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unbearable. Did you see the first principle of the highest philosophy, and how the discourse clarifies for you what things are worthy of fear, and what of condemnation? For if one does not make this best distinction, he is at a loss, wandering about as if in deep darkness and confusion of things. If we do not distinguish what we ought to fear and what to despise, there will be great error in life, great danger. For it is of the utmost folly to fear things not worthy of fear, but to laugh at what is right to fear. In this also men differ from children, because the latter, being of an imperfect mind, fear masks, and people wearing sacks; but they consider insulting a father or a mother to be nothing; and they jump on a fire, and on burning lamps, but they are terrified by certain bugbears, which have nothing terrible about them; but men 55.227 pay attention to none of these things. Since, then, many are more foolish than children, he makes this distinction, and says what one must fear, not what seems terrible to many, I mean poverty, and dishonor, and disease—for these things are not only terrible to many, but also burdensome, and oppressive; but he puts down none of these, but only sin; for this is it: The iniquity of my heel shall compass me about. This, then, is an enigmatic saying, this is a new and paradoxical way. For it seems very new and paradoxical to many to say that one should not fear any of the painful things in life. What then do I fear, he says, in the evil day? One thing only, lest the iniquity of my way and of my life compass me. And Scripture knows to call deceit the heel. For he that eats bread with me, it says, has lifted up his heel against me. And again Esau said concerning Jacob: This is the second time he has supplanted me. For such is sin, deceitful, and capable of carrying one away. This, he says, I fear, the sin which deceives me, which surrounds me. 4. Wherefore Paul also calls it easily besetting, signifying that which continually surrounds, that which easily, that which readily. Therefore in these courts men fear many things, both abundance of money, and power, and insolence, and deceit; but there, nothing of the sort, but sin alone is terrible, everywhere surrounding those who are caught, and is worse than armies. One must therefore do all things so as not to be surrounded by it, but when we see it wanting to encompass us, to escape its clutches, which the noble soldiers do; and if we are caught, to cut it off quickly, which David also did, cutting through its strength by means of repentance. For he was surrounded by it, but he quickly escaped it. He who fears this, will never fear anything else, but will laugh at the good things in the present life, will look down upon the painful things, with that fear alone shaking his mind. For nothing, nothing else is terrible to the one who possesses this fear, not even the chief of terrible things, death, but this alone. How? Because it delivers to Gehenna, because it sends to immortal punishments. This again, when set right, brings in all virtue. For consider how great a thing it is, not to be puffed up by good things, not to be humbled by painful things, to take no account of present things, to look to the things to come, to await that day, to live with such a fear. Such a one will be an angel, fearing this alone, and nothing else; for he will not fear any of the other things, if he fears this alone, as he ought to fear; just as, therefore, he who does not fear this, will be subject to many terrible things. They that trust in their own power, and boast in the multitude of their riches. Another, *Boasting*. A brother does not ransom, shall a man ransom? 55.228 He will not give to God an atonement for himself, and the price of the

