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is given. And I said: How then is it possible to grasp this in the mind? And Peter answered: This, O dear Clement, it is possible to grasp, if one is fully convinced that enemies, by mistreating for a time those whom they hate, become for them the cause of deliverance from eternal punishment; and furthermore they will love them exceedingly as benefactors. The way to grasp this, O dear Clement, is one, which is the fear of God. For he who fears God is not able at first to love his neighbor as himself (since such a thing does not come to the soul by command), yet through fear toward God he is able to do the things of those who love, and then, to him who has thus done the things of love, love itself, being like a bride, is brought to fear as to a bridegroom, and thus, by giving birth to philanthropic thoughts, it makes the one who possesses it immortal as a like image of God, his nature being unable to be violated by corruption. When he had thus expounded to us the discourse on philanthropy, as evening came on, we turned to sleep.

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δίδοται. κἀγὼ ἔφην· Πῶς οὖν σύνεστιν ἐν νῷ λαβεῖν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· Ταύτην, ὦ φίλε Κλήμης, λαβεῖν ἔστιν, ἐὰν πληροφορηθῇ τις ὅτι οἱ ἐχθροὶ πρὸς καιρὸν κακουχοῦντες οὓς μισοῦσιν, αἰωνίου κο- λάσεως ἀπαλλαγῆς αὐτοῖς αἴτιοι γίνονται· προσέτι δὲ αὐτοὺς ὡς εὐερ- γέτας σφόδρα ἀγαπήσουσιν. ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς τοῦ ταύτην λαβεῖν, ὦ φίλε Κλή- μης, μία τίς ἐστιν, ἥπερ ἐστὶν φόβος θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ θεὸν φοβούμενος τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀγαπᾶν μὲν κατ' ἀρχὰς οὐ δύναται (ἐπεὶ τὸ τοιοῦτο κελεύσει οὐ προσέρχεται τῇ ψυχῇ), τῷ μέντοι πρὸς θεὸν φόβῳ τὰ ἀγαπώντων ποιεῖν δύναται καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως πράξαντι τὰ ἀγάπης τὸ ἀγαπᾶν ὡς νύμφη οὖσα προσφέρεται ὡς νυμφίῳ τῷ φόβῳ καὶ οὕτως τοὺς φιλανθρώπους τίκτουσα λογισμοὺς ἀθάνατον τίθησιν τὸν κεκτημένον ὡς εἰκόνα θεοῦ ὁμοίαν, ὑπὸ φθορᾶς ὑβρισθῆναι μὴ δυναμένην τὴν αὐτοῦ φύσιν. ὁμῶς τὸν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐκθεμένου ἡμῖν λόγον, ἑσπέ- ρας ἐπικαταλαβούσης, εἰς ὕπνον ἐτράπημεν.