified by fear, and, so to speak, being refined, we are to be lifted up on high.

(15Ε_226> Let us fear one thing only, to fear something more than God. The rustling of leaves frightens hares. But the shadows of things frighten unmanly men. Chrysostom. A word will not be able to accomplish as much as fear accomplishes.

For the fear of Gehenna will adorn for us the crown of the kingdom. 864 The devil is a cause of many good things for us, if we wish it; for fearing his plots, we are sober and remember God. For he who sees the enemy standing over him runs to the one who is able to help.

Just as in the house of a soldier who is continually armed, no robber, no housebreaker, nor anyone else of those who do such evils will dare to appear; so when fear possesses our souls, none of the ignoble passions easily enters into us.

Of Didymus. It is not possible for one who truly fears God to have cowardice, since it has been said, "Besides him, fear no other."

Of Climacus. Just as a ray of the sun entering a house through a crack illuminates everything, so that one sees even the finest flying dust; so also the fear of God, arising with discernment in the heart, shows it all its sins.

Of Severian. The beginning of salvation for men is the fear of God, and the root of all good things in us is the law of God. Neither is the law of God without fear, nor fear without law. For the law has fear as the servant of its commands; and fear has the law as the judge of its ordinances.

Of Bias. Bias, being asked what in life is fearless, said, "A right conscience."

Epicurus. It is not possible to be fearless while appearing fearsome. (15Ε_228> Democritus. One must abstain not out of fear, but out of duty

from sins. Of Euripides. Senseless is he who in fear is weak, but having gained a little spirit, becomes greatly proud. Menander.

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Πράξ. ι´. Ἐπ᾿ ἀληθείας καταλαμβάνω, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι προσωπολήπτης ὁ Θεός, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν παντί ἔθνει ὁ φοβούμενος αὐτόν καί ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην, δεκτός αὐτῷ ἐστιν.

Παροιμ. ιδ΄ . Φόβος Κυρίου πηγή ζωῆς· ποιεῖ δέ ἀκκλίνειν ἐκ παγίδος θανάτου.

Σολομ. ιβ´. Τέλος λόγου, τό πᾶν ἄκουε, τόν Θεόν φοβοῦ, καί τάς ἐντολάς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε, ὅτι τοῦτο πᾶς ἄνθρωπος.

Σιράχ μ´. Χρήματα καί ἰσχύς ἀνυψοῦσι καρδίαν· καί ὑπέρ ἀμφότερα φόβος Κυρίου.

Βασιλείου. Ὡς γάρ ὁ ἐμπεπηγότας ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ τούς σωματικούς ἥλους, ἀνενέργητός ἐστιν, ὑπό τῶν ὀδύνων κατεχόμενος· οὕτως ὁ τῷ φόβω τοῦ Θεοῦ κατειλημμένος, οὐκ ὀφθαλμῷ χρήσασθαι πρός ἅ μή δεῖ, οὐ χεῖρας κινῆσαι πρός ἀπηγορευμένας πράξεις, οὐχ ὅλως μικρόν ἤ μεῖζον ἐνεργῆσαι παρά τό καθῆκον δύναται, οἷον ὀδύνῃ τινί τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν ἀπειληθέντων συμπεπαρμένος.

Θεολόγου. Οὐκ ἀπό θεωρίας ἀρξαμένους, εἰς φόβον χρή καταλήγειν. Θεωρία γάρ ἀχαλίνωτος, τάχα ἄν καί κατά κρημνῶν ὤσειεν· ἀλλά φόβῳ στοιχειωμένους καί καθαιρομένους, καί, ἵνα οὕτως εἴπω, λεπτυνομένους, εἰς ὕψος αἴρεσθαι.

(15Ε_226> Ἕν φοβηθῶμεν μόνον, τό φοβηθῆναι Θεοῦ τι πλέον. Φύλλων λαγωούς ἐκφοβοῦσιν οἱ κτύποι. Ἄνδρας δ᾿ ἀνάνδρους αἱ σκιαί τῶν πραγμάτων. Χρυσοστ. Οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐργάσασθαι δυνήσεται λόγος, ὅσον ἐργάζεται φόβος.

Ὁ γάρ τῆς γεέννης φόβος τόν τῆς βασιλείας ἡμῖν κοσμιεῖ στέφανον. 864 Αἰτία ἡμῖν πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν, εἴ βουλοίμεθα, ὁ διάβολος· δεδοικότες γάρ αὐτοῦ τάς ἐπιβουλάς, μήφομεν καί μεμνήμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ γάρ ἐφεστῶτα τόν ἐχθρόν ὁρῶν, τῷ δυναμένῳ προστρέχει βοηθεῖν.

Καθάπερ ἐν οἰκίᾳ στρατιώτου διηνεκῶς ὡπλισμένου, οὐ ληστής, οὐ τυχωρύχος, οὐκ ἄλλος τις τῶν τά τοιαῦτα κακουργούντων τολμήσει φανῆναι· οὕτω φόβου κατέχοντος ψυχάς, οὐδέν τῶν ἀνελευθέρων παθῶν ἐπεισέρχεται ῥᾳδίως ἡμῖν.

∆ιδύμου. Οὐ δυνατόν τόν ἀληθῶς φοβούμενον τόν Θεόν δειλίαν ἔχειν, εἰρημένου τοῦ, Πλήν αὐτοῦ μή φοβοῦ ἄλλον.

Κλίμακος. Ὥσπερ ἀκτίς ἡλίου δι᾿ ὀπῆς εἰσελθοῦσα ἐν οἴκῳ πάντα φωτίζει, ὡς καί τό λεπτότατον ὁρᾷν, τόν τε κονιορτόν πετόμενον· οὕτω καί φόβος Θεοῦ μετά διακρίσεως ἐν καρδίᾳ γενόμενος, πάντα αὐτῇ τά ἁμαρτήματα ὑποδείκνυσιν.

Σευηριανοῦ. Ἀρχή σωτηρίας ἀνθρώπων ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος, καί ῥίζα πάντων ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμος. Οὔτε δέ Θεοῦ νόμος ἄνευ φόβου, οὔτε φόβος ἄνευ νόμου. Ὁ μέν γάρ νόμος τῶν ἐπιτεταγμένων ὑπηρέτην ἔχει τόν φόβον· ὁ δέ φόβος τῶν προστεταγμένων δικαστήν ἔχει τόν νόμον.

Βίας. Βίας ἐρωτηθείς, τί ἄν εἴη τῶν κατά τόν βίον ἄφοβον, εἶπεν, Ὀρθή συνείδησις.

Ἐπικούρ. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἄφοβον εἶναι, φοβερόν φαινόμενον. (15Ε_228> ∆ημοκρ. Οὐ διά φόβον, ἀλλά διά τό δέον, ἀπέχεσθαι χρεών

ἁμαρτημάτων. Εὐριπίδου. Ἀσύνετος, ὅστις ἐν φόβῳ μέν ἀσθενής, Λαβών δέ μικρόν τι ψυχῆς φρονεῖ μέγα. Μενάνδρ.