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hinting through this, that we should do nothing unworthy [of the peace]. For since for the most part the feet are a symbol of life, for this reason he continually exhorts, saying, See how carefully you walk, speaking of life. Therefore let us live worthily of the gospel, and let us display a pure life and pure actions through our whole life. Peace was proclaimed as good news, give to this good news a ready path; since if you become enemies again, there is no longer a preparation of peace. You are ready, do not put off peace. Just as you became ready for peace and for faith, so also persevere. Faith is a shield, the first to receive the attacks of the enemy, and keeping the weapons unwounded. If then faith is right and life is right, the weapons remain unwounded. He discusses many things about faith elsewhere as well, especially when writing to the Hebrews, and about hope. Believe, he says, in the good things to come, and none of these will be wounded. For in terrible things, in 62.171 labors, by putting forward hope and faith, you will keep those things unwounded. He who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he becomes a rewarder of those who seek him. Faith is a shield protecting those who believe without questioning; but if there are sophistries and reasonings and scrutinies, it is no longer a shield, but it hinders us. Let faith be such as to cover and overshadow the whole. Let it not then be small, so as to leave the feet bare, or some other part, but let the shield be of a fitting size. Fiery. For many reasonings burn the soul, many doubts, many perplexities, but faith truly gives rest to all. The devil sends many things, setting our soul on fire, and leading it into doubt, as when some say: Is there a resurrection? Is there a judgment? Is there a retribution? But if you have the shield of faith, you will quench with it the darts of the devil. Has some perverse desire come upon you, has a fire of wicked thoughts been kindled within? Put forward the faith of the good things to come, and it will not even appear, but will perish. All the darts; not some yes, and others no. Hear Paul saying: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us. Do you see how many darts the righteous then quenched? Or does it not seem to you to be a fiery dart, for the patriarch to be burned with an inward fire while offering his son? And other righteous men also quenched all his darts. Whether then reasonings campaign against us, let us put this forward, whether perverse desires, let us use this, whether labors and hardships, let us rest upon this; it is the safeguard of all the weapons; if we do not have this, those too will quickly be wounded. Above all, he says, taking up the shield of faith. What is, Above all? Both in truth, and in righteousness, and in the preparation of the Gospel. That is, all these things need this. For this reason he added: And take the helmet of salvation, that is, through this you will be able to be in safety from now on, and to escape every danger. For just as the helmet, covering the head accurately from all sides, does not allow it to suffer anything terrible, but saves it; so also faith becomes a shield, and a helmet of salvation. If we quench his darts, we shall quickly also receive the saving reasonings which do not allow our ruling faculty to suffer anything. For if these contrary reasonings are quenched, quickly those which are not such, but which save us and make us hopeful, will be born in us, and just as a helmet on the head, they will be set upon our ruling faculty. 3. And not only this, but we shall also receive the sword of the Spirit, so as no longer only to secure ourselves against what is sent, but also to strike the devil himself. For a soul that has not despaired of itself, nor received the fiery darts, will stand against the Enemy with much eagerness, will break his breastplate with this sword, with which Paul also broke through and took his thoughts captive; it will cut off and behead the dragon. Which is the word

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αἰνιττόμενος διὰ τούτου, ὥστε μηδὲν ἀνάξιον πράττειν [τῆς εἰρήνης]. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ οἱ πόδες εἰσὶ τοῦ βίου σύμβολον, διὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς παραινῶν λέγει, Βλέπετε πῶς ἀκριβῶς περιπατεῖτε, περὶ τοῦ βίου λέγων. Οὐκοῦν ἀξίως πολιτευώμεθα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, καὶ βίον καὶ πράξεις καθαρὰς ἐπιδεικνυώμεθα διὰ πάσης ἡμῶν τῆς ζωῆς. Εἰρήνη Εὐηγγελίσθη, δότε τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τούτοις ἕτοιμον ὁδόν· ὡς ἐὰν πάλιν ἐχθροὶ γένησθε, οὐκέτι ἐστὶν ἑτοιμασία τῆς εἰρήνης. Ἕτοιμοί ἐστε, μὴ ἀναβάλλεσθε πρὸς εἰρήνην. Καθάπερ ἕτοιμοι ἐγένεσθε πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τὴν πίστιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐπιμείνατε. Θυρεός ἐστιν ἡ πίστις, πρῶτος δεχόμενος τὰς τῶν ἐναντίων προσβολὰς, καὶ τὰ ὅπλα τηρῶν ἄτρωτα. Ἐὰν οὖν πίστις ὀρθὴ ᾖ καὶ βίος ὀρθὸς, τὰ ὅπλα ἄτρωτα μένει. Πολλὰ δὲ περὶ πίστεως καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ διαλέγεται, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς Ἑβραίους γράφων, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος. Πιστεύετε, φησὶ, τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ οὐδὲν τούτων τρωθήσεται. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς δεινοῖς, ἐν 62.171 τοῖς πόνοις τὴν ἐλπίδα προβαλλόμενος καὶ τὴν πίστιν, ἄτρωτα ἐκεῖνα διατηρήσεις. Πιστεῦσαι δεῖ τὸν προσερχόμενον τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι ἔστι, καὶ τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτὸν μισθαποδότης γίνεται. Ἡ πίστις θυρεός ἐστι σκέπων τοὺς ἀπεριέργως πιστεύοντας· ἐὰν δὲ σοφίσματα ᾖ καὶ λογισμοὶ καὶ εὐθῦναι, οὐκ ἔτι ἐστὶ θυρεὸς, ἀλλὰ συμποδίζει ἡμᾶς. Τοιαύτη ἔστω ἡ πίστις, ὥστε συγκαλύπτειν καὶ συσκιάζειν τὸ πᾶν. Μὴ τοίνυν ἔστω βραχεῖα, ὥστε γυμνοὺς τοὺς πόδας, ἢ ἄλλο τι μέρος ἐᾷν, ἀλλ' ἔστω σύμμετρος ὁ θυρεός. Πεπυρωμένα. Πολλοὶ γὰρ διαλογισμοὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καίοντες, πολλαὶ ἀπορίαι, πολλαὶ ἀμηχανίαι, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὄντως ἡ πίστις ἀναπαύει. Πολλὰ ἐνίησιν ὁ διάβολος, ἐμπυρίζων ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ εἰς ἀμφιβολίαν ἄγων, ὡς ὅταν λέγωσί τινες· Ἆρα ἀνάστασις ἔστιν; ἆρα κρίσις; ἆρα ἀνταπόδοσις; Ἀλλ' ἐὰν τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως ἔχῃς, σβέσεις ἐν αὐτῇ τὰ βέλη τοῦ διαβόλου. Ἐπῆλθεν ἄτοπός τις ἐν σοὶ ἐπιθυμία, ἀνήφθη πῦρ ἔνδον πονηρῶν λογισμῶν; Προβαλοῦ τὴν πίστιν τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, καὶ οὐδὲ φανεῖται, ἀλλ' ἀπολεῖται. Πάντα τὰ βέλη· οὐ τὰ μὲν ναὶ, τὰ δὲ οὔ. Ἄκουε τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Λογίζομαι γὰρ, ὅτι οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς. Ὁρᾷς πόσα βέλη τότε ἔσβεσαν οἱ δίκαιοι; Ἢ οὐ δοκεῖ σοι βέλος εἶναι πεπυρωμένον τὸ καίεσθαι τὸν πατριάρχην τῷ ἔνδον πυρὶ τὸν υἱὸν προσφέροντα; Καὶ ἄλλοι δὲ δίκαιοι πάντα αὐτοῦ τὰ βέλη κατέσβεσαν. Ἄν τε οὖν λογισμοὶ ἐπιστρατεύωνται, ταύτην προβαλώμεθα, ἄν τε ἐπιθυμίαι ἄτοποι, ταύτῃ χρώμεθα, ἄν τε πόνοι καὶ ταλαιπωρίαι, ἐπὶ ταύτην ἀναπαυώμεθα· πάντων τῶν ὅπλων αὕτη ἐστὶ φυλακτήριον· ἂν μὴ ταύτην ἔχωμεν, κἀκεῖνα ταχέως τρωθήσεται. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι, φησὶν, ἀναλαβόντες τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐπὶ πᾶσι; Καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου. Τουτέστι, ταύτης πάντα ταῦτα χρῄζει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ τὴν περικεφαλαίαν τοῦ σωτηρίου δέξασθε, τουτέστιν, ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ λοιπὸν γενέσθαι διὰ ταύτης δυνήσεσθε, καὶ πάντα κίνδυνον ἐκφυγεῖν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ περικεφαλαία πάντοθεν ἀκριβῶς καλύπτουσα τὴν κεφαλὴν, οὐκ ἀφίησί τι δεινὸν παθεῖν, ἀλλὰ σώζει· οὕτω καὶ ἡ πίστις ἀντὶ θυρεοῦ γίνεται, καὶ ἀντὶ περικεφαλαίας σωτηρίου. Ἂν σβέσωμεν αὐτοῦ τὰ βέλη, ταχέως καὶ τοὺς σώζοντας λογισμοὺς δεξόμεθα τοὺς τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐῶντάς τι παθεῖν. Ἐὰν γὰρ οὗτοι σβεννύωνται οἱ λογισμοὶ οἱ ἐναντίοι, ταχέως οἱ μὴ τοιοῦτοι, ἀλλὰ σώζοντες ἡμᾶς καὶ εὐέλπιδας ποιοῦντες, ἐν ἡμῖν τεχθήσονται, καὶ καθάπερ περικεφαλαία τῇ κεφαλῇ, τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ ἡμῶν ἐγκείσονται. γʹ. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν δεξόμεθα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὥστε μηκέτι ἀσφαλίζεσθαι μόνον τὰ πεμπόμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν πλήττειν τὸν διάβολον. Ψυχὴ γὰρ μὴ ἀπογνοῦσα ἑαυτῆς, μηδὲ δεχομένη τὰ πεπυρωμένα βέλη, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς προθυμίας στήσεται κατὰ τοῦ Ἐχθροῦ, ἀναῤῥήξει αὐτοῦ τὸν θώρακα τῇ μαχαίρᾳ ταύτῃ, δι' ἧς ἀνέῤῥηξε καὶ τὰ νοήματα αὐτοῦ ᾐχμαλώτευσε Παῦλος· ἀποτεμεῖ καὶ καρατομήσει τὸν δράκοντα. Ὅ ἐστι ῥῆμα