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ἀφόρητος. Εἶδες πρῶτον φιλοσοφίας ὅρον τῆς ἀνωτάτω, καὶ πῶς διευκρινεῖ σοι ὁ λόγος, ποῖα μὲν ἄξια φόβου, ποῖα δὲ καταγνώσεως; Ἂν γὰρ μὴ ταύτην τις τὴν ἀρίστην ποιήσηται διαίρεσιν, καθάπερ ἐν σκότῳ βαθεῖ καὶ συγχύσει πραγμάτων περιφερόμενος, ἀπορεῖται. Ἂν μὴ διέλωμεν τίνα μὲν φοβεῖσθαι δεῖ, τίνα δὲ διαπτύειν, πολλὴ κατὰ τὸν βίον ἔσται ἡ πλάνη, πολὺς ὁ κίνδυνος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας φοβεῖσθαι τὰ μὴ ἄξια φόβου, καταγελᾷν δὲ ἃ φοβεῖσθαι δίκαιον. Τούτῳ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες τῶν παίδων διεστήκασιν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἅτε ἐν ἀτελεῖ διανοίᾳ ὄντες, προσωπεῖα δεδοίκασι, καὶ ἀνθρώπους σάκκον περικειμένους· τὸ δὲ ὑβρίσαι πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, οὐδὲν εἶναι ἡγοῦνται· καὶ πυρὶ μὲν ἐπιπηδῶσι, καὶ λύχνοις καιομένοις, φόρους δέ τινας δεδίττονται, οὐδὲν ἔχοντας δεινόν· οἱ δὲ ἄν 55.227 δρες οὐδενὶ τούτων ἐπιστρέφονται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλοὶ παίδων εἰσὶν ἀνοητότεροι, διαίρεσιν ποιεῖται ταύτην, καὶ λέγει τίνα χρὴ φοβεῖσθαι, οὐ τὰ πολλοῖς δοκοῦντα φοβερὰ, πενίαν λέγω, καὶ ἀδοξίαν, καὶ νόσον ταῦτα γὰρ οὐ μόνον τοῖς πολλοῖς φοβερὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαχθῆ, καὶ φορτικά· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων τίθησιν, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτίαν μόνην· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν· Ἡ ἀνομία τῆς πτέρνης μου κυκλώσει με. Τοῦτο οὖν ἐστιν αἰνιγματώδης λόγος, τοῦτο καινὸς καὶ παράδοξος τρόπος. Σφόδρα γὰρ καινὸν καὶ παράδοξον τοῖς πολλοῖς εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ λέγειν, μὴ δεῖν τι φοβεῖσθαι τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ λυπηρῶν. Τί οὖν φοβοῦμαι, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πονηρᾷ; Ἓν μόνον, μήποτε ἡ ἀνομία τῆς ὁδοῦ μου καὶ τοῦ βίου μου κυκλώσῃ με. Οἶδε δὲ καὶ πτέρναν καλεῖν τὴν ἀπάτην ἡ Γραφή. Ὁ ἐσθίων γὰρ μετ' ἐμοῦ, φησὶν, ἄρτον, ἐπῆρεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἡσαῦ ἔλεγεν περὶ τοῦ Ἰακώβ· ∆εύτερον τοῦτο ἐπτέρνικέ με. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἀπατηλὸν, καὶ ἱκανὸν συναρπάσαι. Ταύτην, φησὶ, δέδοικα τὴν ἀπατῶσάν με ἁμαρτίαν, τὴν κυκλοῦσάν με. δʹ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος αὐτὴν εὐπερίστατον καλεῖ, τὴν συνεχῶς περιβάλλουσαν δηλῶν, τὴν εὐκόλως, τὴν ῥᾳδίως. Ἐν μὲν οὖν τούτοις τοῖς δικαστηρίοις πολλὰ δεδοίκασιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ χρημάτων περιουσίαν, καὶ δυναστείαν, καὶ ἐπήρειαν, καὶ ἀπάτην· ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' ἣ ἁμαρτία μόνον φοβερὸν, πανταχοῦ κυκλοῦσα τοὺς ἁλισκομένους, καὶ στρατοπέδων χαλεπώτερον. ∆εῖ μὲν οὖν πάντα πράττειν, ὥστε μὴ κυκλοῦσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῆς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν ἴδωμεν βουλομένην αὐτὴν ἡμᾶς περιβαλεῖν, διαφεύγειν αὐτῆς τὰς λαβὰς, ὅπερ οἱ γενναῖοι τῶν στρατιωτῶν ποιοῦσιν· ἂν δὲ καὶ ἁλῶμεν, διακόπτειν ταχέως αὐτὴν, ὅπερ καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐποίησε, διατεμὼν αὐτῆς τὴν ἰσχὺν διὰ τῆς μετανοίας. Ἐκυκλώθη μὲν γὰρ ὑπ' αὐτῆς, ἀλλὰ ταχέως αὐτὴν διέφυγεν. Ὁ τοῦτο δεδοικὼς, οὐδὲν ἄλλο φοβηθήσεταί ποτε, ἀλλὰ καταγελάσει τῶν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ χρηστῶν, ὑπερόψεται τῶν λυπηρῶν, τοῦ φόβου μόνον ἐκείνου κατασείοντος αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, οὐδὲν τῶν ἄλλων φοβερὸν τῷ τοῦτον κεκτημένῳ τὸν φόβον, οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν φοβερῶν, ὁ θάνατος, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦτο μόνον. Πῶς; Ὅτι γεέννῃ παραδίδωσιν, ὅτι πρὸς τὰς ἀθανάτους παραπέμπει τιμωρίας. Τοῦτο πάλιν κατορθωθὲν ἅπασαν εἰσάγει τὴν ἀρετήν. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ἡλίκον ἐστὶ, μὴ φυσᾶσθαι τοῖς χρηστοῖς, μὴ ταπεινοῦσθαι τοῖς λυπηροῖς, μηδένα τῶν παρόντων ποιεῖσθαι λόγον, πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ὁρᾷν, τὴν ἡμέραν ἀναμένειν ἐκείνην, τοιούτῳ φόβῳ συζῇν. Ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄγγελος ἔσται τοῦτο μόνον δεδοικὼς, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων μηδέν· οὐδὲ γὰρ φοβηθήσεταί τι τῶν ἄλλων, ἂν τοῦτο μόνον ᾖ δεδοικὼς, ὡς δεδοικέναι χρή· ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ μὴ τοῦτο δεδοικὼς, πολλοῖς ὑποκείσεται φοβεροῖς. Οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν καυχώμενοι. Ἄλλος, Ἀλαζονευόμενοι. Ἀδελφὸς οὐ λυτροῦται, λυτρώσεται ἄνθρωπος; 55.228 Οὐ δώσει τῷ Θεῷ ἐξίλασμα ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῆς